Category Archives: Physiology

Physiology

Enrollment open for paramedic courses in Fairview and Alva – Enid News & Eagle

FAIRVIEW, Okla. Northwest Technology Center is enrolling students in its paramedic training program.

The program is for adult students with an EMT credential and a high school diploma or GED. Classes begin April 20, 2021, and run through June 21, 2022. The 14-month program is 1,210 hours and prepares students to "perform comprehensive patient assessments and advanced emergency procedures all in a pre-hospital setting," according to a press release.

Prior to acceptance into the course, an EMT certification must be obtained and completion of an anatomy and physiology class is required. Anatomy and physiology can be taken at Northwest Technology Center. It begins Feb. 2, 2021, and runs through April 15. "It is strongly recommended that students take this anatomy and physiology class even if a credit for the class has been obtained elsewhere," according to the press release.

"Several job opportunities are available to those in the field, including ambulance and fire services, clinics and hospitals, air medical services and many others," according to the press release. "Higher paying job opportunities are available, paramedics in Oklahoma can make $33,000-$52,000 per year, as well as opportunities to provide better service to the community."

Program instructor Lisa Dyer, who teaches the paramedic program at Kiamichi Technology Center, will walk students through 11 courses via distance learning. The training is delivered through distance learning and the skills portion of the training will be taught with an in-person instructor at the Fairview campus.

Applications for the program are open through March 1, 2021. Along with the application, immunization records, personal health history, physical examination and students work references must be submitted, and applicants must pass a physical ability assessment.

In-district tuition is $4,230 for the 14-month program. Out-of-district tuition is $6,410. Financial aid assistance is available to those who qualify. For more information, go to http://www.nwtech.edu or call (580) 327-0344 in Alva or (580) 227-3708 in Fairview.

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Enrollment open for paramedic courses in Fairview and Alva - Enid News & Eagle

Physiology

Physiology in PCI: It’s Not That Simple – MedPage Today

Coronary physiology flopped in several studies for determining whether to defer invasive procedures and in optimizing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), researchers reported, suggesting there's more to learn.

"We need to pay more attention to the precise physiology of what we're measuring and what it means," said K. Lance Gould, MD, of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston.

One group found that routine use of computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) did not shave healthcare costs in people with stable chest pain, whereas another reported that operators taking extra steps during stenting did not achieve more optimal FFRs after PCI.

Finally, an observational study showed that coronary flow reserve (CFR) couldn't trump FFR at current thresholds in deciding which patients may defer revascularization.

The three studies were presented during the same late-breaking trial session at this year's TCT Connect, held virtually by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.

FORECAST

Resource utilization was about the same whether chest pain clinics in the U.K. adopted routine FFRCT as a frontline test or continued usual care, according to a randomized trial.

Total medical costs -- counting the cost of non-invasive cardiac tests, invasive coronary angiography (ICA), revascularization, hospitalization for cardiac events, cardiac medications, and outpatient attendances -- averaged 1,605.50 at 9 months for people randomly assigned to frontline FFRCT testing vs 1,491.46 in controls (or median 600 vs 670, P=0.962).

There was no difference between groups in clinical outcomes nor quality-of-life status at that point, according to Nick Curzen, PhD, of the University of Southampton in England.

Thus, the results contradict U.K. guidelines, which recommend coronary CT angiography and HeartFlow FFRCT together as a cost-saving strategy based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence projections.

FFRCT is FFR derived from coronary CT angiography, thus providing anatomical and physiological information, and is thought to be a safe way to select patients for subsequent invasive testing and treatment of angina.

"The real crux of FFRCT is can it save money? We can, but not by doing it so freely," Curzen concluded at a press conference.

For the FORECAST study, investigators had 1,400 people presenting to 11 chest pain clinics in the U.K. randomized to the test group getting routine FFRCT or usual care. Median age was around 60 years, and just over half of the participants were men.

Coronary CT angiography use was 96% in the test group and 66% in the reference group. Total ICA tests were 14% lower in the test group (P=0.02), which also had 22% fewer patients undergoing ICAs (P=0.01).

On closer inspection, the test group had coronary CT angiography alone in 64.9% of cases, as most people had no lesions with >40% stenosis. Another 31.5% actually went on to receive FFRCT assessment. None underwent stress echocardiography, perfusion scanning, stress MRI, exercise ECG, or ICA testing.

In contrast, the reference group had patients stop at coronary CT angiography in 61.4% of cases. Dozens received the other non-invasive and invasive tests.

Nevertheless, ICAs and revascularizations were not reduced enough by the FFRCT strategy to make it cost-dominant, Curzen said.

TARGET-FFR

Operators following a physiology-guided incremental optimization strategy did not see an improvement in the number of patients coming out of PCI with optimal FFRs, one center reported.

After angiographically successful PCI, FFR was 0.90 in 32% of patients, 0.81-0.89 in 39%, and 0.80 in 29%, according to Damien Collison, MD, of Golden Jubilee National Hospital and University of Glasgow in Scotland.

Patients randomized to further intervention to boost FFR wound up with 38.1% achieving FFR 0.90, which was statistically no better than the 28.1% of controls (P=0.099). However, the proportion of patients with a final FFR 0.80 was lower in the intervention group (18.6% vs 29.8%, P=0.045).

Collison noted that it is rare for operators to assess PCI results using FFR.

"It's shocking to see so few patients who meet the criteria for optimal physiology at the end of the procedure," said the moderator of the press conference, Roxana Mehran, MD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Chad Rammohan, MD, of Mountain View Center in California, agreed: It's "a little sobering" to realize that 30% of patients at a good center are still ischemic at the end of PCI, with an FFR below 0.80. The study moves the field toward optimization and using imaging to make PCI results more durable, he said.

The small TARGET-FFR trial was conducted at a single center. Included were 260 people who had angiographically successful PCI before randomization to physiology-guided PCI optimization or usual care.

Operators following the intervention algorithm performed further post-dilation, intracoronary imaging, additional stenting depending on coronary physiology results, and hyperemic pullback assessment.

Further optimization was targeted in 46% of the intervention group. Two-thirds of these patients were deemed appropriate for additional post-dilation and/or stenting.

In these 40 patients who actually received PCI optimization, mean FFR increased from 0.76 to 0.82 (P<0.00) and mean coronary flow reserve was boosted from 3.0 to 4.0 (P=0.02).

Mehran cautioned that perfect is the enemy of the good, as performing extra procedures in PCI may run the risk of cardiac perforation.

DEFINE-FLOW

FFR-positive patients did not have good clinical outcomes if they had PCI deferred due to a negative CFR result, according to an observational study of combined CFR and FFR assessment.

A treatment algorithm for 455 people with stable coronary lesions dictated that only those who had abnormally low FFR (0.8 or below) and CFR (below 2) would receive PCI, with all others receiving initial medical therapy, Gould reported.

Resulting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) rates, counting all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and revascularization, revealed that outcomes were not equal among patients at 2 years:

The 10.8% MACE rate of the FFR+/CFR- group was not as good as the 5.8% rate for FFR-/CFR- (P=0.065 for non-inferiority), Gould reported.

"Trust the FFR" was Rammohan's take-away in discussing the DEFINE-FLOW study at a press conference.

Gould suggested the possibility that reduced FFR and CFR together may still incur additive risk, just at lower thresholds than the ones used for this study. Large randomized trials are needed with thresholds that may actually result in a decrease in morbidity and mortality, he said.

CFR is the ratio between resting and maximal possible coronary blood flow. This measure fails to distinguish flow-limiting stenosis from diffuse or microvascular disease, Gould noted.

Mechanisms controlling coronary blood flow are complex, with physiology differing between the subepicardium and the subendocardium. For instance, high flow may be good for the former but not the latter, he said.

Last Updated October 16, 2020

Nicole Lou is a reporter for MedPage Today, where she covers cardiology news and other developments in medicine. Follow

Disclosures

FORECAST was funded by an unrestricted grant from HeartFlow.

TARGET FFR was funded by the U.K.'s NHS.

DEFINE-FLOW was funded by Philips.

Curzen reported a financial relationship with HeartFlow.

Collison reported financial relationships with Abbott Medical and MedAlliance.

Gould had no disclosures.

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Physiology in PCI: It's Not That Simple - MedPage Today

Physiology

Nobel Prize awarded to scientists who discovered Hepatitis C – The Mancunion

This year the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice, who discovered the Hepatitis C virus. The disease, which 71 million people are estimated to be suffering world-wide, is estimated to have killed approximately 399 000 people in 2016 alone.

Hepatitis C is spread through mixing of blood and bodily fluids. Infection can happen through injection drug use, during birth from an infected mother, unregulated tattooing, and in unsafe healthcare settings although the latter is rare in todays modern world.

It is an insidious disease. When the virus first enters the blood it generates an immune response. If the immune response is adequate the virus will be killed and cleared from the body. This, however, is only 15%-30% of cases.

In 70-85% of those infected the infection will become chronic. It targets the liver with severe scarring, known as cirrhosis, varying from person to person in the time it takes to scar. In some people it can happen within a couple of years, while for others it may take decades, with the possibility of the organ losing its function in many cases.

In some people the Hepatitis C virus may even cause cancer. This is because the liver tries to repair itself by generating new cells, but the virus can damage the DNA of these. If mutations in replication-controlling genes occur, the cells begin to proliferate uncontrollably; the result sometimes being cancerous.

The virus causes further damage by promoting inflammation. While inflammation is a healthy response meant to fight off invading pathogens, chronic inflammation can damage and kill cells in multiple ways. One such way is immune cells stimulating liver cells to produce collagen, which makes up the scar tissue. In a chronic infection like Hepatitis C this collagen fibre scar tissue is never properly dissolved. As a result, cells around the scar tissue may be starved for oxygen.

Because of the prevalence and mortality of Hepatitis C, the discovery of the virus causing it is immensely significant. It allowed for the development of blood tests and anti-viral drugs which can effectively treat the disease by blocking the virus from entering liver cells.

However, some obstacles remain. Firstly, the anti-viral drugs are expensive, subsequently limiting their accessibility. Secondly, while the ability to treat the disease is a significant advancement, it is not capable of stopping the spread of the virus. For that, we need a vaccine. And who knows, maybe that will itself be worth a Nobel Prize in a few years time.

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Nobel Prize awarded to scientists who discovered Hepatitis C - The Mancunion

Physiology

UTHSC professor receives $2.2 million for research into arterial stiffness and hypertension – News-Medical.Net

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Oct 15 2020

In humans, large arteries lose elasticity and thicken with age and other pathological conditions, leading to arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. Age-related arterial stiffening affects a large population and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet it remains poorly understood, with no effective intervention.

Work being done in the lab of Zhongjie Sun, MD, PhD, FAHA, professor and chair of the UTHSC Department of Physiology, is focused on discovering the epigenetic causes of this condition. The National Institutes of Health is supporting these efforts, recently awarding Dr. Sun $2.25 million for his project, "Investigation into Arterial Stiffness and Hypertension."

The study centers on the protein KDM6A, a recently discovered histone demethylase (an enzyme that controls the activity of certain genes by modifying specific proteins). Mutation of this gene causes severe defects in the formation and development of human embryos. The proposed research will investigate whether KDM6A in cells lining the blood vessel walls help regulate the elasticity and structural soundness of the arteries. It will also investigate whether KDM6A is involved in arterial stiffness and hypertension that occurs as we get older.

The idea that KDM6A is essential in maintaining normal arterial health is new, as is the technical approach being taken to prove this hypothesis. Dr. Sun's lab will be using state-of-the-art techniques that allow temporary control of KDM6A at a given time-point in an animal model. This will enable the researchers to study the precise effects of inactivating the enzyme within certain cells.

This grant will help us further explore why blood vessels get stiff in aged people. Our studies may lead to discovery of a new therapeutic target (KDM6A) for aging-related arterial stiffness."

Dr. Zhongjie Sun, the Thomas A. Gerwin Chair of Excellence in Physiology and co-director of the UT Methodist Cardiovascular Institute

Dr. Sun's project is being funded for four years by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

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UTHSC professor receives $2.2 million for research into arterial stiffness and hypertension - News-Medical.Net

Physiology

These Are the 57 Women Who Have Won the Nobel Prize – Newsweek

With 2020 Nobel prizes going so far to Andrea Ghez for physics, Jennifer A. Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for chemistry, and Louise Glck for literature, there are now 57 women who have been awarded a Nobel Prize out of the more than 900 recipients. One womanMarie Curiereceived two Nobel prizes.

To highlight all the winners, Stacker turned to data from the Nobel Prize website. These women have made outstanding contributions to the worlds of medicine, science, art, and peace-keeping. Just reaching this height of fame and recognition meant facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Many women on this list had to contend with extreme sexism in male-dominated professions, but some Nobel Prize winners also had to overcome physical violence. All their stories are unique and equally inspiring.

Nobel committees have distinct methods for deciding winners. The Nobel Peace Prize, for example, is awarded by a five-person committee and anyone who meets the criteria can be nominated. For literature, however, nominations can only be made by qualified people. Despite the different nominating and selection processes, two rules apply to all awards: No person can nominate themself, and the names of the nominators and the nominees cannot be revealed until 50 years after winners are announced.

Read on to learn about these women's exciting contributions to society, from helpful advancements in the HIV epidemic to the abolition of landmines toin the case of Andrea Ghezpioneering research on the Milky Way's supermassive black hole.

You may also like: 50 most peaceful countries in the world

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physics- Year: 1903

Marie Curie, who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, coined the term "radioactivity." In 1903, she and her husband won the Nobel Prize for Physics for their study into spontaneous radiation. They share the award with Antoine Henri Becquerel for his discovery of radioactivity.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1905

Referred to as the "generalissimo of the peace movement," this Austrian woman penned an anti-war novel called "Lay Down Your Arms" that won her the Nobel Peace Prize. It was one of the most influential books during the century with a strong anti-militaristic message.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1909

Born in Sweden, Lagerlf won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She's often credited for having a vivid imagination, and she has used stories from her hometown in Vrmland County as inspiration. "Gsta Berling's Saga" was the name of her first novel.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry- Year: 1911

Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year for her further investigation of radium and polonium. She was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes, and she promoted the use of radium in the First World War to treat soldiers who were injured.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1926

This Italian writer who lived in Rome for part of her life earned the Nobel Prize for Literature for stories about life on her native island of Sardinia. She also developed some of her characters based on people she knew in real life.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1928

The Second World War and the Nazi invasion forced this writer to flee Norway, but she returned when the war was over. She was born in Denmark and wrote a trilogy about life in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, called "Kristin Lavransdatter."

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1931

Born in Cedarville, Ill., Jane Addams was a social worker and a feminist. She stood at the forefront of the settlement house movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry- Year: 1935

Born in Paris, this French scientist was the daughter of Nobel winners Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Jointly with her husband, Joliot-Curie was awarded the Nobel for discovering artificial radioactivity. Her research was an important step in the discovery of uranium fission.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1938

Pearl Buck, who was born in West Virginia, began writing in the '20s. She was the daughter of missionaries and spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, China. Her novel "The Good Earth" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and was a best-seller.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1945

Mistral is a pseudonym for Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga. She was born in Vicua, Chile, and began to write poetry after her lover, a railway employee, committed suicide. She taught at various universities around the U.S.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1946

Balch was 79 when she received the Nobel. An American economist and sociologist born in Boston, she tackled difficult social issues, from poverty to immigration, that were widespread at the time.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1947

Born in Prague, Gerty Theresa Cori was a Jewish Austrian American biochemist. She was married to Carl Cori, and the two studied how the body utilizes energy. Both are credited for development of the Cori cycle, an essential part of metabolism.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physics- Year: 1963

Goeppert-Mayer was born in Germany. After she married, she migrated to America, where she worked on an American atom bomb project during World War II. Her work uncovered important discoveries about nuclear structure, and Goeppert-Mayer is one of only two women to win the Nobel Prize in physics.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry- Year: 1964

Hodgkin was a British chemist whose interest in research began when, as a child, she received a chemistry book containing experiments with crystals. She studied at Oxford University and developed protein crystallography, which advanced the development of X-rays. This earned her the Nobel Prize.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1966

Nelly Sachs was a writer whose experiences during World War II resonated with other Jewish people. She wrote plays and poetry collections, such as "Zeichen im Sand," and did not shy away from difficult subjects, such as the horrors of life in concentration camps.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1976

A peace activist who began working in the Northern Ireland peace movement and later co-founded the Community for Peace People, Mairead Corrigan was born in Belfast. Her sister, who was the Northern Irish secretary, lost three of her children in a shooting incident in Belfast. She and a witness to the crime founded a peace organization to help put the conflict to rest.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1976

Betty Williams was the witness to the killing of Mairead Corrigan's sister's three children, and she jointly shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Corrigan, as the co-founder of the Community for Peace People. An advocate of religious tolerance, Williams is the daughter of a Protestant father and Catholic mother.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1977

Rosalyn Yalow, a lifelong New Yorker, was a nuclear physicist. She shares the Nobel for the development of the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique with physician Solomon Berson. The duo proved that type 2 diabetes is caused by the body's inefficient usenot a lackof insulin. RIA can be used to measure hormones in the blood.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1979

Mother Teresa was only 12 when she felt called to God and became a missionary. She joined the convent, then left to work among the slums of Calcutta. Wanting to help, she created the Missionaries of Charity, and by the same year she won her Nobel, there were 158 Missionaries of Charity foundations.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1982

This Swedish diplomat shared the Nobel with Alfonso Garcia Robles, a Mexican diplomat who, like Myrdal, advocated nuclear disarmament. Myrdal worked for the United Nations and for UNESCO.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1983

By studying the hereditary of corn, such as the different colors of kernels, McClintock proved that genetic elements can sometimes swap into a new position on a chromosome. McClintock, who was from Connecticut, studied at Cornell's College of Agriculture.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1986

Born in Italy, Rita Levi-Montalcini received the Nobel for her work in neurobiology. She shares the honor jointly with her colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of "nerve growth factor" that has shed new light on tumors, wound healing, and other medical problems.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1988

Gertrude Elion's discoveries of important principles for drug treatment garnered the Nobel for her. Elion had watched her grandfather die of cancer, and she vowed to fight the disease throughout her life. Elion, together with George Hitchingswho shares the award with hercreated a system for drug production that relies heavily on biochemistry.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1991

Nadine Gordimer, a South African child of Jewish immigrants, was a writer who was only 15 when her first literary work was published. But it was her novel, "The Conservationist," for which she was well known. A good portion of her work discussed apartheid.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1991

Aung San Suu Kyi is a modern symbol of freedom for Burma (Myanmar), as she opposes violence, in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi. She assumed a leading role in opposing Burma's military junta and was a founder of the National League for Democracy.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1992

This Guatemalan Indian-rights activist gained worldwide attention with her book "I, Rigoberta Mench," a memoir that recaps the murders of her brother and mother. She received the Nobel for efforts to achieve social justice in Guatemala.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1993

Toni Morrison's book "Beloved" earned her the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award. Born in Ohio, Morrison was a writer whose work often chronicled life in the Black community; she also served as professor emeritus at Princeton University.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 1995

Called "decidedly lazy" by a high school teacher, Christiane Nsslein-Volhard is a geneticist who published her first book for a popular audience, "Coming to Life," in 2006. One of only 12 women to win a Nobel in the sciences, she took the helm of a landmark study that looked at genetic mutations in the fruit fly.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 1996

A native of Poland, Wislawa Szymborska was recognized by the Nobel committee for writing poetry that has "ironic precision." Szymborska lived most of her life in Krakow. She attended Jagiellonian University and studied Polish literature.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 1997

Jody Williams, born in Vermont, advocates against landmines and is a prominent peace activist. She got her feet wet doing aid work in El Salvador and helped launch an international campaign against landmines.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2003

Ebadi earned her Nobel for spearheading democracy and furthering human rights, especially as they relate to women, refugees, and children. She's also an Iranian lawyer and the founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2004

Buck attributes her mother's interest in puzzles as what ignited the flame for her interest in science. She is an American biologist and Seattle native whose work on olfactory receptors earned her the Nobel, along with Richard Axel.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2004

Born in Nyeri, Kenya, Wangari Muta Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to receive a doctorate degree. All her work to advance democracy and human rights earned her Nobel. She has spoken in front of the U.N. and at special sessions of the General Assembly.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 2004

Although a social phobia prevented this Austrian author from accepting her Nobel in person, Jelinek has composed famous works such as the novels "The Piano Teacher" and "Lust." She is a critic of modern consumer society and sets out in her work to chronicle the hidden structures of topics such as sexism.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 2007

First published at age 15, Lessing was a visionary novelist, poet, and playwright. She was born in Iran to British parents, later moved to London, and has written 50 books.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2008

Franoise Barr-Sinoussi made strides against the AIDS epidemic and in advancing treatment for her work with HIV. Barr-Sinoussi shares the Nobel with Luc Montagnier, who discovered a retrovirus in patients marked with swollen lymph glands that attacked lymphocytes.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2009

Carol Greider, an American molecular biologist, is a professor at Johns Hopkins University. She shares her Nobel with Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for their studies of the telomere, an enzyme structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 2009

This Romanian-born German writer won the Nobel Prize for writings that showcased the harshness of life in Romania under dictator Nicolae Ceauescu. Themes such as totalitarianism and exile are the threads that permeate her work.

- Award: Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel- Year: 2009

Elinor Ostrom was an American political economist whose groundbreaking research revealed that ordinary people can create guidelines that allow for the sustainable and fair management of shared resources. This discovery earned her the Nobel, which she shared with economist Oliver Williamson, a University of California, Berkeley professor.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2009

The daughter of two doctors, Blackburn studied the telomere, a structure at the end of chromosomes that protects it. She is responsible for co-discovering telomerase, which is an enzyme that replenishes the telomere. She shares her Nobel with Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Chemistry- Year: 2009

Ada E. Yonath is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her work on the structure of the ribosome, a cellular particle. As a post-doc fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she started to investigate the structure of ribosomes using X-ray crystallography. Yonath is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2011

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. She has written many books and was one of three recipientsalong with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman, who won the Nobel for efforts to further women's rights.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2011

A Yemeni journalist, Karman has been involved in demonstrations and actions critical of the Yemeni regime, where democracy is restricted. She has even been arrested, and murder threats were made on her life. Karman co-founded the group Women Journalists Without Chains to promote freedom of expression and democratic rights.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2011

This Liberian peace activist is the founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa. She's most recognized for leading a peaceful movement, combining both Christian and Muslim women, to help end Liberia's civil war.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Literature- Year: 2013

Most of Munro's books are short story collections. Most of them are set in her home nation of Canada and examine relationships through the lens of everyday events. They are not first person, but most of them reflect her experiences.

- Award: Nobel Peace Prize- Year: 2014

Malala Yousafzai has made a huge impact in Pakistan, demanding gender equality, specifically fighting for girls to be allowed to receive an education. A Taliban gunman shot her in the head when she was coming home from school in 2012, but she survived and won the Nobel Peace Prize two years later, becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2014

May-Britt Moser studied psychology and made a crucial discovery that provided insight on how humans and animals know where they are. Moser found a certain cell that determines one's position; it is close to the hippocampus, centrally located in the brain.

- Award: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine- Year: 2015

Excerpt from:
These Are the 57 Women Who Have Won the Nobel Prize - Newsweek

Physiology

BLOGGING THE VIEW: Seven inspiring (and often unknown) facts about South Africa – Zululand Observer

As we continue to work our way through the 10th month of 2020, the stress of the year might begin to take its toll.

Weve survived a pandemic, lost loved ones, had long-held dreams overturned and are sitting with a bank balance substantially depleted.

But the key thing is weve made it this far, and will continue to overcome the difficulties of the year by looking at the positives around us.

Heres an inspirational overview of our countrys achievements over the years as a way to get in the right frame of mind going forwards.

Most official languages on the globeA diverse and multi-cultural society, South Africa is the only country in the world that recognises all 11 languages as official. Most of the citizens can speak at least two of the following languages:* English* isiZulu* isiXhosa* Afrikaans* isiNdebele* Sepedi* Setswana* Sesotho* Xitsonga* SiSwati* Tshivenda

One of first countries legalising same-sex marriageWith one of the most modern constitutions in the world, South Africa was one of the forerunners in legalising same-sex marriage.In fact, South Africa was the fifth country globally to pass this legislation back in 2006.However, there are still many cultures that do not embrace the lifestyle and work is being done to encourage open-minded debate and discussion.

Nobel laureate winnersThe country has many influential citizens, some of whom have been recognised on the international stage with Nobel Prizes.Two of our Nobel Prize winners (Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu) even lived on the same street Vilikazi Street in Soweto.Nobel Prize winners who lived in South Africa when they won the award:* Max Theiler: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (1951)* Albert Luthuli: Nobel Prize for Peace (1960)* Desmond Tutu: Nobel Prize for Peace (1984)* Nadine Gordimer: Nobel Prize in Literature (1991)* Nelson Mandela: Nobel Prize for Peace (1993)* Frederik W de Klerk: Nobel Prize for Peace (1993)* John M Coetzee: Nobel Prize in Literature (2003)Nobel Prize winners born in South Africa but residing elsewhere at the time of the award:* Allan M Cormack: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (1979)* Sydney Brenner: Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (2002)

Coastline of shipwrecksThe wealth of minerals and riches has drawn many an intrepid traveller to South Africas rocky shores, some of whom have had success, many of whom have ended at the bottom of the ocean. Because of this, the 2 500km coastline has more than 2 000 shipwrecks, some more than five centuries old, with many world-class diving sites giving visitors the chance to view them up close.

Worlds highest bungee jumpExtreme adventurers come to South Africa every year to navigate river rapids, swim with sharks and jump off cliffs. In fact, the country is home to the worlds highest commercial bridge-based bungee, the 216m high Bloukrans Bridge in the Eastern Cape.

Astronomical impactThe natural abundance and historical notables found within South Africa have resulted in many World Heritage Sites proclaimed, one of which is the Vredefort Dome. This is home to Earths largest meteor crater which is evidence of the greatest single release of energy in Earths history.The impact crater is about 300km in radius, estimated to be travelling 36 000km per hour

Worlds deepest mineRenowned for its gold mines which triggered the 1886 gold rush, South Africa is home to the worlds deepest mine Mponeng Gold Mine in Witwatersrand.Sitting some 4km deep, the mine could fit 10 Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other.

While being inspired by past achievements, we can also look forward to great things in the future, no matter whats happening right now!

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BLOGGING THE VIEW: Seven inspiring (and often unknown) facts about South Africa - Zululand Observer

Physiology

The Global Preclinical Software for Physiology Data Assessment and Animal Supervision Market is expected to grow by $ 2.97 mn during 2020-2024…

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Out on Wall Street, who has been leading the charge forward? Tech. After the spaces key players dragged the market lower in September due to overheated valuations, tech is once again at the helm.The rise in tech makes sense. The pandemic helped accelerate a move toward remote work and telecommuting, and this in turn has put a premium on tech products. From the 5G rollout, to improvements in semiconductor chips, to the expansion of IoT and smart device capabilities tech is everywhere, and its growing fast.Bearing this in mind, we turned to Needham, which lands among the top ten on TipRanks list of Top Performing Research Firms, for some inspiration. The firms analysts highlight three tech stocks that appear especially compelling, noting at least 30% upside potential could be in store for each.Weve used the TipRanks database to pull the details on these three tech picks, to find out what makes them such compelling opportunities.Silicon Motion (SIMO)Bringing extensive experience to the table, Silicon Motion provides high-performance storage solutions widely used in smartphones, PCs, data centers and commercial and industrial applications. Following a bang-up quarter, Needham believes this tech name has a bright future ahead.Writing for the firm, analyst Rajvindra Gill tells clients that based on SIMOs preannouncement, Q3 sales are set to land 8% above his original forecast, with EPS also beating his estimate by $0.09.What was behind this solid showing? A recovery in client SSDs. In Q2, SIMO's client SSD business, specifically the module maker component, declined as NAND flash makers allocated NAND capacity away from client SSDs to hyperscalers, to support the spike in data consumption on the network. However, the opposite happened in Q3. Along with a pause in hyperscale spending, module customers were allocated additional NAND capacity as NAND pricing declined quarter-over-quarter.To this end, Gill thinks NAND pricing could decline another 5-10% quarter-over-quarter in Q4. He added, We expect the decline in NAND pricing to further stimulate client SSD adoption in Q4 as this market is quiet price elastic, especially the channel markets.To a lesser extent, a rebound in China handsets along with a continued ramp of 5G handsets contributed to SIMOs strong performance, in Gills opinion.Whats more, the analyst argues that next-generation gaming consoles and desktop gaming could further boost SSD demand. Gill points out that based on reports from MSI, the board maker for Nvidia GPUs, demand for less expensive SSDs for higher-end gaming desktop computers is on the rise.Expounding on this, Gill stated, This could be potentially COVID-19 related demand as more people (of all ages) stay home and find more time to play video games. Moreover, we expect SIMO to participate in the next-generation gaming consoles (PS5, Xbox) coming out in the Fall. SIMO is shipping its PCIe SSD controllers into five out seven of the NAND makers sold into the game consoles; we believe two out of five could be SIMO's suppliers.If that wasnt enough, even though the penetration rates for laptops remain relatively high at 80-90%, Gill believes attach rates for SSDs in the desktop market could accelerate, driving upside in CY21.Given all of the above, Gill stayed with the bulls. Along with a Buy rating, he keeps a $55 price target on the stock. Investors could be pocketing a gain of 30%, should this target be met in the twelve months ahead. (To watch Gills track record, click here)Turning to the rest of the Street, the bulls have it on this one. With 4 Buys and a lone Hold, the word on the Street is that SIMO is a Strong Buy. At $49.60, the average price target implies ~18% upside potential. (See SIMO stock analysis on TipRanks)Domo (DOMO)As a business cloud software specialist, Domo helps its customers integrate data from any source, turn data into live visualizations and extend BI into apps. Based on positive momentum as well as new deals, Needham thinks that now is the time to snap up shares.After the company reported impressive fiscal Q2 2021 results, 5-star analyst Jack Andrews stands squarely with the bulls. Revenue of $51.1 million blew both his and the consensus estimate out of the water. Additionally, subscription revenue, billings and non-GAAP EPS exceeded his expectations.In our view, Domo appears to be benefiting from tailwinds related to the ongoing pandemic and improved sales execution (i.e. playbooks and an improving partner ecosystem) as it closed a notable amount of large deals within the quarter, Andrews explained.According to management, demand for digitizing business processes and real-time analytics is accelerating as a result of the pandemic. Its also seeing more customers allocate IT budgets to modernizing BI and gathering insights from dark data. To this end, DOMO finalized multiple over $100,000 deals in hard-hit industries like fitness and manufacturing. On top of this, it closed a multi-million dollar deal with one of the world's largest retailers that began with the initial use case of creating insights across its analytics stack, but now extends to new use cases such as an application for store restocking.Andrews also points out that momentum from the state-level COVID tracking continues to work in the companys favor, as the state of Iowa expanded significantly and extended its contract by two years. With the help of a partner, it inked a seven-figure contract to power a public-facing website to track pandemic funding grants in early fiscal Q3 2021.Whats more, Andrews highlights the encouraging commentary from management on its path to cash flow breakeven, which should alleviate any remaining financial concerns.To sum it all up, Andrews stated, We believe Domo has created a unique platform levered to the future requirements of enterprise analytics (self-service and scalability) without the exorbitant costs of implementation. As management executes changes in its sales strategy, we believe Domo, which trades at an EV/revenue multiple discount, can close the relative valuation gap to its Big Data software peer group.In line with his optimistic approach, Andrews reiterated a Buy rating and $61 price target. This target puts the upside potential at 46%. (To watch Andrews track record, click here)When it comes to other Wall Street analysts, opinions are split evenly. With 3 Buys and 3 Holds assigned in the last three months, DOMO earns a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Clocking in at $47.17, the average price target implies 13% upside potential. (See Domo stock analysis on TipRanks)Everspin Technologies (MRAM)Last but not least, we have Everspin Technologies, which develops and manufactures discrete magnetoresistive RAM or magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) products, including Toggle MRAM and Spin-Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM) product families. While the company has faced headwinds recently, Needham believes that MRAM could be a long-term winner.Firm analyst Rajvindra Gill, who also covers SIMO, is a serious fan. Consistent with the broader industry, data center demand has been moderating, which coupled with COVID-19-related headwinds, resulted in Q3 sales guidance that missed the mark.It should be noted that STT-MRAM is almost completely data center, while Toggle has some data center exposure since Toggle is used in RAID controllers. Additionally, thanks to COVID-19, there has been a surge in data center demand in the first half of 2020, boding well for MRAM. However, by the end of Q2, there was an increase in customer inventory.While this increase is partially due to supply chain concerns, we believe the main reason is a potential peak and expected slowdown in data center demand... However, we view the data center inventory digestion as a temporary setback, with a recovery expected in Q4, the analyst commented.Adding to the good news, MRAM thought that COVID-19 would negatively impact its ability to secure new design wins. That said, design wins grew by 16% quarter-over-quarter in Q2, which is over three times higher than the prior-year quarter. Gill mentioned, We expect growth to re-accelerate as the market recovers.The company kicked off mass production shipments of 32Mb Toggle MRAM product to a growing set of customers, with it planning to add different package and temperature grades to expand to new customer applications. If that wasnt enough, the second pivotal design win for MRAMs 1Gb STT-MRAM product is expected to start production shipments in Q3 into a persistent memory application for an OEM that sells into data center.Although gross margins were temporarily soft for Toggle and STT-MRAM due to the work-from-home environment, Gill argues that in the next few quarters, margins for both are likely to recover, driven by manufacturing efficiencies and lower material procurement costs.Everything that MRAM has going for it convinced Gill to maintain his Buy rating. In addition to the call, he left the price target at $10, suggesting 44% upside potential. Looking at the consensus breakdown, it has been quiet when it comes to other analyst activity. As Gill is the only analyst that has published a review recently, MRAM has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. (See MRAM stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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The Global Preclinical Software for Physiology Data Assessment and Animal Supervision Market is expected to grow by $ 2.97 mn during 2020-2024...

Physiology

The physiology of obesity – Medical Economics

Twenty-two years ago, the National Institutes of Health published the first ever evidence-based guidelines for identification and treatment of obesity. This 262-page report was an important milestone, but at the time, the authors stated that the understanding of how and why obesity develops is incomplete. Today, we know much more. And because of that knowledge, obesity care has changed radically in twenty years.

Today we know that obesity is an altered physiologic state.

The drivers of obesity

Obesity researchers know that obesity results from the effects of environmental triggers on genetically susceptible individuals. These triggers are many but may be grouped into four categories:

Alterations to the food supply are most cited the composition of food, its quantity, and its promotion to consumers. Research has identified many dimensions of the food supply that may contribute.

A physical and technological environment that makes routine physical exertion less common.

Stress and distress in many forms can promote a state of obesity.

Finally, drugs and chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors with the effect of promoting obesity.

Implications for primary care

Perhaps the most important change in understanding the physiology of obesity comes from a 2011 study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Sumithran et al. demonstrated that weight loss causes changes in metabolic hormones that serve to return the body to its prior level of adiposity. Simply stated, the authors documented how the body acts to protect fat mass in subjects with overweight or obesity.

In other words, they documented that the physiology of obesity makes weight loss, by itself, unlikely to be an effective treatment for the chronic disease of obesity. It requires chronic treatment just like dyslipidemia, hypertension, or diabetes.

The meaning of these insights for primary care is straightforward. When obesity is a clinical concern, simply advising a patient to lose weight will have a negligible benefit. The physiology of this disease state will make long-term clinical improvement very unlikely even though many patients might lose weight in the short term.

The emerging standard of care is to use a range of treatments to help a patient reach and maintain a better state of health. These include dietary interventions, physical activity, behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, and metabolic surgery. Most often, a combination of these will yield the best outcomes, tailored to the needs of the patient.

A growing number of primary care physicians are seeking certification in obesity medicine to equip themselves to provide such treatment. Others might instead refer to an obesity medicine specialist. Either way, the patient will benefit from evidence-based care for this complex, chronic disease.

Ted Kyle is a pharmacist and health innovator living in Pittsburgh.

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The physiology of obesity - Medical Economics

Physiology

Master of Science in Kinesiology | School of Community Health Sciences – Nevada Today

This will be a generalist masters in kinesiology. Students may choose to specialize in athletic training, biomechanics, exercise physiology or physical activity. The projected enrollment of this program is 30 full-time students. This program requires a minimum of 33 graduate credits, including at least 6 thesis credits.

This program will educate the best-prepared leaders who have rigorous training in emerging research areas such as athletic training, biomechanics and physical activity. The kinesiology master of science is a popular degree as either a terminal degree or together with a doctoral degree in biology, neuroscience, exercise physiology or physical education.

The need for trained kinesiology professionals is continuing to grow. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of exercise physiologist is expected to grow by 13% from 2016 to 2026, faster than average for other fields. Individuals trained as athletic trainers are expected to have a 23% increase in positions from 2016 to 2026, which is much faster than average for many professions. There is a demand for well-trained individuals in all fields of kinesiology. This is especially true with the aging of the current workforce in this area and the aging of the baby boomers.

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Master of Science in Kinesiology | School of Community Health Sciences - Nevada Today

Physiology

What’s the minimum light level needed in salmon RAS? – The Fish Site

So far, the existing lighting conditions for salmon in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) appear to be safe in terms of growth and mortality rates.

However, we still know little about how the light affects salmon physiology and how they cope with the change in lighting condition after transfer to sea water, says Jelena Kolarevic, Nofima senior scientist and project leader for CtrlAQUAs research into light.

There is little existing research on what the optimum light intensity and quality in RAS should be. Nevertheless, white LED lighting has become widespread in them. Very often RAS are managed without in-loop disinfection, which means that more particles and organic substances are present in the water, preventing the light from penetrating the water column. In sea-based net pen systems, daylight and clearer water represent the natural conditions where blue light penetrates the deepest, while red and yellow light is more common in recirculated water due to the accumulation of substances like humic and fulvic acids. The insights from netpen farming are therefore not directly applicable for the conditions in RAS.

The CtrlAQUA scientists have looked into how the use of white and full-spectrum LED light affects salmon post-smolt in RAS and how the water quality affects light penetration. Light is traditionally used in salmon farming to regulate the timing for smoltification.

The Health and Welfare of Atlantic Salmon course

It is vital that fish farm operatives who are responsible for farmed fish are trained in their health andwelfare. This will help to ensure that fish are free from disease and suffering whilst at the same timepromote good productivity and comply with legislation.

Based on experience from commercial RAS facilities, the scientists selected two light intensities (0,25 and 1,9 mol/m2/s) and two light qualities (white LED and full-spectrum LED). Post-smolt (young salmon that on-grown for some time in land-based sites after they are ready to be transferred to marine sites), were illuminated for 90 days, after which the scientists measured the water quality and salmon growth and mortality.

The results showed that a light intensity higher than 0,25 mol/m2/s does not affect the fish's growth and survival in the RAS facility.

The industry is looking into the minimum light intensity required for optimum growing conditions in order to cut costs. However, challenges still exist such as understanding the effect of light intensity below 0,25 mol/m2/s. Further research is needed.

In the current large tanks, with a depth of up to five metres, it will be difficult for the fish farmer to be able to distribute the light evenly without major investments. It's a challenge the industry has begun to look into," says Kolarevic.

The research will be presented at the Smolt Production in the Future webinar, on 21 October. More information is available at http://www.smoltproduksjon.no

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What's the minimum light level needed in salmon RAS? - The Fish Site