Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle

Tag Archive for ‘health’

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Physiology on the Road: Midland physiologists search for answers

The Midland Society of Physiological Sciences, comprised of physiologists in Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota is hosting their annual chapter meeting this weekend at the University of South Dakota. Dr. Javier Stern, Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases at Georgia State University will present the Keynote lecture on the role of neuropeptides in the hypothalamus of the brain. The title of his […]

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Physiology on the road: 17th annual Arizona Physiological Society conference

Physiologists in Arizona also shared their research this past weekend at the 17th annual Arizona Physiological Society conference held at the University of Arizona in Tucson. 2024 Arizona Physiological Society Established Scientist Keynote Address The Established Scientist Keynote Address was given by Dr. Meredith Hay, Professor and former Executive Vice President and Provost of The University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Hay also served as President of the American Physiological […]

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Physiologists in California meet today to discuss the latest research

The California Society of Physiologists is hosting their annual meeting today at the University of California Davis campus! Adapting to high altitude The keynote address will be given this evening by Dr. Tatum Simonson (Associate Professor, University of California San Diego) who will speak about, “Variation in human responses to low oxygen: Insights from Mount Everest to Machu Picchu.” Together with Dr. Francisco Villafuerte (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru) […]

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Time Machine: Homeostasis and ‘The Wisdom of the Body’

In this time machine post, we travel back to 1929 to discuss an article written by Dr. Walter B. Cannon, published in Physiological Reviews. Among other achievements, Dr. Cannon is perhaps best known for being the first to coin the term “homeostasis” and to describe “fight or flight responses” in organisms. As a review article, Dr. Cannon summarized observations made by others about how organisms appear to “maintain their own […]

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Physiology on the Road: Mophys 2024!

The Missouri Physiological Society (mophys) is holding their annual chapter meeting tomorrow at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC) campus! Here are just some of the highlights showcasing ways in which physiologists in Missouri are advancing science and medicine: Felix Yang (Graduate student at the University of Missouri, Kansas City; Mentor: Dr. Xiang-Ping Chu) will present research on certain ion channels in the brain that are associated with detecting […]

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Time Machine: Destruction of Red Corpuscles

In 1966, Dr. Peyton Rous of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries on viral origins of some cancers. In an experiment, he collected cancerous connective tissue from a hen. He then filtered the tissue to remove bacteria as well as cancer cells and administered the purified filtrate to healthy chickens. The chickens that received the filtered substance began to […]

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Stress is contagious, even for dogs

Stress can make people pretty stinky. Humans have two main kinds of sweat glands. The eccrine glands produce sweat that we associate with exercise or warm weather – thin, watery and mostly odorless. We can thank apocrine glands for responding to stress by producing a thick fluid containing fats and proteins that skin bacteria love to digest. The result: stinky compounds somewhat reminiscent of vinegar or leeks. While humans may […]

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Researchers discover how hibernating ground squirrels protect their cells from self-destruction

Programmed cell death, otherwise known as apoptosis, is an important physiological process that allows the body to get rid of cells that are no longer needed or are damaged. These functions help foster normal growth and development as well as prevent cancer. Apoptosis is a highly regulated process that involves various caspase enzymes, with caspase-3 being among the “executioner” enzymes responsible for the final stages of apoptosis and ultimate cellular […]

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Even shy animals find overcrowded conditions more stressful than bold animals

In a newly published study in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, researchers examined the relationship between behavioral and physiological responses to stress in a model organism, zebrafish. Following a series of behavioral tests, the fish were classified as either shy or bold and were then exposed to either overcrowded (32 fish per liter) or control conditions (1.6 fish per liter). After 10 days, the […]

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Researchers discover a biological signature that can be used to predict the maximum lifespan of mammals

With the multitude of anti-aging products on the market today, it may be hard to believe that humans are one of the longest-living mammals. Why organisms age and how to slow down this process, or at least ensure that organisms stay healthy as they age, has been on the minds of many researchers over the years. Now, an international team of researchers called the Mammalian Methylation Consortium, led by Dr. […]

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