Laboratory and clinical findings related to the oral tissues of three astronauts during a 56-day simulated Skylab mission are described. Changes in the oral counts of specific microorganisms were observed concurrently with alterations in saliva flow rates and levels of secretory IgA and salivary lysozyme.
The levels of specific proteins and electrolytes in stimulated whole saliva were monitored in Skylab crew members before and after each mission. With few exceptions, mission-associated compositional changes in saliva were relatively minimal. There were no changes in(formula see text), Cl-, albumin, or IgG concentrations. There were slight decreases in total protein coinciding with moderate saliva flow rate increases immediately before and after each flight. Other changes included diminutions in Na+ and lysozyme, and elevations in Mg++ and IgA. The IgA increase was the most pronounced mission-associated change observed.
A chamber to house two marmosets in a space-simulated environment was built and tested. The chamber was used in three experiments of two weeks duration each to study changes in the oral microflora of marmosets exposed to an atmosphere of 70% oxygen and 30% nitrogen at 5 psi.
Qualitative and quantitative assessments were made of the cultivable oral microflora of adult marmosets that were given three difjerent dietary regimens. The identifiable isolates were dispersed among 12 recognized microbial families, 24 genera, and more than 40 species. Generally, marmosets that received a high sucrose diet had the highest bacterial counts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.