The new SPS webpage

You can now finally access our new webpage. Here you can find all the information that was available at the old site, as well as some new additions. For example, you can now see what is going on day by day in our calendar. More features will be added in the future.

Please observe that you cannot yet log in with your old usernames and passwords! We will register all members in a while, but you are welcome to register already if you want to (under Members area). After your registration is approved you will receive your password and can log on to the site. A few pages and the ability to comment are only available to registered users.

Joint symposium of the Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft and the Scandinavian Physiological Society at the 90th Annual meeting of DPG, Regensburg, March 28^th 2011

"Brain plasticity by AMPA receptor mechanisms: basic mechanisms and addiction"

Scandinavian and German neurophysiologists and pharmacologists put together a symposium describing recent advances in neuronal plasticity mechanisms related to AMPA receptors, with Georg Köhr from Heidelberg as the local organizer. Basic mechanisms of glutamate receptors (coincidence detection, a basis for synaptic memory) were covered by Rolf Sprengel (Heidelberg) , who also described a novel AMPA receptor auxiliary protein CKAMP44. This novel protein increases desensitization of AMPA receptors, thus producing an opposite modulation to the other two classes of AMPA auxiliary proteins TARPs and cornichon proteins, which usually slow the desensitisation. The roles of the different auxiliary proteins still remains poorly known for hippocampal plasticity, although in theory these novel interactions allow quick adaptations of synaptic AMPA currents. Sprengel also made a point in showing the importance of AMPA receptor subunit GluA1 for the working memory, apparently by providing the fast AMPA responses in the hippocampus. Eric Hanse (Göteborg) reviewed interesting results on short-term AMPA silencing (, which is activity dependent but not stable as long-term depression) and unsilencing in developing neurons. Detailed molecular mechanisms remain to be revealed. Matthew Brown (Geneva) turned to addiction mechanisms, in which en early semi-long-lasting phenomenon is the memory-like increase in AMPA receptor currents in the dopamine neurons of the ventral midbrain even after a single dose of drugs of abuse. This adaptation is produced by activity-dependent targeting of non-GluA2 subunit-containing AMPA receptors to synapses. Glutamate receptor induced excitation of dopamine neurons could be mimicked by expression of channelrhodopsin 2 in these neurons coupled to local illumination by blue light: the engineered mice started working for blue light in operant chambers. This model system will be a powerful new tool to study the role of dopamine neurons in addiction and other behaviors. In the last lecture, Esa R. Korpi (Helsinki) showed that the dopamine neuron priming by a single dose of the addictive benzodiazepine diazepam blunted, and not enhanced, the psychomotor stimulation by morphine and amphetamine, suggesting that all capacity for neuroplasticity was already used by the drug administration one day before the challenge doses. He also showed preliminary data on neuroplasticity after a single dose of GABA agonists that were not reinforcing for behavior. Similar AMPA receptor-mediated mechanisms are important for normal brain function and neuroplasticity, and the symposium mixing different approaches worked well to stimulate discussion and plan further studies.

Reported by Esa R. Korpi

ISRA 10^th International Symposium on Resistance Arteries,Rebild, Denmark, 8-12 May 2011

http://www.israweb.org/

This conference follows on from previous highly successful ISRA meetings, which have traditionally provided outstanding opportunities to discuss and develop resistance artery research. Themes of the symposium will include vascular biology of the endothelium and the smooth muscle, control of vascular tone and vascular structure, intercellular communication, reactive oxygen species, inflammation, hypertension and diabetes and manipulation of endothelial and smooth muscle gene expression.

MIghty Mitochondria

http://www.uib.no/biomedisin/en/resources/conferences-and-seminars/scandinavian-physiological-society#edgc

This is a satellite symposium to the annual SPS meeting, taking place in Bergen August 11^th, 2011, covering basic mitochondrial regulation, mitochondrial function, and mitochondria in reperfusion injury.

We have place for 40-60 scientists. Abstracts can be submitted directly to the satellite meeting for a chaired poster presentation in the afternoon. The main organizer is Associate Professor Anne Kristine Jonassen, University of Bergen. Co-organisors are Professor Kirsti Ytrehus, University of Tromsø, and Professor Guro Valen, University of Oslo.

Confirmed invited speakers are Michael N. Sack (NHLBI, USA), PeiPei Ping (UCLA, USA), Jürgen Bereiter Hahn (Goethe University, Germany), Elizabeth Murphy (NHLBI, USA), Cristoph Maack (University of Saarlands, Germany), Fabio DiLisa (University of Padua, Italy), Kirsti Ytrehus (UiT, Norway), Rolf Berge (UiB, Norway), Lawrence Bindoff (UiB, Norway).

Joint meeting FEPS and Turkish Society of Physiological Sciences, 3-7 Sept 2011

http://feps2011.org

This meeting will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, at Yeditepe University. Deadline for early registration and abstract submission is May 20^th. The final program will be announced on July 15th

Some other meetings and symposia:

2011: May 16-18. 42^nd Sandbjerg meeting on "Membrane Transport". http://www.sandbjerg.dk/

2011: May 19-21: "Frontiers in Pain Research" Uppsala, Sweden. http://www.sasp.org/tab/213/annualmeeting2011/

2011: May 26-27: 2^nd International conference on Neurodegenerative disorders: "Immunotherapy and Biomarkers" Uppsala, Sweden. http://www-conference.slu.se/immunotherapyuppsala2011/index.html

2011: May 26-27. Ion Channel Symposium. Registration dealine May10^th. www.darc.ku.dk/symposium

2011: June 29-July2. The International 21^th Puijo Symposium "Physical Exercise, Ageing and Disabilty - Current evidence". Kuopio, Finland. Early registration deadline is May 10^th. http://www.puijosymposium.org/

2011: 11-14 July. Physiology 2011. Main Meeting of The Physiological Society. University of Oxford, UK. The registration opens on June 23^rd. www.physiology2011.org

2011: 1-3 September. Epithelia & Membrane Transport Themed Meeting. University College London, UK. THe registration opens on June 23^th. www.physoc.org/em2011

2011: Oct 10-11: Voltage-gated Sodium Channels Symposium: "From molecular pharmacology to human therapeutics" Copenhagen, Denmark. Registration deadline on September 1^st. http://www.ionchannel.ku.dk/phdcourses/2011_sodium_channels/

2011: 6-8 December. Vascular & Smooth Muscle Physiology Themed Meeting. Edinburgh, UK. The registration opens on September 20^th. www.physoc.org/vs2011

Acta Physiologicas

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Online ISSN: 1748-1716    Print ISSN: 1748-1708
Acta Physiologica
Volume 202, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 1-98
Early View (Articles Available Online in Advance of Print)

CARDIOVASCULAR
The effect of arterial wall shear stress on the incremental elasticity of a conduit artery (pages 1-9) R. F. Kelly and H. M. Snow Article first published online: 1 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2010.02245.x

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor stabilizes cardiac electrophysiology and decreases infarct size during cardiac ischaemic/reperfusion in swine (pages 11-20) N. Kanlop, S. Thommasorn, S. Palee, P. Weerateerangkul, S. Suwansirikul, S. Chattipakorn and N. Chattipakor. Article first published online: 22 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02259.x

ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
Lack of downstream insulin-mimetic effects of visfatin/eNAMPT on glucose and fatty acid metabolism in skeletal muscles (pages 21-28) E. Harasim, A. Chabowski and J. Górski Article first published online: 22 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02254.x

RENAL
Preventive dietary potassium supplementation in young salt-sensitive Dahl rats attenuates development of salt hypertension by decreasing sympathetic vasoconstriction (pages 29-38) J. Zicha, Z. Dobeŝová, M. Behuliak, J. Kuneŝ and I. Vanēčková Article first published online: 1 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2010.02248.x

SGK1-dependent salt appetite in pregnant mice (pages 39-45) A. T. Umbach, G. Pathare, M. Föller, J. J. Brosens, F. Artunc and F. Lang Article first published online: 18 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02251.x

Opposing effects of NaCl restriction and carbohydrate loading on urine volume in diabetic rats (pages 47-57) H. A. O'Neill, T-H. Kwon, T. Ring, H. Dimke, J. Lebeck, J. Frøkiær, P. B. Collins, S. Nielsen and S. Frische Article first published online: 14 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02260.x

RESPIRATORY

No effect of metabolic acidosis on nitric oxide production in hypoxic and hyperoxic lung regions in pigs (pages 59-68) M. C. A. Nilsson, F. Fredén, P. Wiklund and K. Hambraeus-Jonzon Article first published online: 18 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02250.x

Effect of pre-breathing oxygen at different depth on oxidative status and calcium concentration in lymphocytes of scuba divers (pages 69-78) C. Morabito, G. Bosco, R. Pilla, C. Corona, R. Mancinelli, Z. Yang, E. M. Camporesi, G. Fanò and M. A. Mariggiò Article first published online: 1 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2010.02247.x

Cisplatin decreases renal cyclooxygenase-2 expression and activity in rats (pages 79-90) B. Tusgaard, R. Nørregaard, A. M. Jensen, G. Wang, S. O. Topcu, Y. Wang, S. Nielsen and J. Frøkiær Article first published online: 22 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02257.x

Acute normobaric hyperoxia transiently attenuates plasma erythropoietin concentration in healthy males: evidence against the 'normobaric oxygen paradox' theory (pages 91-98) M. E. Keramidas, S. N. Kounalakis, T. Debevec, B. Norman, T. Gustafsson, O. Eiken and I. B. Mekjavic Article first published online: 18 MAR 2011 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02262.x