Category Archives: Physiology

Physiology

The Benefits of Heat Training, Reconsidered | Outside Online – Outside

This is the time of year when fitness journalists write articles about how the miserable heat thats ruining your workouts is actually doing you a big favor. Youre lucky to be dripping buckets of sweat and chafing up a storm, because heat is the poor mans altitude, ramping up the physiological demands of your workout and triggering a series of adaptations that enhance your endurance.

Heres the version of that story that I wrote two summers ago, and Im sticking to it. But I may need to update the rationale for why heat is so great, based on a new study in Experimental Physiology. According to a research team led by Carsten Lundby and Bent Rnnestad at Inland University of Applied Sciences in Norway, heat boosts levels of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in your blood, just like altitude trainingbut its not a quick fix.

One of the key determinants of endurance performance is how quickly you can ferry oxygen from your lungs to your muscles via your blood. Specifically, its the hemoglobin in your red blood cells that grabs the oxygen. Spend a few weeks at high altitude, where the air is thin, and your body responds by generating more hemoglobin. Thats why the vast majority of elite endurance athletes do altitude training.

Heat training works differently. The most notable change, after just a few days, is a dramatic increaseof up to 20 percentin the volume of plasma coursing through your veins. Thats the part of the blood that doesnt include hemoglobin-rich red blood cells, so its not immediately obvious whethermore plasma will enhance your endurance under moderate weather conditions. In fact, theres an ongoing debate among scientists on precisely that question. One theory, for example, is that the extra plasma dilutes the accumulation of lactate during hard exercise. (But theres no doubt that it boosts performance in hot conditions: the extra plasma volume helps shunt excess heat to your skin, among other things.)

When The Journal of Physiology hosted a debate a few years ago on whether heat training boosts performance in moderate conditions, the coauthor of the paper arguing against the proposition was none other than Carsten Lundby. He doesnt buy the claim that more plasma is useful on its own.

But for the past few years, Lundby and his colleagues have been considering another possibility. The extra plasma volume has the effect of diluting the concentration of red blood cells in your blood, a quantity known as your hematocrit. If your total blood is made up of 45 percent red blood cells by volume, your hematocrit is 45. If heat training causes your plasma volume to increase, that will lower your hematocrit.

Lundbys hypothesis is based on the idea that your kidneys are constantly monitoring hematocrit, trying to keep it in a normal range. If your hematocrit has a sustained decrease, the kidney responds by producing EPO to trigger the production of more hemoglobin-rich red blood cells. Unlike the rapid increase in plasma volume, this is a slower process. Lundby and his colleagues figure it could take about five weeks.

He and his colleagues published some initial results back in November in Frontiers in Physiology. After five and a halfweeks, 12 trained cyclists doing an hour of heat training five days a week (incorporated into their regular training) did indeed show a small hemoglobin increase compared to a matched group of nine cyclists doing the same training in cooler conditions. But there was a lot of individual variation in the results, possibly because the subjects werent all at the same level of fitness.

For the new study, they recruited truly elite cyclists with an average VO2 max of 76.2 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. They were training about tenhours a week during the five-week study, and into that regimen, they incorporated five afternoon sessions of 50 minutes of light exercise on a stationary bike. The 11 cyclists in the heat group did those sessions in about 100 degrees and 65 percent humidity; the 12 cyclists in the control group did the same sessions at 60 degrees and 25 percent humidity, aiming for the same subjective effort level. During the heat sessions, the cyclists were limited to half a liter of water to ensure mild dehydration, which is thought to be one of the triggers for plasma volume expansion.

The key outcome measure: total hemoglobin mass increased 893 to 935 grams in the heat group, a significant 4.7 percent increase. In the control group, hemoglobin mass stayed essentially unchanged, edging up by just 0.5 percent. Heres how the individual results looked:

(Illustration: Experimental Physiology)

The study also included a bunch of physiology and performance tests, including VO2 max, lactate threshold, and a 15-minute time trial. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups, but several of the outcomes did show small to intermediate effect sizes favoring the heat group. For example, the heat group increased power output at lactate threshold by 2.8 percent, while the control group decreased by 0.4 percent. Also, the heat group increased average power during the 15-minute trial by 6.9 percent, while the control group improved by 3.4 percent.

All in all, the results are cautiously encouraging. They dont prove that Lundbys hypothesis about diluted blood stimulating more EPO is what caused the changes, but they suggest that something good seems to happen after about five weeks.

Thats good news, but its also a problem, in a way. One of the reasons that heat training has garnered so much attention over the past few years is that its relatively practical and accessible. Only a tiny fraction of the worlds athletes can spend a month in the Alps before every major race. But lots of people can go heat-training just by stepping out the front dooror even, according to some studies, by lounging in the hot tub or sauna after workouts.

Committing to five long weeks of miserable, sticky heat training is a bigger ask, though. Lundby and his colleagues acknowledge this limitation, noting that this type of training may only serve little relevance in amateur sport. Still, for those looking for every possible edge, the results will undoubtedly attract attention. And for those living in places like Texas (or even supposedly cooler parts of the continent, like Toronto, where I live, which has started the summer with an oppressive streak of heat warnings), its much needed consolation. You may not have chosen to undergo week after week of heat training, but at least you might get some hemoglobin out of it.

For more Sweat Science, join me on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for the email newsletter, and check out my book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance.

Our mission to inspire readers to get outside has never been more critical. In recent years, Outside Online has reported on groundbreaking research linking time in nature to improved mental and physical health, and weve kept you informed about the unprecedented threats to Americas public lands. Our rigorous coverage helps spark important debates about wellness and travel and adventure, and it provides readers an accessible gateway to new outdoor passions. Time outside is essentialand we can help you make the most of it. Making a financial contribution to Outside Online only takes a few minutes and will ensure we can continue supplying the trailblazing, informative journalism that readers like you depend on. We hope youll support us. Thank you.

When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small commission. Outside does not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy.

You are now subscribed to We will not share your email with anyone for any reason.Find more newsletters on our newsletter sign-up page.

Follow this link:
The Benefits of Heat Training, Reconsidered | Outside Online - Outside

Physiology

Sea lice prevention better than the cure – Feedstuffs

Sea lice management is a stressful task for salmon and salmon farmers. In a new article titled "Prevention Not Cure: A Review of Methods to Avoid Sea Lice Infestations in Salmon Aquaculture," researchers from the University of Melbourne, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and Nofima argue that methods to prevent sea louse infestations have some key advantages over other strategies, and they identify the most promising preventative methods, according to an announcement from Nofima, a Norway-based institute focused on fisheries, aquaculture and foods research.

Currently, salmon farmers have options to manage lice by preventing infestations, continuously controlling infestations to keep lice at low levels or waiting until infestations reach "trigger" levels and then carrying out immediate delousing, Nofima said.

The report authors explained that effectively preventing infestations before they occur causes less stress for the salmon and fewer production losses, as farmers avoid the need for delousing treatments.

The major delousing methods subject the salmon and the lice to the same unpleasant experience. They work because the salmon usually survive the experience, and the sea lice do not. Preventative methods avoid this situation by targeting lice before they attach to the host or by helping salmon fight off lice larvae at the moment of attachment, said lead author Dr. Luke Barrett from the University of Melbourne in Australia.

What are the most effective methods to prevent sea louse infestations?

The researchers trawled through the data from all published tests of sea lice prevention and identified the most effective methods, Nofima said, reporting that the best approach is to keep lice out of sea cages using mesh or tarpaulin barriers: Lice skirts prevented 55% of infestations, while snorkel cages prevented 76%. These methods can make the job of controlling lice much more manageable, while fully enclosing cages is more difficult but can be up to 100% effective.

However, lice barriers are not suitable at all locations, Nofima said, such as where there are strong currents or low oxygen levels. In such cases, other more widespread preventative methods are worth trying, such as encouraging salmon to swim below the most common depth for sea lice, improving the immunity of salmon using breeding or functional feed additives and using repellents or masking scents to stop lice from being attracted to salmon.

Most preventative methods leverage our knowledge of the natural behaviors and physiology of salmon and lice, such as their preferred swimming depths, to reduce the likelihood of salmon encountering lice and becoming infected, said co-author Tim Dempster from the University of Melbourne.

What does the future hold?

Fish farming companies, especially in Norway, are beginning to invest more heavily into preventive methods such as skirts and snorkel cages as well as continuous control methods to avoid having to delouse. The authors said they expect this trend to continue.

Crucially, susceptibility to sea lice is a genetic trait that is passed on to offspring, Nofima said. Accordingly, some researchers and farming companies have also made progress on breeding more lice-resistant salmon while work on a cost-effective vaccine continues.

Selective breeding against sea lice is a long-term strategy that will likely bring significant benefits in the future, said co-author Dr. Nick Robinson, a senior researcher at Nofima.

The research was published in Reviews in Aquaculture.

Excerpt from:
Sea lice prevention better than the cure - Feedstuffs

Physiology

These judges have opened a can of worms – The Herald

To the editor:

Recently, Justice Kavanaugh and Chief Justice Roberts betrayed their duty as originalists jurists by reinterpreting sex in the Title VII Civil Rights Act, acting as legislators. These judges have opened a can of worms.

Women and girl athletes will face cheating on the tracks and fields having to compete with men's superior physiology. Bakers and photographers will be forced to violate their beliefs and forced out of business, as will educators and others. These are the people who the judges betrayed.

When the protests were ramping up in New York City, pro-life advocates Bevelyn Beatty and Edmee Chavannes, co-founders of At the Well Ministries, were arrested standing in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic for violating Governor Como and the Communist mayors social distancing policies. At this time, the George Floyd protesters and the looters were taking advantage of the chaos. They were packed in like sardines.

During the lockdown, we couldnt go to church for fellowship, but mothers could kill their babies. People could go to the liquor stores and visit pot dispensaries which were deemed as essential businesses, not churches, however. Worshiping God was verboten.

All Christians and other believers must pray to God for an end to the madness thats all around us. Pray for sanity. Pray for Christians and church leaders across the country to hold firm to the immovable, never-changing Word of God. Let us keep in mind the command the Lord gave to Isaiah in a time of national distress for Israel: Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. (Isaiah 8:12-13).

We also must act in the political sphere. Register to vote. Vote for Conservative religious candidates who will amend the Constitution to ban abortions in all cases but for saving the life of the mother. Vote for candidates who will amend the Title VII Civil Rights Act to declare sex means the traditional definition of sex. Vote for candidates in the Senate who will confirm justices who are originalists. To do this, you must do your homework to find out who those candidates are. Pray and act.

Michael LewinskiDubois

The rest is here:
These judges have opened a can of worms - The Herald

Physiology

Mezzion Announces Submission of New Drug Application for its Orphan Drug Udenafil to Treat Patients who have undergone the Fontan Operation for Single…

SEOUL, South Korea, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Mezzion Pharma Co. Ltd. (140410.KQ), announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) for the approval of udenafil toimprove the physiology of patients 12 years of age and older with single ventricle heart disease (SVHD) who have undergone the Fontan operation. Udenafil is a long acting highly selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor that is orally administered. The NDA includes a request for Priority Review, which, if granted, may shorten the FDA's review of the NDA to six months from the time of filing, versus a standard review timeline of 10 months from filing.

The NDA submission, which totals nearly 100,000 pages, is supported by data from more than 700 documents including more than 200 studies that Mezzion has completed during the last 2 decades since its founding in 2002. The NDA package includes a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study conducted globally in close collaboration with the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN), which is funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This was the largest pharmacotherapeutic study ever to be conducted in those with a congenital heart condition and involved the recruitment and treatment of 400 male and female adolescents from 30 PHN and auxiliary sites throughout the U.S.A., Canada, and the Republic of Korea. The results of this study, the Fontan Udenafil Exercise Longitudinal (FUEL) trial, were published in Circulation (December 2019) abstract #20942 . https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.044352

The American Heart Association (AHA) recognized Mezzion's FUEL trial as the biggest victory in congenital heart disease (CHD) advancement for 2019. Dr. Stephen Paridon, the principal investigator of the FUEL trial had the following comment, "The unique collaboration between Mezzion and the PHN allowed for the successful completion of the FUEL trial, a study that demonstrated an important effect of udenafil on exercise performance and heart function in those born with SVHD."

The results of the landmark FUEL trial demonstrated statistically significant improvements in multiple measures of exercise performance and cardiac function in patients treated with udenafil who had undergone the Fontan operation. The improvements in exercise were most pronounced at moderate levels of activity while the improvement in cardiac function was determined using the myocardial performance index, a standard echocardiographic measurement technique.

Dr. James Yeager, Chief Operating Officer of Mezzion Pharmaceuticals Inc., commented,"This large-scale Phase 3 study for an orphan disease indication using a drug designated for a rare pediatric disease took five years to complete and was challenging to execute. We owe a major debt of gratitude to all of the patients who participated in the study, their parents and the clinical investigators who led the study. Our thanks also go out to the PHN and the NHLBI along with a countless number of consultants, contract research and manufacturing organization partners. We now look forward to the potential approval and launch of udenafil over the next year. If approved, udenafil would provide the first and only approved therapy for this underserved population of patients."

Jodi Smith, Esq., Program Director for Mended Hearts and Mended Little Hearts, a USA-based advocacy group for patients with heart disease and their families, states, "As a parent of a child with Fontan palliation who had participated in this study, I am encouraged to see the results that show improvement in day-to-day life activities. I have seen this improvement firsthand in my son. I am also glad to see that the clinical data seem to show improvement in numbers that impact heart function and decrease heart failure. All of this, together, can improve the quality of life for single-ventricle patients like my son."

Mezzion looks forward to the FDA review process and to bringing a novel pharmacotherapeutic option to this unique patient population. Dr. David Goldberg, co-Principal Investigator summed it up nicely. "After years of borrowing medical therapies from the adult heart failure experience, we finally have a drug that specifically targets the unique physiology of SVHD after Fontan palliation."

About the Fontan Procedure and Subsequent Expectations

The Fontan procedure is a surgical intervention that allows for the survival of children born with congenital heart disease characterized by only a single functional pumping chamber. This procedure consists of re-configuring the circulation to allow the single ventricle to pump blood to the body while connecting the great veins directly to the arteries that bring blood to the lungs. In this "Fontan circulation" the blood returning from the body bypasses the heart and travels to the lungs without the presence of a right ventricle pumping chamber. The goal of the Fontan procedure is to separate the systemic and pulmonary circulations and to improve oxygen levels by redirecting venous blood directly to the lungs.

While the Fontan procedure creates a stable circulation, the risk of hospitalization and cardiac death rises significantly in the second and third decades after Fontan completion, a risk that is associated with a decline in exercise capacity. The Fontan circulation is also associated with non-cardiac complications such as protein-losing enteropathy, plastic bronchitis, and liver failure, all of which can be attributed to a chronic elevation in central venous pressure and a chronically reduced cardiac output. For all of these reasons, a 35 year-old patient who has gone through Fontan palliation has the approximate life expectancy of a 75 year old with normal cardiac physiology.

Mezzion Pharma Co., Ltd.

Mezzion Pharma Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Korea. Mezzion and its wholly owned subsidiary, Mezzion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., have administrative offices in Deerfield, Illinois and Boca Raton, Florida. Mezzion Pharma is an innovation-driven pharmaceutical company that is focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel therapeutics in the field of rare pediatric diseases. Mezzion Pharma is a publicly-listed pharmaceutical company in Korea on the Korean stock exchange under (140410:KOSDAQ).

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: Mezzion Pharma's expectations regarding the potential benefits of udenafil; Mezzion Pharma's expectations regarding the anticipated timing of any future clinical trials; Mezzion Pharma's expectations on regulatory submissions for marketing approval of udenafil for the treatment of patients that have undergone the Fontan operation, to improve exercise capacity in the United States, including the timing of these submissions; and Mezzion Pharma's expectations regarding the potential commercial launch of udenafil, including the timing of a potential approval of udenafil. Risks and uncertainties that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the expectation that Mezzion Pharma will need additional funds to finance its operations; Mezzion Pharma's or any of its collaborative partners' ability to initiate and/or complete clinical trials; the unpredictability of the regulatory process; the possibility that Mezzion Pharma's or any of its clinical trials will not be successful; Mezzion Pharma's dependence on the success of udenafil; Mezzion Pharma's reliance on third parties for the manufacture of Mezzion Pharma's udenafil and udenafil tablets; possible regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; and Mezzion Pharma's ability to attract and retain senior management personnel.

These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Mezzion Pharma's most recent filings with the Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: with the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties that may individually or mutually impact the matters herein described, including but not limited to FDA review and approval, product development and acceptance, manufacturing, competition, and/or other factors, which are outside the control of Mezzion Pharma. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Mezzion undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Contact:Dr. James Yeager, Deerfield, Illinois, USA, Tel: +1-847-2122679 Email:[emailprotected]Mr. YT Song, Seoul, Korea, Tel: +82 2 560 8011Email:[emailprotected]

SOURCE Mezzion Pharma Co. Ltd.

See the article here:
Mezzion Announces Submission of New Drug Application for its Orphan Drug Udenafil to Treat Patients who have undergone the Fontan Operation for Single...

Physiology

Lifestyle, Age, and Sex Affect Several Biophysical Properties of the Skin – Dermatology Advisor

Diet, sleeping habits, age, and sex may predict the nature of the skins sebum content, subcutaneous hydration, and pH. This is according to study data published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

The study enrolled 300 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 69 years. Trained resident doctors administered a standardized questionnaire that asked participants about their dietary intake, whether or not they stayed up late, and time spent using electronics (eg, mobile phones and computers). A multifunctional skin physiology monitor was used to measure 3 skin biophysical properties on the dorsal hand and the forehead. A Sebumeter measured skin sebum, a Corneometer measured stratum corneum hydration, and a pH meter measured skin surface pH. Dermatologists performed all measurements a total of 3 times each to obtain an average value.

Approximately 65% of the volunteers said they go to bed after 11 pm, and up to half of respondents said they go to bed after 1 am. Only 6% of participants said they spend <3 hours a day on electronic products. More than 70% of study volunteers said they eat spicy food >3 times a week and greasy food >2 times per week. Almost half of participants reported that they eat sweets 2 times a week.

Participants between the ages of 25 and 29 years had significantly higher sebum content on the forehead compared with those between the ages of 20 and 24 years and >40 years. The sebum content on the forehead was also higher for those between the ages of 30 and 39 years than those between the ages of 40 and 49 years. Forehead sebum content was also significantly lower in women than it was in men.

The sebum content on the forehead significantly increased in relation to the increased number of times participants reported eating oily and spicy foods. Eating sweets twice a week was associated with the highest sebum content on the forehead compared with not eating sweets or eating sweets only 1 time per week and somewhat higher than eating sweets 3 times per week.

In addition, forehead sebum content was higher in the group of respondents who went to bed after 1 am compared with those who went to bed before 11 pm. Lower sebum content on the forehead was also associated with the use of electronic products for only 3 to 6 hours per day.

Subcutaneous hydration of the dorsal hand was highest in people who reported eating more sweet and oily foods. Also, subcutaneous hydration on the forehead was highest in participants who said they ate more sweet food and went to bed before 11 pm compared with after 1 am. An increased skin surface pH on the forehead and dorsal hand was associated with age, and more women than men had a higher skin surface pH. In contrast, the use of electronic products for >6 hours a day and staying up until 1 am were associated with reduced forehead pH levels.

Limitations of the study included its relatively small sample size as well as the reliance on lifestyle information that was obtained from questionnaires.

The researchers of the study wrote that the observed skin-related differences in lifestyles, ages, and sex may be related to the individual susceptibility to skin diseases, and the findings may have important reference value for people to improve their skin by changing their daily behavior habits.

Reference

Zhao C, Wang X, Mao Y, et al. Variation of biophysical parameters of the skin with age, gender, and lifestyles [published online April 25, 2020]. J Cosmet Dermatol. doi: 10.1111/jocd.13453

Go here to see the original:
Lifestyle, Age, and Sex Affect Several Biophysical Properties of the Skin - Dermatology Advisor

Physiology

UW researchers publish on the decline of the Western bumblebee – Oil City News

Christy Bell, a Ph.D. student in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology, observes a Western bumblebee. Bell and Lusha Tronstad, lead invertebrate zoologist with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, are co-authors of a paper about Western bumblebees. (Christy Bell)

CASPER, Wyo A University of Wyoming (UW) researcher and her Ph.D. student have spent the last three years studying the decline of the Western bumblebee. Their paper, titledWestern Bumble Bee: Declines in the United States and Range-Wide Information Gaps,was published online June 26 inEcosphere, according to a UW release Monday. The journal publishes papers from all subdisciplines of ecological science.

Lusha Tronstad, lead invertebrate zoologist with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD), and Christy Bell, her Ph.D. student in the Department of Zoology and Physiology, have been working with a group of bumblebee experts to fill in gaps of missing information from previous data collected in the western United States. Their goal is to provide information on the Western bumblebee to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while it considers listing this species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the university release said.

Tronstad and Bell are members of the Western Bumble Bee Working Group, a group of experts on the species which came together to pool knowledge on the species, Tronstad said. The paper highlights knowledge gaps, specifically the lack of sampling data in Alaska, northwestern Canada and the southwestern United States.

Article continues below...

The data we assembled will be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to inform its decision on whether or not to protect the Western bumblebee under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Tronstad said.At WYNDD our mission is to provide the most up-to-date data on which management decisions can be based.

The decline of the Western bumblebee is likely not limited to one culprit but, instead, due to several factors that interact such as pesticides, pathogens, climate change and habitat loss, said Tronstad. Western bumblebees were once the most abundant bumblebees on the West Coast of the U.S., but they are much less frequently observed there now. Pathogens (or parasites) are thought to be a major reason for their decline.

Tronstad said there are several things that homeowners or landowners can do to help this species of bumblebee survive and thrive.These include:

Tronstad said Bells research will continue this summer.

Read the full UW release here.

Other contributors to the paper are from the U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Canadian Wildlife Service; Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Ore.; British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy; University of Hawaii-Hilo; U.S. Department of Agriculture; The Institute for Bird Populations; University of Vermont; Utah State University; Ohio State University; Denali National Park and Preserve; and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.

Related Stories from Oil City News:

More:
UW researchers publish on the decline of the Western bumblebee - Oil City News

Physiology

Novel tool to inducibly knockout genes at cellular resolution in plants – Mirage News

Genome editing techniques have revolutionized research in life sciences. The Mhnen group at the University of Helsinki took advantage of these techniques and developed a novel genetic tool for plant research that enables efficient generation of target gene knockouts in desired cell types and at desired times.

Most of the discoveries in the modern plant biology have originated from studies utilizing molecular biology or molecular genetic techniques. In this approach, mutation in a gene i.e. gene knockout reveals its role in a biological process. However, some genes are central players in plant physiology or development a mutation in these genes cause lethality or severe developmental defects. Typically, such mutants have several defects in their development and physiology, thus making it challenging to separate the primary defect from the secondary defects caused by the mutation.

To identify the primary defects of such, essential genes, researchers have developed various conditional gene manipulation systems. However, the challenge is, there are currently no genetic systems available to knockout a gene conditionally, completely or cell-type-specific manner. Such a system would enable identification of primary functions of the essential genes.

Research group led by Dr. Ari Pekka Mhnen is studying development of vascular cambium, a lateral meristem that produces wood in trees and in other plant species. Vascular cambium appears late in development, therefore knockouts in several essential genes cause strong phenotypes in plants long before the cambium has even been established. This makes the identification of the role of the essential genes in cambium development even more difficult than in younger part of plants.

To tackle the problem, Xin Wang, a PhD student in my lab decided to combine a tissue-specific inducible system developed earlier in my lab with the popular CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system. With such a system, one could knockout genes in desired cells at desired times. Initially, I thought that the genome editing system might not be efficient enough to knockout target genes in the somatic cells. Luckily, he nevertheless decided to generate the system and test it in Arabidopsis thaliana. To my big surprise, the system worked efficiently and precisely in the targeted cells.

The inducible genome editing (IGE) system performed well with three different genes tested. These studies enabled the identification and confirmation of the precise function of the three genes in root development. The IGE system and these findings were published in Nature Plants. Additionally, beyond the published paper, the Mhnen lab has successfully tested the IGE system with several other target genes. Plasmids containing the IGE system has already been distributed to several other labs around the world, thus it is possible that the IGE system will be widely used within plant biology community. Perhaps, with help of IGE system, we will have better understanding how the essential genes function in plants.

Nature Plants: An inducible genome editing system for plants, doi: 10.1038/s41477-020-0695-2

Originally posted here:
Novel tool to inducibly knockout genes at cellular resolution in plants - Mirage News

Physiology

Yale researchers find on-off switch for inflammation related to overeating – Yale News

Researchers at Yale have identified a molecule that plays a key role in the bodys inflammatory response to overeating, which can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. The finding suggests that the molecule could be a promising therapeutic target to control this inflammation and keep metabolic diseases in check.

The study appears on June 29 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

When a person overeats, the body stores excess calories in the form of fat in the adipose tissue, or body fat, said lead author Xiaoyong Yang of Yale School of Medicine. As the amount of calories consumed continues to increase, this leads to inflammation in adipose tissue and the release of fatty acids into other tissues, including the liver and muscles.

This is dangerous, Yang said, and leads to metabolic disorders like diabetes.

Researchers were aware that overeating led to inflammation and metabolic diseases, but until now, they did not know the precise way that the bodys immune cells, such as macrophages which react to excess calorie consumption contributed to this process. The new research by Yang and team zeroed in on a pathway called O-GIcNAc signaling, which activates when a person overeats, instructing the cells to limit inflammation.

Inflammation happens when the bodys immune system reacts to injury or threat, and involves increased blood flow, capillary dilation, and an influx of white blood cells.

The body is smart, said Yang, associate professor of comparative medicine and of cellular & molecular physiology. It tries to protect against inflammation when fat builds up in the body. We discovered a key pathway that quenches inflammation caused by overnutrition.

In particular, the researchers found that OGT (O-GIcNAc transferase), an enzyme that activates GIcNAc signaling, was responsible for activating the bodys pro-inflammatory response by turning on or off a specific signaling pathway in macrophages.

The macrophage can be a good guy or a bad guy, Yang said. It becomes a bad guy in overnutrition, secreting a lot of inflammatory factors. In other contexts, its a good guy and has an anti-inflammatory effect. We found out that OGT tries to stop the macrophage from becoming a bad guy to stop the pro-inflammatory response.

Their finding suggests that OGT could be a target for new therapies to suppress inflammation and improve health.

The study also sheds light on the workings of glutamine and glucosamine, nutritional supplements recommended by doctors for arthritis and inflammation of the joints, Yang said. While researchers have known that these supplements promote O-GlcNAc signaling and reduce inflammation, they did not know how this process worked.

Our finding further implicates how glutamine and glucosamine suppress inflammation, Yang said.

Other members of the Yale research team include Dr. Gerald I. Shulman, Dr. Marie E. Robert, Rachel J. Perry, Yunfan Yang, Xiruo Li, Harding H. Luan, Bichen Zhang, Kaisi Zhang, Zongyu Li, Minnie Fu, Dongyan Zhang, Simeng Wang, Yuyang Liu, Joo Paulo Albuquerque, Qunxiang Ong, Rui Li, and Qi Wang.

Read more from the original source:
Yale researchers find on-off switch for inflammation related to overeating - Yale News

Physiology

How does research in biochemistry fit into the wider goals of the NIH? – Open Access Government

Established in 1962, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic research that increases understanding of biological processes while also laying the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in the U.S. NIGMS is headed by Director Jon R. Lorsch who oversees the Institutes $2.6 billion budget, which supports this research.

NIGMS supports more than 3,000 investigators and 4,500 research grants around 11% of the total number of research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a whole. Additionally, it supports around 26% of the National Research Training Award (NRSA) trainees who receive assistance from NIH. It is organised into divisions that support research and research training in a range of different fields.

From 2018 onwards, NIGMS reorganised into three scientific divisions specifically: Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB); Genetics and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (GMCDB); and Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry (PPBC).

The latter of these divisions supports a broad spectrum of state-of-the-art research aimed at improving the molecular-level understanding of fundamental biological processes and discovering approaches to their control. Just some of the goals of this supported research include an improved understanding of drug action and of anaesthesia; mechanisms underlying responses to drugs; new methods and targets for drug discovery; an enhanced understanding of biological catalysis; knowledge of metabolic regulation and fundamental physiological processes; and the integration and application of basic physiological, pharmacological, and biochemical research to clinical issues in anaesthesia, clinical pharmacology, and trauma and burn injury.

The division itself has two components: The Biochemistry and Bio-related Chemistry Branch and the Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences Branch.

It is important to recognise the fundamentals of each branches focal point and what their individual goals are. Understanding the interactions between molecules thats chemistry. And understanding the chemistry that occurs in living organisms, however thats biochemistry. Furthermore, understanding how medicines work in the body and finding ways to make them work better and more effectively thats pharmacology. Studies in these areas are currently focussing on areas such as:

How enzymes generate cellular energy and facilitate chemical reactions.

How medicines are processed inside the body.

What roles natural substances such as fats and sugars play in our bodies.

How a persons genetic makeup can influence a drugs effectiveness.

How to use chemistry to design new medicines.

The possibility of finding new uses for existing medicines.1

The Biochemistry and Bio-related Chemistry Branch supports basic research in the following areas:

Read the original post:
How does research in biochemistry fit into the wider goals of the NIH? - Open Access Government

Physiology

Hematology Therapies Market Growth to Witness Uptrend with Robust Sales Volume – Cole of Duty

AMA Research have added latest edition of survey study on Global Hematology Therapies Market with 100+ market data Tables, Pie Chat, Graphs & Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed analysis. At present, the market is developing its presence. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Hematology Therapies Forecast till 2025*. Some are the key players taken under coverage for this study is Abbott Laboratories (United States), Bio-Rad Laboratories (United States), Roche (Switzerland), HORIBA (Japan), Beckman Coulter (United States), Bayer (Germany), Sysmex Corporation (Japan), Ortho Clinical Diagnostic (United States), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Boule Diagnostics (Sweden), EKF Diagnostics (United Kingdom) and Mindray Medical (China)..

Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/128606-global-hematology-therapies-market

Hematologic therapies represent a molecular understanding of the disease pathophysiology and treatment targeted precisely at the known aberration. Hematology includes the treatment of blood disorders and malignancies, like leukemia, hemophilia, lymphoma and sickle-cell anemia. Hematology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with the diagnosis, physiology, prognosis, pathology, etiology, treatment, and prevention of blood-related disorders. Hematologists focus mainly on lymphatic organs and bone marrow and may diagnose blood count irregularities or platelet irregularities.

Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:

1) How Study Have Considered the Impact of COVID-19 / Economic Slowdown of 2020?

Analyst at AMA are constantly gathering and conducting survey with opinion leaders and Industry experts from various region to minutely understand impact on growth as well as local reforms to evaluate study and market estimates. Due to lockdown different online medium and procedures are followed like Survey Monkey, LinkedIn Connections, and Email reach and industry forum to established industry viewpoint to garner rich insights for study. A special chapter in the study presents Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Global Hematology Therapies Market along with tables and graphs related to various country and segments showcasing impact on growth trends.

2) Can list of players be customizing according to targeted regional geographies to match business objective?

Considering heat map analysis and based on market buzz or voice the profiled list of companies in the report are Abbott Laboratories (United States), Bio-Rad Laboratories (United States), Roche (Switzerland), HORIBA (Japan), Beckman Coulter (United States), Bayer (Germany), Sysmex Corporation (Japan), Ortho Clinical Diagnostic (United States), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Boule Diagnostics (Sweden), EKF Diagnostics (United Kingdom) and Mindray Medical (China).. Yes, further list of players can also be customized as per your requirement keeping in mind your areas of interest and adding local emerging players and leaders from targeted geography.

** List of companies covered may vary in the final report subject to Name Change / Merger & Acquisition Activity etc. based on the difficulty of survey since data availability needs to be confirmed by research team especially in case of privately held company. Up to 2 players can be added at no additional cost.

3) Can Market be broken down by different set of application and types?

Additional segmentation / Market breakdown is possible subject to data availability, feasibility and depending upon timeline and toughness of survey. However a detailed requirement needs to be prepared before making any final confirmation.

** 3+ Additional country of your interest can be included at no added cost feasibility test would be conducted by Analyst team of AMA based on the requirement shared and accordingly deliverable time will also be disclosed.

Enquire for customization in Report @https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/128606-global-hematology-therapies-market

To comprehend Hematology Therapies market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Hematology Therapies market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.

Get Reasonable Discount on This Premium Report @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/request-discount/128606-global-hematology-therapies-market

Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: Market Overview

Chapter Two: Executive Summary - Free of Cost

Chapter Three: Market Dynamics USD1000

Market Drivers, Market Challenges, Market Trends, Restraints & Opportunities, Post Covid Scenario

Chapter Four: Market Factor Analysis USD400

Supply/Value Chain, Porters Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent & Trademark Analysis, Bargain Power

Chapter Five: Global Hematology Therapies, by Market Segmentation and Geography (value, volume**) (2014-2019) USD1400

by Type (Instruments, Consumable), Application (Physiology, Pathology, Etiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis), Blood Disorder Type (Hemophilia, Leukemia, Lymphoma, Sickle-Cell Anemia, Others), End-User (Diagnostic Laboratories, Hospitals and Clinics, Academic Institutes, Research Laboratory, Others)

.

.

Global Hematology Therapies Region

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Nordic, Others)

Asia-Pacific (Japan, China, Australia, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Middle East & Africa, Others)

Chapter Six: Global Hematology Therapies Manufacturers/Players Analysis USD1200

Competitive Landscape, Comparative Market Share Analysis (2018-2019), Peer Group Analysis (2019), BCG Matrix, Company Profile, Product/Service Offering Matrix

Chapter Seven: Global Hematology Therapies, by Market Segmentation and Region (value, volume**) (2020-2025) USD1400

Sections same as Chapter Five

Chapter Eight:Company profiles / Competitive Landscape [12 Players] USD1250

Chapter Nine: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer

** If applicableActual Numbers & In-Depth Analysis, Business opportunities, Market Size Estimation Available in Full Report.

AMA also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research according to clientele objectives. Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report like North America, Europe or Asia.

About Author:

Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies revenues.

Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.

Contact Us:

Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)

AMA Research & Media LLP

Unit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJ

New Jersey USA 08837

Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218

[emailprotected]

Connect with us atLinkedIn|Facebook|Twitter

View post:
Hematology Therapies Market Growth to Witness Uptrend with Robust Sales Volume - Cole of Duty