Monitoring of Sodium Balance during Long-Term Isolation of Humans in a Ground-Based Space Station Model

According to the generally accepted view, sodium accumulation in the human body takes place in the extracellular space and is accompanied by an increase in the rate of fluid retention and body weight gain. However, this view was revised in recent studies, which demonstrated that sodium could be accumulated in the human body without expansion of the extracellular space. Sodium exchange and its effect on body weight (BW) were investigated in long-term balance studies. Three apparently healthy volunteer subjects were confined for 135 days to a ground-based model of the main unit of the Mir space station, where they were exposed to model conditions similar to conditions of actual long-term spaceflight. The daily balance of sodium and its contribution to BW changes were studied. During the period of observation, the subjects accumulated 2.973–7.324 mmol of sodium and gained 5.1–9.3 kg. Initially, there was a positive correlation between changes in the total body sodium and the BW, which reflected sodium-dependent extracellular space expansion. However, by the end of the period of isolation, the relative rate of body weight gain was lower than the relative rate of gain in the total body sodium, which suggested that sodium accumulated in an osmotically inactive form. The fact that sodium accumulated without BW gain suggests that isolation of healthy subjects in a hermetically sealed enclosure stimulates sodium accumulation in the body in an osmotically inactive form. The sodium-storing processes activated under these conditions might be localized in bone, connective tissue (skin), or cartilage. Rhythmic variation in the net sodium balance was observed and attributed to oscillations of renal excretion of aldosterone. It is obvious that the depot of osmotically inactive sodium should be taken into account in studies of cardiovascular system function and in pathophysiological approaches to edematous syndrome and hypertension.     

Are large amounts of sodium stored in an osmotically inactive form during sodium retention? Balance studies in freely moving dogs

Alterations in total body sodium (TBSodium) that covered the range from moderate deficit to large surplus were induced by 10 experimental protocols in 66 dogs to study whether large amounts of Na+ are stored in an osmotically inactive form during Na+ retention. Changes in TBSodium, total body potassium (TBPotassium), and total body water (TBWater) were determined by 4-day balance studies. A rather close correlation was found between individual changes in TBSodium and those in TBWater (r2 = 0.83). Changes in TBSodium were often accompanied by changes in TBPotassium. Taking changes of both TBSodium and TBPotassium into account, the correlation with TBWater changes became very close (r2 = 0.93). The sum of changes in TBSodium and TBPotassium was accompanied by osmotically adequate TBWater changes, and plasma osmolality remained unchanged. Calculations reveal that even moderate TBSodium changes often included substantial Na+/K+ exchanges between extracellular and cellular space. The results support the theory that osmocontrol effectively adjusts TBWater to the body's present content of the major cations, Na+ and K+, and do not support the notion that, during Na+ retention, large portions of Na+ are stored in an osmotically inactive form. Furthermore, the finding that TBSodium changes are often accompanied by TBPotassium changes and also include Na+/K+ redistributions between fluid compartments suggests that cells may serve as readily available Na+ store. This Na+ storage, however, is osmotically active, since osmotical equilibration is achieved by opposite redistribution of K+.     

Glycosaminoglycan polymerization may enable osmotically inactive Na+ storage in the skin

Osmotically inactive skin Na(+) storage is characterized by Na(+) accumulation without water accumulation in the skin. Negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) may be important in skin Na(+) storage. We investigated changes in skin GAG content and key enzymes of GAG chain polymerization during osmotically inactive skin Na(+) storage. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 0.1% or 8% NaCl diet for 8 wk. Skin GAG content was measured by Western blot analysis. mRNA content of key dermatan sulfate polymerization enzymes was measured by real-time PCR. The Na(+) concentration in skin was determined by dry ashing. Skin Na(+) concentration during osmotically inactive Na(+) storage was 180-190 mmol/l. Increasing skin Na(+) coincided with increasing GAG content in cartilage and skin. Dietary NaCl loading coincided with increased chondroitin synthase mRNA content in the skin, whereas xylosyl transferase, biglycan, and decorin content were unchanged. We conclude that osmotically inactive skin Na(+) storage is an active process characterized by an increased GAG content in the reservoir tissue. Inhibition or disinhibition of GAG chain polymerization may regulate osmotically inactive Na(+) storage.     

Partial desiccation induced by sub-zero temperatures as a component of the survival strategy of the Arctic collembolan Onychiurus arcticus (Tullberg)

The mechanism by which the freeze susceptible Arctic collembolan Onychiurus arcticus survives winter temperatures of -25 degrees C in the field is not fully understood but exposure to sub-zero temperatures (e.g. -2.5 degrees C) is known to induce dehydration and lower the supercooling point (SCP). In this study, changes in the water status and certain biochemical parameters (measured in individual Collembola) during a 3-week exposure to decreasing temperatures from 0 to -5.5 degrees C were studied. Osmotically active and inactive body water contents were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), water soluble carbohydrates by high performances liquid chromatography (HPLC) and glycogen by enzymatic assays. The activity of trehalase and trehalose 6-phosphate synthase were also measured. During the experiment, total water content decreased from 70 to 40% of fresh weight, mostly by the loss of osmotically active water with only a small reduction in the osmotically inactive component. The SCP decreased from -7 to -17 degrees C. Analysis of the results shows that if O. arcticus is exposed to -7 degrees C in the presence of ice, all osmotically active water would be lost due to the vapour pressure gradient between the animals supercooled body fluids and the ice. Under these conditions the estimated SCP would reach a minimum of c. -27 degrees C, but the Collembola may never freeze as all the osmotically active water has been lost, the animal becoming almost anhydrobiotic. Trehalose concentration increased from 0.9 to 94.7&mgr;g mg(-1)fw while glycogen reserves declined from 160 to 7.7 nmol glucose equivalents mg(-1) protein. Trehalase activity declined as the temperature was reduced, while trehalose 6-phosphate activity peaked at 0 degrees C. By adopting a strategy of near anhydrobiosis induced by sub-zero temperatures, O. arcticus, which was previously thought to be poorly adapted to survive severe winter temperatures, is able to colonise high Arctic habitats.     

Dehydration of earthworm cocoons exposed to cold: a novel cold hardiness mechanism

Mechanisms involved in cold hardiness of cocoons of the lumbricid earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra were elucidated by osmometric and calorimetric studies of water relations in cocoons exposed to subzero temperatures. Fully hydrated cocoons contained ca. 3 g water · g dry weight^-1; about 15% of this water (0.5 g·g dry weight^-1) was osmotically inactive or bound. The melting point of the cocoon fluids in fully hydrated cocoons was-0.20°C. Exposure to frozen surroundings initially resulted in supercooling of the cocoons dehydrated (as a result of the vapour pressure difference at a given temperature between supercooled water and ice) to an extent where the vapour pressure of water in the body fluids was in equilibrium with the surrounding ice. This resulted in a profound dehydration of the cocoons, even at mild freezing exposures, and a concomitant slight reduction in the amount of osmotically inactive water. At temperatures around-8°C, which cocoons readily survive, almost all (>97%) osmotically active water had been withdrawn from the cocoons. It is suggested that cold injuries in D. octaedra cocoons observed at still lower temperatures may be related to the degree of dehydration, and possibly to the loss of all osmotically active water. The study indicates that ice formation in the tissues is prevented by equilibrating the body fluid melting point with the exposure temperature. This winter survival mechanism does not conform with the freeze tolerance/freeze avoidance classification generally applied to cold-hardy poikilotherms. Implications of this cold hardiness mechanism for other semi-terrestrial invertebrates are discussed.Abbreviations DSC differential scanning calorimetry - dw dry weight - MP melting point(s) - II water potential - R universal gas constant - T absolute temperature - V specific volume of water     

Effects of dehydration on water relations and survival of lumbricid earthworm egg capsules

Earthworm egg capsules of five species were compared with regard to survival and water relations upon exposure to controlled dehydration at 20°C. Cocoons of the investigated species all contained about 3.5 g water·g^-1 dry weight when fully hydrated. Approximately 18% of this does not readily freeze upon cooling to -40°C and is referred to as osmotically inactive water. Cocoons exposed to desiccation lose a large proportion of the osmotically active water over 1–4 days until water in the cocoon fluids has equilibrated with surrounding water vapour. The amount of osmotically inactive water, on the other hand, is only reduced by 10–20%. Dendrobaena octaedra was the species most tolerant to drought, its tolerance limit coinciding with loss of practically all osmotically active water. For the five species investigated, there seemed not to be any clear correlation between drought tolerance and microhabitat. Previous investigations have suggested a very close relation between tolerance to dehydration and to subzero temperatures in overwintering earthworm cocoons. Survival at a given level of dehydration at room temperature is less than at temperatures below 0°C, and the tolerance of room temperature dehydration is not closely correlated with cold hardiness across the range of the species studied.Abbreviations dw dry weight - DSC differential scanning calorimetry - fw _pd fresh weight of partially dehydrated cocoons - OAW osmotically active water - OIW osmotically inactive water - Osm osmolality - water potential - R universal gas constant - T absolute temperature - V specific volume of water     

Effect of malathion exposure on some physical parameters of whole body and on tissue cations of teleost,Tilapia mossambica (Peters)

Exposure of fish to a sublethal (2 mg/litre/48h) concentration of malathion showed no significant changes in any of the physical parameters investigated like, body weight and body water content, while the oxygen consumption of the fish showed a consistent increase upto 24 h and later declined to 8% suggesting the reduction of oxidative metabolism at the end of 48 h. The sodium, potassium and calcium ions showed a remarkable decrease in all the tissues of malathion-exposed fish, suggesting the loss of ions from the body of these fish. The results suggested that the regulation of osmotic balance may occur by an effective operation of the salt pump rather than the water pump.     

Effects of Water Stress and Hardening on the Internal Water Relations and Osmotic Constituents of Cotton Leaves

Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that the internal water relations of leaves are altered when cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L.‘Acala SJ-2′) are conditioned by several cycles of water stress. Preliminary experiments suggested that plants so conditioned are less sensitive to water deficits and that the change might be partly explained by an accumulation of solutes or by structural alterations attendant on development under conditions of water stress. Leaves of preconditioned plants maintained turgor to lower values of water potential than did leaves of well-watered plants. Accompanying this change was a lower osmotic potential at any given leaf water content in preconditioned plants. Tissue analysis of several osmotically active solutes indicated that soluble sugars and malate accumulate to about the same levels (dry-weight basis) in both conditioned and unconditioned plants exposed to stress. These accumulations could not account for the turgor change. Analysis of the data on relative water content indicated that the leaves of conditioned plants had less water per unit dry weight than did leaves of controls. This change accounts for a substantial fraction of the difference between the osmotic potential of conditioned and control plants. The results of a simple model suggest that structural changes may play a significant role in explaining differences in the responses of conditioned and control plants to water stress.     

Evolutionary Advantages of Participation of Vasopressin instead of Vasotocin in Regulation of Water–Salt Balance in Mammals

In experiments on non-anesthetized Wistar white rats there was studied reaction of kidney to an intramuscular injection of arginine vasotocin or arginine vasopressin at doses from 0.001 to 0.05 µg/100 g body mass on the background of a water load. Water (5 ml/100 g body mass) was administered through a catheter into stomach to suppress secretion of endogenous antidiuretic hormone (ADH). In experiments with water administration, diuresis increased due to a decrease of osmotic permeability of renal tubules and to excretion of osmotically free water, with the constant clearance of sodium ions. Injection of 0.05 µg arginine vasopressin led to a marked decrease of diuresis due to a rise of reabsorption of osmotically free water without elevation of excretion of osmotically active substances. Injection of the same dose of arginine vasotocin resulted in no increase of diuresis; however, reabsorption of osmotically free water and excretion of osmotically active substances including sodium ions were more pronounced. Hence, both vasotocin and vasopressin increased osmotic permeability of the tubular epithelium, but vasotocin, unlike vasopressin, promoted reduction of reabsorption of sodium ions and their loss with urine. A suggestion is made that one of the reasons for replacement in mammals of the molecular ADH forms (vasotocin by vasopressin) was the absence of the pronounced natriuretic effect in arginine vasopressin. This was of crucial significance to preserve sodium ions in the organism, to maintain water–salt balance in animals adapted to the terrestrial life, and to provide not only osmo-, but also volumoregulation.     

Efficacy of the Combined Use of Negative Pressure on the Lower Part of the Body and Negative-Pressure Respiration under Simulated Microgravity

The efficacies of the standard procedure for application of negative pressure on the lower part of the body (NPLB) and a combination of NPLB and negative-pressure respiration (NPR) during a simulated last stage of a spaceflight under conditions of antiorthostatic hypokinesia (ANOH, –6°) and isolation for 7 days have been compared in the course of three series of tests involving six volunteers in an EU-100 pressurized chamber. After the end of the 7-day ANOH and isolation, episodes of orthostatic disorders were observed in all six subjects in the first series of tests (the control series) and in four subjects in the second series (NPLB). In the third series (NPLB + NPR), orthostatic disorders, if any, were slight. Two main conclusions have been made. First, ANOH combined with isolation in a small chamber may be used to simulate the effects of the combined factors of spaceflight on humans in order to obtain model gravitational circulatory disorders. Second, the combined use of NPLB + NPR under these conditions may be effective for the prevention of orthostatic circulatory disorders in humans.     

Role of osmolality and plasma volume during rehydration in humans

To determine how the sodium content of ingested fluids affects drinking and the restoration of the body fluid compartments after dehydration, we studied six subjects during 4 h of recovery from 90-110 min of a heat [36 degrees C, less than 30% relative humidity (rh)] and exercise (40% maximal aerobic power) exposure, which caused body weight to decrease by 2.3%. During the 1st h, subjects rested seated without any fluids in a thermoneutral environment (28 degrees C, less than 30% rh) to allow the body fluid compartments to stabilize. Over the next 3 h, subjects rehydrated ad libitum using tap water and capsules containing either placebo (H2O-R) or 0.45 g NaCl (Na-R) per 100 ml water. During the 3-h rehydration period, subjects restored 68% of the lost water during H2O-R, whereas they restored 82% during Na-R (P less than 0.05). Urine volume was greater in H2O-R than in Na-R; thus only 51% of the lost water was retained during H2O-R, whereas 71% was retained during Na-R (P less than 0.05). Plasma osmolality was elevated throughout the rehydration period in Na-R, whereas it returned to the control level by 30 min in H2O-R (P less than 0.05). Changes in free water clearance followed changes in plasma osmolality. The restoration of plasma volume during Na-R was 174% of that lost. During H2O-R it was 78%, which seemed to be sufficient to diminish volume-dependent dipsogenic stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Circadian Rhythms in Human Body Composition

The study investigates how the human body composition (BC) changes as a function of the day-night cycle. The BC was investigated using bioelec-trical impedance analysis (BIA) of 10 clinically healthy subjects (CHS), mon-itored in supine position (readings at 2-h intervals), avoiding mealtimes, di-etary abuses, and bladder and intestinal retention. Time series data were analyzed for their temporal characteristics and circadian rhythm (CR). Ail the variables of BC (lean body mass, fat body mass, body cell mass, total body water, intracellular and extracellular body water, sodium and potassium exchangeable pool) showed a within-day variability with nighttime crests. Such an oscillatory synchronism corroborates the hypothesis that the rest time plays a fundamental role, via its anabolic effects, in conferring the noc-turnal phase to the CR of the human BC.     

Onboard medical support system for future of aerospace system flights

A project of an onboard medical support system (OMSS) for future aerospace system (ASS) flights is proposed. The following systems are suggested to be the main components of the OMSS: the basic system for automated estimation of blood redistribution (BSAEBR) in the body, protection and prophylactic means (PPM) for crew members, and the automated PPM control loop. The proposed BSAEBR includes four measurement channels for recording the basic physiological parameters (electrocardiogram, rheoencephalogram, venous-arterial pulsogram of neck blood vessels, and pulsogram of earlobe vessels), the changes in which are used to calculate, by means of a computer, the integrated parameter. The creation of lower body negative pressure (LBNP) was selected as a PPM. The automated PPM control loop individually selects the LBNP modes according to (1) the intensity of the body reactions and (2) individual characteristics of the physiological state. A working laboratory bench model of the OMSS has been manufactured and tested in two series of experiments simulating the conditions of a space flight. In the first series, 29 volunteers were exposed to ?10 deg antiorthostatic hypokinesia (ANOH) for 6–8 h, as well as ANOH + LBNP. In the second series, 26 volunteers were exposed to the combination of ANOH, Coriolis acceleration, and optokinetic stimulation every 5–7 h for three days. The results have demonstrated that the use of the given OMSS ensures, on average, a 17–32% improvement of the psychophysiological parameters of an operator, with the changes in the head circulatory parameters being more favorable.     

Volume regulation during dehydration of desert beetles

In arid areas in East Africa, dietary water is available only during the rainy seasons. Since the rainy seasons are separated by dry seasons, which may last for many months and in extreme cases for more than a year, the beetles may lose more than 80% of their body water. The water loss takes place mainly at the expense of the extracellular fluid, i.e. as the haemolymph volume drops to zero, the cell volume is only moderately reduced. The protection of cell volume at the expense of the haemolymph requires that solutes are removed from the haemolymph. The solutes are either excreted from the body or sequestered within the body in an osmotically inactive state. In predatory beetles of the family Carabidae, where Na is the dominating extracellular solute, Na is excreted, but it can easily be replaced from the diet. In most herbivorous beetles, such as the Tenebrionidae, which feed on a low Na diet, and which have low extracellular Na levels, Na is usually, but not always, deposited within the body. Free amino acids are moved from haemolymph to cells, but some seem to be made osmotically inactive by polymerization to peptides. As beetles become rehydrated, the peptides are rapidly depolymerized and the amino acids released to the haemolymph. Another factor, which may be important in the stabilisation of cell volume, is the colloid osmotic contribution of intracellular proteins, which may have a steep increase in their osmotic activity with increasing concentration.     

Sodium balance, arterial pressure, and the role of the subfornical organ during chronic changes in dietary salt

The subfornical organ (SFO), one of the brain circumventricular organs, is known to mediate some of the central effects of angiotensin II related to sodium and water homeostasis. Because angiotensin II levels are altered with changes in chronic dietary salt intake, we reasoned that the actions of angiotensin II at the SFO might be involved in the regulation of arterial pressure during long-term alterations in dietary salt. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that long-term control of arterial pressure during chronic changes in dietary salt intake requires an intact SFO. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly selected for electrolytic lesion (SFOx, n = 8) or sham (n = 9) operation of the SFO. After a 1-wk recovery period, rats were instrumented with radio-telemetric blood pressure transducers for continuous 24-h measurement of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) and then were placed individually in metabolic cages. After another 1 wk of recovery, the rats were subjected to a 49-day protocol as follows: 1) a 7-day control period (1.0% NaCl diet), 2) 14 days of high-salt (4.0% NaCl) diet, 3) 7 days of normal-salt (1.0% NaCl) diet, 4) 14 days of low-salt (0.1% NaCl) diet, and 5) 7 days of recovery (1.0% NaCl diet). There were no significant differences in MAP or HR between SFOx and sham-operated rats throughout the protocol. These results do not support the hypothesis that the SFO is necessary for regulation of arterial pressure during chronic changes in dietary salt. However, SFOx rats demonstrated significantly less cumulative sodium balance than sham-operated rats on days 2-6 of the high-salt diet period. These data suggest that the SFO is important in the regulation of sodium homeostasis during chronic changes in salt intake.     

Changes of body fluid and hematology in toad and their rehabilitation following intermittent exposure to simulated high altitude

Three groups of adult male toads were exposed intermittently in a decompression chamber for a daily period of 4 and 8 hours at a time for 6 consecutive days to an altitude of 12,000; 18,000 and 24,000 feet (3658; 5486; 7315 m) respectively. Most of the exposed animals were sacrificed immediately after the last exposure, but only a few animals experiencing 8 hours of exposure were sacrificed after a further 16 hours of exposure at normal atmospheric pressure. Eight hours of daily exposure for 6 days causes a decrease of body fluids and an increase of hematological parameters in all the altitude exposed animals compared with to the changes noted in the animals having 4 hours of daily exposure for 6 days at the same altitude levels. The animals that were exposed to pressures equivalent to altitudes of 12,000 and 18,000 feet daily for 8 hours were found to return nearly to their normal body fluids and hematological balance after 16 hours of exposure to normal atmospheric pressure, whereas the animals exposed for a similar period at an equivalent 24,000 feet failed to get back their normal balance of body fluids and hematology after 16 hours of exposure at normal atmospheric pressure. The present experiment shows that the body weight loss and changes of body fluid and hematological parameters in the toad after exposure to simulated high altitude are due not only to dehydration, but suggest that hypoxia may also have a role.     

Water balance during saline imbibition in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

1. There were few changes in the water balance of gerbils drinking 0.25 and 0.50 M NaCl solutions for 5 days. 2. Imbibition of 0.75 and 1.0 M saline resulted in some dehydration of the body fluids and considerable depletion of the neural lobe vasopressin store. 3. Although large amounts of NaCl were excreted, the maximum urine osmolality was considerably less than that found following water deprivation. 4. The imbibition of 1.0 M saline caused similar changes in water balance to water deprivation showing that little, if any, water was gained from this solution.     

Anomalous tolerance to low pH in the estuarine killifish Fundulus heteroclitus

1. The euryhaline fish Fundulus heteroclitus has an incipient lethal pH between 3.75 and 4.0 in fresh water.2. Fish exposed to pH 3.5 in sea water or fresh water died in about 3 hr, and had greatly elevated or depressed body sodium concentrations, respectively. The direction and degree of change in body sodium level depended on the sodium diffusion gradient between the environment and the fish. This is the first time that the death of fish in sea water at low pH has been shown to be associated with hypernatremia.3. Yet, sodium fluxes during the first hour of exposure to pH 3.5 in water of 3.5 or 35 ppt salinity were not different from controls, and body and plasma sodium concentration did not change during 2hr exposure to pH 3.5. This initial insensitivity of gill sodium regulation to blockage by low pH is quite different from the response of previously studied freshwater fish.4. The degree of acid tolerance displayed by F. heteroclitus is surprising considering its estuarine habits. This paradoxical tolerance appears to be a secondary consequence of its ability to adjust sodium balance in relation to rapid changes in salinity.     

Renin-Aldosterone System in Osmoregulatory Reactions of Healthy Subjects in Response to Desmopressin

Systemic regulation of osmotic and ionic homeostasis was studied in healthy male volunteers after oral administration of desmopressin. Endogenous secretion of the antidiuretic hormone was inhibited by a water load (WL, 2% of the body mass). Desmopressin exerted an antidiuretic effect. In addition, the WL portion excreted during 4 h decreased and the urine osmolality at peak diuresis increased with the absence of osmotically free water. At maximum diuresis, the ratio between concentrations of osmotically active substances in the urine and in the blood was high, which reflected an intense antidiuretic effect. Desmopressin progressively decreased the rate of sodium excretion owing to a change of sodium reabsorption in the kidneys. The WL increased the level of aldosterone and the activity of renin in blood plasma 1.5 h after its administration. Contrary to the control series, desmopressin stimulated the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system only by the end of the 4-h observation period. A significant negative correlation between the aldosterone level and the rate of sodium excretion was observed 3 h after the beginning of testing (r = ?0.76). Thus, under conditions of water loading, desmopressin had a specific antidiuretic effect involving systemic mechanisms of ion regulation.     

Antidiuretic Response of Kidneys to Different Modes of Vasopressin Administration

The effect of vasopressin given simultaneously with a water load was studied in healthy human volunteers. During maximal water diuresis induced by oral water load of 20 ml water per kilogram body weight, the excreted water fraction was 12.4%, whereas the excretion of osmotically free water was 10.0 ± 1.8 ml/min per 1.73 m² of body surface area. These data suggest that the secretion of arginine vasopressin by the neurohypophysis was almost completely blocked. A water load simultaneously with 8 g sublingual or 0.2 mg oral desmopressin caused a strong and long-lasting antidiuretic response accompanied by a drastic increase in the reabsorption of osmotically free water in the kidneys. It was shown that the magnitude and the time course of the antidiuretic response to therapeutic doses of desmopressin depended on the mode of its administration.