Life Lines - The Podcast of The American Physiological Society The American Physiological Society

APS’ Chief Science Officer Dennis Brown, PhD, recently spoke to astronaut and APS member Jessica Meir, PhD, about her work on the International Space Station. As part of the interview, we asked her for lessons that #StationLife can teach us about living in isolation. Listen to her recommendations and read the full interview in the July issue of The Physiologist Magazine.

From the cutting room floor, here are some of the outtakes about physiology that we thought were just too interesting not to use: 1.    Dusty Sarazan describes one way that physiological research helped advance cardiac surgery, and also how research led to the development of the modern treadmill 2.    David Linden talks about our imperfect memories 3.    David Kraus tells us why we are so sensitive to the odor of hydrogen sulfide gas (what is hydrogen sulfide gas? where does it come from and what does it do?).

Heart attacks peak during the winter months and cold weather has been thought to be the primary culprit. But cardiologist Robert Kloner of the Keck School of Medicine and Good Samaritan Hospital found that heart attack deaths peak on Christmas and New Year's in the mild climate of Los Angeles County. Could it be that the weather is not the most important factor behind the seasonal increase in heart attacks? The show's second segment, the Buzz in Physiology, features research on how a probiotic treatment alleviated colitis in mice and how five exercises helped women office workers suffering from repetitive strain injury. (Begins at 10:55) From the American Heart Association, Heart Attack/Stroke Warning Signs. Click here. Total Time: 13:28

What would it be like to live without being able to detect any odors? For one thing, Thanksgiving would be much less enjoyable, perhaps disturbingly so. In this episode, we talk to Robert I. Henkin of the Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington, D.C., who will tell us why people lose their sense of smell and how his research can help some people restore it. (Begins at: 02:03) The Buzz in Physiology features studies on a simple test that may determine arterial stiffness in adults older than 40, and a look at a 1950s program that tested the fitness of women to become astronauts. (Begins at: 00:43)

Dean Franklin developed the first instruments to measure blood flow and the changes in diameter of the pulsating heart in conscious animals. He also pioneered the use of radio waves to measure heart and blood vessel function without wiring the body to the instrument. Dusty Sarazan, a former student of Dean Franklin, explains how these inventions led to the non-invasive cardiovascular monitoring instruments we have today. You can find the full article on Dean Franklin here and a press release here. (Begins at 02:22) A program note: We misspoke when we mentioned that physiologists made an important discovery after a giraffe frightened an instrumented baboon. In fact, a leopard had frightened the baboon. The Buzz in Physiology (Begins at 00:52) A study on how exercise helps prevent weight regain after dieting finds that exercise reduces the drive to overeat, causes the body to burn fat before burning carbohydrates and prevents an increase in the number of fat cells during weight regain. A study on how alcohol can disrupt circadian rhythm finds that chronic drinking blunts the biological clock's ability to synchronize daily activities to light, disrupts natural activity patterns and continues to affect the body's clock even days after the drinking ends.

You've heard the word telecomm? In this episode, we are going to coin a new word: elecomm, shorthand for elephant communication. Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell is a Stanford University professor and the author of The Elephant's Secret Sense, published by the University of Chicago Press. Dr. O'Connell-Rodwell discovered that elephant vocalizations travel through the ground, sometimes for great distances. Other elephants pick up these seismic communications and understand them. There are links to videos of three of Dr. O'Connell-Rodwell's elephant communication experiments on her website, www.utopiascientific.org or by clicking here, here and here. (Begins at 2:44) From the Buzz in Physiology (Begins at 1:13): Divers who held their breath for several minutes had elevated levels of S100B (a protein found after cell injury) in their bloodstream, which suggests that holding one's breath for a long time disrupts the blood-brain barrier. However, the appearance of the protein was transient and leaves open the question of whether lengthy breath holding can damage the brain over the long term, according to the Lund University researchers. And drinking beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help you exercise for up to 16% longer, according to a study from the University of Exeter. The study shows how the nitrate contained in the juice leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, making exercise less tiring. You can read the press releases on these studies: Freediving Beetroot