Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space

Part I: Prelude: A personal view from above.-A view from the ESA Topical Team Stress and Immunity.

Part II: "Stress and Immunity"-research: a tight link between space and earth: What is Stress? The impact of everyday stressors on the immune system and health.

Part III: Stress & Immune Allostasis in Space, from brain to immune responses: Neurobiological mechanisms of stress and glucocorticoid effects on learning and memory: implications for stress disorders on earth and in space.- The autonomous nervous system.- Circadian rhythm and stress.- Endocannabinoids, "new-old" mediators of stress homeostasis.- Immune System, definitions and stress-sensitive functions.- Innate Immunity under conditions of space flight.-NK Cells assessments: a thirty year old History of Immune stress interaction in Space.- Adaptive Immunity and Spaceflight.-Stress, Hypoxia, and Immune Response.- Gravitational force - triggered stress in cells of the immune system.-Microbial Stress: Spaceflight-induced alterations in microbial virulence and infectious disease risks for the crew.- Stress, Spaceflight, and Latent Herpes Viruses Reactivation.- Stress and Radiation-responsiveness.

Part IV: Preventive and Diagnostic Tool & Strategies: Consideration on minimal or non-invasive monitoring applications.- Psychological Monitoring.- Breath gas analyses.- Microbiological environment, complementary procedures.- Thermoregulation.- Flow Cytometry.- Radiation Sensitivity.

Part V: Therapeutic Strategies: Intro.- Psychological.- Physical.- Nutrition.- Pharmacological.