Antibody production gets confused during long-term spaceflight
New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that flawed antibody production could potentially compromise resistance to infections during long-term missions and jeopardize the outcome of a space mission
2011-05-20
(Press-News.org) Bethesda, MD—The trip to Mars just got a little more difficult now that French researchers have discovered that antibodies used to fight off disease might become seriously compromised during long-term space flight. In a new report published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), the scientists show that antibodies produced in space are less effective than those produced on terra firma. The reduced effectiveness of antibodies makes astronauts more susceptible to illness, while increasing the danger posed by bacteria and viruses likely to coexist with wayfaring astronauts.
"We hope to find efficient pharmacological and/or nutritional countermeasures to alterations of the immune system that could be useful to astronauts and to people who have weak immune systems on Earth because of infections, aging, or chronic stress exposure," said Jean-Pol Frippiat, a researcher involved in the work from the Faculty of Medicine, Development and Immunogenetics at the Université Henri Poincaré-Nancy, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
To make their discovery, Frippiat and colleagues conducted studies using three groups of amphibians. Amphibians were chosen for the work because they use the same cellular mechanisms to produce antibodies as humans do. The first group of amphibians was immunized in space, the second was immunized on Earth, and the third was not immunized at all. Comparison of the antibodies produced revealed that the quality of the antibodies generated by the group immunized in space was decreased. This suggests that spaceflight conditions alter the immune system and affect its ability to protect against infections and tumors, posing a serious risk for astronauts.
"This paper shows that somatic hypermutation occurs at a lower frequency in spaceflight and brings together yet more evidence that the immune system is dependent on gravity," said Millie Hughes-Fulford, Ph.D., NASA Science Astronaut; Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, UCSF; Director, Laboratory of Cell Growth, VAMC/UCSF; and editorial board member of the FASEB Journal. "Dependence on gravity should be no surprise since all of earth's jawed vertebrates developed in earth's gravity, and it would be logical to expect that some systems would require gravity for normal function."
"Outer space may be the final frontier, but this research shows that our inner space could pose the greatest threat to the success of a mission," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "These explorers will have to be prepared not only for the challenges of extremely hostile environments, but also those posed by microbial stowaways, even those with which we peacefully co-exist on Earth."
###
Receive monthly highlights from the FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fjupdate.aspx. The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2011. Over the past quarter century, the journal has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century and is the most cited biology journal worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information.
FASEB comprises 23 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB enhances the ability of scientists and engineers to improve—through their research—the health, well-being and productivity of all people. FASEB's mission is to advance health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.
Details: Matthieu Bascove, Nathan Guéguinou, Bérénice Schaerlinger, Guillemette Gauquelin-Koch, and Jean-Pol Frippiat. Decrease in antibody somatic hypermutation frequency under extreme, extended spaceflight conditions. FASEB J. published ahead of print, May 18, 2011, doi: 1096/fj.11-185215 ; http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2011/05/16/fj.11-185215.abstract
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-05-20
Among likely voters surveyed across the nation, 66 percent support additional funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out new responsibilities related to food safety, according to a Pew-commissioned poll released today by the bipartisan team of Hart Research and American Viewpoint.
In addition, 74 percent feel it is worth a one-to-three percent increase in the cost of food to pay for new safety measures in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which became law this year. Further, 70 percent of those surveyed favor food companies paying an average ...
2011-05-20
The newly approved Tiffalina's HCG Diet Safe Lotion is the first of its kind to meet the strict guidelines of the HCG Diet. According to Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, the creator of the HCG Diet Protocol, products that contain fats or oils such as lotion, liquid foundation, lip balm, etc., will hinder the rapid weight loss typically achieved on the HCG Diet.
In Dr. Simeons' manuscript, Pounds and Inches Away: A New Approach to Obesity, he states that "...fats, oils, creams and ointments applied to the skin are absorbed and interfere with weight reduction by HCG just as if ...
2011-05-20
A human drug that both prevents and cures kidney failure in mice sheds light on disabling human mitochondrial disorders, and may represent a potential treatment in people with such illnesses.
"There are no effective cures for mitochondrial diseases, even in animals," said study leader Marni J. Falk, M.D., who cares for children in the Mitochondrial-Genetics Disease Clinic at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "So these striking results in mice may suggest a novel therapy of direct relevance for humans."
Falk and colleagues published their study online May 5 in ...
2011-05-20
This release is available in French.
Montreal, May 19, 2010 – Caring for a family member with a mental illness can be a taxing experience marked by personal sacrifices and psychological problems.
A new study from Concordia University, AMI-Québec and the University of British Columbia has found family caregivers can experience high levels of stress, self-blame, substance abuse and depressive symptoms – unless they refocus their priorities and lighten their load.
"Being the principal caregiver to a mentally ill family member is a stressor that often creates high ...
2011-05-20
ATLANTA – May 19, 2011 – A new report from the American Cancer Society details cancer control efforts and outlines improvements as well as gaps in preventive behavior that contribute to cancer mortality. Increasing rates of obesity observed since the early 1980s appear to have slowed in the past decade, particularly among women and girls, but nearly one in five adolescents and about one in three adults is obese. Vaccination against the virus that causes cervical cancer is up, but smoking declines have stalled. Meanwhile, proven cancer screening tests remain underutilized, ...
2011-05-20
Men who have been diagnosed with poor sperm quality and who are trying to have children should limit their cell phone use. Researchers have found that while cell phone use appears to increase the level of testosterone circulating in the body, it may also lead to low sperm quality and a decrease in fertility.
"Our findings were a little bit puzzling," says Rany Shamloul, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and lead researcher on the project. "We were expecting to find different results, but the results we did find suggest that there ...
2011-05-20
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri researcher has found that eating a healthy breakfast, especially one high in protein, increases satiety and reduces hunger throughout the day. In addition, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior.
"Everyone knows that eating breakfast is important, but many people still don't make it a priority," said Heather Leidy, assistant professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and ...
2011-05-20
Singles dating sites have grown so much in popularity over the past 10 years with the emergence of social networking sites. It is so much more important now to carefully research each singles dating sites before spending your hard earned money to find that special someone.
There are literally hundreds of online dating sites that fill the pages of the Internet. In my many years of research I've evaluated singles dating site after singles dating site to come to one main conclusion. An online date site can have all the bells and whistles, but without a sufficient member ...
2011-05-20
RICHMOND, Va. (May 19, 2011) – Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that nutrient supplementation, like the kind that is found in leafy greens, spinach and lettuce, may reduce the damage to the heart caused by a powerful anti-cancer drug.
Since the 1960s, the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin has remained a top choice for chemotherapy because of its superior efficacy to fight cancer. However, the drug is known to lead to permanent heart damage. Currently, there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for prevention or treatment of heart damage ...
2011-05-20
OwnDepot, a home management solution and personal asset documentation protection company announced a new marketing program designed to keep home protection top of mind. The new program, called DEFEND searches for and follows catastrophic events, and offers free home protection services to those fortunate enough to be spared from any tragedy. "It is a bit like the storm chasers," said Brett Langlinais COO of OwnDepot. "Home Protection is top of mind right after a near miss. If you have a tornado in a nearby town or a flood in a nearby county, you realize that ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Antibody production gets confused during long-term spaceflight
New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that flawed antibody production could potentially compromise resistance to infections during long-term missions and jeopardize the outcome of a space mission
