Fall is an exciting time as many of the chapters of the American Physiological Society host regional conferences. The Midlands Society of Physiological Sciences hosted their annual meeting earlier this month. Here are some highlights from their meeting.

Symposia highlights:

The meeting was kicked off by a Keynote Lecture presented by Dr. David A Kass from Johns Hopkins University who presented his research on obesity and heart failure. Here is a short video clip from YouTube describing his research:

Dr. Pooneh Bagher from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha then presented research examining how spaceflight impacts the cardiovascular system of rodents. Talk about extreme physiology!

Dr. Frank Faraci from the University of Iowa presented the second Keynote Lecture on the relationship between dementia and blood flow in the brain.

Dr. Yohaan Fernandes from the University of South Dakota spoke about the use of zebrafish as a model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. As it turns out, zebrafish develop similar complications as humans with exposure to alcohol during fetal development.

Dr. Patrick Seale from the University of Pennsylvania presented the third Keynote Lecture on the development and function of fat tissue. There are three types of fat tissues – white, brown, and beige. Brown adipose tissue gets a lot of attention because it generates heat, which increases metabolism. His research is aimed at figuring out what regulates the type of fat cells that are formed and how they are altered in disease.

Highlight from trainee presentations:

Robin Fettig from the University of South Dakota presented research examining a rare disease in which patients cannot make Moylbdenum cofactor. Because this cofactor degrades when exposed to air, patients cannot simply be supplemented with it. As it turns out, C. elegans can make Moylbdenum cofactor and acquire it from their microbes in their diet. Without this cofactor, individuals cannot detoxify sulfites.

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Categories: Aging, Extreme Animals, Nature's Solutions, Physiology on the Road, Space Physiology

Tags: Adipose, alcohol, American Physiological Society, brown adipose, C elegans, dementia, heart failure, obesity, space, sulfites, zebrafish