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 Scientists in Germany are using advanced imaging technology in a
bid to understand one unusual phenomenon - why astronauts' skin gets
thinner while in space. Led by Professor Karsten Koenig from the
Department of Biophotonics and Laser Technology at Saarland
University, researchers have used high-resolution skin imaging
tomography to look into the skin cells of several astronauts before
and after a trip into space.
The developers of the laser technology say the spatial resolution is
a thousand times higher than that of ultrasonic devices -- unmatched
by any other product. It also has the potential, Koenig says, to
revolutionize diagnoses in hospitals.
"We use femtosecond laser pulses. We scan the skin and we get
signals from the skin, particularly fluorescence, as well as another
signal called second harmonic generation. So with these two signals
we can build up images and get a precise look into the skin with a
high resolution. The resolution is a factor of one thousand (times)
better than ultrasound. So now you get the information without
taking biopsies; normally you slice them, you stain them, and then a
pathologist would look through these sections. Now you can get this
information in seconds, labor free and with this fantastic
resolution," said Koenig, adding that applications include in vivo
histology for early cancer diagnosis and determining effects of skin
aging.
Koenig, who is also CEO of German company JenLab, with facilities in
Jena and Saarbrucken, was asked by the European Space Agency (ESA),
to use their femtosecond laser technology for their 'Skin B'
project, which the space agency says is aimed at understanding "skin
aging mechanisms which are slow on Earth (therefore nearly
impossible to study efficiently) but very much accelerated in
weightlessness".
"NASA and ESA - the European Space Agency - came to us and asked,
'is it possible to also look in the skin of astronauts? Because we
want to know if there's any aging process going on or what kind of
modifications happened to astronauts as they work for six months out
in space.' Because many astronauts complain about skin problems,"
said Koenig.
So far, Koenig and his team of researchers have scanned three
astronauts before and after a trip into space; Italians Luca
Parmitano and Samantha Cristoforetti, and Germany's Alexander Gerst.
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Cristoforetti, of the ESA, was scanned prior to her trip to the
International Space Station (ISS) in November 2014. When
Cristoforetti landed back on Earth on June 11 this year, her 199-day
mission meant she became a new record-holder for the single longest
spaceflight by a woman, eclipsing NASA's Sunita William's 195-day
flight in 2006-2007. Cristoforetti's skin cells were subsequently
re-scanned by Koenig, who explained how on the ISS skin physiology
is different, leading to some surprising results.
"So far we've got interesting results from three astronauts. It
seems that there is a strong production of collagen; so suddenly
these astronauts have more collagen. It means there is some sort of
anti-ageing effect, at least in the dermis - the lower part of the
skin. And we found that the epidermis, in particular the part of the
living cells, that this epidermis is shrinking, so the skin gets
thinner," Koenig said.
"So far we have no explanation yet, and we are waiting for the other
astronauts to figure out what's going on and maybe to try to figure
out how we can protect, how we can help so that this epidermis is
not shrinking," he added.
NASA is developing capabilities to send astronauts to an asteroid in
the 2020s aboard their Orion spacecraft, giving them the chance to
test new systems and capabilities beyond low-Earth orbit. This is to
prepare for future human missions to Mars, the U.S. space agency
said.
In the meantime, Koenig and his team will continue their research
into what causes the thinning of astronauts' skin - and more
crucially, how it can be prevented.
"We've seen the epidermis get thinner by nearly 20 percent. And so
far we have no explanation. But this happened within six months; the
question is if you go to Mars they need one or two years and we
don't know yet - for sure it's not so good if the epidermis gets
thinner and thinner," Koenig said.
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