Credit: iStock According to the calendar, it’s spring—and depending on where you live, the trees may already be blooming as the temperatures begin to climb. If you live in a colder climate, don’t worry, your time will come for warmer days and balmy evenings. “What does spring have to do with physiology?” you may ask. … Continue reading Thinking about Spring
Immune System
2022’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
Credit: iStock This year, as COVID-19 vaccines and boosters protected most of us from severe disease, scientists and educators returned to labs, classrooms and in-person meetings with a lot of new physiology research to share. In 2022, our member-contributors wrote about the physiology of space travel, new techniques to improve organ transplantation and why exercise … Continue reading 2022’s Most-read I Spy Physiology Posts
Antihistamines: Beyond Allergy Relief?
Credit: iStock Allergies are one of the most common chronic conditions in the world—in the U.S., as many as 50 million people have them. Many people regularly take antihistamine medications to relieve allergy symptoms that may include itching, skin rashes, runny nose and wheezing. Antihistamines block the effects of histamine, which is a very strong … Continue reading Antihistamines: Beyond Allergy Relief?
May The Best Immune System Breathe!
Credit: iStock Our immune system’s job is to protect our body and work as a self-defense tool against viruses and other harmful substances. Our immune system works as a cohesive unit spread across our body in different organs, cells and even the blood. Without it, our bodies would be more prone to infection and we … Continue reading May The Best Immune System Breathe!
How Technology and Physiology Are Making Sick Livers Transplantable
Credit: iStock Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver disease that begins with excess fat accumulation in liver cells. Left unchecked, this can progress to a more advanced disease stage, called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), that involves scarring and inflammation of the liver. There aren’t any approved therapies for NASH yet, which means … Continue reading How Technology and Physiology Are Making Sick Livers Transplantable
Brain-Lung Crosstalk: How the Brain and Lungs Communicate with Each Other
Credit: iStock As the body’s “command center,” the brain’s job is to communicate with other organs to make sure all our body systems are in proper working order. But you may not know that people who have brain injuries are also more likely to develop respiratory disorders. This is due to the brain-lung axis—how the … Continue reading Brain-Lung Crosstalk: How the Brain and Lungs Communicate with Each Other
Precision Medicine: When ‘One-pill-fits-all’ Doesn’t Fit
Credit: iStock Everybody is unique due to their genetics. Even identical twins do not have completely identical genetic information, as they start accumulating developmental mutations from early stages in the womb. Our uniqueness is the main reason medical professionals often cannot rely on the same medication when trying to treat different people with the same … Continue reading Precision Medicine: When ‘One-pill-fits-all’ Doesn’t Fit
Spotlight On: SARS-CoV-2
Credit: iStock SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, emerged into the human population late in 2019. COVID-19 is an airway infection much like the common cold. One in six colds are caused by coronaviruses, although these are other types of coronaviruses. Why, then, did COVID-19 become such a devastating pandemic that has led to the … Continue reading Spotlight On: SARS-CoV-2
New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine Conference: Transgender Health, Addiction, Colon Cancer and More
Credit: iStock Scientists studying how sex and gender affect health and medical outcomes delve into topics—such as female reproductive risk factors, transgender health, and how biological sex affects COVID-19 outcomes, the microbiome and opioid addiction—that haven’t always been studied extensively or well understood. Researchers who specialize in these areas understand how much biological sex matters … Continue reading New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine Conference: Transgender Health, Addiction, Colon Cancer and More
Targeting the Immune System to Treat Cancer
Credit: iStock This month, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Physiological Society journal Physiological Reviews, we are highlighting recent research published in the journal. Interested in reading more in celebration of Physiological Reviews’ birthday? Read our spotlight on migraine, about bariatric surgery’s effect on hunger and new thoughts on why you can't sleep. When we hear the … Continue reading Targeting the Immune System to Treat Cancer