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Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. The principal level of focus of physiology is at the level of organs and systems. Most aspects of human physiology are closely homologous to corresponding aspects of animal physiology, and animal experimentation has provided much of the foundation of physiological knowledge. Anatomy and physiology are closely related fields of study: anatomy, the study of form, and physiology, the study of function, are intrinsically tied and are studied in tandem as part of a medical curriculum.

Bowel care ranks top concern for individuals with spinal cord injury, study shows

Cardiovascular physiology researcher Victoria Claydon's latest study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, focuses on the results of her multi-national study, which surveyed almost 300 participants with spinal cord injuries at or above the mid-thoracic level (middle of the chest ).

9 Mar 2018

OHSU device could be first permanent total artificial heart

OHSU physicians and researchers are developing what they hope will be the first permanent total artificial heart, which could provide the approximately 75,000 Americans who die of heart failure every year another chance at life.

9 Mar 2018

Your stress can rub off on others

In a recent study, scientists found that when exposed to another individual’s stress, the brain reacts as it does to real stress.

9 Mar 2018

Modifying Oncolytic Adenoviruses to Target Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the less common but deadliest cancers. Modified oncolytic adenoviruses represent an alternative to chemotherapy and targeted therapies, which have a high mortality rate.

9 Mar 2018

Researchers identify salivary protein that protects the body from traveler's diarrhea

Researchers have identified a protein in saliva (histatin-5) that protects the body from traveler's diarrhea.

8 Mar 2018

Study suggests bright lights inhibit the production of melatonin in preschoolers

A new study has found that exposure to bright light before bed time inhibits the production of sleep-promoting hormone, melatonin, in preschoolers.

6 Mar 2018

Research explores hormonal impact of nighttime light exposure on young children

Exposing preschoolers to an hour of bright light before bedtime almost completely shuts down their production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin and keeps it suppressed for at least 50 minutes after lights out, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research.

6 Mar 2018

Study sheds light on neuronal responses in ALS

In a recent study, scientists have linked changes in the size of motor neurons to the onset of symptoms in motor neurone disease (ALS).

5 Mar 2018

Comprehensive computer models accurately capture diversity of neurons

The Allen Institute for Brain Science has produced the first comprehensive, publicly available database of predictive neuron models, along with their corresponding data.

2 Mar 2018

Parasitic tapeworm could someday help prevent or treat pediatric IBD

New research suggests that parasitic worms could someday help prevent or treat pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for March.

2 Mar 2018

Researchers successfully graft human neural stem cells into monkeys with spinal cord injuries

Led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, a diverse team of neuroscientists and surgeons successfully grafted human neural progenitor cells into rhesus monkeys with spinal cord injuries.

27 Feb 2018

ICU risk scores can be repurposed as continuous markers of illness severity

Commonly used ICU risk scores can be "repurposed" as continuous markers of severity of illness in critically ill patients--providing ongoing updates on changes in the patient's condition and risk of death, according to a study in the March issue of Critical Care Medicine, official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

27 Feb 2018

Telomere length testing can alter treatment decisions for certain diseases

Research led by Johns Hopkins physicians and scientists shows that a test for measuring the length of DNA endcaps, called telomeres, which has a variability rate of 5 percent, can alter treatment decisions for patients with certain types of bone marrow failure.

27 Feb 2018

Discovery may result in new medication to build stronger muscles in old age

As we grow older, our muscular function declines. A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows how an unexpectedly high number of mutations in the stem cells of muscles impair cell regeneration.

23 Feb 2018

Research consortium develops first 3D computer model of metabolic processes

An international research consortium developed, with significant involvement of Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine scientists, the first computer model to include 3D in the representation of human metabolic processes.

22 Feb 2018

Study finds novel therapeutic strategy that preserves neuromuscular synapses in ALS mouse model

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, causes lethal respiratory paralysis within several years of diagnosis. There are no effective treatments to slow or halt this devastating disease.

21 Feb 2018

Women with type 1 diabetes not protected against coronary artery disease

Constrictions of the coronary blood vessels is a possible consequence of type 1 diabetes, and one that can eventually lead to myocardial infarction or heart failure.

20 Feb 2018

Brain's quality control process holds clues to obesity's roots

Deep in the middle of our heads lies a tiny nub of nerve cells that play a key role in how hungry we feel, how much we eat, and how much weight we gain. Around the clock, they produce a "grandfather" form of several hormones that help us regulate these crucial functions.

20 Feb 2018

Immune history influences person's response to flu vaccine

New research on why the influenza vaccine was only modestly effective in recent years shows that immune history with the flu influences a person's response to the vaccine.

20 Feb 2018

Scientists identify four viruses that can produce insulin-like hormones

Every cell in your body responds to the hormone insulin, and if that process starts to fail, you get diabetes. In an unexpected finding, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified four viruses that can produce insulin-like hormones that are active on human cells.

19 Feb 2018