Myths and Methodologies: Understanding the health impact of head down bedrest for the benefit of older adults and astronauts. Study protocol of the Canadian Bedrest Study

Weightlessness during spaceflight can harm various bodily systems, including bone density, muscle mass, strength and cognitive functions. Exercise appears to somewhat counteract these effects. A terrestrial model for this is head-down bedrest (HDBR), simulating gravity loss. This mirrors challenges faced by older adults in extended bedrest and space environments. The first Canadian study, backed by the Canadian Space Agency, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Canadian Frailty Network, aims to explore these issues. The study seeks to: (1) scrutinize the impact of 14-day HDBR on physiological, psychological and neurocognitive systems, and (2) assess the benefits of exercise during HDBR. Eight teams developed distinct protocols, harmonized in three videoconferences, at the McGill University Health Center. Over 26 days, 23 participants aged 55-65 underwent baseline measurements, 14 days of -6° HDBR, and 7 days of recovery. Half did prescribed exercise thrice daily combining resistance and endurance exercise for a total duration of 1 h. Assessments included demographics, cardiorespiratory fitness, bone health, body composition, quality of life, mental health, cognition, muscle health and biomarkers. This study has yielded some published outcomes, with more forthcoming. Findings will enrich our comprehension of HDBR effects, guiding future strategies for astronaut well-being and aiding bedrest-bound older adults. By outlining evidence-based interventions, this research supports both space travellers and those enduring prolonged bedrest.

EuniceScope: Low-Cost Imaging Platform for Studying Microgravity Cell Biology

Microgravity is proven to impact a wide range of human physiology, from stimulating stem cell differentiation to confounding cell health in bones, skeletal muscles, and blood cells. The research in this arena is progressively intensified by the increasing promises of human spaceflights. Considering the limited access to spaceflight, ground-based microgravity-simulating platforms have been indispensable for microgravity-biology research. However, they are generally complex, costly, hard to replicate and reconfigure - hampering the broad adoption of microgravity biology and astrobiology. To address these limitations, we developed a low-cost reconfigurable 3D-printed microscope coined EuniceScope to allow the democratization of astrobiology, especially for educational use. EuniceScope is a compact 2D clinostat system integrated with a modularized brightfield microscope, built upon 3D-printed toolbox. We demonstrated that this compact system offers plausible imaging quality and microgravity-simulating performance. Its high degree of reconfigurability thus holds great promise in the wide dissemination of microgravity-cell-biology research in the broader community, including Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational and scientific community in the future.