Advances in Physiology Education最新文献

{"title":"Mechanism-driven ECG simulation framework for teaching drug-induced cardiac electrophysiology.","authors":"Rittinarong Meepong, Nuttinee Teerakulkittipong, Phakdee Sukpornsawan","doi":"10.1152/advan.00322.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00322.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias are central to physiology and pharmacology education, yet students often struggle to connect electrophysiological mechanisms with dynamic electrocardiographic (ECG) changes. We developed a mechanism-driven ECG simulation framework to model dose-dependent waveform alterations associated with drug-induced cardiac electrophysiological disturbances and to support structured classroom implementation. The platform integrates a parameter-controlled electrophysiological engine with deterministic waveform generation to simulate progressive ECG morphology changes across drug classes and exposure levels. Computational stability and reproducibility were evaluated with agreement and validation metrics across repeated simulations within predefined physiological bounds. The system demonstrated high reproducibility and narrow confidence intervals in waveform parameter estimation. Real-time manipulation of pharmacological variables enabled visualization of QT prolongation, conduction delay, and repolarization abnormalities in a dose-responsive manner. Designed for scaffolded, hypothesis-driven classroom use, the framework promotes mechanism-based reasoning rather than memorization of static ECG patterns and provides a reproducible, educator-focused platform for teaching drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study presents a mechanism-driven ECG simulation framework specifically designed for physiology education rather than diagnostic prediction. By integrating dose-dependent waveform modeling with structured classroom implementation, the platform enables learners to link pharmacological mechanisms to dynamic ECG changes through interactive, hypothesis-driven exploration.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"565-574"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147617165","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":"What is alive? Students' conceptions of the traits that unite living organisms.","authors":"Jeremy L Hsu, Meredith A Dorner, Kate M Hill","doi":"10.1152/advan.00139.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00139.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biology is the study of life, but students often hold misconceptions about what it means to be alive, with children often associating life with movement. These misconceptions can lead to biases in what students think is alive, with younger children often not thinking of plants as living given their lack of discernable movement. Despite this past work, there have been no prior studies that we are aware of that have examined how students in introductory biology conceptualize what it means to be alive. Here, we draw upon a fortuitous dataset collected from an in-class activity done on the first day of introductory biology courses at a two-year college and a four-year university in close proximity to characterize how students in these classes think of life before instruction in the course. Our results indicate that there is widespread variation in how students think of life, with only one theme, reproduction, found in a majority of students' responses. Despite this variation, we find that many students recognize criteria for life that align with criteria commonly cited in the scientific literature. However, there remain discrepancies in students' thinking versus how the scientific community and introductory biology textbooks describe what it means to be alive, with students continuing to hold some misconceptions. We conclude with implications for instructors for promoting student understanding on what it means to be alive.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> We provide the first examination of how students in undergraduate introductory biology courses characterize what it means to be alive, drawing upon data collected from an in-class activity on the first day of class at both a two-year college and a four-year university.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"518-524"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147582831","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":"The development and impact of an innovative graduate program to promote entry to physiology-related careers: the Master of Health Science in Medical Physiology.","authors":"Helen Miliotis, Alison Buchan, Carin Wittnich, Brian Cox, Patricia L Brubaker, Adria Giacca, Denise Belsham","doi":"10.1152/advan.00060.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00060.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Physiology graduates have a wide range of career options beyond health-science specializations, yet many are unaware of these paths or lack the skills that would allow them to directly enter these fields. To address this gap, the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto developed a Master of Health Science (MHSc) in Medical Physiology, a 1-yr, course-based professional degree to train students to apply existing physiological knowledge and put it into practice in emerging areas related to health. Rather than serving as a premedicine degree, the MHSc is designed with a multidisciplinary approach to empower physiology-skilled undergraduates to be job ready. The program combines courses in advanced physiology with a mentored literature review report, commercialization, big data analysis, and clinical applications, as well as embedded professional development and career exploration. Finally, a practicum placement allows students to explore how physiology is applied in diverse sectors, through employment in biotechnology, the pharmaceutical industry, clinical trial coordination, and health-related data science. Practicum supervisors report that the students bring a unique skillset that is highly valued in both academic and nonacademic organizations. Graduate outcomes (2021-2024) demonstrate that almost two-thirds of our students enter the workforce directly in physiology-related sectors such as biotechnology, consulting, medical communications, data analytics, and more, whereas the others will pursue advanced degrees. Herein, the program is detailed, including the curricular development and implementation, as well as the significant outcomes of this unique MHSc in Medical Physiology graduate program.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> To respond to emerging needs for new skills and to provide additional career paths for physiology graduates, we present the development, implementation, and outcomes of a new course-based, professional Master's program in physiology. Our novel multidisciplinary approach combines advanced physiology knowledge with applications, including big data analysis, commercialization initiatives, and clinical interventions, and prepares graduates for direct entry into related careers in health.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"627-635"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147788248","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":"Impact of cardiovascular disease in the obstetric population.","authors":"Emily M Hochreiner, Tina Takla, Marta Majewski, Michele Mele, Lawrence J Mulligan","doi":"10.1152/advan.00298.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00298.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pregnancy triggers major cardiovascular adaptations to meet the demands of the growing fetus. While these changes are well tolerated in healthy individuals, they can reveal or exacerbate underlying cardiovascular disease. This mini-literature review explores the impact of chronic hypertension and obesity on cardiovascular physiology during and after pregnancy. Both conditions heighten the risk of complications such as heart failure, hypertensive disorders, and long-term cardiovascular disease. Chronic hypertension contributes to structural heart changes and impairs the heart's ability to manage increased volume demands. Obesity promotes inflammation, insulin resistance, and cardiac remodeling, further straining the cardiovascular system. Together, these comorbidities amplify the hemodynamic burden of pregnancy and increase the likelihood of adverse outcomes. Despite these risks, many patients do not receive adequate cardiovascular monitoring or postpartum follow-up. This review highlights the need for early risk assessment, individualized management, and multidisciplinary care to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes. Pregnancy offers a unique opportunity to identify and address cardiovascular risk, with benefits that extend well beyond the perinatal period.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Pregnancy induces substantial cardiovascular adaptations that may unmask or exacerbate underlying disease. This review highlights how chronic hypertension and obesity interact with pregnancy-related hemodynamic changes to increase cardiovascular risk. It identifies pregnancy as a critical window for early cardiovascular risk stratification and intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"379-383"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147328063","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":"Sleep and circadian predictors of academic performance and retention in STEM pathways: a longitudinal study in university freshmen.","authors":"Corinne L Fitzsimmons, Jason R Carter, Michael K Scullin","doi":"10.1152/advan.00313.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00313.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Poor sleep health is common among university students, but there are diverging viewpoints on whether their sleep loss helps, harms, or has no impact on academic performance. We investigated whether sleep health markers in first-year university students predicted longitudinal academic outcomes when accounting for key variables. First-year university students who were pursuing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathway (<i>n</i> = 489) were recruited to complete a baseline session that included measures of global sleep quality, chronotype, daytime sleepiness, social jetlag (change in sleep timing from weekdays to weekends), demographics, mental health, and fluid intelligence (reasoning). At the end of year 1 and year 2, we extracted data on cumulative grade-point average (GPA), academic major change, STEM pathway change, and institutional withdrawal. After adjusting for demographic, mental health, and fluid intelligence factors, we observed that worse global sleep quality, evening chronotype, and worse social jetlag independently predicted year 1 GPA. Global sleep quality also predicted year 2 GPA, even when accounting for prior academic performance. Students with shorter sleep durations were more likely to switch from their STEM career pathway, even when accounting for academic performance, demographics, mental health, and fluid intelligence. In conclusion, sleep health markers are predictive of better future academic performance and retention in STEM pathways. There is a need for individual and environmental interventions to improve sleep health in first-year students and to determine causal direction.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Many believe that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students must sacrifice their sleep to achieve academic success. In striking contrast, the current research demonstrates that better sleep health in freshmen STEM majors predicted better academic success, even after accounting for mental health, fluid intelligence, and prior academic performance. The current work was the first to document that sleep health predicted better persistence in a STEM track across 2 yr.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"394-401"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147345727","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":"Cyclical aldosterone secretion and diagnostic insights of primary hyperaldosteronism informed by a mathematical model.","authors":"Melvin Khee-Shing Leow","doi":"10.1152/advan.00004.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00004.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary hypertension in many populations worldwide. Although hypertension with recurrent hypokalemia from renal potassium wasting and simultaneously elevated plasma aldosterone with suppressed renin is classic and pathognomic of PA, there are numerous instances when patients show unexpected, atypical, and confusing biochemical nuances. A thorough understanding of the appropriate diagnosis based on varied plasma aldosterone-renin-potassium concentrations is therefore necessary. We have derived a mathematical model to teach medical students, residents, experienced clinicians, and educators how to properly diagnose PA. Based on the physiology of aldosterone homeostasis in relation to plasma concentrations of renin, potassium, and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), a second-order linear ordinary differential equation of the first degree was set up. This yields solutions showing sinusoidal aldosterone secretion in relation to renin and potassium, thereby supporting the plausibility of normal to low plasma aldosterone in certain instances of PA. Evidence from the published literature supports cyclical aldosterone secretion in normal and pathological states. By educating the medical community to appreciate why \"normal-appearing\" plasma aldosterone, potassium, and renin do not exclude PA, this model achieves its pedagogical goals of advancing clinical awareness to combat diagnostic oversights, preventing the misinterpretation and underdiagnosis of treatable, secondary hypertension.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This mathematical model offers novel insights into the phenomenon of cyclical aldosterone secretion driven by oscillatory feedback homeostatic mechanisms mediated by potassium, renin, and diurnal ACTH. Previously reported but infrequently cited data support the model, which showcases the distinctive subtleties of primary aldosteronism (PA) that often confuse clinicians and also predicts the existence of cyclical PA, an underrecognized entity within the clinical spectrum of PA due to fluctuating aldosterone.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"584-594"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147655115","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":"Mitochondria and moon: footprints shaping life's evolution and cosmic exploration.","authors":"Seshadri Reddy Varikasuvu","doi":"10.1152/advan.00268.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00268.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This Personal View offers a fresh conceptual perspective for physiology education by framing cellular structures in the context of broader patterns and milestones. It encourages readers to consider the symbolic and historical significance of biological and exploratory imprints, fostering reflective thinking about how scientific concepts can be interpreted and communicated beyond the classroom.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"370-373"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146120706","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":"Making immunology memorable: resilience-inspired pitch stories to launch lectures.","authors":"Laura Machin-Galarza","doi":"10.1152/advan.00274.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00274.2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"338-340"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146144374","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":"Sources of stress and coping strategies employed by undergraduate students over a semester: motivations and implications for academic success.","authors":"E S Louise Faber, Jemma Campbell, Laura Carniel","doi":"10.1152/advan.00292.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00292.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>University students commonly experience high levels of stress, which negatively impact on academic performance, engagement, and well-being. Coping strategies can be employed to manage stress, but there have not been extensive examinations of student motivations for selecting coping strategies and how selection of strategies changes during a semester. This study explored sources of stress and coping strategies used by first-year undergraduate students across a semester. It examined reasons for strategy selection and the relationships between coping strategies, academic engagement, and performance. Participants were 203 consenting first-year undergraduate sport science students in Australia. Students responded to open-ended questions at the beginning and end of semester, and responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Frequencies of responses were correlated with measures of engagement and academic performance. The primary sources of stress were academic pressures, alongside social, financial, and personal challenges. At the beginning of semester, students predominantly intended to employ problem-focused coping strategies, such as time management and study techniques. However, by the semester's end, students more frequently reported using strategies such as exercise, balancing work and life, meditation, and yoga. Students' reported reasons for strategy use indicated that coping mechanisms served dual functions, both alleviating emotional distress and supporting study effectiveness, regardless of whether traditionally classified as problem- or emotion-focused. Employing more coping strategies positively correlated with higher academic performance. These findings suggest that encouraging a diverse range of adaptive coping strategies, while considering students' motivations for strategy selection, can support students' academic success and well-being.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study is the first to examine students' motivations for choosing coping strategies across a semester, revealing that strategies traditionally labeled \"problem-focused\" or \"emotion-focused\" often serve dual purposes: enhancing both well-being and academic productivity. Coping strategy use shifted markedly over time, with exercise emerging as the most relied-upon approach. Notably, using a greater number of coping strategies, rather than any specific strategy, positively correlated with higher academic performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"341-351"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146120684","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":"Enhancing engagement and confidence in male reproductive physiology through an escape room activity.","authors":"Michael C M Leung, Claire Huang, Joanne Caldwell Odgers, Dasuni Alwis, Craig A Harrison","doi":"10.1152/advan.00166.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00166.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Declining classroom attendance and in-class engagement in Australian higher education could be a result of systemic factors and highlight the need for innovative teaching strategies. This study evaluated the impact of a flipped learning (FL) escape room workshop on student engagement and confidence in male reproductive physiology among second-year physiology students at Monash University. A total of 418 students (91% of the cohort) attended the noncompulsory workshop, themed around diagnosing the infertility of a fictional medieval king. Pre- and postworkshop surveys assessed engagement, preparedness, and confidence across five physiology topics. Of the attendees, 333 completed the preworkshop, and 368 completed the postworkshop surveys. Students reported high engagement with the workshop activities (mean = 90%), with significant differences in confidence based on preworkshop preparedness. Postworkshop confidence improved significantly across all topics, with the largest gains observed in the least prepared students. For example, students with 0% preworkshop module completion reported confidence increases of 55%-118% across the topics covered in the workshop, while those fully prepared showed 8%-19% gains. These findings support the use of FL combined with gamified, narrative-driven workshops to enhance student engagement and confidence, regardless of their level of preparedness. The escape room format provided an inclusive environment that encouraged collaboration and active learning, demonstrating its potential as an engaging model for physiology education.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> A narrative-driven escape room workshop successfully engaged second-year physiology students and enhanced their confidence, regardless of their initial preparedness. Students of all levels of preparedness reported high levels of participation both before and during the workshop, highlighting the effectiveness of gamified workshops in enhancing classroom experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"384-391"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147328052","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}