bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pharmacy Student Use of ChatGPT
Authors: Dirks-Naylor Amie 
Published: May 2024

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into educational environments has become a subject of increasing interest. This study delves into the utilization of ChatGPT, a cutting-edge conversational AI technology, among pharmacy students. By investigating how these students engage with ChatGPT, the research aims to shed light on the impact of AI on academic practices, discern the various purposes for which ChatGPT is employed, and offer insights into the potential enhancements and challenges this technology presents in pharmacy education. It is hypothesized that the majority of pharmacy students in a PharmD program have used ChatGPT to assist with academic work of various types. An anonymous Qualtrics survey was emailed to all students matriculating in a Doctor of Pharmacy program in October of 2023. The survey consisted of 11 Likert-scale type questions and two text-entry questions. The overall response rate was 54.3%, however, the response rate by class was P1= 84%, P2=87%, P3=79%, and P4=6%. The P4 students are those no longer taking didactic courses on campus and are matriculating in clinical rotations, thus, may explain the difference in response rate. 26.6% of respondents were not aware of ChatGPT. Of those aware of ChatGPT, 66.7% have never used ChatGPT for academic purposes. Responders not aware of ChatGPT or never used it for academic purposes did not continue with the survey, by design. Thus, only 22% (27/121) of initial responders used ChatGPT for academic purposes and continued with the survey. The most often cited academic uses of ChatGPT were: studying for course exams and quizzes (41%), calculations (26%), interpreting clinical trials (22%), patient case questions used in pharmacotherapy courses (22%), and preparing presentations for classes or rotations (22%), among several other listed uses. The majority of users found ChatGPT to be moderately effective to highly effective assisting with academic work. Most users agreed that they were able to write effective prompts to receive effective responses from ChatGPT. 85% of users agreed that they always cross-check the responses to ensure accuracy. 78% were confident in their ability to use ChatGPT without plagiarizing. 18% of users agreed that in hindsight they may have unintentionally plagiarized an assignment with 19% neither agreeing or disagreeing. 89% agreed that they are confident in their judgement to determine when it is appropriate or not appropriate to use ChatGPT to assist with academic work. 89% were confident that use of ChatGPT was not hindering their learning of material or development of skills/abilities and 88% were confident that use enhanced their learning and development. In conclusion, a minority of pharmacy students have used ChatGPT for academic work, which was unexpected. None. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Calcium-activated chloride channels in pericytes shape capillary electrical signaling
Authors: Xiang Liuruimin , Longden Thomas 
Published: May 2024

The brain vasculature, composed of penetrating arterioles (PAs) giving rise to the dense capillary network, facilitates continuous energy substrate delivery to neurons and glia by tightly controlling blood flow. The capillaries are covered by perivascular cells known as pericytes, which exhibit varying morphological and physiological properties based on their location in relation to the terminal arteriole, and these contribute to blood flow control within the capillary network in distinct ways. Thin-strand pericytes —the focus of this study—are located in the deep capillary bed. Serendipitously, we have discovered a robust chloride current during perforated patch clamp experiments on these thin-strand pericytes. We hypothesized that this current is mediated by calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs), which may influence electrical signaling and thereby regulate blood flow. Our data reveal that this robust current is dependent on external calcium concentration and can be blocked by voltage-gated calcium channel blockers, depletion of endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores, and calcium-activated chloride channel blockers. This suggests a mechanism wherein calcium entry into the cytosol via voltage-gated channels and intracellular calcium release govern the activity of CaCCs in the thin-strand pericyte membrane. Using two-photon microscopy, we further observed that blocking CaCCs led to PA dilation and hyperemia. Together, our data indicate a novel role for CaCCs in thin-strand pericytes, where they modulate electrical signaling across the capillary bed in response to intracellular calcium activity. By providing a depolarizing signal countering hyperpolarizing electrical signaling, these channels contribute to the intricate regulation of blood flow and vessel dilation. This work was supported by the NIH (grants 1R01AG066645, 5R01NS115401, 1DP2NS121347-01), and the American Heart Association (19IPLOI34660108). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
AI-Powered Web Applications for Enhanced Clinical, Research, and Professional Development
Authors: Melvin Ryan , Godwin Ryan 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: The rapid growth of technology in the field of anesthesiology offers unique opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for enhancing clinical, research, and administrative operations. Our team, consisting of anesthesiologists and data scientists, sought to develop a suite of web applications using generative AI to address specific challenges faced by anesthesiology departments. Objective: To design, develop, and evaluate the feasibility of a range of AI-powered web applications tailored for anesthesiologists to streamline research feasibility, literature searches, protocol drafting, text simplification, work promotion, grant writing, professional advancement, and secure communication. AI Tools developed: Data Feasibility Analysis: AI-assisted search of descriptions and schemas of multiple data warehouses to assess the feasibility of various clinical and research ideas. AI-Powered PubMed Search: AI-assisted search to effciently navigate and extract relevant publications from PubMed, including summarizing the literature found. IRB Protocol Generation: Automated drafting process for Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol forms, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. Text Simplification: Tool to distill complex clinical, research, or regulatory text to an 8th-grade reading level, enhancing accessibility — e.g., for patient consent forms. Work Promotion and Amplification: drafts blog posts, “tweets,” and layperson summaries of research abstracts. NIH Grant Drafting: Drafts Specific Aims page and Research Strategy sections for National Institutes of Health (NIH) style applications, ensuring compliance and coherence. Professional Advancement Assistance: Drafts Promotion & Tenure portfolios and letters of recommendations Secure AI Conversations: Integrated generative AI technology in an encrypted and secured platform, safeguarding sensitive information. Conclusions: The suite of AI-powered web applications, developed in collaboration between anesthesiologists and data scientists, showcases potential in enhancing the effciency and impact of various processes integral to anesthesiology research. The integration of these tools into daily operations can potentially revolutionize how anesthesiologists engage with research, patient care, professional development, and communication. Future endeavors will focus on rigorous validation and widespread deployment to harness the full potential of these innovations. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Role for the Carotid Chemoreceptors in Glucose Tolerance in Human Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Pipkins Aubrey , Lis Eric , Ott Elizabeth , Harper Jennifer , Manrique-Acevedo Camila , Limberg Jacqueline 
Published: May 2024

Objectives: The carotid body (CB) chemoreceptors have been implicated in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D). CB denervation can prevent the development and worsening of T2D in pre-clinical models — although these data have yet to be translated to humans. We examined CB chemosensitivity in T2D, as well as the contribution of the CB to glucose tolerance. We hypothesized: 1) individuals with T2D would exhibit exaggerated CB sensitivity to hypoxia (hypoxic ventilatory response, HVR), 2) attenuation of CB chemoreceptor activity (i.e., hyperoxia) would improve glucose tolerance in T2D, and 3) the magnitude of the effect of hyperoxia on glucose tolerance would be related to the level of CB chemosensitivity. Methods: HVR was assessed in sixteen adults with T2D (6M/10F, 55±11 yrs, HbA1c 7.7±1.4%) and twenty-one healthy controls (9M/12F, 50±13 yrs, HbA1c 5.2±0.4%)(NCT05219994). A subset (n=9 per group) completed two additional visits randomized to normoxia (0.21 FiO2) and hyperoxia (1.0 FiO2). During each visit, blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured every 15 min for 2 hrs following consumption of a 75 g glucose drink and responses were calculated as area under the curve (AUC). Pearson correlations between HVR and the difference in AUC glucose and insulin between visits (ΔAUC = hyperoxia-normoxia) were conducted. Results: HVR was augmented in T2D compared to control (control, -0.47±0.39; T2D, -0.83±0.50 L/min/%; p=0.02). There was no effect of hyperoxia on AUCglucose (control, p=0.77; T2D, p=0.73) or AUCinsulin (control, p=0.70; T2D, p=0.41). Correlations were observed between HVR and ΔAUCglucose (R=0.67, p=0.047) and ΔAUCinsulin (R=-0.55, p=0.16)] in adults with T2D, but not in controls [ΔAUCglucose (R=-0.32, p=0.40), ΔAUCinsulin (R=-0.18, p=0.67)]. Conclusions: Individuals with T2D exhibit exaggerated CB sensitivity to hypoxia. Glucose tolerance was unaffected by attenuation of CB chemoreceptor activity; however, when examined in relation to CB sensitivity, glucose tolerance improved with hyperoxia in T2D adults with the highest HVR. Present data advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of T2D and support a potential role for the CB chemoreceptors in glucose tolerance in human T2D. MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grant, University of Missouri Research Council, University of Missouri Alumni Association Richard Wallace Research Incentive Fund. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Lysosomal Regulation of Gasdermin D Pore Formation in Podocytes Determined by Acid Sphingomyelinase
Authors: Huang Dandan , Ren Jenna , Zou Yao , Kidd Jason , Gehr Todd , Li Pin-Lan , Li Guangbi 
Published: May 2024

Recent studies have shown that gasdermin D (GSDMD) pore may be involved in inflammasome product release and pyroptosis in podocytes. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism by which GSDMD pore formation is regulated in these cells remains poorly understood. Given the important role of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM)-ceramide signaling pathway in glomerular inflammation and sclerosis under pathological conditions, the present study tested whether ASM controls lysosome-dependent autophagic degradation of GSDMD-NT and GSDMD pore repair to determine GSDMD pore formation in podocytes. WT/WT, ASM knockout (KO), and ASM overexpression (OE) podocytes were isolated from wild type, Smpd1 (gene code of ASM) gene KO, and podocyte-specific Smpd1 gene OE mice for experiments. We first demonstrated that palmitic acid (PA) as an obesity-related danger factor induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation, GSDMD pore formation on plasma membrane, and IL-1β secretion in podocytes, which was blocked by Smpd1 gene KO but exaggerated by Smpd1 gene OE. Also, it was found that PA-induced pyroptosis was prevented by ASM KO but amplified by ASM OE in podocytes. By confocal microscopy and super-resolution microscopy, we observed that PA treatment enhanced the formation of autophagosomes containing GSDMD-NT but inhibited lysosome-autophagosome interaction in podocytes. Also, FasL-induced lysosome fusion to plasma membrane was reduced by PA. All these pathological changes were remarkably attenuated by ASM KO or amitriptyline but significantly augmented by ASM OE. To further dissect the molecular mechanism by which ASM determines GSDMD pore formation, we examined whether ASM controls lysosomal TRPML1 channel-mediated Ca2+ release to regulate lysosome traffcking and associated lysosomal functions. By GCaMP3 Ca2+ imaging, we found that PA treatment significantly inhibited TRPML1 channel activity in podocytes, which was exaggerated by ASM OE. Correspondingly, PA-induced reduction of lysosome traffcking was more remarkable in ASM OE podocytes compared to WT/WT podocytes. Moreover, PA-induced decrease in lysosome-autophagosome interaction and increase in GSDMD pore formation in podocytes were hindered by ML-SA5 (TRPML1 channel agonist) but enhanced by ML-SI1 (TRPML1 channel inhibitor). In summary, our findings suggest that ASM plays a crucial role in lysosomal regulation of GSDMD pore formation via control of TRPML1 channel activity and lysosome traffcking in podocytes. This study was supported by NIH grants DK054927 and DK120491. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Heavy Metal-Laden Particulate Dust Alters Transcriptional Regulation in Human Colonoids
Authors: Appell Lidia , Atanga Roger , In Julie 
Published: May 2024

Chronic heavy metals exposure in the southwestern United States co-occurs with greater incidences of metabolic and digestive diseases, particularly in the Indigenous and Hispanic populations. There is a need to understand how particulate heavy metals drive this dysbiotic state and propose a molecular explanation as a result of these exposures. Previously, our group demonstrated human colonoids to be a relevant model for investigating the physiological impact of environmental toxicants on the intestinal tract. The objective of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind the transcriptional and cellular changes present in the intestinal epithelia upon acute exposure to non fissile uranium particulate dust. We hypothesize that non-fissile uranium exposure biases the differentiation of progenitor cells in the crypt to secretory roles through miRNA regulation. Colonoids were exposed (18 hours) to non-fissile uranium dust obtained from the Jackpile uranium mine, one of the largest open pit uranium mines, located on the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico. Control and dust-exposed colonoids (n=3 unique donors) were digested into single cells and processed for droplet-based single cell sequencing (scRNAseq). Upon exposure, enteroendocrine cells (EEC) expanded >4 fold, along with increases in serotonin and PYY, as well as goblet cells (>3 fold) which indicates changes to the secretory lineage. Downstream pathway analysis found microRNAs miR-625-3p, miR-320a, miR-29b-3p to be differentially expressed. These results suggest that acute uranium dust exposure induces changes in differentiation pathways which are modulated by regulatory miRNAs. We would like to expand these findings by performing miRNA sequencing and comparing miRNA expression profiles between UBD exposed and control samples. Our results also provide an improved understanding of uranium dust’s impact on the gastrointestinal system, which may inform other physiological studies on the health of individuals exposed to heavy metals. This study was funded by K01DK106323, R56ES034400, P42ES025589, P20GM121176, P20GM130422, and AGA SURF. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Previous exercise training history reduces drug addiction through brain orexinergic pathway in rodents: Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) model
Authors: Fayazmilani Rana , Ahmadpour Mansoureh , Modaberi Shaghayegh , Haghparast Abbas 
Published: May 2024

Methamphetamine, commonly known as METH, is a potent and highly addict-forming stimulant substance that has a significant impact on the brain and poses a substantial health challenge in certain areas. Previous studies have pointed to the involvement of orexinergic pathway in reward-related behavior which is directly involved in acquisition phase of METH induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Besides, while numerous studies have explored the impact of exercise training on METH addiction, there is a limited body of research investigating as a form of preconditioning to prevent drug dependence. In this study, 48 male Wistar rats were assigned into six groups: Saline control, METH1 control, METH2 control, METH1 exercise, METH2 exercise. The exercise groups underwent eight weeks of forced running wheel training, five days a week, at 65% of their maximum running speed (Vmax). Following preconditioning with exercise training, METH groups received intraperitoneal (IP) methamphetamine injections at doses of 1 mg/kg (METH1 control, METH1 exercise) and 2 mg/kg (METH2 control, METH2 exercise) for five days to induce addiction (acquisition phase) according to the CPP model. Immediately following conditioning, hippocampus tissues were extracted to measure OX1R levels using western blotting. The results of the study indicated the conditioning of rats in both METH1 and METH2 control groups while preconditioning with exercise training prevent the addiction with low does of METH and only induced acquisition with double does in METH2 exercise group represented with reduced CPP scores in compare with METH2 control group (p<0.05). Molecular analysis revealed a significant increased in OX1R levels according to METH administration in hippocampus, although exercise training appeared to inhibit OX1R expression. Only conditioning with a high dose of METH was able to increase OX1R levels significantly. As these molecular results are in line with CPP scores it could further support the role of orexinergic pathway in addiction behavior in hippocampus. Furthermore, previous exercise training seems to affect this pathway and prevent conditioning with METH in an effective manner which suggests adaptation in the mesolimbic reward pathway protecting against methamphetamine addiction. Further investigation is warranted to find out the effectiveness of different training interventions in orexinergic pathway to inhibit dependance to METH. In this study, there was no external funding or financial support provided. This work was entirely self-funded by the authors. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.
Influence of Microinjection of Kynurenic acid into the Pre-Botzinger Complex on Swallowing in the Cat
Authors: Bolser Donald , Shen Tabitha , Poliacek Ivan , Rose Melanie , Musselwhite M. Nicholas , Kotmanova Zuzana , Martvon Lukas 
Published: May 2024

Recent evidence supports the involvement of the pre-BÖtzinger complex (pre-BOT) in spatiotemporal features of swallowing and swallowing-breathing coordination in mice. We hypothesized that pharmacological disruption of glutamate neurotransmission in this brainstem region would perturb the swallow motor pattern in anesthetized cats. Electromyograms (EMGs) of upper airway muscles were recorded in anesthetized, spontaneously breathing cats (n=5). Swallowing was induced by injection of 3 cc of water into the oropharynx. Multi-barrel micropipettes were employed to inject artificial cerebrospinal fluid or kynurenic acid (KYN; 50 mM, 44±3 nL per injection) bilaterally into the region of the pre-BOT. Microinjection sites were confirmed histologically by detection of fluorescent beads that were suspended in the microinjectate. Blocking glutamate-related neuronal excitation by bilateral microinjections of the nonspecific glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenic acid had no effect on the number of swallows induced by water injection (control 2.3±0.3; KYN 3.0±0.7; P<0.32). Swallow durations were significantly increased following microinjections of KYN from 691±54 ms to 812±81 ms (p<0.04). KYN significantly reduced the magnitudes of geniohyoid (control 97±3 % of median; Kyn 47±12% of control median, p<0.02), thyrohyoid (control 100±3% of median; KYN 69±8% of control median, p<0.01), and posterior cricoarytenoid (control 103±2% of median; KYN 74±8% of control median, p<0.04) muscle EMGs during swallowing. There was no significant effect of microinjection of KYN on the magnitudes of thyroartytenoid, mylohyoid, or thyropharyngeus electromyograms during swallowing. The results suggest that disruption of glutamate neurotransmission in the preBOT has preferential effects consistent with actions on motor drive to hypoglossal and ventrolateral motoneuron pools that participate in swallowing. Lengthening of swallow duration induced by KYN supports a role for the preBOT in modulating the excitability of the swallow oscillatory circuit. NIH HL163008; NIH HL 131716; HL 155721. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.