Visual stability of laser vision correction in an astronaut on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.

UNLABELLED: This report documents the effects of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in an astronaut during a 12-day Russian Soyuz mission to the International Space Station in 2008. Changing environmental conditions of launch, microgravity exposure, and reentry create an extremely dynamic ocular environment. Although many normal eyes have repeatedly been subject to such stresses, the effect on an eye with a relatively thin cornea as a result of PRK has not been reported. This report suggests that PRK is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated procedure in astronauts during space flight. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

The ISS flight of Richard Garriott: a template for medicine and science investigation on future spaceflight participant missions.

BACKGROUND: A total of eight commercial spaceflight participants have launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz vehicles. Based on an older mean age compared to career astronauts and an increased prevalence of medical conditions, spaceflight participants have provided the opportunity to learn about the effect of space travel on crewmembers with medical problems. The 12-d Soyuz TMA-13/12 ISS flight of spaceflight participant Richard Garriott included medical factors that required preflight intervention, risk mitigation strategies, and provided the opportunity for medical study on-orbit. Equally important, Mr. Garriott conducted extensive medical, scientific, and educational payload operations during the flight. These included 7 medical experiments and a total of 15 scientific projects such as protein crystal growth, Earth observations/photography, educational projects with schools, and amateur radio. The medical studies included the effect of microgravity on immune function, sleep, bone loss, corneal refractive surgery, low back pain, motion perception, and intraocular pressure. CONCLUSION: The overall mission success resulted from non-bureaucratic agility in mission planning, cooperation with investigators from NASA, ISS, International Partners, and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute, in-flight support and leadership from a team with spaceflight and Capcom experience, and overall mission support from the ISS program. This article focuses on science opportunities that suborbital and orbital spaceflight participant flights offer and suggests that the science program on Richard Garriott's flight be considered a model for future orbital and suborbital missions. The medical challenges are presented in a companion article.

Giant hepatic hemangioma and cross-fused ectopic kidney in a spaceflight participant.

Commercial spaceflight participants are typically older than traditional astronauts and often have medical conditions that make medical certification for flight difficult. This case report considers a 43-yr-old spaceflight participant who planned a short-duration Soyuz flight to the International Space Station (ISS). While he participated in many hazardous activities such as parachuting, hang gliding, scuba diving, Antarctic and jungle exploration, and deep sea submersible operations, he knew that several of his medical conditions precluded serving as a career astronaut. At the time of his initial spaceflight prescreen examination, he was known to have previous bilateral photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia and a cross-fused left ectopic kidney that would be disqualifying for a career astronaut. During the evaluation for the left single cross-fused ectopic kidney, a giant hepatic hemangioma was also discovered. In order to medically qualify for flight, the giant hepatic hemangioma was surgically removed. This case summary investigat*es the implications of a single cross-fused left ectopic kidney and the decision process and treatment implications for spaceflight medical certification in an individual with an asymptomatic giant hepatic hemangioma.

Thermococcus thioreducens sp. nov., a novel hyperthermophilic, obligately sulfur-reducing archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent.

A hyperthermophilic, sulfur-reducing, organo-heterotrophic archaeon, strain OGL-20P(T), was isolated from 'black smoker' chimney material from the Rainbow hydrothermal vent site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (36.2 degrees N, 33.9 degrees W). The cells of strain OGL-20P(T) have an irregular coccoid shape and are motile with a single flagellum. Growth was observed within a pH range of 5.0-8.5 (optimum pH 7.0), an NaCl concentration range of 1-5 % (w/v) (optimum 3 %) and a temperature range of 55-94 degrees C (optimum 83-85 degrees C). The novel isolate is strictly anaerobic and obligately dependent upon elemental sulfur as an electron acceptor, but it does not reduce sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, Fe(III) or nitrate. Proteolysis products (peptone, bacto-tryptone, Casamino acids and yeast extract) are utilized as substrates during sulfur reduction. Strain OGL-20P(T) is resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin and gentamicin, but sensitive to tetracycline and rifampicin. The G+C content of the DNA is 52.9 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain OGL-20P(T) is closely related to Thermococcus coalescens and related species, but no significant homology by DNA-DNA hybridization was observed between those species and the new isolate. On the basis of physiological and molecular properties of the new isolate, we conclude that strain OGL-20P(T) represents a new separate species within the genus Thermococcus, for which we propose the name Thermococcus thioreducens sp. nov. The type strain is OGL-20P(T) (=JCM 12859(T)=DSM 14981(T)=ATCC BAA-394(T)).