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Advances in Physiology Education Sep 2017Because the heart and lungs are confined within the thoracic cavity, understanding their interactions is integral for studying each system. Such interactions include... (Review)
Review
Because the heart and lungs are confined within the thoracic cavity, understanding their interactions is integral for studying each system. Such interactions include changes in external constraint to the heart, blood volume redistribution (venous return), direct ventricular interaction (DVI), and left ventricular (LV) afterload. During mechanical ventilation, these interactions can be amplified and result in reduced cardiac output. For example, increased intrathoracic pressure associated with mechanical ventilation can increase external constraint and limit ventricular diastolic filling and, therefore, output. Similarly, high intrathoracic pressures can alter blood volume distribution and limit diastolic filling of both ventricles while concomitantly increasing pulmonary vascular resistance, leading to increased DVI, which may further limit LV filling. While LV afterload is generally considered to decrease with increased intrathoracic pressure, the question arises if the reduced LV afterload is primarily a consequence of a reduced LV preload. A thorough understanding of the interaction between the heart and lungs can be complicated but is essential for clinicians and health science students alike. In this teaching review, we have attempted to highlight the present understanding of certain salient aspects of cardiopulmonary physiology and pathophysiology, as well as provide a resource for multidisciplined health science educators and students.
Topics: Heart; Humans; Lung; Physiology
PubMed: 28679570
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00190.2016 -
Advances in Physiology Education Mar 2016Shifts in educational research, in how scholarship in higher education is defined, and in how funding is appropriated suggest that educators within basic science fields... (Review)
Review
Shifts in educational research, in how scholarship in higher education is defined, and in how funding is appropriated suggest that educators within basic science fields can benefit from increased understanding of learning theory and how it applies to classroom practice. This article uses a mock curriculum design scenario as a framework for the introduction of five major learning theories. Foundational constructs and principles from each theory and how they apply to the proposed curriculum designs are described. A summative table that includes basic principles, constructs, and classroom applications as well as the role of the teacher and learner is also provided for each theory.
Topics: Humans; Learning; Models, Educational; Physiology; Social Learning
PubMed: 26847253
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00132.2015 -
Advances in Physiology Education Dec 2015Homeostasis is a core concept necessary for understanding the many regulatory mechanisms in physiology. Claude Bernard originally proposed the concept of the constancy...
Homeostasis is a core concept necessary for understanding the many regulatory mechanisms in physiology. Claude Bernard originally proposed the concept of the constancy of the "milieu interieur," but his discussion was rather abstract. Walter Cannon introduced the term "homeostasis" and expanded Bernard's notion of "constancy" of the internal environment in an explicit and concrete way. In the 1960s, homeostatic regulatory mechanisms in physiology began to be described as discrete processes following the application of engineering control system analysis to physiological systems. Unfortunately, many undergraduate texts continue to highlight abstract aspects of the concept rather than emphasizing a general model that can be specifically and comprehensively applied to all homeostatic mechanisms. As a result, students and instructors alike often fail to develop a clear, concise model with which to think about such systems. In this article, we present a standard model for homeostatic mechanisms to be used at the undergraduate level. We discuss common sources of confusion ("sticky points") that arise from inconsistencies in vocabulary and illustrations found in popular undergraduate texts. Finally, we propose a simplified model and vocabulary set for helping undergraduate students build effective mental models of homeostatic regulation in physiological systems.
Topics: Animals; Comprehension; Consensus; Curriculum; Education, Professional; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Homeostasis; Humans; Learning; Models, Biological; Physiology; Teaching; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 26628646
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00107.2015 -
Advances in Physiology Education Dec 2004This brief review is intended to serve as a refresher on the ideas associated with teaching students the physiological basis of the resting membrane potential. The... (Review)
Review
This brief review is intended to serve as a refresher on the ideas associated with teaching students the physiological basis of the resting membrane potential. The presentation is targeted toward first-year medical students, first-year graduate students, or senior undergraduates. The emphasis is on general concepts associated with generation of the electrical potential difference that exists across the plasma membrane of every animal cell. The intention is to provide students a general view of the quantitative relationship that exists between 1) transmembrane gradients for K(+) and Na(+) and 2) the relative channel-mediated permeability of the membrane to these ions.
Topics: Animals; Cell Physiological Phenomena; Electrophysiology; Humans; Membrane Potentials; Physiology
PubMed: 15545342
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00029.2004 -
Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) May 2013
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Biomedical Research; Forecasting; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Phenotype; Physiology
PubMed: 23636257
DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00015.2013 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Mar 2016
Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Biomedical Research; Energy Metabolism; Feeding Behavior; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Mentors; Models, Animal; Photoperiod; Physiology; Sensorimotor Cortex; United States
PubMed: 26843579
DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00036.2016 -
Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) Jul 2017
Topics: Anatomy; Humans; Physiology
PubMed: 28615310
DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00014.2017 -
Advances in Physiology Education Sep 2016The American Physiological Society (APS) Teaching Section annually honors an educator through its Claude Bernard Distinguished Lecture at the Experimental Biology... (Review)
Review
The American Physiological Society (APS) Teaching Section annually honors an educator through its Claude Bernard Distinguished Lecture at the Experimental Biology meeting. Since I knew about my selection for almost a year, I had a long time to think about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. The theme of my presentation was "nothing in education makes sense except in the light of student learning." My presentation began with a video of my "And, But, Therefore" description of my educational scholarship (see Randy Olson Great Challenges Day at TEDMED 2013, Ref. 10). "Physiology is the basic foundation of all the health professions AND physiology can be hard for students to figure out BUT many physiology courses expect students to memorize a large number of facts; THEREFORE, my scholarship is to help students learn physiology better for the long-term with various types of student-centered learning opportunities." To stress the goal of student-centered learning, my brief video was followed by a 2-min video of one of my students describing her experiences with student-centered learning in one of my two-semester Advanced Human Physiology classes. Since I have been convinced that Randy Olson is an expert on science communication (11), the rest of my presentation was the story about how I have evolved from a sage-on-the-stage lecturer into a student-centered learning facilitator. I have chosen Olson's "And, But, Therefore" approach to narrative for this written version of key aspects of the presentation.
Topics: Education, Graduate; Educational Measurement; Health Occupations; Humans; Physiology; Societies, Scientific; Students, Health Occupations
PubMed: 27445274
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00056.2016 -
Advances in Physiology Education Dec 2023The maintenance of a more or less constant internal environment by homeostatic (negative feedback) mechanisms is well understood, and "homeostasis" is regarded as an...
The maintenance of a more or less constant internal environment by homeostatic (negative feedback) mechanisms is well understood, and "homeostasis" is regarded as an important core concept for students to understand. However, there are critically important control mechanisms that operate at the local level and are more or less independent of homeostasis. Here we define a core concept of "local control," present examples of it in many different organ systems, and propose a conceptual framework for it. Local control, like all of the other core concepts, can provide students with a learning tool that can facilitate understanding physiology. Local control of many physiological phenomena occurs to meet the needs of certain systems and to enable these systems to meet the episodic challenges that occur. The mechanisms by which local control is exerted include locally released chemical messengers, physical stimuli acting on the structures, and local neural networks. Examples of important local controls are present throughout the body.
Topics: Humans; Learning; Students; Physiology
PubMed: 37615042
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00134.2023 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Jun 2021August Krogh's 1929 principle is referenced as the cornerstone of comparative physiology (CP). However, there are diverse views as to what type of research falls under...
August Krogh's 1929 principle is referenced as the cornerstone of comparative physiology (CP). However, there are diverse views as to what type of research falls under the CP approach. This study had three aims: ) determine how CP is defined through an online survey (OS) of physiologists and a systematic review (SR), ) put forth an updated definition of CP by summarizing OS and SR results, and ) outline the numerous CP research approaches. Professional physiology societies ( = 54) were invited to share the OS with their members, and a SR was conducted, which yielded 197 and 70 definitions, respectively. The three most common words in descending order in the OS definitions were "different," "animals," and "species" and in the SR definitions, "animals," "species," and "organisms." The three most prevalent themes from the OS and SR definitions were comparing/differences/diversity across species (78% and 51%, respectively), response to the environment/ecology (28% and 43%, respectively), and included evolution or adaptation (24% and 60%, respectively). Ten research approaches were identified, which include broad comparison (i.e., many species generalization), specific comparison (e.g., 2 species; for traits that are different, exaggerated, extreme, missing, or not induced), or comparison while considering evolution (i.e., evolutionary physiology), ecology (i.e., ecophysiology), or human physiology/medicine. Only 5% and 33% of OS and SR definitions described or mentioned Krogh's principle. In conclusion, CP can best be defined as a compilation of research approaches that utilize different types of comparisons to elucidate physiological mechanisms and not simply comparing physiologies as the name implies.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Humans; Physiology, Comparative; Research; Surveys and Questionnaires; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 33882704
DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00220.2020