{"title":"A toolbox of strategies to improve test-taking skills: a comparison of student perceptions.","authors":"Cynthia J Metz, Michael J Metz, Jeff C Falcone","doi":"10.1152/advan.00067.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00067.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Changes in the national examination structures have renewed interest in the development of test-taking strategies for professional students in the health sciences. It is often assumed that these high-achieving students have developed proficient test-taking skills and abilities before admittance. However, the assessments in these programs and for national licensure require an elevated level of reasoning and integration with clinical concepts. It was hypothesized that the implementation of an immersive test-taking strategies program would improve dental student perceptions of their abilities. A \"toolbox\" of four methods was implemented, which included <i>1</i>) an introductory video that provided students with 10 tips for approaching high-level exam questions; <i>2</i>) problem solution videos interspersed with class practice problems to walk students independently through rationales; <i>3</i>) collaborative group assessments in which students implemented the strategies in teams to prepare for exams; and <i>4</i>) unit exam debriefings to review the question rationales. Although all methods were positively reviewed on surveys, students indicated that the problem solution videos and the collaborative group assessments were more helpful and improved their test-taking skills significantly more than the other strategies (<i>P</i> < 0.01, 1-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test). Students felt they had developed strong test-taking strategies (average of 4.21 on a 5-point scale, SD 0.76) and felt more prepared for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (4.48, SD 0.66). These results suggest that a multipronged approach with frequent opportunities to practice test-taking strategies can improve student perceptions of their ability to master high-level and integrated assessment questions.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Professional students in the health sciences may need to improve their test-taking skills for high-level and integrated assessments. A toolbox of strategies was implemented in a Dental Physiology course that included an introductory video, problem solution videos for practice problems, collaborative group assessments, and unit exam debriefings. The students reported that the strategies were helpful, improving their preparation and test-taking strategies for summative exams such as the Integrated National Board Dental Examination.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"824-832"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dax Ovid, Ashley Rose Acosta-Parra, Arsema Alemayehu, Jacob Francisco Gomez, Dathan Tran, Brie Tripp
{"title":"\"All of us are capable, and all of us can be scientists.\" The impact of Scientist Spotlight assignments with undergraduates in physiology courses.","authors":"Dax Ovid, Ashley Rose Acosta-Parra, Arsema Alemayehu, Jacob Francisco Gomez, Dathan Tran, Brie Tripp","doi":"10.1152/advan.00116.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00116.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To advance ongoing efforts to diversify the healthcare field and promote inclusion in physiology education, the present study investigates the potential for an evidence-based intervention, Scientist Spotlight assignments, to highlight counterstereotypical representations of scientists in the context of majors and nonmajors physiology courses. Undergraduate students at an emerging Hispanic serving R1 institution completed six Scientist Spotlights assignments in their physiology courses. We conducted semistructured interviews and disseminated an established pre- and postsurvey protocol at the beginning and end of the courses. Our findings from interviews with 31 students from a range of marginalized backgrounds revealed that <i>1</i>) the biographical information about counterstereotypical scientists deeply resonated with students by humanizing science, <i>2</i>) the instructor's implementation of the assignments made a meaningful difference in their feelings of inclusion, and <i>3</i>) the assignments supported students' beliefs about their content learning and understanding of physiological concepts. The results from the survey showed that regardless of being in a major (<i>n</i> = 159) or nonmajor (<i>n</i> = 117) course, students from a range of demographic groups can and do significantly shift in their relatability to and descriptions of scientists. We highlight implications for inclusive curricula like Scientist Spotlights for addressing the issue of representation in physiology textbooks, curriculum, and healthcare fields at large.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Scientist Spotlights significantly enhance undergraduate students' feelings of inclusion and learning in undergraduate physiology courses at an emerging Hispanic-serving institution. By engaging with assignments featuring counterstereotypical scientists, students in both majors and nonmajors physiology courses shifted in their relatability to and descriptions of scientists. These results suggest that an inclusive curriculum, combined with supportive instructor practices, can positively impact student success and representation in physiology education.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"770-783"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141908248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Baylee A Edwards, Jude Kolodisner, Jacob P Youngblood, Katelyn M Cooper, Sara E Brownell
{"title":"Students respond positively to an instructor collecting and sharing aggregated class demographic data from a survey in a high-enrollment physiology course.","authors":"Baylee A Edwards, Jude Kolodisner, Jacob P Youngblood, Katelyn M Cooper, Sara E Brownell","doi":"10.1152/advan.00126.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00126.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The impersonal nature of high-enrollment science courses makes it difficult to build student-instructor relationships, which can negatively impact student learning and engagement, especially for members of marginalized groups. In this study, we explored whether an instructor collecting and sharing aggregated student demographics could positively impact student-instructor relationships. We surveyed students in a high-enrollment physiology course about their perceptions of their instructor <i>1</i>) distributing a demographic survey, and <i>2</i>) sharing aggregated survey results in class. We found that 72% of students appreciated the demographic survey, and 91% thought it helped their instructor get to know them. Further, 73% of students expressed that the instructor sharing aggregated demographic data in class positively impacted their overall course experience, and over 90% thought both the collection and sharing of demographic data were appropriate. Most students felt both parts of the intervention increased their sense of belonging in class, increased how connected they felt to their instructor, and made their instructor seem more approachable and inclusive, although the intervention also made some students feel more different from their peers. Women and nonbinary students felt the demographic survey increased instructor approachability more than men, and liberal students felt the survey increased instructor approachability more than nonliberal students. Compared to men, women and nonbinary students were more likely to report that taking the survey increased instructor inclusivity and made them feel less different from their peers. Based on these results, collecting student demographic information and sharing it in aggregate may be a practical, effective way to enhance student-instructor relationships.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study examined undergraduate student perceptions of a high-enrollment physiology instructor collecting student demographics and sharing aggregated results to promote course inclusion. Most students perceived the collection and sharing positively, with women and nonbinary students, as well as liberal students, perceiving greater benefits from the data collection than their counterparts. Our results indicate that collecting and sharing in aggregate student demographics may be an effective way to enhance student-instructor relationships in high-enrollment science courses.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"836-856"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A primer: peer review process for <i>Advances in Physiology Education</i>.","authors":"Thad E Wilson, Lisa M Harrison-Bernard","doi":"10.1152/advan.00127.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00127.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The dissemination of discipline-focused educational scholarship advances theory and stimulates pedagogical application. The aim of <i>Advances in Physiology Education</i> is to publish manuscripts that advance knowledge and inform educators in the field. This primer is tailored for individuals new to manuscript reviewing, early in their careers, or experienced in reviewing research but not educational manuscripts. Peer reviewing for basic and applied science is akin to evaluating research questions and rigor in teaching and learning studies, with differences in approach and analysis similar to those between biophysics and molecular physiology or cell and integrated physiology. Our purpose is to provide an overview of the review process and expectations. The submission and peer review process involves several steps: authors submit a manuscript and the Editor assigns an Associate Editor, who then assigns peer Reviewers. Reviewers are contacted via email and can accept or decline the invitation. Reviewers evaluate the work's strengths and weaknesses and then independently submit comments and recommendations to the Associate Editor. After review, the Associate Editor collects and weighs Reviewers' comments, sometimes garners additional reviews and input, to make a recommendation to the Editor. The Editor reviews the process, comments, and recommendations to render a final decision. Both authors and Reviewers receive an email with the decision. The editorial staff assists with communication and helps track the overall process. Peer review is integral to scientific publishing, ensuring quality and rigor, and reviewing is both a privilege and a responsibility of all in the scientific community.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This mini-review offers a comprehensive and current overview of the peer review process and the qualifications required to serve as a journal reviewer for <i>Advances in Physiology Education</i>. The guidelines are specifically designed for early career professionals new to manuscript reviewing, as well as seasoned research manuscript reviewers who are new to educational manuscript evaluation. Peer review is a cornerstone of scientific publishing, ensuring both quality and rigor. It is both a privilege and a responsibility for all members of the scientific community.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"932-935"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zer Vue, Chia Vang, Celestine N Wanjalla, Andrea G Marshall, Kit Neikirk, Dominique Stephens, Sulema Perales, Edgar Garza-Lopez, Heather K Beasley, Annet Kirabo, Yelena Janumyan Doe, Desmond Campbell, Letimicia Fears, Ahmad Alghanem, Estevão Scudese, Beverly Owens, Derrick J Morton, Clintoria R Williams, Zachary Conley, Hinton Antentor
{"title":"A workshop to enrich physiological understanding through hands-on learning about mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites.","authors":"Zer Vue, Chia Vang, Celestine N Wanjalla, Andrea G Marshall, Kit Neikirk, Dominique Stephens, Sulema Perales, Edgar Garza-Lopez, Heather K Beasley, Annet Kirabo, Yelena Janumyan Doe, Desmond Campbell, Letimicia Fears, Ahmad Alghanem, Estevão Scudese, Beverly Owens, Derrick J Morton, Clintoria R Williams, Zachary Conley, Hinton Antentor","doi":"10.1152/advan.00271.2023","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00271.2023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Physiology is an important field for students to gain a better understanding of biological mechanisms. Yet, many students often find it difficult to learn from lectures, resulting in poor retention. Here, we utilize a learning workshop model to teach students at different levels ranging from middle school to undergraduate. We specifically designed a workshop to teach students about mitochondria<b>-</b>endoplasmic reticulum contact (MERC) sites. The workshop was implemented for middle school students in a laboratory setting that incorporated a pretest to gauge prior knowledge, instructional time, hands-on activities, interactive learning from experts, and a posttest. We observed that the students remained engaged during the session of interactive methods, teamed with their peers to complete tasks, and delighted in the experience. Implications for the design of future physiological workshops are further offered.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This manuscript offers a design for a workshop that utilizes blended learning to engage middle school, high school, and undergraduate students while teaching them about mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"808-817"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas Fimognari, Leaf R Kardol, Terese O'Shannassy, Katherine A Sanders, Jeremy T Smith, Caitlin S Wyrwoll
{"title":"Inclusion of genital, sexual, and gender diversity in human reproductive teaching: impact on student experience and recommendations for tertiary educators.","authors":"Nicholas Fimognari, Leaf R Kardol, Terese O'Shannassy, Katherine A Sanders, Jeremy T Smith, Caitlin S Wyrwoll","doi":"10.1152/advan.00113.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00113.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Western societal norms have long been constrained by binary and exclusionary perspectives on matters such as infertility, contraception, sexual health, sexuality, and gender. These viewpoints have shaped research and knowledge frameworks for decades and led to an inaccurate and incomplete reproductive biology curriculum. To combat these deficiencies in reproductive systems-related education, our teaching team undertook a gradual transformation of unit content from 2018 to 2023, aiming to better reflect real diversity in human reproductive biology. This initiative involved intentional modifications, including clear use of pronoun self-identification by staff. We addressed the historical lack of representation of genital variation and helped students interrogate oversimplified reproductive biology binaries. A novel assignment was also introduced, prompting students to apply reproductive physiology knowledge to propose innovative assisted reproductive technology solutions for diverse demographics. The collective impact of these innovations had a positive effect on student learning. With improved lecture content and inclusive language, the proportion of inclusive group assignment topics chosen by students more than doubled in 2021. By 2022, coinciding with assessment topic changes, the percentage of inclusive assignments topics surpassed 50%. Further development of laboratory activities on intersex genital variation and genital modification raised further understanding of genital, sexual, gender, and cultural diversity. While implementing these changes posed challenges, pushing both staff and students out of their comfort zones at times, collaboration with relevant organizations and individuals with lived experience of queer identity proved integral. Ultimately, these relatively simple adjustments had a substantial impact on student experiences and appreciation for diversity.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> We outline the teaching innovations that we have implemented to improve inclusion of diversity in reproductive biology and physiology contexts. This includes improved representation of genital, sexual, and gender diversity considerations in the curriculum. There is a critical need for these innovations as how we teach fundamentally shapes the understanding of our future medical and health professionals and researchers and thus influences the quality of future medical care and research.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"698-703"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141908250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Feroza Daroowalla, David M Harris, Jonathan Kibble
{"title":"Bringing back the core concepts of physiology in an advanced medical school senior elective.","authors":"Feroza Daroowalla, David M Harris, Jonathan Kibble","doi":"10.1152/advan.00072.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00072.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Integrating physiology core concepts into the clinical years of medical education has been challenging despite efforts. This article describes a fourth-year medical school elective, Advanced Physiology in Critical Care Medicine, that focused on integrating physiology core concepts in a case-based learning approach. The elective used interdisciplinary faculty in a virtual forum. Senior students were asked to generate mechanism of disease (MOD) maps, highlight the physiology core concepts associated with paper cases of critically ill patients, and discuss with faculty the relevance of the underlying basic science. The weekly footprint consisted of a student-led session presenting MOD maps for three cases, which examined aspects of core physiology concepts, and, later in the same week, student presentation of order sets for the management of the cases. Students ended the 4-wk elective with a mini-grand rounds presentation on a topic of their choice incorporating the core concept paradigm. Student perception data and faculty reflections of the elective course are included. Student data and faculty observations suggest that students appreciate and can apply physiological core concepts to patient care. Faculty experience in the course suggests that this senior elective helped them better approach all preclinical teaching with the Core Concepts framework in mind.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This article presents an innovative approach to integration of physiology core concepts with clinical management using cases of critically ill patients in an online senior elective for medical students. It uses a multidisciplinary faculty conducting a course primarily using case-based learning led by student presentations and discussions of concept maps and order sets.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"873-877"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142300124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christophe O Soulage, Fabien Van Coppenolle, Fitsum Guebre-Egziabher
{"title":"The conversational AI \"ChatGPT\" outperforms medical students on a physiology university examination.","authors":"Christophe O Soulage, Fabien Van Coppenolle, Fitsum Guebre-Egziabher","doi":"10.1152/advan.00181.2023","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00181.2023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained massive interest with the public release of the conversational AI \"ChatGPT,\" but it also has become a matter of concern for academia as it can easily be misused. We performed a quantitative evaluation of the performance of ChatGPT on a medical physiology university examination. Forty-one answers were obtained with ChatGPT and compared to the results of 24 students. The results of ChatGPT were significantly better than those of the students; the median (IQR) score was 75% (66-84%) for the AI compared to 56% (43-65%) for students (<i>P</i> < 0.001). The exam success rate was 100% for ChatGPT, whereas 29% (<i>n</i> = 7) of students failed. ChatGPT could promote plagiarism and intellectual laziness among students and could represent a new and easy way to cheat, especially when evaluations are performed online. Considering that these powerful AI tools are now freely available, scholars should take great care to construct assessments that really evaluate student reflection skills and prevent AI-assisted cheating.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> The release of the conversational artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT has become a matter of concern for academia as it can easily be misused by students for cheating purposes. We performed a quantitative evaluation of the performance of ChatGPT on a medical physiology university examination and observed that ChatGPT outperforms medical students obtaining significantly better grades. Scholars should therefore take great care to construct assessments crafted to really evaluate the student reflection skills and prevent AI-assisted cheating.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"677-684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141591968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new approach to peripheral nerve block education with the Anatomage Table as a learning adjunct.","authors":"Varun Shenoy, Arjun Kumar Ghimire, Chaya Gopalan","doi":"10.1152/advan.00028.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00028.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human anatomy education serves as a gateway for entering the intricacies of health science. Human cadavers have been the gold standard for learning regional and gross anatomy. However, increasing barriers in acquisition, maintenance, and longevity have pushed anatomy education toward technology-based alternatives such as the Anatomage Table (AT), an interactive, life-sized virtual dissection table with many anatomy education-centric features. The AT has found purchase in various contexts, such as clinical settings, research, outreach, and education. Studies into the efficacy of the AT in teaching settings have been generally positive but limited in its application, particularly in clinical procedure education. In this study, we conducted an informal workshop for second-year Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) students to aid in being able to identify the important neuraxial landmarks for performing peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs), an anesthetic technique often used before other procedures. In our workshop, we paired the AT with identification of the same neuraxial landmarks on volunteer models with an ultrasound probe to provide students with relevant tactile experience for the procedure. From our pre-/post-surveys of the participants (<i>n</i> = 29), we found that our workshop significantly increased student confidence in identifying the relevant neuraxial landmarks for and in performing PNBs. Our results support the use of the AT in clinical education as a supplement, particularly where other anatomic teaching tools, such as cadaver models, may be too difficult to implement.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> We implemented the Anatomage Table (AT) and portable ultrasound to teach neuraxial landmarks for performing peripheral nerve blocks (PNB), an anesthetic technique for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) students. The workshop significantly increased student confidence in identifying the relevant neuraxial landmarks for performing PNBs. Our results support the use of the AT in clinical education as a supplement.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"818-823"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142114484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guilherme Brito-da-Silva, Gustavo Manzanares, Beatriz Beltrame Barone, Vanessa Silva Dos Santos, Sabrina Sturion Fillipini, Paulo G Gandra
{"title":"Carbohydrate storage in cells: a laboratory activity for the assessment of glycogen stores in biological tissues.","authors":"Guilherme Brito-da-Silva, Gustavo Manzanares, Beatriz Beltrame Barone, Vanessa Silva Dos Santos, Sabrina Sturion Fillipini, Paulo G Gandra","doi":"10.1152/advan.00023.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00023.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Carbohydrates and fats constitute our primary energy sources. The importance of each of these energy substrates varies across cell types and physiological conditions. For example, the brain normally relies almost exclusively on glucose oxidation, whereas skeletal muscle shifts from lipids toward higher carbohydrate oxidation rates as exercise intensity increases. Understanding how carbohydrates are stored in our cells and which tissues contain significant carbohydrate stores is crucial for health professionals, especially given the role of carbohydrate metabolism in various pathophysiological conditions. This laboratory activity uses a simple and low-cost iodine binding method to quantify glycogen in mouse skeletal muscle and liver samples. By integrating the results of this activity with literature data, students can determine overall glycogen storage in the human body. The primary goal of the activity is to enhance students' understanding of the importance and limitations of glycogen stores in energy metabolism.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Carbohydrates are one of the primary energy sources utilized by our cells. Liver and skeletal muscle glycogen, which are the main carbohydrate reserves in the body, play a central role in energy metabolism, especially during periods of fasting and exercise. In this laboratory activity, students measure glycogen levels in tissues to gain insights into how carbohydrates are stored in our cells and understand the role and limitations of liver and muscle carbohydrate stores.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"742-751"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141591967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}