Astronomy And Space Science: Your Bones In Space

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serves as a complex lever system,
acts as a storage area for calcium which is vital for human metabolism,
houses the bone marrow within its mid cavity and to top it all it is
capable of changing its architecture and mass in response to outside and
inner stress. It is this dynamic remodeling of bone which is of primary
interest in microgravity. To feel the impact of this dynamicity it should
be noted that a bone remodeling unit [a coupled phenomena of bone
reabsorption and bone formation]is initiated and another finished about
every ten seconds in a healthy adult. This dynamic system responds to
mechanical stress or lack of it by increasing the bone mass/density or
decreasing it as per the demand on the system. -eg; a person dealing with
increased mechanical stress will respond with increased mass / density of
the bone and a person who leads a sedentary life will have decreased
mass/density of bone but the right amount to support his structure against
the mechanical stresses ...

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evidence derived primarily from rodent studies
that seem to suggest decreased bone formation as a factor in
hypogravitational osteoporosis. Boy Frame,M.D a member of NASA's
LifeScience Advisory Committee [LSAC] postulated that "the initial
pathologic event after the astronauts enter zero gravity occurs in the
bone itself, and that changes in mineral homeostasis and the calcitropic
hormones are secondary to this. It appears that zero gravity in some ways
stimulate bone re-absorption, possibly through altered bioelectrical
fields or altered distribution of tension and pressure on bone cells
themselves. It is possible that gravitational and muscular strains on the
skeletal system ...

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