Physiology News and Research

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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.

Japanese researchers propose new diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines for thyroid storm

With a mortality rate estimated at 10%, the life-threatening condition known as thyroid storm (TS) demands rapid diagnosis and treatment and can benefit from new evidence-based guidelines for TS developed by researchers in Japan.

2 Jan 2018

Novel nanomedicine prolongs survival of pancreatic tumor-bearing mice

A new Tel Aviv University study pinpoints the inverse correlation between a known oncogene -- a gene that promotes the development of cancer -- and the expression of an oncosuppressor microRNA as the reason for extended pancreatic cancer survival.

2 Jan 2018

Study suggests new target to treat prostate cancer

Hokkaido University researchers have uncovered a cellular protein that stabilizes a tumor promoting signaling pathway, suggesting a new target to treat prostate cancer.

22 Dec 2017

Scientists unravel structure of protein behind sense of touch

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the mystery of the structure of Piezo1, a member of a family of proteins that convert physical stimuli such as touch or blood flow into chemical signals.

21 Dec 2017

Folic acid supplementation during late pregnancy may increase risk of allergies in offspring

A new study suggests that taking folic acid in late pregnancy may increase the risk of allergies in offspring affected by intrauterine growth restriction.

21 Dec 2017

Research explores benefits of gut health from several angles

Gut health is a key area of modern health research, with intensive examination of communication between our gut and our brain deemed pivotal to solving complex health and wellbeing issues.

21 Dec 2017

Findings provide better understanding of thyroid hormones' role in mammalian seasonal changes

Researchers now have a better understanding of the role that thyroid hormones, the tissues that produce them, and the biochemical pathways on which they act have in driving seasonal reproduction in some mammals, and how this new information may help explain seasonal changes in metabolism and mood that affect humans.

21 Dec 2017

UCLA researchers reveal reversibility of Friedreich's ataxia in mouse models

In children and adults with Friedreich's ataxia, an inherited disease that causes damage to the nervous system, a loss of coordination typically progresses to muscle weakness and can involve vision, diabetes, and other problems over the course of several years.

20 Dec 2017

New guide provides evidence-based overview of key sleep challenges faced by women

Though sleep is essential to health and wellbeing, the unique barriers faced by women in maintaining good sleep health are often misunderstood or overlooked, according to a new resource "Women & Sleep: A Guide for Better Health" developed by the Society for Women's Health Research Interdisciplinary Network on Sleep.

18 Dec 2017

Muscle paralysis may promote breakdown of bones

Muscle paralysis rapidly causes inflammation in nearby bone marrow, which may promote the formation of large cells that break down bone, a new study finds.

14 Dec 2017

Researchers use cryptographic techniques to decode activity of motor neurons

Cracking the German Enigma code is considered to be one of the decisive factors that hastened Allied victory in World War II. Starting with clues derived from espionage, computer scientists were able to work out the rules that turned a string of gibberish characters into plain German, providing life-saving and war-shortening intelligence.

13 Dec 2017

Study finds changes in the heart after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury affects the heart, that’s what research published in Experimental Physiology and carried out by researchers from University of British Columbia, Canada has found.

13 Dec 2017

Study identifies potassium as key to circadian rhythms in red blood cells

An innovative new study from the University of Surrey and Cambridge's MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, has uncovered the secrets of the circadian rhythms in red blood cells and identified potassium as the key to unraveling the mystery.

12 Dec 2017

LSUHealthNO breakthrough may pave way for advances in obesity-related diseases

For the first time, researchers led by Frank Lau, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans, have successfully kept white fat tissue alive outside of the body for up to eight weeks.

11 Dec 2017

Study finds under-age marriage for women as marker of multiple vulnerabilities

A new study of four South Asian countries reveals complex associations between early marriage and women's education, health and nutrition that go beyond the impacts of early childbearing.

11 Dec 2017

Russian researchers create new approaches to prevention and treatment of diabetes

A team of scientists from the Ural Federal University and the Institute of Immunology and Physiology modeled type 1 diabetes in an experiment to study recovery processes in the pancreas.

11 Dec 2017

SLU scientists provide promising approach in designing new drugs for DMD

In a paper published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, Saint Louis University researchers report that a new drug reduces fibrosis (scarring) and prevents loss of muscle function in an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), providing a promising approach in designing new medications for those suffering from DMD.

8 Dec 2017

Stress in early life may raise risk of heart disease in adulthood

Stress in early life may change the immune response in the kidneys, increasing the risk of heart disease later in life, according to a new study. The paper, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology- Renal Physiology, was chosen as an APSselect article for December.

7 Dec 2017

Researchers unravel novel mechanism of estrogen action on heart physiology

Estrogens are powerful hormones important for the formation and function of the nervous, reproductive and cardiovascular systems.

6 Dec 2017

Scientists find link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs

Scientists have found a direct link between physical contact and gut bacteria in red-bellied lemurs. Likely passed through 'huddling' behavior and touch, the new research has implications for human health.

5 Dec 2017