The Arizona Physiological Society, a chapter of the American Physiological Society, hosted their 15th annual scientific meeting this past weekend! Here are some highlights…
The Keynote Address was presented by Dr. Harold D Schultz, Professor in the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Nebraska. His talk focused on the physiology of heart failure and how the nervous system regulates blood pressure.
This year’s Arizona Distinguished Physiologist Lecture was presented by Dr. Jon Harrison at Arizona State University. He presented research from his laboratory examining the toxic effects of fungicides in bees. This research stemmed from observations that populations of bees that pollinated almond flowers treated with a fungicide were declining. It turns out that the fungicide not only killed fungi, but also inhibited mitochondrial function in the bees that were exposed to it.
Sebastian Scofield, a graduate student at Arizona State University, presented his research showing that honey bees (Apis mellifera) decrease their ability to make fats as they become foragers even though their diet is very high in sugars. If only humans could do the same thing…
Speaking of high sugar diets, a study presented by S. Millerwise et al., conducted in the laboratory of Dr. A Cease at Arizona State University showed that diet composition is an important consideration for female migratory locusts. In fact, female locusts consuming high carbohydrate diets actually live longer, although no such relationship was seen in the male locusts.
Categories: Aging, Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Livestock, Climate Change, Environment, Illnesses and Injuries, Nature's Solutions, Physiology on the Road
Tags: American Physiological Society, Arizona physiological society, bee, diet, heart failure, locust
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 
