Madeline A Wethington, David Buyck, John Brigham, Enrique Vergara Escudero, Amanda DeVos, Paul A Iaizzo
{"title":"The creation of freely accessible cardiac physiology and anatomy educational tools: AR, VR, mobile applications, and the Atlas of Human Cardiac Anatomy website.","authors":"Madeline A Wethington, David Buyck, John Brigham, Enrique Vergara Escudero, Amanda DeVos, Paul A Iaizzo","doi":"10.1152/advan.00243.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00243.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the rapid evolution of virtual teaching technologies, there is a growing demand for accessible, interactive educational tools relative to both cardiac physiology and anatomy. This article presents a suite of free mobile, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) applications developed by the Visible Heart Laboratories at the University of Minnesota. These applications leverage real human heart anatomical data and advanced three-dimensional (3-D) imaging to provide immersive simulations that enhance learning for students and professionals worldwide. Designed for broad accessibilities, these applications allow users to explore the intricacies of detailed cardiac anatomy in highly interactive formats including mobile devices and VR platforms. This suite of applications not only democratizes access to high-quality physiological education but also enables learners without access to traditional resources like cadaver labs as a surrogate for hands-on experiences. Early studies suggest that these digital tools improve both comprehension and retention of complex physiological concepts, thus marking significant advancements in medical education of the human heart. Through continued developments and global disseminations, these tools aim to support a future where cardiac physiology education is more inclusive and universally accessible.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This article presents a suite of free mobile, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) applications developed by the Visible Heart Laboratories at the University of Minnesota. These applications leverage real human heart anatomical data and advanced three-dimensional (3-D) imaging to provide immersive simulations that enhance learning for students and professionals worldwide. Designed for broad accessibilities, these applications allow users to explore the intricacies of detailed cardiac anatomy in highly interactive formats including mobile devices and AR/VR platforms.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1196-1205"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148842114","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":"Revealing the link between critical thinking disposition and learning approaches: a cross-sectional study among Chinese medical students.","authors":"Yicheng Lin, Shiyu Fu, Luning Yang, Ziqi Liu, Yangting Xu, Ziqiang Luo","doi":"10.1152/advan.00151.2024","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00151.2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to explore the association between medical students' critical thinking (CT) disposition and learning approach (LA), to provide novel insights for fostering CT in medical education. In this cross-sectional study, 152 second-year medical students completed online questionnaires consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Chinese version of the California Critical Thinking Dispostion Inventory (CTDI-CV), and the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). Students' mean CT score was 290 (SD 26) out of 420, with 64% of students achieving a CT score of 280 or above. Additionally, the students' deep learning approach (DA, characterized by intrinsic motivation and meaning-making strategies) and surface learning approach (SA, characterized by extrinsic motivation and rote memorization) were 29 (SD 6) and 23 (SD 6), both with a maximum score of 40. Regression analysis showed that deep and surface learning approaches explained 39.0% of the variance in total CT score. Additionally, there was a moderate positive correlation between CT and DA (<i>r</i> = 0.54, <i>P</i> < 0.001), whereas SA showed a negative correlation (<i>r</i> = -0.45, <i>P</i> < 0.001). This study revealed the relationship between students' CT disposition and LA, emphasizing the significance of improving students' LA to enhance their CT. These findings underscore the need for curriculum reforms emphasizing deep learning strategies to systematically enhance medical students' CT disposition.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study is among the first to examine how deep and surface learning approaches predict CT disposition in Chinese medical students. By integrating the R-SPQ-2F and the CTDI-CV, we not only analyzed the associations between CT dispositions and LA but also developed a regression model explaining 39% of CT variance. Our findings highlight that innovative activities and academic performance moderate the CT-LA relationship, suggesting actionable targets for curriculum reform.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1151-1158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148842137","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":"Permission to feel: addressing feeling rules as a prerequisite to emotional intelligence skill development in undergraduate prehealth education.","authors":"Ash Tea, Dax Ovid","doi":"10.1152/advan.00166.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00166.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Initiatives to improve physiology majors' social and behavioral professional skills development would be remiss without an understanding of the emotional culture affecting intended audiences. To characterize the emotional hidden curriculum in undergraduate life science education, this study explores feeling rules that influence how undergraduate prehealth students navigate emotional expression, an important aspect of emotional intelligence, in life science classrooms. We conducted semistructured interviews and culturally responsive focus groups at an R1 university in the southeast. Our findings from interviews with 21 students revealed four feeling rules: <i>1</i>) no feelings allowed: successful scientists suppress emotions; <i>2</i>) please them or else: social hierarchies and acceptance take precedence over feelings; <i>3</i>) just like me: relatable peers and approachable instructors foster emotional expression; and <i>4</i>) there's a reason: emotional expression should comply with cultural norms and identity-based expectations. Although prehealth students are aware of the benefits of emotional expression in learning, they perceive a cultural pressure to be emotionally suppressive if they want to maintain a favorable impression and achieve their goals. We highlight implications for biology education research with examples of possible future research areas related to the expansion of social-emotional learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> The exploration of cultural influences on prehealth students' emotional expression behavior in education contexts brings awareness to potential targets of cultural reform efforts to increase social and behavioral professional skills development. Feeling rules in undergraduate prehealth education are examined and identified in this study. Results suggest that prehealth students perceive an emotionally unsafe learning environment, which may hinder emotional intelligence development. We advocate for research related to increasing social-emotional learning in prehealth education.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1128-1150"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800756","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":"Integrating experimental design and statistics throughout an undergraduate human physiology laboratory course.","authors":"Gregory J Mitchell, Erica A Wehrwein","doi":"10.1152/advan.00074.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00074.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Statistical analysis is central to the study of physiology, yet many undergraduate students struggle to apply statistical reasoning to physiological studies. Although statistics or biostatistics coursework is commonly required in a degree program, students often perceive statistics as disconnected from physiological experimentation, leading to difficulty in selecting and justifying statistical reasoning in a physiological context. Here, we describe a course-level instructional model in an upper-division physiology laboratory that holistically integrates descriptive statistics and inferential biostatistics across a semester-long undergraduate laboratory course. Rather than treating statistics as a stand-alone topic, statistical reasoning is embedded throughout weekly laboratory activities, lecture discussions, in-class worksheets, postlaboratory assignments, and a capstone project. Each laboratory emphasizes a specific statistical test aligned with the experimental design while reinforcing foundational concepts such as hypotheses, variables, experimental conditions, sample size, data visualization, and interpretation. This article outlines the structure of this integrated approach, illustrates how statistical concepts are revisited across physiological systems, and provides a practical, adaptable framework for physiology educators seeking to strengthen statistical reasoning within laboratory curricula.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> We describe a model for practicing applied biostatistics in an undergraduate human physiology course. Statistical reasoning is embedded in every activity and assignment. Experiments are aligned with a specific statistical analysis, reinforcing experimental design, hypothesis development, data visualization, and interpretation. Through scaffolding, weekly application, in-class activities, Excel activities, and a capstone project, students practice selecting and justifying statistical analyses in authentic contexts. This framework strengthens quantitative confidence and normalizes statistics as an essential tool.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1100-1105"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800707","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}
Ana Luiza Trombini Tadielo, Manoel Lagreca Fan, Bruna Tarasuk Trein Crespo, Karine Ramires Lima, Márcia Juciele da Rocha, Gabriela Jaques Sigaran, Pâmela B Mello-Carpes
{"title":"V Symposium on Updates in Nervous System Physiology and XIV Neuroscience Applied to Education Course (Brazil, 2025).","authors":"Ana Luiza Trombini Tadielo, Manoel Lagreca Fan, Bruna Tarasuk Trein Crespo, Karine Ramires Lima, Márcia Juciele da Rocha, Gabriela Jaques Sigaran, Pâmela B Mello-Carpes","doi":"10.1152/advan.90006.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.90006.2026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1214-1217"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148921686","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":"Physiology of menopause and the role of hormone therapy.","authors":"Sabyasachi Moulik","doi":"10.1152/advan.00147.2025","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00147.2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural menopause, a biological transition in women, is often underrepresented in medical education, leading to knowledge gaps among health care professionals. This Staying Current article aims to provide physiology educators with an updated, comprehensive overview of menopause, including its physiological basis, symptomatic manifestations, and systemic effects and the current controversies and benefits surrounding menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). This article details the hormonal regulation of reproductive aging, the STRAW and STRAW + 10 criteria for characterization of menopausal staging, and the pathophysiology of common menopausal symptoms such as vasomotor disturbances, genitourinary syndrome, mood and sleep disturbances. It critically examines the history, risks, and benefits of MHT, referencing pivotal studies like the Women's Health Initiative, and outlines nonhormonal management strategies. Addressing educational gaps in menopause physiology is essential for improving women's health outcomes. This article equips physiology educators with current evidence and recommendations to enhance curricula and patient-centered care.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Natural menopause remains underrepresented in medical curricula, leaving clinicians with gaps in reproductive-aging knowledge. This Staying Current article gives physiology educators an updated, evidence-based overview-covering hormonal regulation, STRAW/STRAW + 10 staging criteria, and the pathophysiology of vasomotor, genitourinary, mood, and sleep symptoms. It critically revisits menopausal hormone therapy, including lessons from the Women's Health Initiative, alongside nonhormonal alternatives, equipping instructors to strengthen curricula and advance patient-centered women's health care.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1206-1213"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148842022","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":"Bridging basic physiology and clinical reasoning: student perceptions of a case-based collaborative activity with AI support.","authors":"Sharon Weiss","doi":"10.1152/advan.00179.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00179.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Teaching membrane transport in introductory physiology is challenging because students often struggle to integrate membrane transport, electrochemical gradients, and related mechanisms into clinically meaningful reasoning. To address this problem, a case-based collaborative activity was introduced in a first-year cell physiology course for undergraduate life and medical sciences students. Small groups analyzed a membrane transport disorder, explained the underlying physiological defect, and were permitted to use AI tools during the task. After the activity and short presentation, the students completed the Cell Physiology Bridge & Interaction Survey, an adapted Likert-scale questionnaire assessing perceived links between basic physiology and pathology, perceptions of AI use, and the role of peer interaction in problem-solving. Students reported that the activity strengthened their ability to connect transport mechanisms to disease, increased their confidence in explaining mechanistic failure, and enhanced the relevance of basic physiology to their future studies. AI was viewed as a useful and efficient support tool, but peer discussion remained important for conceptual clarity and deeper understanding. When groups encountered difficulty, students most often reported turning first to AI tools, followed by group discussion. These findings suggest that students perceived a brief, clinically anchored collaborative activity as helpful for connecting mechanistic understanding with clinical reasoning in introductory physiology. Incorporating AI as a supplementary tool may enhance learning efficiency without replacing the critical role of peer collaboration.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> This study describes a simple, reproducible case-based collaborative activity in an introductory undergraduate physiology course in which students were permitted to use AI tools while solving clinical problems involving membrane transport disorders. The activity was associated with stronger perceived links between membrane transport and disease, greater confidence in mechanistic explanation, and continued reliance on peer discussion for deeper understanding. These findings suggest that AI can support, but should not replace, collaborative learning in physiology education.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1218-1223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149009437","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":"Incorporating advanced neuroscience research in undergraduate neuroscience education.","authors":"Nafiseh Atapour, Siew Y Chai, Farshad A Mansouri","doi":"10.1152/advan.00181.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00181.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rapid advances in neuroscience underscore the need to prepare students for a highly competitive academic and research environment. Graduates in science and biomedical disciplines require not only a solid theoretical foundation but also practical knowledge of neuroscientific techniques, analytical methods, and effective scientific communication in order to remain competitive for postgraduate opportunities and active research roles. To address this need, it is essential to enrich undergraduate neuroscience education by incorporating hands-on practical and research experiences into the curriculum. Such experiences can deepen students' understanding of theoretical concepts while equipping them with the practical skills and analytical perspectives necessary to generate and interpret new knowledge. Here, we report three specifically designed short-term research projects implemented as practical components of a third-year undergraduate neuroscience course. These projects cover cognitive-behavioral studies, neuroimaging, neuroanatomy, and anxiety disorders and their effects on cognition and are supervised by established researchers. They are aligned with the theoretical components of the course and run across the 12-wk semester. Within these projects, students review background literature, collect data, perform analyses, and present findings to address defined scientific questions. The projects also include laboratory visits and demonstrations of advanced techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, behavioral testing in rodents, and noninvasive neuroimaging. Assessments are integrated into these activities to evaluate students' knowledge and competence in conducting, documenting, and presenting neuroscience research. Overall, these practical components not only provide valuable insights into neuroscientific methods but also reinforce students' understanding of the fundamental principles of neuroscience.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Rapid advances in neuroscience underscore the need to prepare students for a highly competitive academic and research environment. We report specifically designed short-term research projects implemented as practical components of a third-year undergraduate course. Within these projects, students review background literature, collect data, perform analyses, and present findings to address defined scientific questions. These practical components not only provide valuable insights into neuroscientific methods but also reinforce students' understanding of the fundamental principles of neuroscience.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1185-1195"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148921694","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}
Ariel Davydov, Rebecca Altshuler, Zoë Van De Voorde, Andreanne Sannajust, David Winter, Aimee Pugh-Bernard
{"title":"Exploring Careers in Healthcare & Onward (ECHO): a community outreach program to promote health care career interest in K-8 students.","authors":"Ariel Davydov, Rebecca Altshuler, Zoë Van De Voorde, Andreanne Sannajust, David Winter, Aimee Pugh-Bernard","doi":"10.1152/advan.00039.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00039.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early career exploration can strongly influence children's career development. This study describes a pilot community outreach career fair named Exploring Careers in Healthcare & Onward (ECHO) that is designed to introduce basic physiological concepts and explore careers in medicine with elementary and middle school students through hands-on experiments and interaction with healthcare students and providers. The objective of this intervention is to increase exposure to and interest in health care careers in elementary and middle school students in low-socioeconomic status areas and examine its impact on vocational aspirations through post-pre surveys. The program offers four interactive activities centered in various medical specialties: <i>1</i>) \"Build Your Own Stethoscope\" (cardiology), <i>2</i>) \"Learn About Lungs\" (pulmonology), <i>3</i>) \"Make A Surgeon's Bracelet\" (surgery), and <i>4</i>) \"All About Reflexes\" (neurology). Survey data from 98 participating elementary and middle school students demonstrated a statistically significant increase in health care career interest following participation in the ECHO career fair. These results provide preliminary data supporting the use of early career-oriented interventions to increase health care career interest and motivate students to consider pursuing careers in health care. By offering opportunities for students to engage in health care career-oriented learning experiences, ECHO has the potential to empower youth to pursue careers in health care in their professional futures.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Participation in early career-oriented interventions has the potential to increase health care career interest in elementary and middle school students. By engaging youth from the local community in health care hands-on, career-oriented learning experiences, such programs may be able to empower students from underresourced communities to consider the pursuit of future careers in health care.</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1075-1082"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148145408","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}
Kalinne Kelly Lima Gadelha, Karine Lima Silva, Maisa Sousa Sampaio, Abdourahmane Dairou, Maria Eduarda Damasceno Veríssimo de Araújo, Nicole Castro Brasil, Armênio Aguiar Dos Santos, Pedro Jorge Caldas Magalhães
{"title":"A practical approach to estimate the potency of an antagonist in a functional experiment with isolated preparations of rat aorta.","authors":"Kalinne Kelly Lima Gadelha, Karine Lima Silva, Maisa Sousa Sampaio, Abdourahmane Dairou, Maria Eduarda Damasceno Veríssimo de Araújo, Nicole Castro Brasil, Armênio Aguiar Dos Santos, Pedro Jorge Caldas Magalhães","doi":"10.1152/advan.00048.2026","DOIUrl":"10.1152/advan.00048.2026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The potency of an antagonist is a key concept in pharmacology, with multiple implications that range from the basic science to the clinical scenario, e.g., from receptor characterization to the dosage schedule of a patient. However, teaching the concept of antagonist potency may be a challenge because, unlike agonists, antagonists lack intrinsic efficacy, meaning they do not activate the receptor they bind to produce a biological response. In experiments in isolated tissues without spontaneous tonus, such as the rat aorta, students might observe that prazosin (an antagonist of α<sub>1</sub>-adrenergic receptors) does not induce observable effects alone, although it is able to relax a contraction elicited by phenylephrine (α<sub>1</sub>-adrenergic agonist) because prazosin competitively antagonizes phenylephrine at α<sub>1</sub>-adrenoceptors. Experimental approaches to analyzing antagonist potency have been proposed, with the Schild method being the most widely accepted. However, such an analysis can be time-consuming if adopted in a practical class because it necessitates the generation of complete concentration-response curves for an agonist under control conditions and in the presence of a series of increasing concentrations of an antagonist. Alternative methods, such as the Cheng-Prusoff approach, have been proposed to estimate the value of the equilibrium dissociation constant (<i>K</i><sub>b</sub>) in functional studies, a parameter that represents the affinity of the antagonist for one receptor. Based on these approaches, the present study proposes an experimental protocol designed to help students understand the concept of antagonist potency using phenylephrine and prazosin in isolated rat aorta preparations.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> By utilizing phenylephrine and prazosin in isolated rat aortas, students can better understand the concept of antagonist potency. This activity provides a practical opportunity to discuss key aspects of cell-drug interactions, including efficacy and intrinsic activity, via parameters such as EC<sub>50</sub>, IC<sub>50</sub>, equilibrium dissociation constant (<i>K</i><sub>b</sub>), and antagonist potency (pA<sub>2</sub>).</p>","PeriodicalId":50852,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physiology Education","volume":" ","pages":"1055-1065"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148800573","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}