The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to measure human energy expenditure (EE) during spaceflight on a shuttle mission by using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method; 2) to determine whether the astronauts were in negative energy balance during spaceflight; 3) to use the comparison of change in body fat as measured by the intake DLW EE,18O dilution, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to validate the DLW method for spaceflight; and 4) to compare EE during spaceflight against that found with bed rest. Two experiments were conducted: a flight experiment ( n = 4) on the 16-day 1996 life and microgravity sciences shuttle mission and a 6° head-down tilt bed rest study with controlled dietary intake ( n = 8). The bed rest study was designed to simulate the flight experiment and included exercise. Two EE determinations were done before flight (bed rest), during flight (bed rest), and after flight (recovery). Energy intake and N balance were monitored for the entire period. Results were that body weight, water, fat, and energy balance were unchanged with bed rest. For the flight experiment, decreases in weight (2.6 ± 0.4 kg, P < 0.05) and N retention (−2.37 ± 0.45 g N/day, P < 0.05) were found. Dietary intake for the four astronauts was reduced in flight (3,025 ± 180 vs. 1,943 ± 179 kcal/day, P < 0.05). EE in flight was 3,320 ± 155 kcal/day, resulting in a negative energy balance of 1,355 ± 80 kcal/day (−15.7 ± 1.0 kcal ⋅ kg−1 ⋅ day−1, P < 0.05). This corresponded to a loss of 2.1 ± 0.4 kg body fat, which was within experimental error of the fat loss determined by18O dilution (−1.4 ± 0.5 kg) and DEXA (−2.4 ± 0.4 kg). All three methods showed no change in body fat with bed rest. In conclusion, 1) the DLW method for measuring EE during spaceflight is valid, 2) the astronauts were in severe negative energy balance and oxidized body fat, and 3) in-flight energy (E) requirements can be predicted from the equation: E = 1.40 × resting metabolic rate + exercise.

Human spaceflight is associated with a loss of body protein. Bed rest studies suggest that the reduction in the whole body protein synthesis (PS) rate should be ∼15%. The objectives of this experiment were to test two hypotheses on astronauts and cosmonauts during long-duration (>3 mo) flights on MIR: that 1) the whole body PS rate will be reduced and 2) dietary intake and the PS rate should be increased postflight because protein accretion is occurring. The15N glycine method was used for measuring whole body PS rate before, during, and after long-duration spaceflight on the Russian space station MIR. Dietary intake was measured together with the protein kinetics. Results show that subjects lost weight during flight (4.64 ± 1.0 kg, P < 0.05). Energy intake was decreased inflight (2,854 ± 268 vs. 2,145 ± 190 kcal/day, n = 6, P < 0.05), as was the PS rate (226 ± 24 vs. 97 ± 11 g protein/day, n = 6, P < 0.01). The reduction in PS correlated with the reduction in energy intake ( r 2 = 0.86, P < 0.01, n = 6). Postflight energy intake and PS returned to, but were not increased over, the preflight levels. We conclude that the reduction in PS found was greater than predicted from ground-based bed rest experiments because of the shortfall in dietary intake. The expected postflight anabolic state with increases in dietary intake and PS did not occur during the first 2 wk after landing.

The objectives of this study were to determine whether oxidative stress early in pregnancy influenced pregnancy outcome. A combination of assays were used for exogenous and endogenous anti-oxidants together with two well accepted biomarkers for oxidative stress, the urinary excretion of 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) (a biomarker marker for lipid oxidation, n=508) and 8-oxo-7,8 dihydro-2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, a biomarker for DNA oxidation, n=487). The two biomarkers tracked different pregnancy outcomes. Isoprostanes were associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia and a decreased proportion of female births. In contrast, 8-OHdG tracked lower infant birthweight and shortened gestation duration. Birth defects were associated with low levels of 8-OHdG.

INTRODUCTION The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is believed to involve genetic and environmental components. The present study focused on the plasticizer, Bisphenol-A (BPA). The major pathway for BPA metabolism and excretion is via glucuronidation. OBJECTIVES To determine whether there was a relationship between BPA exposure and ASD. METHODS Urine specimens were collected from 46 children with ASD and 52 controls. Free and total BPA concentrations were determined by mass spectrometry. The fraction glucuronidated was calculated from the difference. A metabolomics study was done to investigate metabolite distribution in the urine. RESULTS (i) Most of the BPA excreted in the urine was as the glucuronide. (ii) About 20% of the ASD children had BPA levels beyond the 90th percentile (> 50 ng/ml) of the frequency distribution for the total sample of 98 children. (iii) Mann-Whitney U tests and multiple regression analyses found significant differences (p <0 .05) between the groups in total and % bound BPA. (iv) The metabolomics analyses showed the number of absolute partial correlations ≥ |0.30| between metabolite concentrations and total BPA was ~3 times greater with the ASD group than the controls ( p <0 .001), and the number of absolute partial correlations ≥ |0.30| for % bound BPA was ~15 times higher with ASD ( p <0 .001). CONCLUSION The results suggest there is an association between BPA and ASD.

Human spaceflight is associated with a loss of body protein. To investigate this problem, dietary intake, nitrogen balance, the whole body protein, and fibrinogen protein synthesis rates were measured on the crews of two Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS) shuttle missions before, during, and after spaceflight. The first mission, SLS-1, lasted 9.5 days, and the second, SLS-2, lasted 15 days. The 15N-glycine method was used for the protein synthesis measurements. The following results were obtained. 1) There was a rapid decline in weight for the first 5 days and then the body weight appeared to stabilize. 2) The mean energy intake preflight was 39.0 +/- 2.5 kcal x kg-1 x day-1 (n = 10). There was a sharp drop in dietary intake on flight day 1, with recovery by the second day, and then energy intake was constant at 30.4 +/- 1.5 kcal x kg-1 x day-1 (n = 12) for the remainder of the flight period (P < 0.05). 3) Nitrogen retention was decreased during flight, with the magnitude of the decrease lessening toward the end of the mission. The daily mean nitrogen balance changed from 58 +/- 9 mg x kg-1 x day-1 (n = 9) preflight to 16 +/- 3 mg N x kg-1 x day-1; P < 0.05; n = 11) in flight, corresponding to a loss of approximately 1 kg of lean body mass over 14 days. 4) Whole body protein synthesis was increased early in flight and on recovery, as was fibrinogen synthesis. We conclude that 1) the rapid readjustment and stabilization of energy intake and the improved nitrogen retention with increasing flight duration are consistent with a rapid metabolic accommodation to the novel environment; and that 2) the increased protein turnover indicates that a metabolic stress response is an important factor in this adjustment process.