Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

Active learning fosters critical thinking, autonomy, and deep learning. Whereas team-based learning (TBL) is common, inquiry-based learning (IBL) offers a more student-centered, inquiry-driven alternative. This study aimed to compare the pedagogical effectiveness of IBL versus TBL in medical education, focusing on academic performance, learner engagement, autonomy, and satisfaction. An innovative IBL framework, grounded in the 5E instructional model, was designed and implemented with first-year medical students (n = 548). The intervention involved five interactive clinical cases, each centered around a core medical concept. Students progressed through the cases using cascading multiple-choice questions with a conditional solution-revealing mechanism ("scratch film"), promoting autonomous exploration. A final gamified synthesis using crossword puzzles reinforced learning. Comparative data were collected across IBL and TBL sessions with quantitative performance metrics, behavioral observation, and student questionnaires. IBL significantly outperformed TBL in terms of retention of key learning concepts (64-100% vs. 14-38%; P < 0.05), as well as in the acquisition of extended concepts, reflecting deeper cognitive processing. Students in IBL groups were more engaged and solved most clinical problems independently, with minimal use of revealed solutions, indicating high levels of autonomy. Questionnaire responses confirmed a high satisfaction rate (66%), a substantial perceived impact on learning (61%), and a reduced tendency toward group cheating (40%), all statistically significant (P < 0.000). Our results suggest that IBL seems to be more effective and engaging than TBL, as it promotes deeper learning, greater autonomy, and increased motivation, with promising potential to support innovation in basic science learning in medicine.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This quasi-experimental study compared inquiry-based learning (IBL) and team-based learning (TBL) in a physiology course for 548 first-year medical students. Using an original 5E-based IBL framework, the study showed that IBL significantly improves content retention, autonomy, and satisfaction and reduces cheating. These findings underscore IBL's relevance for teaching basic sciences and its potential for scalable, ethical, and engaging curricular innovation in medical education.

Body weight plays an important role in health. Despite key findings associated with body weight control, many underlying physiological mechanisms still need to be discovered. In body weight control, the brain is the integrating center that receives information from the external and internal environments and ultimately enacts a response. Our brains seem to be wired to ensure survival because it appears that it is easier to gain weight than to lose it. In the present review, the current understanding of the mechanisms of body weight control by nutrients and hormones, with a focus on leptin, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), is discussed. Gaps in the literature are also highlighted.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This review provides a brief summary of the key current mechanisms of body weight regulation.

Endometriosis (ENDO) is a chronic, estrogen-dependent condition affecting over 190 million females worldwide. Characterized by cyclic pelvic pain, infertility, and systemic inflammation, its symptoms profoundly impact quality of life, interfering with mental health, relationships, education, work, and sexual well-being. Despite this burden, treatment options remain limited. For symptom relief, many females turn to self-management strategies, particularly dietary modifications. This review explores the relationship between ENDO, quality of life, and diet. First, we summarize the ENDO classification and assessment. Second, we provide an overview of the pathophysiology and etiology of ENDO including current diagnosis methods. Finally, we review evidence on anti-inflammatory and elimination diets, such as the Mediterranean and low fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols (low-FODMAP) diets, which are adopted to reduce ENDO-associated pain through inflammatory and estrogen-mediated mechanisms. Retrospective studies suggest the adoption of diets with anti-inflammatory properties may improve ENDO symptoms and quality of life, yet high-quality randomized controlled trials remain scarce. Before clinical recommendations regarding dietary management strategies for ENDO are developed, rigorous and comprehensive randomized trials are needed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This review synthesizes current evidence for the potential of utilizing diet as a nonpharmacological strategy for managing endometriosis-associated pain and other symptomatology. It emphasizes the importance of addressing patient-identified barriers and patient-centered research designs. By bridging clinical findings with current data, this work offers educators and clinicians a more holistic framework to guide discussions around symptom management and the role of nutrition in chronic disease care.

It is easier to walk downhill than uphill. When walking uphill, muscles are shortening and doing work. When walking downhill, the same muscles are stretched. These lengthening muscles are said to be doing "negative work." Why do lengthening contractions utilize less energy than shortening contractions generating the same force? In search for an answer to this question, A. V. Hill and his collaborators preformed experiments measuring the mechanics and energetics of isolated muscles that were stretched during contraction (Abbott BC, Aubert XM, Hill AV. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 139: 86-104, 1951) and intact muscles that were stretched during human exercise (Abbott BC, Bigland B, Ritchie JM. J Physiol 117: 380-390, 1952). There was at first a false trail based on an incorrect hypothesis. The key to understanding why muscles doing negative work utilize less energy than muscles doing the same amount of positive work is that muscle fibers that are stretched generate more force than shortening muscle fibers while using less energy. Thus, to generate an equal amount of positive and negative work requires activation of more shortening muscle fibers utilizing more energy per fiber than fibers being stretched. This is a fascinating scientific and human-interest story that started with a very colorful demonstration one evening at a soiree of the Royal Society London in 1951.NEW & NOTEWORTHY It is easier to walk downhill than uphill. When walking uphill, muscles are shortening and doing work. When walking downhill, the same muscles are stretched. Why do lengthening contractions utilize less energy than shortening contractions generating the same speed and force? The key to answering this question is that muscle fibers that are stretched generate more force than shortening muscle fibers while using less energy. Thus, to generate an equal amount of positive and negative work requires activation of more shortening muscle fibers utilizing more energy per fiber than fibers being stretched.

The theoretical and practical aspects of science education are often uncoupled, resulting in decontextualized learning. To address this concern, the present work adopts the view that scientific discovery is a form of learning and that its hypothetico-deductive and transformative processes are essential for learning in scientific disciplines. This article presents an educational practice developed for a graduate-level translational neuroscience module, centered on the process of scientific inquiry through student-led, hypothesis-driven research design. The project adopts a multimodal framework, based on multiple pedagogical and philosophical concepts including transformative learning, threshold concepts, social constructivism, and the philosophies of Popper and Kuhn, to integrate content knowledge with epistemological development. By mirroring the logistics and logic of scientific discovery, and through iterative cycles of discussion, reflection, and critical evaluation, the students navigate both cognitive and affective domains and engage with complex and often troublesome topics in translational neuroscience.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Grounded in Popper's hypothetico-deductive logic, Kuhn's focus on anomalies, threshold concepts, and transformative learning, the Virtual Research Project (VRP) turns the scientific method into pedagogy.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding components of a career in academic science and research. This article outlines key guidelines for establishing a successful mentor-mentee relationship, creating a supportive environment that fosters professional and scientific growth and discovery.

With the advent of a hybrid medical school curriculum and the entry of Gen Z learners into the classroom, faculty need to adopt innovative strategies to design their virtual asynchronous lectures. An hour-long pre-recorded didactic lecture often results in passive learning without immediate feedback for learners. Therefore, our goal was to increase learner interactivity in a traditional pre-recorded first-year medical school lecture taught asynchronously by utilizing virtual teaching tools and technologies. We successfully redesigned the traditional asynchronous lecture by implementing interactive activities using the H5P plug-in technology. Guided by the principle of "backward design", we reduced didactic lecture time by incorporating two H5P activities: a) a drag-and-drop activity for recall and immediate feedback, and b) a branching scenario for application of foundational knowledge in a clinical case scenario. This increased learner interactivity with asynchronously presented material and provided an opportunity for immediate feedback to learners. Our work provides a practical and transferable guide for educators wishing to apply the H5P plug-in technology to convert passive asynchronous lectures into structured, interactive modules.

Graduate education in biomedical science faces persistent challenges in rural and under-resourced regions, including limited access to research training infrastructure and experiential learning opportunities. The University of South Dakota's Graduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (G-RISE) program addressed these barriers by embedding structured training within a Carnegie-classified high research activity institution (R2) in a state designated by the NIH Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program as historically underfunded. From 2020 to 2025, G-RISE supported 11 Ph.D. students, most of whom were first-generation college graduates or from rural backgrounds, through a curriculum emphasizing rigorous research, mentor development, microcredential coursework, science communication, and career exploration. Trainees achieved 100% Ph.D. retention and graduated one year faster than their peers (4.08 vs. 5.07 years), with comparable publication rates (1.04 vs. 1.16 publications/year). Department-wide outcomes also improved during the funding period: the median time-to-degree decreased to 5.0 years, attrition dropped, and graduates averaged 5.7 peer-reviewed publications, more than twice the pre-G-RISE average. Additionally, there were increases in graduates earning nationally competitive fellowships. Key training innovations, including interdisciplinary microcredential electives and formal mentor training, were adopted across the broader graduate program, strengthening institutional capacity. These findings illustrate that targeted, scalable interventions can improve educational outcomes and research productivity in institutions with limited NIH training infrastructure. The USD G-RISE model offers a replicable framework for programs, especially in rural or less resourced settings, seeking to enhance biomedical training. Further, it underscores the importance of aligning training strategies with local strengths and workforce needs.

What should guide curriculum development for generalist undergraduate degrees such as biomedical science? In the absence of accreditation and a single clear graduate pathway, how can these degrees best prepare students for future work and study? Undergraduate biomedical science degrees encompass a wide range of disciplines such as anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology and physiology. To help guide curriculum development and renewal the Bachelor of Biomedical Science undergraduate degree at Monash University, a Delphi survey methodology was utilized to identify and rate the importance of key knowledge, skills and dispositions graduates should be able to demonstrate. A panel of 124 experts, including industry, alumni, biomedical researchers and educators, surveyed in this study identified 33 knowledge, 37 skill, and 31 disposition items as important for biomedical science graduates. These novel findings indicate the prioritization of a broad foundation of knowledge and transferable skills. Qualitative data from the panel also provided a rich source of perspectives which can be used by course designers to inform curriculum design and implementation.

Neuroanatomy is essential in clinical neurology for localization and differential diagnoses, yet the pace of residency can limit time to reinforce foundational concepts. This proof-of-concept study aimed to examine neurology residents' perceptions of the acceptability (e.g., ease of use, engagement, educational value, and practicality of implementation) of a guided virtual reality (VR) neuroanatomy learning experience. The authors worked closely with the information technology (IT) department to address technical issues, including having a dedicated Wi-Fi signal with sufficient strength, preventing headset network switching, and avoiding institutional firewalls. Five neurology residents (n=5) completed a 40-minute guided VR session using the Organon software on an Oculus Quest 3 headset, covering cerebrovascular arterial supply, cerebral venous sinuses, ventricular anatomy, and major cortical structures. Residents completed pre- and post-sessions surveys that included questions about their perceptions of the VR experience and open-ended questions. Participants also completed knowledge quizzes at pre-session, immediate post-session, and 3-week follow-up, as a secondary, exploratory outcome. Overall, residents reported the VR experience as user-friendly and engaging and offered actionable suggestions to enhance its implementation and instructional value for advanced learners. The results of the knowledge quizzes are informative and useful for refining the protocol and informing a larger cohort to better characterize acceptability and implementation within neurology residency training.