The Physiologist

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Hormone secreted by bones may help us escape danger

Adrenaline is synonymous with any activity that gets our blood racing—but a new study reveals that when it comes with our body’s stress response, a different hormone may actually be more important...

Hormone secreted by bones may help us escape danger Osteocalcin, not adrenaline, may be key to the body’s “fight or flight” response

On this day in 1869 Jan Evangelista Purkinje died. He was one of the best known scientists of his time. Such was his fame that when people from outside Europe wrote letters to him, all that they needed to put as the address was "Purkyně, Europe"!

On this day in 1869 Jan Evangelista Purkinje died. He was one of the best known scientists of his time. Such was his fame that when people from outside Europe wrote letters to him, all that they needed to put as the address was "Purkyně, Europe"!

He is best known for his 1837 discovery of Purkinje cells, large neurons with many branching dendrites found in the cerebellum.

(image: Purkinje cell drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal)

Camilo Golgi was born on this day in 1843.
During the 19th century researchers learned to stain tissues to allow study under a microscope. In the 1870s Camillo Golgi discovered that nerve cells could be stained with silver nitrate. This led to groundbreaking studies of how the nervous system is structured and functions. Golgi maintained that all nerve cells in the nervous system constituted a continuous, interconnected network. This led to a protracted disagreement with Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the leading proponent of another opinion. Eventually, Cajal's ideas prevailed.

Camillo Golgi was born on this day in 1843. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that nerve cells could be stained with silver nitrate, enabling him and other researchers to make detailed studies of our nervous system, such as the one pictured.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/2WxPIs3

Timeline photos

At the age of 24, Werner Forssmann had a plan - a plan he knew his superiors would never approve. The young German surgeon was frustrated by how difficult it was to access the human heart, but he doubted he'd get permission to perform a risky new procedure. And so, in 1929, he tried it on himself.

From the crook of his arm he inserted a thin catheter through a vein into his heart and took an X-ray photo. It was the very first heart catheterisation, which today is a common procedure used to find heart defects, deliver medicine and open up blocked arteries.

The experiment paved the way for many types of heart studies and in 1956 Forssmann shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

New neurons for life? Old people can still make fresh brain cells, study finds

New neurons for life? Old people can still make fresh brain cells, study finds

New neurons for life? Old people can still make fresh brain cells, study finds A new salvo in the debate over whether humans still make new brain cells as we get older

Does the menstrual cycle affect sports performance?

Does the menstrual cycle affect sports performance?

Does the menstrual cycle affect sports performance? This video from The Journal of Physiology examines whether the menstrual cycle has an impact on athletic performance.

Timeline photos

The discovery of insulin is one of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine - and one of the most debated Nobel Prizes.

It is January, 1922, Toronto, Canada. 14-year-old Leonard Thompson is the first person with diabetes to receive insulin. The test is a success: Leonard, who before the insulin shots was near death, rapidly regains his strength and appetite.

The news of the successful test treatment rapidly spread, and in 1923, Frederick Banting and John Macleod share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of insulin.

However, Banting was furious with the choice of recipients. He felt that that the Prize should have been shared between him and his assistant – medical student Charles Best – not between him and the senior diabetes researcher Macleod.

To credit Best, Banting shared his cash award with him. Macleod, in turn, shared his cash award with biochemist Bertram Collip who had joined the team during the testing phase.

BREAKING NEWS
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.”

Cancer kills millions of people every year and is one of humanity’s greatest health challenges. By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumour cells this year’s Nobel Laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.

James P. Allison studied a known protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realised the potential of releasing the brake and thereby unleashing our immune cells to attack tumours. He then developed this concept into a brand new approach for treating patients.

In parallel, Tasuku Honjo discovered a protein on immune cells and, after careful exploration of its function, eventually revealed that it also operates as a brake, but with a different mechanism of action. Therapies based on his discovery proved to be strikingly effective in the fight against cancer.

Allison and Honjo showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer. The seminal discoveries by the two laureates constitute a landmark in our fight against cancer.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/2OpzIIS

Opinion: Stop Ignoring This Filament Crucial to Muscle Function

Titin

Opinion: Stop Ignoring This Filament Crucial to Muscle Function Titin was discovered four decades ago, but some physiology textbooks fail to recognize the important role it plays in muscle contraction.

Knitting Together the Brain's Language Center

Knitting Together the Brain's Language Center There’s not a single language area in the brain — different parts take care of different jobs.

The Curious Case of Patient H.M.

On September 1, 1953, time stopped for Henry Molaison. For roughly 10 years, the 27-year-old had suffered severe seizures. By 1953, they were so debilitating he could no longer hold down his job as a motor winder on an assembly line. On September 1, Molaison allowed surgeons to remove a thumb-sized section of tissue from each side of his brain.

The Curious Case of Patient H.M. A 29-year-old man with amnesia taught neuroscientists a lot about memory.

Single-dose testosterone administration increases men’s preference for status goods

Administration of a single dose of the hormone testosterone increased men’s preference for brands perceived to have a high status compared to those of similar quality but lower status, reports a study of 243 men published in Nature Communications.

Single-dose testosterone administration increases men’s preference for status goods Testosterone is believed to be involved in social rank-related behavior. Here, the authors show that one dose of testosterone increases men’s preference for “high status” goods and brands, suggesting a role for testosterone in modern consumer behavior in men.

Fantastical World of Hormones

The fantastical world of hormones...

Fantastical World of Hormones

On 24 March 1882, German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) - a date marked by today.

In the 1800s, the disease caused as many as a quarter of all deaths in Europe. Koch's discovery opened the way for diagnosis and cure, and during the 1900s, the mortality rate declined drastically due to research and the introduction of antibiotics.

Known as "the father of bacteriology", Koch was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery.

Photos: Robert Koch circa. 1900 / Wilhelm Fechner. To the left a drawing of the causes of tuberculosis

On 24 March 1882, German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) - a date marked by today.

In the 1800s, the disease caused as many as a quarter of all deaths in Europe. Koch's discovery opened the way for diagnosis and cure, and during the 1900s, the mortality rate declined drastically due to research and the introduction of antibiotics.

Known as "the father of bacteriology", Koch was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery.

Photos: Robert Koch circa. 1900 / Wilhelm Fechner. To the left a drawing of the causes of tuberculosis.

The world's most efficient recycling plant – the human kidney - produces about 170 litres of primary urine in twenty-four hours. Fortunately, most of this is recovered thanks to a series of cunning mechanisms so that finally only about one litre of urine leaves the body during this time. This recycling machinery consists chiefly of water channels in the cell membranes - tens of thousands of millions in a single kidney.

A single human being is made up of about one hundred thousand million cells. The various cells – e.g. muscle cells, kidney cells and nerve cells – act together in an intricate system in each one of us. To maintain even pressure in the cells it is important that water can pass through the cell wall. The appearance and function of these pores, remained for a long time as one of the classical unsolved problems of biochemistry. It was not until around 1990 that Peter Agre discovered the first water channel. Like so much else in the living cell, it was all about a protein and he renamed the protein aquaporin, "water pore". Agre received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery of water channels".

Image: The dividing wall between the cell and the outside world – including other cells – is far from being an impervious shell. On the contrary, it is perforated by various channels. Many of these are specially adapted to one specific ion or molecule and do not permit any other type to pass. Here to the left we see a water channel and to the right an ion channel.

The world's most efficient recycling plant – the human kidney - produces about 170 litres of primary urine in twenty-four hours. Fortunately, most of this is recovered thanks to a series of cunning mechanisms so that finally only about one litre of urine leaves the body during this time. This recycling machinery consists chiefly of water channels in the cell membranes - tens of thousands of millions in a single kidney.

A single human being is made up of about one hundred thousand million cells. The various cells – e.g. muscle cells, kidney cells and nerve cells – act together in an intricate system in each one of us. To maintain even pressure in the cells it is important that water can pass through the cell wall. The appearance and function of these pores, remained for a long time as one of the classical unsolved problems of biochemistry. It was not until around 1990 that Peter Agre discovered the first water channel. Like so much else in the living cell, it was all about a protein and he renamed the protein aquaporin, "water pore". Agre received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery of water channels".

Image: The dividing wall between the cell and the outside world – including other cells – is far from being an impervious shell. On the contrary, it is perforated by various channels. Many of these are specially adapted to one specific ion or molecule and do not permit any other type to pass. Here to the left we see a water channel and to the right an ion channel.

A trio of ion channels takes the heat

Of the various temperature-sensitive ion channels identified previously, three have now been found to act in concert to detect painful heat and initiate protective reflexes, according to a paper published in Nature. This News & Views article discusses the findings.

A trio of ion channels takes the heat Of the various temperature-sensitive ion channels identified previously, three have now been found to act in concert to detect painful heat and initiate protective reflexes.

HONK YOUR HORN -- "motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord.

The Cell: An Image Library - Image CIL:39022

The Cell: An Image Library - Image CIL:39022 "Confocal micrograph showing the connections of the visual system in a four-day-old zebrafish embryo. Staining of the neurons, glia and optic nerve illustrate the connections between the retina and the brain. The retina is a multi-laye...

What is physiology? | Physiological Society

What is physiology? | Physiological Society Have you ever wondered why your heart rate increases when you get frightened or why your stomach growls when you’re hungry?If you have and know the reasons why, you have the subject of physiology and physiologists to thank for that knowledge. Physiology is the study of life in all guises. The Oxfo...

Why Too Much Stress Is Bad For You

Why Too Much Stress Is Bad For You It’s supposed to help keep your body healthy in stressful situations. But the constant stress of our everyday lives means we’re getting overexposed to cortis...

Brain Cells Share Information With Virus-Like Capsules

Brain Cells Share Information With Virus-Like Capsules The Arc gene, which is critical for animals’ ability to learn from experiences, has an incredible origin story.

The brain in 2017: Stunning images from Australian neuroscientists

The brain in 2017: Stunning images from Australian neuroscientists Take a look at some of the amazing neuroscience images out of the Queensland Brain Institute this year.

Your Amazing Molecular Machines

Your Amazing Molecular Machines These are the molecular machines inside your body that make cell division possible. Animation by Drew Berry at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical...

Hormone Loss Prevents Obesity and Diabetes in Mice

Two people with a rare genetic disorder have helped shed light on the fundamental neuroscience of appetite and, scientists say, opened up a new target for potential obesity treatments.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/50877/title/Hormone-Loss-Prevents-Obesity-and-Diabetes-in-Mice/&utm_content=62771527&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook/

Hormone Loss Prevents Obesity and Diabetes in Mice Asprosin—involved in a rare disease called neonatal progeroid syndrome—targets neurons to stimulate appetite, and blocking the hormone wards off weight gain in rodents.

"With exquisite precision, our inner clock adapts our physiology to the dramatically different phases of the day. The clock regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature and metabolism. Our wellbeing is affected when there is a temporary mismatch between our external environment and this internal biological clock".

Spring forward, fall back - have you adjusted to the clock change yet?

Over the last two weeks countries across the world have moved their clocks back an hour. But how do we cope with the change in time?

This year’s Laureates in Physiology or Medicine have shed light on the mystery of our circadian rhythms, and how our bodies manage our internal body clocks.

With exquisite precision, our inner clock adapts our physiology to the dramatically different phases of the day. The clock regulates critical functions such as behaviour, hormone levels, sleep, body temperature and metabolism. Our wellbeing is affected when there is a temporary mismatch between our external environment and this internal biological clock.

For more on how we adapt our biological rhythm and this year’s Medicine Prize see: https://goo.gl/gEjfVq

The findings discovered by the 2017 Medicine Laureates have far-reaching implications on our wellbeing & everyday lives.

The biological clock is involved in many aspects of our complex physiology. We now know that all multicellular organisms, including humans, utilize a similar mechanism to control circadian rhythms. A large proportion of our genes are regulated by the biological clock and, consequently, a carefully calibrated circadian rhythm adapts our physiology to the different phases of the day. Since the seminal discoveries by the three Nobel Laureates, circadian biology has developed into a vast and highly dynamic research field, with implications for our health and wellbeing.

Sleep is vital for normal brain function and circadian dysfunction has been linked to sleep disorders, as well as depression, bipolar disorder, cognitive function, memory formation and some neurological diseases (Gerstner and Yin, 2010). In rare cases, sleep phase disorders are due to mutations in circadian clock genes resulting in advanced or delayed sleep-wake cycles (Patke et al., 2017; Toh et al., 2001). Studies have indicated that chronic misalignment between our lifestyle and the rhythm dictated by our endogenous circadian clock may be associated with increased risk for various diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders and inflammation.

Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young are awarded “for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm”.

Press release: goo.gl/j7LWaK
Advanced information (pdf): goo.gl/UVTmx3

A single breath to combat lung cancer - Research in Germany

A single breath to combat lung cancer -

A single breath to combat lung cancer - Research in Germany Researchers from Bad Nauheim have developed a new early detection method for lung cancer