Many biomedical engineering degree programs lack substantial immersive clinical experiences for undergraduate students, creating a need for clinical immersion programs that contribute to training obje Show more
Many biomedical engineering degree programs lack substantial immersive clinical experiences for undergraduate students, creating a need for clinical immersion programs that contribute to training objectives that emphasize current clinical needs (Becker in Eur J Eng Educ 31:261-272, 2006; Davis et al. in J Eng Educ 91:211-221, 2002; Dym et al. in J Eng Educ 94:103-120, 2005). Immersive clinical experiences have the potential to bridge the gap between clinical and non-clinical learning objectives in biomedical engineering curriculum. In collaboration with Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, we have created, executed, and evaluated a two-week cardiovascular clinical immersion program for biomedical engineering undergraduate students at Purdue University. As of August 2022, this program has run 11 times since 2014 with 60 participants to date, exposing students to intensive and non-intensive care environments, facilitating interactions with medical professionals, and encouraging exploration of innovative technologies shaping the training of clinicians with direct patient interaction. The variety of cardiovascular topics discussed and clinical settings observed has provided students with a unique, highly beneficial learning opportunity. Keys to the continued success and growth of similar programs include: recruiting a diverse team, support from administrative staff/clinicians, a funded student intern position, and careful consideration of liability/risk management. Areas of future consideration include, streamlining the order of scheduled events, determining if offering course credit would be beneficial to students, and tracking career trajectories after participations. Show less
Regular physical activity not only improves the exercise capacity of the skeletal muscle performing the contractions, but it is beneficial for the whole body. An extensive search for "exercise factors Show more
Regular physical activity not only improves the exercise capacity of the skeletal muscle performing the contractions, but it is beneficial for the whole body. An extensive search for "exercise factors" mediating these beneficial effects has been going on for decades. Particularly skeletal muscle tissue has been investigated as a source of circulating exercise factors, and several myokines have been identified. However, exercise also has an impact on other tissues. The liver is interposed between energy storing and energy utilising tissues and is highly active during exercise, maintaining energy homeostasis. Recently, a novel group of exercise factors-termed hepatokines-has emerged. These proteins (fibroblast growth factor 21, follistatin, angiopoietin-like protein 4, heat shock protein 72, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1) are released from the liver and increased in the bloodstream during or in the recovery after an exercise bout. In this narrative review, we evaluate this new group of exercise factors focusing on the regulation and potential function in exercise metabolism and adaptations. These hepatokines may convey some of the beneficial whole-body effects of exercise that could ameliorate metabolic diseases, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes. Show less