Overview of the NASA space radiation laboratory

Tessa, Chiara La; Sivertz, M.; Chiang, I-Hung; Lowenstein, D.; Rusek, A.

doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2016.10.002

Cited by 105 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Two groups were irradiated at the highest dose, one fed AIN-93M diet and the other fed the same diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg diet of the antioxidant ALA (ALA from Sigma Aldrich; diets formulated by Bio-Serv, Flemington, NJ), beginning one week before irradiation and continuing until euthanasia. Irradiations were performed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY (La Tessa, et al 2016). Mice for the 0 cGy group were transported and restrained identically to the irradiated groups.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Very low doses of heavy oxygen ion radiation induce premature ovarian failure

et al. 2017

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Astronauts are exposed to charged particles during space travel, and charged particles are also used for cancer radiotherapy. Premature ovarian failure is a well-known side-effect of conventional, low linear energy transfer (LET) cancer radiotherapy, but little is known about the effects of high LET charged particles on the ovary. We hypothesized that lower LET (16.5 keV/µm) oxygen particles would be less damaging to the ovary than we previously found for iron (LET=179 keV/µm). Adult female mice were irradiated with 0, 5, 30, or 50 cGy oxygen ions or 50 cGy oxygen plus dietary supplementation with the antioxidant alpha lipoic acid (ALA). 6h after irradiation, percentages of ovarian follicles immunopositive for γH2AX, a marker of DNA double strand breaks, 4-HNE, a marker of oxidative lipid damage, and PUMA, a proapoptotic BCL-2 family protein, were dose-dependently increased in irradiated mice compared to controls. One week after irradiation, numbers of primordial, primary, and secondary follicles per ovary were dose-dependently decreased, with complete absence of follicles in the 50 cGy groups. The ED50 for primordial follicle destruction was 4.6 cGy for oxygen compared to 27.5 cGy for iron in our previous study. Serum FSH and LH concentrations were significantly elevated in 50 cGy groups at 8wk. Supplementation with ALA mitigated the early effects, but not the ultimate depletion of ovarian follicles. In conclusion, oxygen charged particles are even more potent inducers of ovarian follicle depletion than charged iron particles, raising concern for premature ovarian failure in astronauts exposed to both particles during space travel.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Very low doses of heavy oxygen ion radiation induce premature ovarian failure

et al. 2017

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“…For humans, bed rest is used to simulate disuse of the bone and muscle [11]. Space radiation has been simulated on the ground using high energy particles of varying charges and energies generated using accelerators [12]. It has been known that simulated microgravity produces only some, but not all, of the biological effects of the true microgravity condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcriptomics, NF-κB Pathway, and Their Potential Spaceflight-Related Health Consequences

Zhang

Moreno‐Villanueva

Krieger

et al. 2017

IJMS

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In space, living organisms are exposed to multiple stress factors including microgravity and space radiation. For humans, these harmful environmental factors have been known to cause negative health impacts such as bone loss and immune dysfunction. Understanding the mechanisms by which spaceflight impacts human health at the molecular level is critical not only for accurately assessing the risks associated with spaceflight, but also for developing effective countermeasures. Over the years, a number of studies have been conducted under real or simulated space conditions. RNA and protein levels in cellular and animal models have been targeted in order to identify pathways affected by spaceflight. Of the many pathways responsive to the space environment, the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) network appears to commonly be affected across many different cell types under the true or simulated spaceflight conditions. NF-κB is of particular interest, as it is associated with many of the spaceflight-related health consequences. This review intends to summarize the transcriptomics studies that identified NF-κB as a responsive pathway to ground-based simulated microgravity or the true spaceflight condition. These studies were carried out using either human cell or animal models. In addition, the review summarizes the studies that focused specifically on NF-κB pathway in specific cell types or organ tissues as related to the known spaceflight-related health risks including immune dysfunction, bone loss, muscle atrophy, central nerve system (CNS) dysfunction, and risks associated with space radiation. Whether the NF-κB pathway is activated or inhibited in space is dependent on the cell type, but the potential health impact appeared to be always negative. It is argued that more studies on NF-κB should be conducted to fully understand this particular pathway for the benefit of crew health in space.

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“…This can provide average and instantaneous dose rate, at least for nominal treatment conditions (e.g., specific field sizes). Additionally, this effort can be used to look for the presence of a nonuniform time distribution, manifesting as the presence of “spikes” in the spill profile, which might result in a dose cut‐off distortion and thus affect the reliability of the dosimetry system …”

Section: Advanced Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies of beam characterization have been performed in virtually all particle accelerator facilities with research programs in radiation biophysics …”

Section: Advanced Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Report of a National Cancer Institute special panel: Characterization of the physical parameters of particle beams for biological research

et al. 2018

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Purpose To define the physical parameters needed to characterize a particle beam in order to allow intercomparison of different experiments performed using different ions at the same facility and using the same ion at different facilities. Methods At the request of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a special panel was convened to review the current status of the field and to provide suggested metrics for reporting the physical parameters of particle beams to be used for biological research. A set of physical parameters and measurements that should be performed by facilities and understood and reported by researchers supported by NCI to perform pre‐clinical radiobiology and medical physics of heavy ions were generated. Results Standard measures such as radiation delivery technique, beam modifiers used, nominal energy, field size, physical dose and dose rate should all be reported. However, more advanced physical measurements, including detailed characterization of beam quality by microdosimetric spectrum and fragmentation spectra, should also be established and reported. Details regarding how such data should be incorporated into Monte Carlo simulations and the proper reporting of simulation details are also discussed. Conclusions In order to allow for a clear relation of physical parameters to biological effects, facilities and researchers should establish and report detailed physical characteristics of the irradiation beams utilized including both standard and advanced measures. Biological researchers are encouraged to actively engage facility staff and physicists in the design and conduct of experiments. Modeling individual experimental setups will allow for the reporting of the uncertainties in the measurement or calculation of physical parameters which should be routinely reported.

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Overview of the NASA space radiation laboratory

Cited by 105 publications

References 9 publications

Very low doses of heavy oxygen ion radiation induce premature ovarian failure

Very low doses of heavy oxygen ion radiation induce premature ovarian failure

Transcriptomics, NF-κB Pathway, and Their Potential Spaceflight-Related Health Consequences

Report of a National Cancer Institute special panel: Characterization of the physical parameters of particle beams for biological research

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