Preliminary considerations for accessible space missions for all.

As new space missions are being prepared, now is the time for accessible designs and approaches. In a workshop, we asked attendees to discuss the adjustments for people with disabilities in relation to the established barriers to human spaceflight. Potential challenges were grouped into medical, physiological, subsistence, and technical.

Insights into human muscle biology from human primary skeletal muscle cell culture.

This review arises from the symposium held in honour of Prof Jenny Morgan at UCL in 2024 and the authors would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution that Prof Morgan has made to the field of translational muscle cell biology. Prof Morgan published a review article in 2010 entitled: Are human and mice satellite cells really the same? In which the authors highlighted differences between species which are still pertinent to skeletal muscle cell culture studies today. To our knowledge there are no comprehensive reviews which outline the considerable work that has been undertaken using human primary skeletal muscle origin cells as the main model system.

Multidimensional profiling of human T cells reveals high CD38 expression, marking recent thymic emigrants and age-related naive T cell remodeling.

Thymic involution is a key factor in human immune aging, leading to reduced thymic output and a decline in recent thymic emigrant (RTE) naive T cells in circulation. Currently, the precise definition of human RTEs and their corresponding cell surface markers lacks clarity. Analysis of single-cell RNA-seq/ATAC-seq data distinguished RTEs by the expression of SOX4, IKZF2, and TOX and CD38 protein, whereby surface CD38 expression universally identified CD8 and CD4 RTEs.

Lessons for Flying Astronauts with Disabilities Drawn from Experience in Aviation.

Accessible spaceflight may seem a distant concept. As part of a diverse European Space Agency funded Topical Team, we are working on the physiological feasibility of space missions being undertaken by people with physical disabilities. Here, the first activity of this team is presented in the form of key lessons learned from aviation to inform new work on space missions.

Muscle fibre size and myonuclear positioning in trained and aged humans.

Changes in myonuclear architecture and positioning are associated with exercise adaptations and ageing. However, data on the positioning and number of myonuclei following exercise are inconsistent. Additionally, whether myonuclear domains (MNDs; i.

Effect of gut microbiome modulation on muscle function and cognition: the PROMOTe randomised controlled trial.

Studies suggest that inducing gut microbiota changes may alter both muscle physiology and cognitive behaviour. Gut microbiota may play a role in both anabolic resistance of older muscle, and cognition. In this placebo controlled double blinded randomised controlled trial of 36 twin pairs (72 individuals), aged ≥60, each twin pair are block randomised to receive either placebo or prebiotic daily for 12 weeks.

Initial Investigation of a Grating Stimulus as a Visual Endpoint for Human Centrifuge Research.

G tolerance has been widely assessed using Peripheral Light Loss (PLL), but this approach has several limitations and may lack sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a foveal visual endpoint for centrifuge research (Grating Loss; GL) and assess its repeatability, reliability, and usability with PLL as a reference. A total of 11 subjects undertook centrifuge assessment.

Early Human Pathophysiological Responses to Exertional Hypobaric Decompression Stress.

Consistent blood biomarkers of hypobaric (altitude) decompression stress remain elusive. Recent laboratory investigation of decompression sickness risk at 25,000 ft (7620 m) enabled evaluation of early pathophysiological responses to exertional decompression stress. In this study, 15 healthy men, aged 20-50 yr, undertook 2 consecutive (same-day) ascents to 25,000 ft (7620 m) for 60 and 90 min, breathing 100% oxygen, each following 1 h of prior denitrogenation.

Revisiting specific force loss in human permeabilized single skeletal muscle fibers obtained from older individuals.

Specific force (SF) has been shown to be reduced in some but not all studies of human aging using chemically skinned single muscle fibers. This may be due, in part, not only to the health status/physical activity levels of different older cohorts, but also from methodological differences in studying skinned fibers. The aim of the present study was to compare SF in fibers from older hip fracture patients (HFP), healthy master cyclists (MC), and healthy nontrained young adults (YA) using two different activating solutions.

Aging and skeletal muscle force control: Current perspectives and future directions.

During voluntary muscle contractions, force output is characterized by constant inherent fluctuations, which can be quantified either according to their magnitude or temporal structure, that is, complexity. The presence of such fluctuations when targeting a set force indicates that control of force is not perfectly accurate, which can have significant implications for task performance. Compared to young adults, older adults demonstrate a greater magnitude and lower complexity in force fluctuations, indicative of decreased steadiness, and adaptability of force output, respectively.

A Hypothesis: The Interplay of Exercise and Physiological Heterogeneity as Drivers of Human Ageing.

As the inherent ageing process affects every facet of biology, physiology could be considered as the study of the healthy human ageing process. Where biological health is affected by lifestyle, the continual and continuing interaction of this process with physical activity and other lifestyle choices determine whether the ageing trajectory is toward health or disease. The presentation of both these states is further modified in individuals by the interaction of inherent physiological heterogeneity and the heterogeneity associated with responses and adaptions to exercise.

Methodological considerations in measuring specific force in human single skinned muscle fibres.

Chemically skinned fibres allow the study of human muscle contractile function in vitro. A particularly important parameter is specific force (SF), that is, maximal isometric force divided by cross-sectional area, representing contractile quality. Although SF varies substantially between studies, the magnitude and cause of this variability remains puzzling.

A Novel Biopsychosocial Approach to Neck Pain in Military Helicopter Aircrew.

Flight-related neck pain (FRNP) is a frequently reported musculoskeletal complaint among military helicopter aircrew. However, despite its prevalence and suspected causes, little is known of the underpinning pain mechanisms or the impact of neck pain on aircrews in-flight task performance. The biopsychosocial (BPS) approach to health, combined with the contemporary conceptualization of musculoskeletal pain, in which injury and pain are not necessarily synonymous, provides a relatively new holistic framework within which to consider the problem of FRNP in military helicopter aircrew.

Asian Indians With Prediabetes Have Similar Skeletal Muscle Mass and Function to Those With Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a major concern among Asian Indians, not least because many develop T2D at despite having a normal BMI (body mass index), and with relatively low body fat. Asian Indians are also generally considered to have relatively low skeletal muscle mass and strength, this has not been explored in the context of T2D. The present study aimed to compare skeletal muscle mass, function and contractile quality (strength/mass) between healthy controls, those with prediabetes (PD) as well as T2D middle-aged non-obese Asian Indians.