第2238期:Research Explores How Space Travel Affects Human Body

Childhood cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux and three other American civilians went to space in 2021. They travelled in a mission called Inspiration4 for the private company SpaceX.
童年癌症幸存者海莉·阿尔塞诺和另外三名美国平民于2021年进入太空。他们参加了私人公司SpaceX的名为Inspiration4的任务。

The four-member crew made history as the first all-civilian team to orbit Earth. But they also provided the most detailed data ever on the effects of space travel on the human body.
这四人组成的团队创造了历史，成为首个全平民绕地球轨道飞行的团队。但他们还提供了迄今为止最详细的太空旅行对人体影响的数据。

New research based on this data details changes in the brain, heart, muscles, kidneys, skin, immune system and stress levels. The research also provides information on the activity of cell structures called mitochondria in zero-gravity, increased radiation, and other changes experienced in space travel.
基于这些数据的新研究详细描述了大脑、心脏、肌肉、肾脏、皮肤、免疫系统和压力水平的变化。研究还提供了有关在零重力状态下细胞结构线粒体活动、增加的辐射以及太空旅行中经历的其他变化的信息。

More than 95 percent of the health changes, or biomarkers, returned to normal levels in the months after the crew returned to Earth. But some abnormalities, including in the mitochondria continued, the researchers said. But the data suggested that spaceflights - at least short-term trips – are not big health risks.
研究人员表示，在船员返回地球后的几个月里，超过95%的健康变化或生物标志物恢复到了正常水平。但一些异常情况，包括线粒体的异常仍然存在。但数据显示，太空飞行——至少是短期旅行——并不是很大的健康风险。

"We did not see anything that was worrisome, thankfully," said Chris Mason. He is a professor of physiology and biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York who helped lead the research. The studies were published Tuesday in Nature and other journals.
“幸运的是，我们没有发现任何令人担忧的事情，”克里斯·梅森说。他是纽约威尔康奈尔医学院的生理学和生物物理学教授，帮助领导了这项研究。这些研究于周二发表在《自然》和其他期刊上。

Mason added that there was evidence of brain stress during the mission, which has also been found in previous studies.
梅森补充说，在任务期间有证据表明大脑受到了压力，这在以前的研究中也有发现。

Mason said this might be explained by findings in experimental mice flown to space. The mice experienced disruptions in the blood-brain barrier, a layer of cells protecting the brain.
梅森说，这可能通过飞往太空的实验鼠中的发现来解释。这些小鼠经历了血脑屏障的破坏，血脑屏障是一层保护大脑的细胞。

Brain function was not affected, Mason noted.
梅森指出，大脑功能没有受到影响。

Arceneaux is a doctor’s assistant at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and the mission's medical officer. Her three crewmates, two men and one woman, were monitored before, during and after the flight. They went through extensive testing and provided blood, saliva and other bodily materials.
阿尔塞诺是田纳西州孟菲斯圣犹达儿童研究医院的医生助理，也是这次任务的医疗官。她的三名队友，两男一女，在飞行前、飞行中和飞行后都进行了监测。他们进行了广泛的测试，提供了血液、唾液和其他身体材料。

The research also included information from 64 astronauts who had longer stays on the International Space Station (ISS) and other missions. Inspiration4 flew at about 590 kilometers above Earth, higher than the ISS. That means the crew faced higher radiation levels.
研究还包括来自64名在国际空间站（ISS）和其他任务中长期逗留的宇航员的信息。Inspiration4在距地球约590公里的高度飞行，比国际空间站更高。这意味着船员面临更高的辐射水平。

The beginning of a "second Space Age" led by private space travel companies has increased the demand to understand health risks, says Afshin Beheshti. He is with the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in Seattle, Washington, and helped lead the research.
华盛顿州西雅图蓝色大理石太空科学研究所的Afshin Beheshti说，私人太空旅行公司引领的“第二个太空时代”的开始增加了了解健康风险的需求。他帮助领导了这项研究。

Researchers consider the amount of time in space to be an important factor in the health effects.
研究人员认为，太空中的时间长度是健康影响的一个重要因素。

The longer the time in space, “the greater the increase in health risks observed," Beheshti said.
Beheshti说，太空时间越长，“观察到的健康风险增加越大”。

Beheshti added the data detailed the major effect of spaceflight on mitochondrial and immune function.
Beheshti补充说，数据详细描述了太空飞行对线粒体和免疫功能的主要影响。

The “new findings indicate that microgravity and space radiation systematically affect the body, leading to dysfunction at the cellular level that impacts multiple organs, including muscles, kidneys, heart, skin, and (central nervous system) tissues," Beheshti said.
Beheshti说，“新发现表明，微重力和太空辐射系统性地影响身体，导致细胞层面的功能障碍，影响多个器官，包括肌肉、肾脏、心脏、皮肤和（中枢神经系统）组织”。

He added that spaceflight is known to quicken aging and many diseases. But, he said, the research is identifying major health risks that can be targeted for preventative treatment.
他补充说，众所周知，太空飞行会加速衰老和许多疾病。但他说，研究正在识别可以针对性预防的主要健康风险。

The scientists are looking forward in their work.
科学家们对他们的工作充满期待。

"If humans are going to be living and working in space, or living on the moon and Mars,” scientists need a basic understanding of how the body responds to space, Mason said.
梅森说：“如果人类要在太空生活和工作，或者在月球和火星上生活，科学家们需要基本了解身体对太空的反应。”