Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

Carbohydrates and fats constitute our primary energy sources. The importance of each of these energy substrates varies across cell types and physiological conditions. For example, the brain normally relies almost exclusively on glucose oxidation, whereas skeletal muscle shifts from lipids toward higher carbohydrate oxidation rates as exercise intensity increases. Understanding how carbohydrates are stored in our cells and which tissues contain significant carbohydrate stores is crucial for health professionals, especially given the role of carbohydrate metabolism in various pathophysiological conditions. This laboratory activity uses a simple and low-cost iodine binding method to quantify glycogen in mouse skeletal muscle and liver samples. By integrating the results of this activity with literature data, students can determine overall glycogen storage in the human body. The primary goal of the activity is to enhance students' understanding of the importance and limitations of glycogen stores in energy metabolism.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Carbohydrates are one of the primary energy sources utilized by our cells. Liver and skeletal muscle glycogen, which are the main carbohydrate reserves in the body, play a central role in energy metabolism, especially during periods of fasting and exercise. In this laboratory activity, students measure glycogen levels in tissues to gain insights into how carbohydrates are stored in our cells and understand the role and limitations of liver and muscle carbohydrate stores.

In 1924, at the University Hospital of Jena, Hans Berger first recorded an electrical brain signal in humans. This discovery revolutionized clinical neuroscience and neurotechnology, as it contributed to both electrophysiology and the development of the electroencephalogram (EEG). This article provides a historical overview of Hans Berger's seminal contributions, highlighting the importance of his early recordings, the motivations that drove him, and the scientific problems he had to initiate and solve, in a historical context of profoundly changing circumstances. He also faced low acceptance of his works initially, and only belatedly did they become accepted by the scientific community. Berger was known to be a humble but tenacious person who believed in his convictions to the core, and this strength of will is an example of passion for students and scholars of neuroscience.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In 1924, at the University Hospital in Jena, Hans Berger first recorded human brain electrical signals, revolutionizing clinical neurophysiology and neurotechnology. He developed the electroencephalogram (EEG) and identified alpha waves in the human scalp. Although initially met with skepticism, his work was later recognized as fundamental. Berger's perseverance and conviction in his research serve as an inspiring example of dedication for students and scientists in neuroscience.

Physiology concepts, such as acid-base balance, may be difficult for students to understand. Systems modeling, a cognitive tool, allows students to visualize their mental model of the problem space to enhance learning and retention. We performed a within-subjects three-period randomized control comparison of systems modeling versus written discussion activities in an undergraduate asynchronous online Anatomy and Physiology II course. Participants (n = 108) were randomized to groups with differing treatment orders across three course units: endocrine, immune, and acid-base balance. Participants demonstrated content understanding through either constructing systems modeling diagrams (M) or written discussion posts (W) in a MWM, MMW, or WMM sequence. For each of three units, student performance was assessed on 6 standardized multiple-choice questions embedded within a 45-question exam. The same 6 questions per unit, 18 questions in total, were again assessed on the 75-question final exam. The groups demonstrated no significant difference in performance in the endocrine unit exam [mean difference (MD) = -0.036]. However, the modeling group outperformed the writing group in the immune unit exam (MD = 0.209) and widened the gap in the acid-base balance unit exam (MD = 0.243). On the final exam, performance was again higher for the modeling group on acid-base balance content, as mean difference increased to 0.306 despite the final exam content for acid-base balance being significantly more difficult compared to other units [modeling: F(2) = 29.882, P < 0.001; writing: F(2) = 25.450, P < 0.001]. These results provide initial evidence that participation in systems modeling activities may enhance student learning of difficult physiology content as evidenced by improved multiple-choice question performance.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Physiology educators often intuitively utilize systems thinking and modeling while teaching difficult concepts. Guiding students in development of their own systems modeling skills by enhancing their visualization of their mental model of the problem space may improve performance on multiple-choice test questions.

Benjamin Bloom published his Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook I: Cognitive Domain in 1956 (New York: David McKay, Co.) to help educators develop learning objectives for teaching. Several modifications have been made since then to adapt Bloom's taxonomy to various uses and disciplines (Crowe A, Dirks C, Wenderoth MP. CBE Life Sci Educ 7: 368-381, 2008; Orgill BD, Nolin J. StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing, 2023; Thompson AR, O'Loughlin VD. Anat Sci Educ 8: 493-501, 2015). In terms of the "Introduction of the Idea," as social constructivist educators, the authors of this article felt the need to adjust Bloom's taxonomy to match the unique characteristics of team-based learning (TBL) in physiology courses. In terms of "Outcomes," we are introducing the use of TBL for teaching physiology in undergraduate and graduate physiology courses that could be easily translated into other disciplines. Additionally, we are introducing the Diamond Framework for TBL, a modified Bloom's taxonomy to match the unique characteristics of TBL and to guide the writing of measurable learning outcomes and assignments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Team-based learning (TBL) has gained popularity as an educational framework that facilitates teaching conceptual and procedural subjects. However, this technique is less popular among physiology and biomedical sciences. Here, we describe a step-by-step guide for incorporating this learning approach for physiology. Further, we created the Diamond Framework for TBL, a visual taxonomy inspired by Bloom's taxonomy, designed explicitly for TBL, in which the "application" component is at the core of the diamond.

Understanding complex physiological processes is a cornerstone of medical education, and one such fundamental concept is the regulation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by Starling forces. Therefore, developing a physiologically sound educational model to demonstrate these forces can significantly enhance the learning experience for students, providing them with a clear and comprehensive understanding of renal filtration. Starling forces include the glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure, which drives plasma filtration; the plasma colloid osmotic pressure (also referred to as the oncotic pressure within the capillary), which opposes filtration; and the Bowman's capsule hydrostatic pressure, which resists fluid influx. Bowman's capsule oncotic pressure is typically considered negligible in healthy kidneys and, therefore, does not usually influence the glomerular filtration process. It is crucial for future clinicians to understand these Starling forces in order to monitor and manage kidney function effectively. To aid in understanding these concepts, we present a simple yet effective physical model of GFR. This model uses pressurized air and a serological pipette setup to simulate the filtration process, with a ping-pong ball's height representing GFR. Various perturbations demonstrate changes in Starling forces, allowing students to visualize the impact of different physiological and pathological conditions on GFR. This hands-on approach aims to simplify the complex interplay of factors affecting GFR, making it an invaluable educational tool for medical students.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Physical models enhance the understanding of complex physiological concepts. This Illumination introduces a hands-on model using pressurized air and a serological pipette to simulate glomerular filtration rate (GFR), with a ping-pong ball indicating filtration rate. The model demonstrates how Starling forces, glomerular capillary hydrostatic pressure, plasma colloid osmotic pressure, Bowman's capsule oncotic pressure, and Bowman's capsule hydrostatic pressure, affect GFR, providing a clear and comprehensive learning experience for students.

With the increased attention focused on active learning, educators strive to find better and more innovative ways to engage students in the classroom. One of the hurtles that educators are presented with is that the classroom is no longer limited to a physical location but rather students and professor can meet via the internet, Before COVID-19, distance or remote learning was something that students, by and large, had the option of choosing in which whether to engage. Students had the option to take "online courses," whether those be synchronous remote learning or asynchronous online courses. Indeed, numerous studies have focused on investigating the efficacy of many different approaches to distance and online learning. Unfortunately, COVID 19 mandated a rapid transition to remote learning, and with this forced change has come what some students describe as "Zoom fatigue" (Wolf CR. Psychology Today, May 2020). Many students reported feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and disengaged by the dramatic increase in mandated distance education required by the COVID pandemic. Video conferencing has become the "go-to" panacea for education during this time, and students are spending unprecedented amounts of time in front of a screen when normally they would be in a classroom. This heretofore singular and unique approach to education coupled with decreased peer-to-peer interaction has caused a problem with student engagement (Goodman BE, Barker MK, Cooke JE. Adv Physiol Educ 42: 417-423, 2018). Students' engagement and performance have decreased during COVID-19 because of forced online learning and lack of peer interaction. We hypothesize that creating a nongraded, fun, and relaxing physiology-focused "Trivia Night" will increase student engagement and performance on summative assessments. Using a master's level class progressing through the respiratory physiology module utilizing remote, synchronous lectures to deliver content, we introduced a voluntary Trivia Night review session with teams randomly assigned to increase interaction among peers and review respiratory physiology material.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article presents the effectiveness of the use of the "pub Trivia Night" to facilitate learning, deconstruct misconceptions, and increase engagement during remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this article we analyze the classic Hodgkin and Keynes 1955 paper describing investigations of the independence principle, with the expectation that there is much students and educators can learn from such exercises, most notably how the authors applied their diverse skill set to tackling the numerous obstacles that the study presented. The paper encompasses three of the physiology core concepts, cell membranes, flow down gradients, and scientific reasoning, which were recently assigned to the classes The Biological World, The Physical World, and Ways of Looking at the World, respectively. Thus, analysis of such a paper illuminates the relationships that exist between distinct concepts and encourages a holistic approach to understanding physiology. In-depth analysis of the paper allows us to follow the authors' thought processes from their realization that previous methods lacked the resolution to answer a fundamental question relating to ion movement across membranes to the application of a more sensitive technique and ultimately the development of a novel model describing ion flux. This paper was the culmination of work started in the mid-1930s, strongly supported the ionic theory of nervous conduction proposed by Hodgkin and Huxley, and predicted the presence of ion channels as narrow pores through which ions move sequentially four decades before these features were convincingly demonstrated.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We describe in detail Hodgkin and Keynes' investigation of the independence principle. It is our expectation that students and educators can benefit from following the thought processes applied by the authors as they navigated the complexities of experimental design and data analysis, culminating in development of a model whose elegant simplicity was convincing evidence of narrow membrane-bound pores, ion channels, that were the conduit for transmembrane ion movement.

The expression excitation-contraction (EC) coupling in skeletal muscle was coined in 1952 (Sandow A. Yale J Biol Med 25: 176-201, 1952). The term evolved narrowly to include only the processes at the triad that intervene between depolarization of the transverse tubular (T-tubular) membrane and Ca²⁺ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). From 1970 to 1988, the foundation of EC coupling was elucidated. The channel through which Ca²⁺ was released during activation was located in the SR by its specific binding to the plant insecticide ryanodine. This channel was called the ryanodine receptor (RyR). The RyR contained four subunits that together constituted the "SR foot" structure that traversed the gap between the SR and the T-tubular membrane. Ca²⁺ channels, also called dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs), were located in the T-tubular membrane at the triadic junction and shown to be essential for EC coupling. There was a precise relationship between the two channels. Four DHPRs, organized as tetrads, were superimposed on alternate RyRs. This structure was consistent with the proposal that EC coupling was mediated via a movement of intramembrane charge in the T-tubular system. The speculation was that the DHPR acted as a voltage sensor transferring information to the RyRs of the SR by protein-protein interaction causing the release of Ca²⁺ from the SR. A great deal of progress was made by 1988 toward understanding EC coupling. However, the ultimate question of how voltage sensing is coupled to the opening of the SR Ca²⁺ release channel remains unresolved.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The least understood part of the series of events in excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle was how information was transmitted from the transverse tubules to the sarcoplasmic (SR) and how Ca²⁺ was released from the SR. Through an explosion of technical approaches including physiological, biochemical, structural, pharmacological, and molecular genetics, much was discovered between 1970 and 1988. By the end of 1988, the foundation of EC coupling in skeletal muscle was established.