Experimental evidence on a "light-touch" personalized email intervention in an online, undergraduate physiology course.

In large physiology classes, there is a demand for low-effort, or "light touch," strategies that faculty can use to connect with students and promote increased academic performance and student engagement. The purpose of this study was to compare personalized versus standardized emails following unit quizzes on student perceptions of faculty engagement, participation in academic resources, and academic performance in a junior-level, online physiology course. Students completed the online unit quiz and received a subsequent feedback email from the course director. Students were randomized into the Control (n = 101) or the Experimental (n = 104) group for general or personalized performance feedback emails, respectively. Students completed start and end of semester surveys capturing demographics, course expectations, self-reported use of resources, and impressions of the faculty. Final exam and course grades were collected. Perceptions of faculty were similar between groups, and receiving professor feedback after quizzes did not make the Experimental group more likely to use any of the available academic support services. There was no difference in final exam grades (Control: 73.9 ± 14.1%; Experimental: 73.4 ± 15.3%) or final course grades between groups (Control: 79.2 ± 13.1%; Experimental: 78.7 ± 13.3; P > 0.05). Personalized performance feedback from light-touch emails did not improve student perceptions of faculty engagement, self-reported participation in academic resources, or academic performance compared with a standardized email in a junior-level, online physiology course. Overall, this study does not support the use of personalized emails regarding quiz performance in an online physiology course.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Personalized performance feedback from light-touch emails did not improve student perceptions of faculty engagement, self-reported participation in academic resources, or academic performance compared with a standardized email in a junior-level, online physiology course.

Xanthine oxidase mediates chronic stress-induced cerebrovascular dysfunction and cognitive impairment.

Xanthine oxidase (XO) mediates vascular function. Chronic stress impairs cerebrovascular function and increases the risk of stroke and cognitive decline. Our study determined the role of XO on stress-induced cerebrovascular dysfunction and cognitive decline. We measured middle cerebral artery (MCA) function, free radical formation, and working memory in 6-month-old C57BL/6 mice who underwent 8 weeks of control conditions or unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) with or without febuxostat (50 mg/L), a XO inhibitor. UCMS mice had an impaired MCA dilation to acetylcholine vs. controls (p < 0.0001), and increased total free radical formation, XOR protein levels, and hydrogen peroxide production in the liver compared to controls. UCMS increased hydrogen peroxide production in the brain and cerebrovasculature compared to controls. Working memory, using the y-maze test, was impaired (p < 0.05) in UCMS mice compared to control mice. However, blocking XO using febuxostat prevented the UCMS-induced impaired MCA response, while free radical production and hydrogen peroxide levels were similar to controls in the liver and brain of UCMS mice treated with febuxostat. Further, UCMS + Feb mice did not have a significant reduction in working memory. These data suggest that the cerebrovascular dysfunction associated with chronic stress may be driven by XO, which leads to a reduction in working memory.

Full-Body Photobiomodulation Therapy Is Associated with Reduced Sleep Durations and Augmented Cardiorespiratory Indicators of Recovery.

Research is emerging on the use of Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) and its potential for augmenting human performance, however, relatively little research exists utilizing full-body administration methods. As such, further research supporting the efficacy of whole-body applications of PBMT for behavioral and physiological modifications in applicable, real-world settings are warranted. The purpose of this analysis was to observe cardiorespiratory and sleep patterns surrounding the use of full-body PBMT in an elite cohort of female soccer players. Members of a women's soccer team in a "Power 5 conference" of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) were observed across one competitive season while wearing an OURA Ring nightly and a global positioning system (GPS) sensor during training. Within-subject comparisons of cardiorespiratory physiology, sleep duration, and sleep composition were evaluated the night before and after PBMT sessions completed as a standard of care for team recovery. Compared to pre-intervention, mean heart rate (HR) was significantly lower the night after a PBMT session (p = 0.0055). Sleep durations were also reduced following PBMT, with total sleep time (TST) averaging 40 min less the night after a session (p = 0.0006), as well as significant reductions in light sleep (p = 0.0307) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep durations (p = 0.0019). Sleep durations were still lower following PBMT, even when controlling for daily and accumulated training loads. Enhanced cardiorespiratory indicators of recovery following PBMT, despite significant reductions in sleep duration, suggest that it may be an effective modality for maintaining adequate recovery from the high stress loads experienced by elite athletes.

Professional skills for physiology majors: defining and refining.

Changing labor markets require a workforce that is broadly trained for a variety of possible careers. Recognizing this, government and industry representatives, along with students and their families, are encouraging universities and colleges to focus more on developing transferable skills to maximize employability of their graduates. In response, academic institutions and professional organizations have begun to develop lists of transferable professional skills that they expect students to have acquired on graduation. At the 2018 Physiology Majors Interest Group (P-MIG) meeting, participants stated that there was a need to define a list of professional skills for undergraduates completing a physiology major. To this end, a professional skills committee was established. Initially members of the committee worked together to develop a draft list of skills. An iterative process of refining the list was then undertaken through presentations/small-group discussions at appropriate international meetings and via an online survey. Over 60 physiology educators, the majority of whom teach in undergraduate programs, provided input. The final list (presented here) consists of 13 skills grouped in four broad categories: think critically, communicate effectively, behave in a socially and scientifically responsible manner, and demonstrate laboratory proficiency. It is anticipated that the list will be used for curriculum mapping and to guide the development of new physiology courses and major programs. The professional skills committee now plans to develop rubrics and tools that will allow for the assessment of these skills.

Exercise training prevents the perivascular adipose tissue-induced aortic dysfunction with metabolic syndrome.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of exercise training on improving the thoracic perivascular adipose tissue (tPVAT) phenotype (inflammation, oxidative stress, and proteasome function) in metabolic syndrome and its subsequent actions on aortic function. METHODS: Lean and obese (model of metabolic syndrome) Zucker rats (n=8/group) underwent 8-weeks of control conditions or treadmill exercise (70% of max speed, 1 h/day, 5 days/week). At the end of the intervention, the tPVAT was removed and conditioned media was made. The cleaned aorta was attached to a force transducer to assess endothelium-dependent and independent dilation in the presence or absence of tPVAT-conditioned media. tPVAT gene expression, inflammatory /oxidative phenotype, and proteasome function were assessed. RESULTS: The main findings were that Ex induced: (1) a beige-like, anti-inflammatory tPVAT phenotype; (2) a greater abundance of •NO in tPVAT; (3) a reduction in tPVAT oxidant production; and (4) an improved tPVAT proteasome function. Regarding aortic function, endothelium-dependent dilation was greater in exercised lean and obese groups vs. controls (p < 0.05). Lean control tPVAT improved aortic relaxation, whereas obese control tPVAT decreased aortic relaxation. In contrast, the obese Ex-tPVAT increased aortic dilation, whereas the lean Ex-tPVAT did not affect aortic dilation. CONCLUSION: Overall, exercise had the most dramatic impact on the obese tPVAT reflecting a change towards an environment with less oxidant load, less inflammation and improved proteasome function. Such beneficial changes to the tPVAT micro-environment with exercise likely played a significant role in mediating the improvement in aortic function in metabolic syndrome following 8 weeks of exercise.

Role of Chronic Stress and Exercise on Microvascular Function in Metabolic Syndrome.

PURPOSE: The present study examined the effect of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) on peripheral microvessel function in healthy and metabolic syndrome (MetS) rodents and whether exercise training could prevent the vascular dysfunction associated with UCMS. METHODS: Lean and obese (model of MetS) Zucker rats (LZR and OZR) were exposed to 8 wk of UCMS, exercise (Ex), UCMS + Ex, or control conditions. At the end of the intervention, gracilis arterioles (GA) were isolated and hung in a pressurized myobath to assess endothelium-dependent (EDD) and endothelium-independent (EID) dilation. Levels of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured through 4-amino-5-methylamino-2',7'-difluorofluorescein diacetate and dihydroethidium staining, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with LZR controls, EDD and EID were lower (P = 0.0001) in LZR-UCMS. The OZR-Ex group had a higher EDD (P = 0.0001) and EID (P = 0.003) compared with OZR controls, whereas only a difference in EDD (P = 0.01) was noted between the LZR-control and LZR-Ex groups. Importantly, EDD and EID were higher in the LZR (P = 0.0001; P = 0.02) and OZR (P = 0.0001; P = 0.02) UCMS + Ex groups compared with UCMS alone. Lower NO bioavailability and higher ROS were noted in the LZR-UCMS group (P = 0.0001), but not OZR-UCMS, compared with controls. The Ex and UCMS-Ex groups had higher NO bioavailability (P = 0.0001) compared with the control and UCMS groups, but ROS levels remained high. CONCLUSIONS: The comorbidity between UCMS and MetS does not exacerbate the effects of one another on GA EDD responses, but does lead to the development of other vasculopathy adaptations, which can be partially explained by alterations in NO and ROS production. Importantly, exercise training alleviates most of the negative effects of UCMS on GA function.

Effect of chronic stress on running wheel activity in mice.

Acute and chronic stress have been reported to have differing effects on physical activity in rodents, but no study has examined a chronic stress protocol that incorporates stressors often experienced by rodents throughout a day. To examine this, the effects of the Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress (UCMS) protocol on voluntary running wheel activity at multiple time points, and/or in response to acute removal of chronic stress was determined. Twenty male Balb/c mice were given access and accustomed to running wheels for 4 weeks, after which they were randomized into 2 groups; exercise (EX, n = 10) and exercise with chronic stress using a modified UCMS protocol for 7 hours/day (8:00 a.m.-3:00p.m.), 5 days/week for 8 weeks (EXS, n = 10). All mice were given access to running wheels from approximately 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. during the weekday, however during weekends mice had full-time access to running wheels (a time period of no stress for the EXS group). Daily wheel running distance and time were recorded. The average running distance, running time, and work each weekday was significantly lower in EXS compared to EX mice, however, the largest effect was seen during week one. Voluntary wheel running deceased in all mice with increasing age; the pattern of decline appeared to be similar between groups. During the weekend (when no stress was applied), EXS maintained higher distance compared to EX, as well as higher daily distance, time, and work compared to their weekday values. These results indicate that mild chronic stress reduces total spontaneous wheel running in mice during the first week of the daily stress induction and maintains this reduced level for up to 8 consecutive weeks. However, following five days of UCMS, voluntary running wheel activity rebounds within 2-3 days.

Possible prevention and treatment of prostate cancer by exercise.

Exercise and physical activity have been linked to the prevention of certain types of cancer such as colon and breast. As prostate cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed in the male population, there is obvious interest in determining a possible effect of exercise on disease prevention and improvement of disease-related outcomes. Thus far, data has been conflicting and there has been no clear determination of prostate cancer prevention through exercise. However, as prostate cancer treatment carries many side effects which may be bothersome and health-threatening, researchers have examined the effects of exercise training on reducing treatment-related complications and improving outcomes and quality of life (QOL). In this review, we discuss the impact of exercise on reducing side effects of prostate cancer treatment and improving cancer-specific and overall survival outcomes, as well as improving QOL in prostate cancer patients.