Share this post ✔️ The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates - Issue #29theapprofessor.substack.comCopy linkFacebookEmailNoteOther ✔️ The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates - Issue #29Kevin PattonJun 21, 2021Share this post ✔️ The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates - Issue #29theapprofessor.substack.comCopy linkFacebookEmailNoteOtherShareLife ScienceStudies of interoception challenge distinctions between disorders of the brain and body—and may hold clues to the basis of consciousnessA coronavirus variant first detected in India in February has now gone global. Here's what we know about how contagious it is -- and whether vaccines will work against the strain.Regeneron cocktail reduces mortality by 20% in those who don’t produce antibodies themselves, RECOVERY trial showsAnti-aging supplement effects in humans Synthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) decreases during aging, which is thought to limit the activity of enzymes that require it for their catalytic activity. Studies in animals indicate that replenishment of cellular NAD+ can have beneficial effects on aging and age-related diseases, but the situation in humans is less clear. Yoshino et al. report the effects of supplementation with the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide in overweight or obese postmenopausal women with prediabetes (see the Perspective by Hepler and Bass). The treatment improved insulin sensitivity in muscle, although a change in NAD+ content was not detected. The treatment also increased the expression of platelet-derived growth factor b. The results support potential therapeutic action of NAD+ supplementation in humans, but how various NAD+ precursors are processed in specific tissues remains to be fully explored.Teaching & LearningPresent Moment. It’s morning! Another day, and you are still living the dream. You have donned your clothes, and you have arrived at work with intentionality and determination. You finish chugging your coffee, and the roasted flavor lingers on the root of your tongue. You set foot into the lab, and immediately, the LED lights mesmerize you, as if for the first time. The fumes of formaldehyde cling to your nasal mucosae and pervade your lungs. You can already hear the resonating clamor of dissection tables being opened and the metallic clangs of probes and forceps being placed upon the steel trays. You caress the rubbery texture of the nylon gloves as you stretch them over your hands, reveling in the present moment just before the rest of the day’s journey begins.Let’s face it; this routine is probably not exactly how you would experience or describe a typical day as an anatomist or an anatomy instructor. TAPP News & NotesElephants can help students understand thermoregulation in human skin. Netrin is a protein that helps strengthen synapses to form memories in the brain.An elephant’s trunk is iconic. But understanding what happens inside that muscular structure during feeding has been sorely lacking. Experiments with a patient pachyderm at Zoo Atlanta reveal its tricks for inhaling everything from small cubes of rutabaga to massive volumes of water.PreviousNext