National Report on Space Medicine Progress
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SPACE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES IN CHINA National Report on Space Medicine Progress LI Yinghui, LI Weigang, DING Bai, WU Dawei, LIU Zhaoxia, HE Li, ZHOU Wanlong, XU Zi National Report 2016 (Institute of Space Medico-Engineering, Beijing 100094) Abstract The development of Chinese manned space engineering has a great role in promoting the progress of Chinese space medicine. With the accelerated implementation of Chinese Space Station Program, China’s space medicine has made fruitful achievements over the past three years. This report summarizes the major progress of Chinese space medicine in terms of basic research and space applications during 2016—2018. 2018 Key words Manned spaceflight, Space medicine, Countermeasures against weightlessness E-mail: yinghuidd@vip.sina.com 1. Introduction 2. Application and Research for Mid-term Flight China’s space medicine has made tremendous achieve- ments with the initiation of the China Space Station 2.1 Astronaut’s Health Maintenance Project (CSSP) and the successful completion of Shen- zhou-11 and Tiangong-2 Space Laboratory mission Duration of staying on orbit in Shenzhou-11 and Tian- since 2016. The issues related to the countermeasure gong-2 mission has been extended to 30 days. The mid- against the physiological effects of weightlessness and term flight poses a great challenge to the health of the the maintenance for astronaut’s health have been basi- astronauts: changes in the cardiovascular system will cally solved. With the rapid advance of CSSP, the space experience the period of maximum response; muscle experiment of human physiology and medicine which atrophy, bone loss and decline of the immune function focuses on the key biomedical problems during long- will be more evident, and risk of disease increases. Fur- term spaceflight, have been systematically planned and thermore, the 2-person crew is required to have higher performed. Sustained and further development of basic emergency handling capability and psychological com- research and application in space medicine have accu- patibility. mulated theories and technologies for the implementa- The crew members’ physical and psychological con- tion of CSSP. Simultaneously, some active explorations ditions were kept well during the entire spaceflight mis- and research, oriented towards long-term plan of future sion, which was achieved by the comprehensive imple- deep space flight (e.g. manned Moon landing, Mars mentation of the countermeasures against the physio- exploration), have also been carried out in the field of logical effects of weightlessness, nutrition provision, space medicine[1,2]. psychological support, medical monitoring and support, This report gives a brief introduction to the develop- and other related technologies. After returning, the crew ment of China’s on-orbit and ground-based researches members’ routine physiological indicators recovered to in space medicine and the related plans during 2016 to their pre-flight levels within a relatively short duration. 2018. Shenzhou-11 and Tiangong-2 mission enabled Chi- LI Yinghui, et al. National Report on Space Medicine Progress nese astronauts health maintaining technologies from a chological support, based on the technology of bidirec- short-term to mid-term flights, and accumulated various tional video and other technologies, were provided from space data on physical conditions, psychological state, both social and professional psychological support. energy intake amount, water intake volume, nutritional 2.1.4 Medical Supervision and Security metabolism, and so on. The medical supervision and security has enhanced the 2.1.1 Countermeasures Against Physiological Effects detection and evaluation of cardiovascular function for National Report 2016 of Weightlessness mid-term flights. It has enriched the medical supervision Focusing on the major changes of physiology systems indicators that have guiding value for the judgment of caused by mid-term spaceflight, including cardiovascu- health status and disease diagnosis, and added and veri- lar dysfunction, muscle atrophy, bone loss, immune fied medical monitoring techniques such as urinalysis function decrease, and so on, a countermeasure protocol and ultrasound. for physiological effects of weightlessness was studied The new telemedicine is a collaborative consultation, and established, which accommodates the requirements comprehensive use of remote medical platform, data- for the 30-day stay of on-orbit astronauts, monitoring base and other means to provide decision support for the 2018 and evaluation of protective effects in astronaut against medical treatment of complex medical problems. Neu- physiological effects of weightlessness. romuscular stimulation is used for massage physiother- 2.1.2 Nutrition Provision and Supplementation apy and auxiliary muscle function exercise. Based on the changes in the supply requirements of die- 2.2 Experiments On-orbit tary nutrients, which is raised by prolonged spaceflight duration, the nutrient supply standards were studied and China Astronaut Center (ACC) established Space established with regard to reasonable energy absorption Laboratory Project Team, which carried out studies on and supplementation against vitamins and minerals in- “Human Health,” “Human Behavioral Research,” “Hu- sufficiency. Vitamins and minerals were supplemented man Engineering Technology,” and “Human Safeguarding against the biomedical problems of bone calcium loss Technology Verification.” There are 16 experimental and insufficient vitamin intake during prolonged space- studies and technical verifications in above 4 directions. flight. In addition, the variety of foods was enriched and Among them, 10 experiments in the field of space me- the recipe and sensory acceptance were enriched, which dicine on human health and human performance were improved astronauts’ appetite and. The on-orbit dynamic completed. nutrition assessment and guidance were strengthened. 2.2.1 Human Health Research Nutritional provision and supplementation have For 30d flight in orbit, the cardiovascular physiology solved the issues of dietary nutrient supply standards for effect will begin to transit to the plateau after undergo- mid-term spaceflight, further enriched the variety of ing the peak change phase. ‘Cardiospace’ cooperation foods, improved the acceptance of recipe and food sen- between ACC and CNES was performed during Shen- sory acceptance, and ensured the astronaut’s on-orbit zhou-11 and Tiangong-2 mission to study cardiovascu- nutritional balance. lar function in space and to investigate the characteris- 2.1.3 Psychological Support tics of the flight at different time intervals. This research For prolonged flight mission, the observation of psy- is the first time in China to carry out on-orbit ultrasound chological state was strengthened, and the medium and testing, which verifies the interaction support mode of long-term flight psychological support model was ex- complex medical operation world and acquires valuable plored, providing more comprehensive and effective ultrasound imaging data of important organs. The car- psychological protection. diovascular and static physiological regulation charac- Psychological protection adopts a psychological teristics of the cardiovascular system before and after support model that combines regular and on-demand flight and different phases of flight were systematically measures, focusing on strengthening psychological state acquired. The characteristic effects of space flight on observation and psychological support such as psycho- the integrated physiological regulation mechanism of logical self-adjustment and targeted psychological in- the cardiovascular system and the system was initially tervention. Considering the individual needs and wishes established. Integrating the cardiovascular physiological of astronauts, more comprehensive and effective psy- function analysis method laid the foundation for the ·307· SPACE SCIENCE ACTIVITIES IN CHINA mission-related technology application of the space station. and cognitive effects, space nutrition, drugs for protec- In other experiments, research data were continu- tion, and related technologies for space medicine ex- ously accumulated, such as aerospace nutrient metabo- periments, researches were carried out on ground-based lism, sleep-wake biological rhythms, on-orbit emotional experiments from molecules, cells, organs and the body characteristics, in-orbit noise effects, changes of smell level, to explore the effects of mid & long-term space- in orbit, and pharmacokinetics. flight on astronauts and health maintenance measures. 2.2.2 Researches on Human Performance 4.1 Microgravity Physiological Effects and National Report 2016 In space station, the mission on-orbit had become more Coutermeasures difficult and more complex. Long-term flight and work- load will affect the astronauts’ mental load. The research 45d-6° Head-Down Bed Rest(HDBR) on the change of on-orbit mental load can provides 45d-6° HDBR caused significant decrease in physical support for establishing techniques of brain load as- exercise cardiopulmonary function. Traditional Chinese sessment during long- term flight. At the same time, it medicine Hongyi capsule can effectively counter this [4] continuously collects astronaut on-orbit coordination data. type of decrease . The moderate-intensity exercise based on artificial gravity can effectively resist the de- 2018 3. “Space 180” Experiments crease of endurance and anaerobic exercise tolerance [5] caused by