Functional Exploration and Translational Research

Neuromuscular Physiology:

Skeletal striated muscle: The neuromuscular junction; Muscle contraction/relaxation; Myotypology; Plasticity; Muscle metabolism.

Neuromuscular Diseases: Causes; symptoms; clinical diagnosis (clinical examinations; laboratory tests): EMG, blood tests, functional tests, etc.; Muscular dystrophies: Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Becker muscular dystrophy; facioscapiohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Facioscapiohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD): zebrafish model; mouse model; cellular models; clinical trials.

Respiratory Physiology:

Respiratory Physiology: Anatomy of the respiratory system; the mechanism of respiration; gas exchange; transport of respiratory gases in the blood; regulation of respiration

Respiratory Assessment in Small Animals: Why Assess Respiratory Function in Small Animals? Plethysmography; in vitro contractile force.

Functional Respiratory Tests: performance and interpretation of respiratory tests in human medicine; spirometry: Level 1 and Level 2; pulmonary diffusion capacity; arterial blood gases; specific tests of the respiratory muscles; 6-minute walk test; exercise testing; tests involving exposure to high altitude.

Cardiovascular Physiology:

Review of cardiac anatomy: size, location, and orientation; the heart’s envelope; the layers of the heart wall; the heart’s chambers and major vessels; the flow of blood through the heart; cardiac valves; blood supply to the heart: coronary circulation; properties of cardiac muscle tissue.

Review of cardiac physiology: regulation of the baseline heart rate; the cardiac conduction system; changes in the baseline heart rate: extrinsic innervation of the heart; electrocardiography; mechanical phenomena: cardiac cycle; cardiac output; regulation of stroke volume; regulation of heart rate.

Review of vascular physiology: anatomy of the circulatory system; lymphatic system; structure of the vascular wall; blood pressure; vascular smooth muscle and vasomotor function; endothelial function.

Vascular function and dysfunction; functional assessment: measurement of arterial distensibility; measurement of arterial wave velocity; pharmacological assessment of endothelium-dependent vasomotility; ultrasonographic assessment; echo-tracking; ultrasound and Doppler ultrasound.

How can vascular function be assessed experimentally? Isolated arterial ring model; Cardiac Doppler ultrasound: a powerful tool in clinical and experimental research; Ultrasound: anatomical and functional analysis; Doppler: flow analysis; Application to animal models.

Translational research: example—myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (myocardial infarction); Animal models; perfused isolated heart (Langendorf); Isolated cardiomyocytes; Cardioprotection techniques.

Endocrinology: Weight Balance

Description of eating behavior; Energy balance; Central regulatory structures of food intake; Regulatory mechanisms of food intake; Factors modulating appetite and food intake; Nutritional assessment; Eating disorders; Functional assessment: impedance measurement; DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry); MRI; Assessment of energy expenditure: calorimetry.

The EU course “Functional Exploration and Translational Research” aims to provide students with the physiological foundations and methodology needed to approach the functional assessment of the body’s major systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, neuromuscular, endocrine, etc.), both in animal models and in humans.

Thus, by the end of this course unit, we want students to have a comprehensive understanding of the physiological effects of a therapeutic principle, as well as the methodological knowledge needed to investigate a bodily function from the preclinical phase through to a clinical trial in humans.Thus, for each of the major systems—cardiovascular, respiratory, neuromuscular, and endocrine—we will address the methods used to study them, both in the preclinical phase (animal models, in vivo and in vitro studies, etc.) and in humans, within the framework of translational research.

In this course unit, we will also discuss the regulatory environment for animal and human experimentation, as well as the steps involved in moving a therapeutic concept from the preclinical phase to a clinical trial.

Fundamentals of Physiology; Fundamentals of the Major Physiological Functions.

Final exam: 100%