In our latest episode, Physiological Reviews Editor-in-Chief Dr. Sadis Matalon (University of Alabama at Birmingham) interviews authors Dr. Leigh Peterson (Executive Vice President for Product Development and Xenotransplantation at United Therapeutics Corporation) and Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub (Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, and Founder and Director of Research at the Harefield Heart Science Centre and Aswan Heart Centre). The authors have published a comprehensive review on xenotransplantation. Listen as they discuss the steps necessary to immunologically modify pigs to avoid acute rejection and minimize chronic rejection, as well as the main differences between the GalSafe and the 10GE pigs described in the article. Given that the American Physiological Society launched their Women’s Health Research Initiative in spring 2024, we discuss how xenotransplantation and women’s health research are connected. What are the next important developments in this field? Listen to find out more.

Leigh Peterson, Magdi Yacoub, David Ayares, Kazuhiko Yamada ,Daniel Eisenson, Bartley P. Griffith, Muhammad Mohiuddin, Will Eyestone, J. Craig Venter, Ryszard T. Smolenski, and Martine Rothblatt Physiological Basis for Xenotransplantation from Genetically-Modified Pigs to Humans: A Review Physiological Reviews, published June 7, 2024. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00041.2023

In our latest episode, Dr. Farrah Kheradmand (Baylor College of Medicine) interviews Dr. Kevin Harrod (University of Alabama at Birmingham) about his article by Patton et al. on community-acquired bacterial coinfections and COVID-19. In the early days of the pandemic when physicians were treating critically ill COVID patients, there was no standard definition for bacterial coinfections in this cohort. However, as the field has moved forward with understanding how bacterial coinfections contribute to the mortality of COVID patients, Dr. Harrod and co-authors have worked to refine the definition of bacterial coinfections to provide a more unified way to report the prevalence of this important clinical problem. While it is often necessary to treat critically ill hospitalized COVID patients with antibiotics before sampling or culture results, Dr. Harrod and co-authors identify that this may mask the true prevalence of bacterial coinfections. Listen as Dr. Kheradmand and Dr. Harrod discuss linkages between carriage, viral infection, and secondary bacterial infections, as well as the pathophysiological ways that fungi may coinfect COVID patients. Are patients with underlying cystic fibrosis more prone to COVID infection? Listen now to learn more.

Michael John Patton, Amit Gaggar, Matthew Might, Nathaniel Erdmann, Carlos J. Orihuela, and Kevin S. Harrod Community-acquired bacterial coinfections and COVID-19 Physiological Reviews, published October 16, 2023. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00010.2023

The topic of hypertension is of paramount clinical importance as a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and kidney disease. Sex differences in blood pressure regulation play a major role in the pathophysiology of hypertension. In the episode, Dr. Carol Ann Remme (University of Amsterdam) interviews Dr. Thu Le (University of Rochester) about her new Review in Physiological Reviews on the renal, hemodynamic, and hormonal mechanisms of sexual dimorphism in blood pressure homeostasis. We discuss sex chromosome effects, hormonal changes, potential sex differences related to innate and adaptive immunity, and the clinical relevance of animal models to develop new therapeutic targets. Listen now and learn more.

Erika R. Drury, Jing Wu, Joseph C. Gigliotti, Thu H. Le Sex differences in blood pressure regulation and hypertension: renal, hemodynamic, and hormonal mechanisms Physiological Reviews, published October 16, 2023. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00041.2022