Preliminary Studies for Biomedical Analysis of Human Hair Exposed to Long-Term Space Flight (Hair) Project: An Analysis of Trace Elements in the Hair

    January 2012 in “ TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN ”
    Riyo Yamanaka, Shin Yamada, Masahiro Terada, Tatsuya Aiba, Satoru Ishida, Hiroshi Ohshima, Yoshinobu Ohira, Hideyuki J. Majima, Chiaki Mukai
    From the encyclopedia
    calcium →
    sulfur →
    Image
    Studysummary This paper outlines the research plan and current progress of a study analyzing mineral metabolism changes in astronauts by examining hair shafts after long-term space flight, with no new results yet. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    The study aimed to explore the feasibility of using human hair as a biospecimen to detect changes in mineral metabolism due to long-term space flight, particularly after the Space Shuttles' retirement made sample transportation challenging. Researchers focused on analyzing trace elements like calcium, sulfur, and chlorine in hair shafts from astronauts on the International Space Station. Ground-based studies established a methodology using Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) to identify mineral distribution in human scalp hair. An animal study also showed a central concentration of calcium in mice hair exposed to microgravity, supporting the potential of hair analysis in space research.
    Discuss this study in the Community →