Periodic deep inflation (akin to a sigh) combined with low tidal volume provides the best balance between keeping the lung open and preventing ventilator-induced lung injury, a study of ventilation therapy shows. The study with mice also demonstrates that there is an optimal number of deep inflations. Ventilation therapy is used with patients who cannot breathe on their own.
Rewarming victims of severe hypothermia usually causes heart failure of varying severity, but little is known about why. In a step toward developing proper rewarming techniques, Norwegian researchers ruled out insufficient oxygen to the heart as the critical variable. They advise starting CPR with hypothermia victims right away and continuing until rewarmed.
The APS awarded its 2006 Frontiers in Physiology Professional Development Fellowships to 20 middle and high school teachers in IL, SC, NM, IN, OH, KY, NJ, SD, LA, CA, MD, NY and DC. The teachers will do research at universities in their states, as well as at Novartis Institutes and Avera Research Institute.
Mice receiving just one therapeutic dose of radiation lost as much as 39% of the spongy portion of inner bone, reducing the inner bone's weight bearing connections by up to 64% and leaving it more vulnerable to fracture. The study has implications for patients receiving radiation therapy and astronauts on long space flights.
A new enzyme breaks down whole gluten molecules and the T cell peptides that cause celiac disease, a digestive malady whose only treatment is avoiding wheat, barley or rye products. Researchers say "there is now a realistic chance that oral supplementation" could work in combating celiac disease.
Genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics are driving new discoveries about lung diseases. Researchers and clinicians will examine how to use this information to benefit patients at The American Physiological Society conference on lung disease. Allen Cowley Jr., editor of Physiological Genomics, and David A. Schwartz, NIH, are featured speakers.
The brain's septum helps prevent epileptic seizures by inducing rhythmical electrical activity in the circuits of another area of the brain known as the hippocampus. The researchers found that, by imposing a normal "theta" rhythm on epileptic rats, they reduced seizures by 86-97%.
Sildenafil (Viagra) significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude, mostly because the drug helped some participants improve a lot -- up to 45% -- while others showed little change. Sildenafil provided no benefit in sea level exercise.
Chronic pain awareness is up due to sharp increase in amputations in Iraq. Phantom limb pain is similar to neuropathic pain from shingles, open-heart surgery and spinal chord injury. Alberta researchers found peripheral nerves close to the injury site are probably key, increasing chances of therapy.
Methylphenidate (Ritalin) packs its punch by elevating norepinephrine levels in the brain (to help focus attention) while simultaneously suppressing nerve signal transmissions in the sensory pathways (to help block out extraneous stimuli).
Broad range of environmental and animal studies highlight translational benefits to human and animal biomedical advances at APS 4th global quadrennial intersociety meeting. Features 20 topical symposia, poster sessions and five keynotes from "big fierce animals" to "fuel selection during exercise."
Students at Colorado State, Michigan State, Oberlin and Williams took top honors in the third annual David S. Bruce Undergraduate Research Awards competition this year. Twenty nine student-researchers applied for The American Physiological Society (APS) award, which recognizes excellence in undergraduate research.
Horses have an oversized spleen that releases oxygen-rich red blood cells during a race. Important discoveries about heart rate, blood clotting, blood pressure, etc. have originated with horses and been applied to humans. Learn about race horse physiology and performance enhancers from American Physiological Society experts.
A chemical that blocks carbon monoxide has been used for the first time to arrest traumatic bleeding in rats. The unique line of research could someday help stanch massive bleeding in humans, researchers said. Blocking the dilating action of CO constricts injured blood vessels and slows bleeding.
Researchers have found a way to prevent insulin resistance in burn-injured rats, a finding that, while still preliminary, could eventually save burn victims' lives and speed their recovery. The researchers honed in on the renin-angiotensin system as the key to preventing insulin resistance.
Young and healthy Thais who participated in just 18 Hatha Yoga sessions improved on six of seven measures of respiratory function, according to research from Thailand. The findings suggest that yoga improves respiratory capacity by increasing chest wall expansion and forced expiratory lung volumes.
Dale Benos, chair Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics at University of Alabama at Birmingham becomes APS president. Hannah Carey, professor of comparative biosciences at University Of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, is president-elect. Carey will be first APS president from a vet school.
Exposure to nicotine equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day produced complicated, abnormal breathing development during the first 18 days of newborn rats. In first nine days nicotine-exposed rats' breathing was lower than controls, but in nine-to-18-day range, the situation reversed.
Mortality rate among blacks from pulmonary fibrosis is double whites. Researchers found the antifibrotic effect of hepatocyte growth factor is impaired in lung fibroblasts isolated from African-Americans, probably due to a deficiency in c-Met receptor function. Needed next: a valid animal model.
Astronaut/physiologist tells day-long high school forum that protecting humans from high-level radiation, and bone and muscle loss pose greatest challenge in getting to Mars. During the 13- to 30-month roundtrip every cell in the body could experience a high energy event with heavy metal ions.
University of Mississippi researchers say they have created a mammalian model demonstrating that even moderate alcohol consumption can result in larger and more robust tumors. The research shows the links between alcohol, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and tumor growth.
The neural pathways between two areas of the brain that control the tongue -- and their interactions with each other -- may explain why more men suffer sleep apnea than women. U. of Wisconsin researchers theorize that the caudal raphe, the hypoglossal nucleus, or both play roles in sleep apnea.
Female harbor seal pups whose blubber falls below average levels may be at risk of delayed sexual maturation or death, even if they eat enough fat later. The study could tie the declining population of seals and other marine mammals to the change in availability of seal prey, including herring.
Coining "starvation syndrome" to describe physiological coping mechanisms, University of Arkansas researcher says rattlesnakes reduced energy use 80% over 168 days. They moved slower and chiefly fed on lipid stores. Literally eating themselves from within, they still grew indicating good health.
Estonian-French team demonstrates first direct mechanical communication between mitochondria and cardiomyocyte nucleus, indicating possible new avenue for therapy to increase strength of heartbeat. They found substances that increased mitochondrial size, also increased cardiac contractile force.
Cumulative muscle injury may contribute to the loss of muscle mass as we grow old. So protecting muscles at all times is a good thing, and understanding how stretching increases resistance to injury will really help to do this. Nitric oxide seems necessary for protection, but can neutrophils help?
The antioxidant tempol prevents pre-eclampsia in pregnant mice, a finding that suggests antioxidant therapy will help alleviate the serious pregnancy illness. Tempol cut fetal deaths in half and normalized birth weight and placental development, University of Iowa researchers said.
Harvard University researcher Ulrich von Andrian shows rare video footage of a live animal's T cells learning about foreign microbes from "teacher" dendritic cells during the American Physiological Society Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lecture. The research may help develop better vaccines.
In the APS keynote, Jo Rae Wright of Duke addressed the "wisdom of lung surfactant in balancing its host immune defense and surface tension reducing functions." More recently, its collectins were found to play a role in linking innate and adaptive immunity, including modulating T-cell functions.
Pine nut oil's greatest effect came after 30 minutes, with overweight subjects reporting a 29% reduction in desire to eat and a 36% drop in prospective food intake. Separately, conjugated linoleic acid cut area-specific fat mass in three months: Women lost from legs and trunk, men mostly from trunk.
Blood levels of experimental subjects just before they watched their favorite mirthful laughter video had 27% more beta-endorphins and 87% more human growth hormone compared to control group. The physiological effects of a single one-hour session viewing can last 12 to 24 hours in some individuals.
Researchers found unexpected complex protein regulation of PKC-delta because a common reagent missed its phosphorylated form in heart cells. The warned it could be "symptomatic of a more pervasive feature of immunoblot analysis studies." But scaffolding function could lead to novel cardiac therapy.
With Mars and the moon again targets, NASA-funded, parallel study shows Soviet-US minus 6-degree bedrest decline produces the same swift drop (10%) in the cardiorespiratory system's ability to support exercise as astronauts experienced on a 17-day spaceflight.
ARCHIVE.FP3
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right