Sci-Ed Update 323

Tattoo safety, adaptive roles of photoreceptors, free endocrinology journals, art of the syllabus, music memory, female cold sensitivity, dye sticks to cancer cells, normal body temp, memory glue

Aug 08, 2024

A new study reveals the role of the molecule KIBRA in forming long-term memories. Researchers found that KIBRA acts as a “glue,” binding with the enzyme PKMzeta to strengthen and stabilize synapses, crucial for memory retention.
This discovery could lead to new treatments for memory-related conditions. The findings confirm a long-standing hypothesis about memory storage mechanisms.
Key Facts:
KIBRA’s Role: Acts as a molecular “glue” for long-term memory formation.
Memory Stabilization: KIBRA binds with PKMzeta to strengthen synapses.
Clinical Potential: Could inform treatments for memory-related disorders.

Human Photoreceptors and their Adaptive Roles

Discussions on vision in human anatomy and physiology courses are generally based on eye morphology, optics, phototransduction, and neural processing pathways. Rods and cones are the cells responsible for phototransduction (the conversion of light input into membrane potential changes and altered neurotransmitter release), with rods being most responsive to low light conditions (images perceived in greyscale and with relatively poor acuity) and cones reactive to higher levels of luminance (seen in color and at much higher resolution). Usually, little is said about this paradox: Under bright conditions, most human vision is mediated by cones, yet cones makeup only ~ 5% of retinal photoreceptors (the balance is rods).
Our hope is that this post will help shed some light (pun intended!) on these two classes of photoreceptors and their adaptive roles. Unfortunately, vision is enormously complex and explanation of retinal or post-retinal processing does require some significant detail. While you may not teach this detail, it is our hope that we can provide some new insights that will inform your teaching at any level.

Kevin Patton comment→ This is a very comprehensive and interesting article—a “must read” for A&P professors.

Society for Endocrinology Collection Now Available on ScienceOpen

The Society for Endocrinology’s collection of journals is now available on ScienceOpen, providing broad access to significant research in the field of endocrinology. Browse the collection here.

Kevin Patton comment→ What great resource when we A&P professors are diving deeper or simply trying to keep up with endocrinology.

Anatomy & Physiology Syllabus: It's an Art

In episode 120, host Kevin Patton discusses the importance of the course syllabus in setting the tone for a course and helping to create a positive course culture. He includes a list of practical, yet artful, steps we can take as we review and update our anatomy and physiology course syllabus.

00:00 | Introduction
02:02 | What, If Anything, Is a Course Syllabus?
14:16 | Sparking a Course Culture
25:07 | Odds & Ends: Part 1
37:28| Odds & Ends: Part 2

To listen to this episode, click on the play button above ⏵ (if present) or this link→ theAPprofessor.org/podcast-episode-120.html

Memory for music doesn’t diminish with age

The ability to remember and recognize a musical theme does not seem to be affected by age, unlike many other forms of memory.
“You’ll hear anecdotes all the time of how people with severe Alzheimer’s can't speak, can’t recognize people, but will sing the songs of their childhood or play the piano,” says Sarah Sauvé, a feminist music scientist now at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom.
Past research has shown that many aspects of memory are affected by ageing, such as recall tasks that require real-time processing, whereas recognition tasks that rely on well-known information and automatic processes are not. The effect of age on the ability to recall music has also been investigated, but Sauvé was interested in exploring this effect in a real-world setting such as a concert.
In her study¹, published today in PLoS ONE, she tested how well a group of roughly 90 healthy adults, ranging in age from 18 to 86 years, were able to recognize familiar and unfamiliar musical themes at a live concert.

Kevin Patton comment→ Another good reason to incorporate music into learning A&P!

Are women really more sensitive to cold? Here’s what the science says.

Even as the temperatures outside continue their upward climb, many office workers are stocking up on sweaters and blankets. Overly air-conditioned workplaces mean that many workers—disproportionately women—find that the summer heat has yielded to what some dub “women’s winter.”
Instead of shorts and sandals, the excessive cold indoors means space heaters and fuzzy socks. While the phenomenon has yielded an endless array of amusing TikTok videos, the subject is no joke.
“If people aren’t comfortable, they’re not going to perform as well as they could,” says Thomas Chang, a business economist at the University of Southern California. “It sounds obvious to the point of being stupid, but that’s what we find.”
Work by Chang and others showed that women tend to report being the most comfortable at a warmer temperature than the average man. And it’s not just offices, either. Whether outside or in, at home or work, studies have shown that women are more sensitive to cold.

Even MORE Test Answers | Normal Body Temperature?

Have you ever really considered the actual meaning that word “normal” in the context of teaching anatomy and physiology? Is it even meaningful at all? We explore that in the context of human body temperature in Episode 101. And I give some practical tips as we continue our conversation about my open, online, randomized testing scheme.

0:00:00 | Introduction
0:00:47 | What Does Normal Mean?
0:10:01 | What is Normal Body Temperature?
0:29:13 | In Our Last Episode…
0:33:35 | Practical Tips on Testing
0:52:39 | What About Lab Practicals?

To listen to this episode, click on the play button above ⏵ (if present) or this link→ theAPprofessor.org/podcast-episode-101.html

Scientists develop glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells in breakthrough study

Scientists have developed a glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells and gives surgeons a “second pair of eyes” to remove them in real time and permanently eradicate the disease. Experts say the breakthrough could reduce the risk of cancer coming back and prevent debilitating side-effects.
The fluorescent dye spotlights tiny cancerous tissue that cannot be seen by the naked eye, enabling surgeons to remove every last cancer cell while preserving healthy tissue. That could mean fewer life-changing side effects after surgery.
The technique was developed by scientists and surgeons at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the California biotech company ImaginAb Inc and was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Study confirms mammal-to-mammal avian flu spread

A new study provides evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states has now led to mammal-to-mammal transmission – between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.
“This is one of the first times that we are seeing evidence of efficient and sustained mammalian-to-mammalian transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1,” said Diego Diel, associate professor of virology in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences and director of the Virology Laboratory at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Diel is co-corresponding author of the study, “Spillover of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus to Dairy Cattle,” published July 25 in Nature.
Whole genome sequencing of the virus did not reveal any mutations in the virus that would lead to enhanced transmissibility of H5N1 in humans, although the data clearly shows mammal-to-mammal transmission, which is concerning as the virus may adapt in mammals, Diel said.

Thinking about getting a tattoo? New research might change your mind

Sealed bottles of tattoo and permanent makeup ink, including some marked as sterile, contained millions of potentially dangerous bacteria, according to new research by the US Food and Drug Administration.
“In light of our study results, we want to emphasize the importance of continuously monitoring these products to ensure the microbial safety of tattoo inks,” said Seong-Jae (Peter) Kim, a microbiologist staff fellow at the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas, in a statement. Kim is corresponding author of the July 2 report published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Because the ink is injected deep into the skin where some bacteria can thrive, contaminated tattoo ink can cause infections and serious injuries, said study coauthor Linda Katz, the director of the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors.

Kevin Patton comment→ A&P, microbiology, and pathophysiology concepts converge yet again.

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