Category Archives: Physiology

Physiology

Teaching assistants reflect on instruction in a pandemic – Arizona Daily Wildcat

From words muffled by masks, to dancers on hiatus, to socially distant hands-on help, graduate teaching assistants experience a variety of challenges teaching amidst a pandemic this semester at the University of Arizona.

The UA opted for an on-ramp approach to deliver in-person instruction for fall 2020. Stage one classes for fall included labs, and fine and performing arts studios, with more classes expected to be added to the stage one category next spring.

Stage one classes were taught predominantly by graduate teaching assistants; in the physics department, all labs over 30 sections are taught by teaching assistants. All sections of Physiology 201 lab are taught by graduate teaching assistants. Meanwhile, school of dance in-person classes are mostly, but not all, taught by faculty.

One mandatory safety measure implemented for in-person teaching was mask-wearing, which is an effective way of minimizing the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, masks present a challenge for effective communication in classrooms that are not equipped with microphones.

When I am teaching, I raise my voice more than what I would normally do, so students can hear me, said Edgar Salazar-Canizales, teaching assistant for the UA Physics Department. Students arent as aware of this and sometimes they ask questions in a really low voice and its really hard to hear.

Another novel factor with in-person settings is the need to socially distance. TAs said it requires real creativity to guide the students verbally and from a distance while teaching a hands-on lab. Students often struggle with the material and TAs are limited in the ways they can assist them.

Its definitely a little bit difficult doing the in-person as far as not being able to help students with hands-on things like microscopes," said Kyle Filicetti, a teaching assistant for Physiology 201. "If they are having trouble focusing the microscopes, we are not allowed to approach them.

Particularly for Physiology 201, what normally would be a three-hour long lab, has been reformatted to 45 minutes with fewer numbers of students in each section.

For Physiology 201, each teaching assistant has two sections of 30 students, each subdivided in sections of 10 students. In these labs they work with microscopes, look at bone anatomy and do dissections, all in under one hour.

I suddenly now have to do mental gymnastics to figure out what is the most important thing that I have to highlight in this essentially 35-minute class because we also have to make sure we have time left over for cleaning, said Keila Soto Espinoza, another physiology TA.

An added duty for teaching assistants this semester is keeping track of students who are in quarantine or isolating and supporting students who are missing labs. Salazar-Canizales said that it seems like every student will have to miss a lab at some point either because they were exposed or have the virus. By mid-semester, six of his 22 students needed to quarantine.

Filicetti, in physiology, pointed out there is extra administrative work involved when a student tests positive. They need to inform the department, communicate back and forth with the student while supporting them with deadline extensions and emailing the people in charge of moving those deadlines in D2L.

Aside from sick students, TAs have reported a lot more administrative work this fall with office hours, assignments and other forms of communications needing to be delivered in an online setting.

I think a lot of us are having issues with grading online, Filicetti said. We do a decent amount of grading and every time I go in and grade something I have to wait for it to download.

In addition, teachers have reported that there is a higher volume of emails needed without frequent in-class communication.

Its more than I ever thought," Filicetti said. "Just the administrative side of teaching is quite difficult online.

In the UA Physics Department, it is unclear what would happen if instructors were to get sick. The department told teaching assistants that if they miss a lab, another TA will cover for them. But then they would have to cover that other teaching assistant another time. If someone misses several lab sessions due to sickness, TAs said, the department will deal with it when it arises.

Teachers working in other departments report different challenges and implemented safety measures. In the UA School of Dance, faculty, graduate students and students attending in-person classes must get tested for the virus once a week, a protocol not mandatory for some other in-person classes.

If you miss your test of the week, your test time, then you are not allowed in the studio until you get your next test result, said Ilana Jonas, teaching assistant for the School of Dance. All students agreed before classes started that they would cooperate and test once a week.

A challenge specific to dance majors is the interruption in training. Dancers require strict workout routines and stamina to succeed in their dance programs. Hiatus can present physical risks for them.

One of my concerns was just bringing them back into taking class in a safe way, just because they had taken time off, Jonas said. They have done really well with that, but that was one consideration they hadnt done pointe work in six months and Im sure none of them had ever taken a break that long.

Whether in dance, physics or physiology, all the teaching assistants appreciated the COVID-19 testing available through the university. And despite the many challenges, all said they generally felt safe with the university safety measures implemented.

I dont think there is anything else I would really add to the safety protocol, Jonas said, reflecting what other teachers reported. Everyone has just thought of every possible scenario.

Jonas said she was a little nervous to be back in the classroom at first, But being in the studio and seeing the cooperation of the students with all of the protocols that have been put into place I was pleasantly surprised of how safe it felt to be in the studio."

Cynthia Bujanda is a graduate student in the applied bioscience program at the University of Arizona. Follow Cynthia Bujanda on Twitter

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Teaching assistants reflect on instruction in a pandemic - Arizona Daily Wildcat

Physiology

Jeff Krushell Interviews Thought Technology Ltd. Co-Founder Lawrence Klein on the Company’s History in the Field of Peak Performance Training -…

MONTREAL, Quebec, Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Podcaster and performance consultant, Jeff Krushell, interviews Thought Technology, Ltd Co-Founder, Lawrence Klein, in the final podcast of his series "The Krush Brain Game" where he explores the role of the brain body connection in optimal performance training.

Asked about his focus on the brain, Jeff replied, "We know the brain is a huge piece of the performance puzzle and new advances in technology are not only allowing us to map and track brain performance like never before but also allowing us to train the brain IN REAL TIME and in ways that we have NEVER been able to until recently."

Thought Technology's products have been used by Olympic and professional athletes and other high performers for decades. A key component in peak performance training is learning to keep stress at bay, so that both mind and body can focus a hundred percent on the task at hand. According to Lawrence Klein, "Each individual processes stress differently. A psychophysiological stress assessment looks at multiple modalities such as heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance, temperature, and muscle tension. When you are able to measure the body's physiological reaction to stress, you can learn to change how it responds and over time can call upon this skill whenever needed."

Included in this ongoing series, are interviews with several influential people from the biofeedback field including: Dr. Erik Peper, psychologist, author and president of the Biofeedback Federation of Europe; Dr. Inna Khazan who combines the use of biofeedback and mindfulness.

Click here to listen to Jeff Krushell's interview with Lawrence Klein.

About Jeff Krushell Jeff Krushell is the founder of Krush Performance and an Athlete Development Specialist & Organizational Performance Consultant. He is regarded as a noted expert in the area of talent development in sport and through his work has gained unique insights into the process of improving performance. Over the last 25 years Jeff has worked in the world of high-performance sport helping athletes tap into their potential to truly understand what it is like to achieve Human Maximum Performance. Jeff currently consults for Major League Baseball International; CTV News, Edmonton; Vauxhall Baseball Academy; Link Management and has previously worked as the strength and conditioning coach for both the Toronto Blue Jays and Edmonton Eskimos.

About Lawrence Klein In addition to being the Co- Founder of Thought Technology Ltd. with Dr. Hal Myers (1974), Lawrence Klein is:

About Thought Technology Ltd. Founded in 1975, Thought Technology is the world's leading biofeedback and physiological instrument manufacturer. Its products are used as an essential part of many therapeutic treatments and clinical assessment protocols in over 85 countries and are used by tens of thousands of clinicians in thousands of medical institutions.

Always supportive of new research and development ideas, Thought Technology Ltd. has encouraged a number of special interest groups and clinicians to create cutting edge applications for its instrumentation. Thought Technology Ltd. equipment is now being used in telemedicine, web-based monitoring and biofeedback, sports training, research in human-machine interface, physiology-driven multimedia environments and virtual reality. Constantly striving to improve the quality of the products and services, TTL has obtained, and maintains, ISO 13485, and CE certification for the organization and products.

Media Contact

Helen Mavros, Thought Technology Ltd., 514-489-8251, helen@thoughttechnology.com

SOURCE Thought Technology Ltd.

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Jeff Krushell Interviews Thought Technology Ltd. Co-Founder Lawrence Klein on the Company's History in the Field of Peak Performance Training -...

Physiology

Virginia Tech Scientists Provide New Evidence of Elusive Electrical Pathway in the Heart – Newswise

Newswise These days having both a land line and a mobile phone seems like overkill. But Virginia Tech researchers have shown that the heart relies on at least two key communication channels to keep abnormal heart rhythms in check.

In a study published in the American Journal of Physiology Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientists reveal further evidence of the nuanced interplay between two prominent cell-to-cell communication pathways that could influence how patients fare during a heart attack.

The research team, led by associate professor Steven Poelzing, discovered it could improve irregular heart rhythms even when the hearts blood supply was completely shut off just by altering concentrations of common electrolytes in the bloodstream. This discovery could have important implications for the prevention and treatment of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Millions of Americans take anti-arrhythmic medications or suffer from heart disease. By shedding light on these basic physiological principles, our research could one day help us develop more effective medications and personalized saline solutions to help prevent dangerous arrhythmias, said Poelzing, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics in Virginia Techs College of Engineering. Our goal is to one day help cardiologists identify if a patient could be at higher or lower risk of developing a dangerous arrhythmia based on their blood chemistry.

Like a phone line, gap junctions are proteins that bridge two adjacent cells. These channels let small molecules, including ions, flow straight from one cell to the next, triggering the ripple of cellular contractions that allow our hearts to beat.

For roughly a century, scientists believed that these protein channels explained how the hearts electrical impulses passed from cell to cell. But within the past 15 years, mounting evidence has shown that gap junctions arent the only mechanism underlying electrical conduction in the heart. When researchers genetically knocked out most of the hearts gap junctions in mice, they were surprised to find that the test subjects were just as likely to live an ordinary lifespan as their healthy counterparts.

How can hearts to beat if most of the physical ports between their cells are missing? To answer this question, a theory ephaptic coupling has re-emerged.

Ephaptic coupling occurs within microscopic spaces wedged between two cell membranes. These pockets, called the perinexus, were first described by Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists in 2013 and span just one to two ten-thousandths of a millimeter. For the signaling to work, two cells need to be close enough to sense the electric field generated by their neighboring cell.

You can think of ephaptic coupling between cells in the context of magnets: When you have two magnets close together they are strongly attracted to each other due to the strength of the magnetic field; similarly, the closer two cells are to one another, the stronger the effect of the electric field will be on each other. But when you pull two magnets apart, you can feel the point where attraction weakens. The same thing happens with electric fields. When the space between cells increases, ephaptic coupling weakens, said Gregory Hoeker, a research assistant professor in Poelzings lab at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the studys first author.

When blood stops flowing to the heart muscle, its tissues can swell up. This extra fluid between cells pushes the heart cells apart, expanding the width of the perinexus, and preventing ephaptic coupling.

In this new study, Poelzings team discovered how the spacing between heart muscle cells changes during a heart attack depends on the specific recipe of electrolytes calcium, sodium, and potassium present in the bloodstream. At the organ level, this prevents the heart beats from slowing down and becoming disorganized, which helps normalize the heart rhythm during a heart attack.

Were learning that a patients blood salt chemistry before and during a cardiac event is important and could impact their prognosis, Hoeker said. The data we have collected so far suggest that these two forms of electrical communication gap junction coupling and ephaptic coupling interact in complex ways. Sometimes they work together, sometimes they oppose one another. We believe this balance helps support safe conduction in the heart.

But there doesnt seem to be a one-size-fits-all cardioprotective cocktail of electrolytes. One patient may need more calcium and sodium, while another needs less. Small fluctuations in either direction can have a big impact on heart conduction depending on the patients baseline blood chemistry. Thats why Poelzing and his team are researching how different saline solutions, ranging from your common intravenous fluid drip bag to the wash that surgeons use during open heart surgeries, impact cardiac function and can contribute to arrhythmias.

The researchers say future experiments will examine how gap junctions and ephaptic coupling interact.

Our next research step is to take a multilayered approach, using peptide treatments to target gap junctions and different electrolyte fluids to modulate ephaptic coupling, so we can see how these systems work together during an event such as cardiac arrest, Hoeker said.

This research was funded by a Clinical Research Award in Honor of Mark Josephson and Hein Wellens granted by the Heart Rhythm Society (Hoeker) and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Poelzing).

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Virginia Tech Scientists Provide New Evidence of Elusive Electrical Pathway in the Heart - Newswise

Physiology

Western News – Four Western faculty named to Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list – Western News

November 19, 2020 By Communications Staff

Western researchers whose groundbreaking work has earned them a spot on the 2020 Highly Cited list: professors X. A. (Andy) Sun, Brian Feagan, Danielle Way and Klaus Meyer

Four Western faculty have been named to the Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list, released this week by Clarivate.

Materials engineering professor X.A. (Andy) Sun (materials science), Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Brian Feagan (clinical medicine category), biology professor Danielle Way (plant and animal science) and Ivey Business School professor Klaus Meyer (economics and business) have each been recognized for their work.

The annual list identifies researchers who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade.

Their names are drawn from the publications that rank in the top one per cent by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index.

Citations are one of the many ways our community demonstrates impact and reach,said Western vice-president (research), Lesley Rigg. Im particularly thrilled to see that we have researchers from four different faculties recognized on this list as it highlights the wealth of expertise we have across disciplines and across campus.

The methodology that determines the whos who of influential researchers draws on the data and analysis performed by bibliometric experts and data scientists at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. It also uses the tallies to identify the countries and research institutions where these scientific elite are based.

As Canada Research Chair in Development of Nanomaterials for Clean Energy, Andy Sun applies his expertise to the technical challenges of using fuel cells and lithium batteries to generate, store, and conserve clean energy.

Dr. Brian Feagan is a Schulich Medicine & Dentistry professor and scientist at Robarts Research Institute. He is an internal medicine specialist with training in clinical epidemiology and gastroenterology. His research interests focus on the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials of therapy for inflammatory bowel disease, and he has been the principal investigator on numerous multi-centre trials evaluating new treatments for the disease.

Danielle Way, an expert in global change biology, plant physiology and ecology, focuses on physiological responses to high temperatures, drought stress and changes in carbon dioxide concentration. Her goal is determining the mechanisms underpinning plant responses to global change at molecular and biochemical scales and the implications of these responses for the larger community and ecosystems.

A leading scholar in the field of international business, Klaus Meyer conducts research on the strategies of multinational enterprises, especially foreign entry strategies in emerging economies like Eastern Europe and East Asia.

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Western News - Four Western faculty named to Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list - Western News

Physiology

Anatomage Launches Interactive Physiology Content and Other Updates to the Anatomage eBook – PRNewswire

First introduced in July, the Anatomage eBook provides instructional guidelines to anatomy and physiology topics using 3D anatomical images of real human cadavers. With the anatomy portion immediately launched afterward, the Anatomage eBook has quickly become a powerful solution for an online learning environment. Through today's launch of the physiology section, the Anatomage eBook is now highly anticipated to be an irreplaceable tool for A&P distance and in-person learning courses.

The physiology section features the fundamental physiological concepts that are typically taught in high-school and college-level human physiology courses. Following the interactive format of the Anatomage eBook, the physiology content comes with illustrative and animated visuals that allow students to visualize the human body's physiological mechanism. Interactive physiological illustrations are alsoavailable for manipulating, offering a highly detailed look at crucial physiological and pathological functions.

Aside from the Physiology content, users of the Anatomage eBook will be able to view and interact with images of prosected cadavers. Originating from actual human cadavers, the prosection images exhibit the most accurate anatomical visualization that allows students to appreciate the human body's integrated nature.

As part of the updates, manipulating real-patient pathology CT cases is made possible. The Anatomage eBook now includes 12 interactive case activities that provide a high-resolution, three-dimensional view for comparative anatomy, giving practical information to prepare students for their clinical professions.

With these additions, the Anatomage eBook further expands its capabilities as a market leader in premium online anatomy and physiology learning technology tailored for both in-person and virtual education.

About Anatomage eBook

Anatomage eBook offers the most accurate representation of real human anatomy that allows students to conceptualize the complicated anatomy and physiology concepts effectively. Utilizing medically accurate anatomy images and intuitive descriptions, the Anatomage eBook visually walks users through major anatomy and physiology concepts for each of the 11 human body systems across 39 chapters. For more information, visit here.

About Anatomage

A market leader in medical imaging technology, Anatomage enables an ecosystem of 3D anatomy hardware and software, allowing users to visualize anatomy at the highest level of accuracy. Through its highly innovative products, Anatomage is transforming standard anatomy learning, medical diagnosis, and treatment planning.

Media Contact:Jack ChoiCEOAnatomage Inc.Phone: 1-408-885-1474Email:[emailprotected]www.anatomage.com

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Anatomage Launches Interactive Physiology Content and Other Updates to the Anatomage eBook - PRNewswire

Physiology

Zombie Physiology, According to The Walking Dead | CBR – CBR – Comic Book Resources

The Walking Dead provides information on how zombies act, behave and evolve.

The zombie genre has been going strong since the 1930s, and while there's the occasional deviation in how they're portrayed on screen, audiences are most familiar with the these famed dead creatures as brainless and slow but deadly in hordes. The zombiesin AMC'sThe Walking Deadbear all the signs of the typical zombie: mindless killing machines with the singular goal of devouring the flesh of anyone who crosses their path. The zombies in theWalking Deadmay be relatively weak, but over the course of 10 seasons, the show has introduced some interesting concepts to their physiology.

While the origins of the zombie outbreak in TheWalking Deadis unknown, every character in theshow is infected with the pathogen that causes the dead to come to life. The pathogen doesn't kill its hosts -- rather it remains dormant, and outwardly the host appears normal and healthy. The pathogen only becomes active when the host dies, reviving some parts the brain and cerebellum in the process which causes them to transform into a zombie. As long as the host remains alive and avoids bites or scratches from the dead, the pathogen will remain dormant until the moment of their demise.

RELATED:The Walking Dead: AMC Debunks a Major Rick Grimes Theory

The zombies from The Walking Dead havesuch a powerful sense of smellthat they candetect scents from miles away and can differentiate them betweenthe living or dead. In both the television series and the comics the show is adapted from, human characters can disguise their scents by covering themselves in gore, undead flesh or anything that smells of decay. Over time, the zombies' eyesight deteriorates, but their heightened sense of smell is their greatest asset and proves the most dangerous to Rick and his group of survivors.

The undead are inhumanly strong andpossess enough strengthtotear apart a human or animal with relative ease and ripapart limbs with little effort. While the zombie's strength depends on how long they've been reanimated, they can produce enough force to overpower even the strongest of humans, making them incredibly dangerous in combat. However, as the zombies decay, their strength wanes, so you'd have a better chance of survival if you encounter an older zombie.

RELATED:The Walking Dead Casts Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Wife, Hilarie Burton, as Negan's Spouse

Being dead with limited brain activity and supposedly no pain receptors, zombies fromThe Walking Dead feel no pain -- or at least they don't react to pain. They can absorb all manner of physical damage even though their bodies are no less durable -- and in fact, sometimes even weaker -- than that of a living human. Zombies can survive the worst of injuries, from losing limbs to impalement. Shots to the head, decapitation and spinal cord severing are the only things that can kill or weaken a zombie. As long as their brain is intact, zombies can function normally, even if they've lost their heads.

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Physiology

Finding the solution: Animal physiology lab makes most of hybrid format – Illinois State University News

In a lab designed to illustrate how living organisms operate, it only makes sense thered be an entire week dedicated to respiration systems. In previous Biological Sciences (BSC) 283: Animal Physiology courses, students would breathe into devices themselves to measure lung capacity and simulate different chronic conditions such as asthma.

But as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has warned the public since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the fastest ways the novel virus travels is through the air. So, naturally, that type of assignment in a lab classroom was out of the question.

Illinois State students and faculty proved once again they could pivot to make the best of the situation.

Realizing quickly the original experiment wouldnt work, the class used crayfish instead, placing them in both low and high saline solutions. A compound called soda lime would absorb the carbon dioxide the creatures breathed out, and students then made an airtight seal on the containers so that the only opening was a tube containing a bubble of water. The resulting vacuum would pull the bubble further toward the container, creating an avenue to alternatively measure lung capacity.

Simple enough, right? Well, it still mirrored the original concept and purpose of the lab.

It was possible to do it this way, but it definitely required some adjustments, said graduate teaching assistant Shana Border.

While every class has been altered in some way due to safety and health protocols, lab classes that are most effective in a hands-on way have had to be extra creative.

In a night lab of BSC 283, students have had to work with each other in a hybrid format. Some are in the lab, and others are communicating via Zoom. They are paired off in groups of four, with two students on-site and the other two working virtually.

Its been an interesting transition, especially since half of our class is online and making sure they are able to see and learn as best as they can, said junior molecular and cellular biology major Teague Williamson, who has been at the lab primarily in-person. But you make adjustments to the format.

The class has conducted experiments on muscle contractions, respiratory function, and how signals get transmitted along nerves, just to name a few. Students have used crickets, cockroaches, earth worms, computer modeling, and their own bodies to complete the tasks, all while using the hybrid format.

The whole situation is obviously stressful, but all of my students immerse themselves into it and give it their all.

When it was clear early on that this would be the way the class was structured, the groups quickly got together and determined roles. The two working remotely for the night would be either the note-takers or directing the experiment, while the other two would do the hands-on work.

The labs instituted a poll where every week students can rate each other as group mates. That opened up lines of communication quickly and also provided an accountability factor. While challenging, the student scientists have risen to the occasion.

The whole situation is obviously stressful, but all of my students immerse themselves into it and give it their all, Border said. They always do whatever they are willing to do to make this work.

Theyve built some really strong rapports.

Border also noted how students have been particularly proactive with safety measures, whether thats properly distancing in the lab or making the decision to work virtually if they may have been exposed to the virus.

Dr. Wolfgang Stein teaches the course and relies on graduate teaching assistants like Border to lead the labs. Its been a group effort to safely and effectively navigate through the course, but students and faculty have made the necessary adjustments to make their learning just as meaningful.

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Finding the solution: Animal physiology lab makes most of hybrid format - Illinois State University News

Physiology

The Evolving Role of Ion Channels in Shaping Successful Drug Discovery, Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Xtalks – PR Web

Targeting ion channels selectively has always been challenging. New, more specific modalities including antibodies, aptamers, peptides and knotbodies are also being explored.

TORONTO (PRWEB) November 05, 2020

There are over 200 ion channels in the human body, all playing a pivotal role in normal physiology. As such, they are important targets for drug therapies that modulate ion channels in critical pathways, or correct aberrant ion channel function. To date, there are over 150 marketed drugs that target ion channels. Many of these drugs are anaesthetics, anti-epileptics or are active in the cardiovascular system.

The importance of ion channels in the pharmaceutical industry is evolving. As knowledge of ion channel physiology and how to target ion channels evolves, therapeutic opportunities are becoming more diverse, extending to renal and respiratory disease, inflammation, cancer, pain and depression. How the pharmaceutical industry tests and explores ion channels is also evolving with high-throughput platforms and hiPSC models.

Targeting ion channels selectively has always been challenging. New, more specific modalities including antibodies, aptamers, peptides and knotbodies are also being explored. Finally, given the importance of ion channels in normal physiology, unwanted activity at ion channels in the heart or CNS can cause serious adverse effects and should be avoided. In this respect, screening for effects on ion channels is a key, rapidly developing area of drug discovery.

Consideration of these evolving areas in ion channel drug discovery is critical to the successful development of new medicines.

Join Dr. Michael Morton, Director, ApconiX Ltd in a live webinar on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 11am EST (4pm GMT/UK).

For more information, or to register for this event, visit The Evolving Role of Ion Channels in Shaping Successful Drug Discovery.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.comFor information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/

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Physiology

NIH Grant aims to enhance scientific models of aging focused on creating better intervention tools for age-related decline – Newswise

Newswise San Antonio, Texas (November 5, 2020)The Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) at Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio received a $1.3 million collaborative grant to continue the San Antonio Marmoset Aging Program (SA MAP) and further define the hallmarks of aging in a nonhuman primate (monkey) model. Developing the marmoset model will allow for eventual testing of interventions in additional model systems that could slow or change age-related decline in humans.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Aging awarded the grant to develop new tools for the characterization of aging to Corinna Ross, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Texas Biomed and Associate Director of Research at the Southwest National Primate Research Center, and Adam Salmon, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Barshop Institute, UT Health San Antonio. Drs. Ross and Salmon will co-lead the team of scientists within SA MAP, leveraging their expertise and resources to gain knowledge behind the molecular and physiological functions behind age-related diseases.

SA MAP has developed several tools over the years to characterize aging in marmosets explained Dr. Ross. While the nine hallmarks of aging have been identified, we only have a few tools to measure these hallmarks. With this study, we hope to pinpoint biomarkers of cellular aging in marmosets so that these biomarkers can eventually serve as targets for interventions, and marmosets can become an effective model for testing these interventions.

Marmoset models are widely used in biomedical research but are most commonly used in aging studies partly due to their small size and relatively short life span of 20 years. As a non-human primate, marmosets closely resemble humans genetically, enabling them to serve as a valuable tool to test pharmacological or drug interventions.

To date, laboratory rodents and invertebrates have largely been the models to study the hallmarks of aging. However, marmosets display a wide spectrum of age-related issues similar to humans and are susceptible to diseases that occur in humans but not in rodents. Mechanisms behind the root causes of the hallmarks of aging at the cellular and molecular levels have yet to be explored in the nonhuman primate.

This model could potentially provide a window of opportunity to move aging research to the next level and assist in developing the clinical approaches that target the hallmarks of aging and their interconnection to one another, said Dr. Salmon.

The nine hallmarks of aging include:1. Genomic instability, high frequency of genetic mutations within a genome2. Telomere attrition, the gradual loss of the protective ends of chromosomes3. Epigenetic alterations, changes in the chemical structure of DNA4. Loss of proteostasis, development of nonnative protein aggregates in tissues5. Deregulated nutrient sensing, bodys inability to take in key nutrients effectively6. Mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption in mitochondrias ability to regulate cellular pathways in the body7. Cellular senescence, regular cell cycle is interrupted because cells become resistant to growth-promoting stimuli8. Stem cell exhaustion, a deficiency of stem cells due to aging. Stem cells are cells that can turn into any cell type and are needed to repair systems in the body9. Altered intercellular communication, alteration in the signaling between cells which happens as a result of aging

The NIH is really focused on interdisciplinary, collaborative research, Dr. Ross added. We have assembled a team that blends expertise in marmoset physiology and behavior, aging interventions and molecular mechanisms to address some of the remaining questions in aging through cutting-edge research. Were at the forefront of using marmosets for geriatric research and are very excited to explore the use of marmosets to test pharmaceutical interventions.

The Southwest National Primate Research Center at Texas Biomed (SNPRC) houses one of two marmoset colonies at a National Primate Center, and is home to 400 marmosets with the largest geriatric marmoset colony in the country. Recently, theNIH awarded SNPRC a grantto double the size of its marmoset colony to support ongoing and future neuroscience research.

Research is being supported by the National Institute On Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U34AG068482. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Research at SNPRC is also supported by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health P51 OD011133.

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NIH Grant aims to enhance scientific models of aging focused on creating better intervention tools for age-related decline - Newswise

Physiology

Anatomage Launches Interactive Physiology Content and Other Updates to the Anatomage eBook – Yahoo Finance

Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Chinas move to abruptly halt the worlds biggest stock-market debut sends global investors a clear message: Any financial opening will only be done on terms that benefit President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party.Policy makers in Beijing shocked the investment world on Tuesday by suspending an initial public offering by Ant Group Co., a fintech company owned by billionaire Jack Ma -- Chinas second-richest man. The decision came just two days before shares were set to trade in a listing that attracted at least $3 trillion of orders from individual investors.The timing of the decision showed once again that for Xi and the party, financial and political stability take precedence over ceding control of the economy -- especially to a private company. In Beijings view, allowing the IPO to go forward could effectively give Ant too much sway over the financial system, posing broader risks that could ultimately undermine the partys grip on power.The party is flexing its muscle, said Victor Shih, associate professor at UC San Diego and author of Factions and Finance in China: Elite Conflict and Inflation. Its saying to Jack Ma, you are going to have the biggest IPO in the world, but thats not a big deal for the CCP, which oversees the worlds second-largest economy.While the party has ample tools to quash political dissidents, local officials have struggled at times to contain outbursts of anger brought on by bread-and-butter issues such as labor disputes, investment fraud, and environmental disasters. To mitigate any threats to the financial system or the partys authority, Xis government has demonstrated over the past decade that it has no problem taking down billionaires and private companies.For foreign investors, the Ant saga has raised questions about the viability of Hong Kong and Shanghai as premium financial centers. Thats particularly so after China last week signaled greater openness in a new five-year plan that put a timeline on moving forward with past promises of allowing greater foreign access and gradually relaxing controls over the yuan and capital flows.Both the sequence and timing of events of the IPO failure will raise doubts among foreign investors about Chinas commitment to the kind of transparency needed in modern, open capital markets, said Fraser Howie, author of Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundation of Chinas Extraordinary Rise.It sends a number of signals, often conflicting, Howie said. Investors must therefore be concerned about the listing process in China, they will be concerned by disclosure, they will be concerned about arbitrary moves on the part of the regulators.Many analysts saw the move as sensible, even if the timing was disruptive. Chinese regulators said Ants business model effectively allowed it to charge higher fees for transactions while state-run banks took on most of the risk. At the same time Ant sought to list, authorities were racing to develop rules that would subject financial holding companies to higher capital requirements. Its also planning to create a digital yuan, which is part of its push to maintain control over the stability of its payment system.China Securities Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it supported a decision by the Shanghai Stock Exchange to block a hasty initial public offering. Changes in fintech industry regulations have a huge impact on Ants operational structure and profit model, it said in a statement.Mas Risky SpeechAt a conference in Shanghai on Oct. 24, Ma blamed global regulators for focusing too much on risk, and criticized Chinas own measures for stifling innovation. The remarks came after Vice President Wang Qishan -- a Xi confidante -- called for a balance between financial innovation and strong regulations to prevent financial risks.It appeared that, intentionally or not, Ma was openly defying and criticizing the Chinese governments approach to financial regulation, Andrew Batson, China research director at Gavekal Research Limited., wrote in a note.Mas comments came right before the Communist Party held a key meeting to plan the countrys economy for the next 15 years, bringing the issues of technology, financial stability and economic growth to the top of the national agenda. After it ended last week, regulators released new rules affecting Ants businesses and summoned Ma to Beijing for a rare meeting on Monday. The IPO was suspended the next day.Within China, state-run media have highlighted Ants failures to comply with regulatory requirements while showcasing the governments strong market supervision mechanisms and risk controls to protect consumers. In a commentary dated late Tuesday, the party-backed Economic Daily said suspending the IPO showed that every link of the capital market has perfect rules and serious supervision methods.Its understandable from the regulatory perspective and it is still a better outcome for investors than facing a black-swan event immediately after the listing, said Lv Changshun, an analyst at Beijing Zhonghe Yingtai Management Consultant Co. Policymakers can tolerate innovation, but that should not be at the cost of a systemic financial risk. Avoiding that risk is an important foundation to push forward more capital market reforms.China Accelerates Capital Market Reform to Counter Virus, U.S.Ants IPO prospectus was a bigger contributor to the timing of Chinas moves than Mas speech in Shanghai, according to Gao Zhikai, a former Chinese diplomat and former China policy adviser for the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. Once regulators saw that Ant could do things that were off limits to commercial lenders, he said, someone rang the bell and brought it to the attention of the regulators.Traditional financial institutions, banks in particular, would probably welcome this decision when the dust settles, he said. It also does not create a regulatory disadvantage to Ant Group. It reminds Ant they need to treat certain parts of its operation as a commercial bank.Growing ScrutinyChinese authorities have been stepping up oversight of private companies for several years. In 2018, the central bank identified Ant and other firms as financial holding companies, putting them under increased scrutiny because of their growing role in the nations money flows and financial plumbing.That same year, regulators seized Anbang Insurance Group Co., which symbolized the recent era of mega-acquisitive Chinese companies, and imprisoned its former chairman for fraud. HNA Group Co. and Tomorrow Holding Co. were later taken over by the state or broken up, while China Evergrande Group in September is to have warned of a potential cash crunch that could pose systemic risks to China.Ostentatious and blunt, Ma is perhaps Chinas most well-known entrepreneur in the communist nation. The globe-trotting tycoon is a special adviser to the United Nations, has debated Elon Musk on international forums, and is a regulator at annual Davos gatherings. Hes created two multi-hundred-billion dollar companies and has labeled himself a champion for the little guy and small businesses.On Wednesday, however, posts on Chinese social-media platforms were largely unsympathetic toward Ma. One anonymous Weibo poster wrote if you dont go out looking for trouble, trouble wont find you. Another quipped that its time for Jack Ma to wake up, listen often and speak less.Despite Mas public dressing down and the reputational blow to Chinas markets, many investors are still optimistic about Ants IPO. Higher liquidity requirements would hit sentiment, but thats not necessarily a bad thing for a listing that saw shares selling for a 50% premium in gray-market trading ahead of the IPO.Ram Parameswaran, founder of San Francisco-based Octahedron Capital Management, a hedge fund that holds shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and is planning to invest in the Ant IPO, saw the suspension as positive to stamp the speculation in the stock. Shares of Alibaba, which owns a third of Ant, fell 7.5% in Hong Kong, the most since its debut in the city last year.Whats clear to me is that the lending business will grow slower over the next few years, Parameswaran said. That in the larger scheme of things is net positive for the sector and Ant. Steady growth is good.Strings PulledFor global investors, however, the episode is likely to reinforce the notion that the party calls all the shots when it comes to major business decisions -- and any opening measures will be carefully calibrated for the impact on the Communist Party. That could be all the more important in the years ahead as China seeks to develop its own core technologies in the face of growing pressure from the U.S., which is likely to continue no matter who ends up the winner of Tuesdays election.This sends a signal to the major tech players not to get too big for their britches and that the party is still in charge, said Kendra Schaefer, head of digital research at the Trivium China consultancy in Beijing. Internationally, however, moves like this do very little to alleviate concerns that tech companies going out are not having their strings pulled by Beijing.(Updates with CSRC statement in 10th paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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