Applied Physiology

The Applied Physiology Laboratory (APL) conducts human physiology experiments, pharmacokinetic studies, and protocol development.   Equipment includes treadmills, metabolic carts, cardiac monitors, invasive and non-invasive physiological monitors, blood collection and processing tools, drug infusion pumps, and supplies for safety.  Adjacent to the APL are basic research laboratory tools to process and freeze biological specimens, as well as perform some point-of-care testing.

Mission

The APL's mission is to advance health and wellness by expanding our understanding of acute and chronic challenges to physiology.  We innovate to detect and predict physiologic derangements, optimize recovery, and improve performance.  APL faculty and students work to accomplish this mission through research, education, and application.

Research

Multidisciplinary research is critical to improving health and wellness.  Our approach permits the end-user to define a question.  The APL will design an experimental line to answer the question.  In addition to clinical physiology, the APL employs animal models and biochemical approaches to provide mechanistic insight and consider potential therapeutic targets.

Education

Without dissemination to the end-user, research cannot reach its full potential.  The APL will develop a local and national presence to provide educational programming.  We maintain an updated website describing our current research along with prior projects and outcomes.

Application

APL is committed to distilling research into practical guidelines.  We are also committed to providing tailored fitness and nutrition information to the public and our users.  We will work to maximize use of current technology while developing and evaluating future technologies to improve detection and prediction of physiologic derangements.


Select Completed Studies

Metabolic Manipulation and Therapeutic Hypothermia

Katharyn Flickinger, Alexandra Weissman, Jonathan Elmer, Patrick Coppler, Francis Guyette, Melissa Repine, Cameron Dezfluian | Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management (2023)

Glycopyrrolate does not ameliorate hypothermia associated bradycardia in healthy individuals: a randomized crossover trial

Jon Rittenberger, Alexandra Weissman, Katharyn Flickinger, Francis Guyette, David Hopkins, Melissa Repine, Cameron Dezfluian | Resuscitation (2021)

Cooling to facilitate metabolic suppression in health individuals

Jon Rittenberger, Katharyn Flickinger, Alexandra Weissman, Melissa Repine, Jonathan Elmer, Francis Guyette, Clifton Callaway | Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance (2019)

Dexmedetomidine reduces shivering during mild hypothermia in waking subject

Clifton Callaway, Jonathan Elmer, Francis Guyette, Bradley Molyneaux, Kacey Anderson, Philip Empey, Stacy Gerstel, Katharyn Holquist, Melissa Repine, Jon Rittenberger | PLoS One (2015)

Mild hypothermia alters midazolam pharmacokinetics in normal health volunteers

David Holster, Jiangquan Zhou, Michael Tortorici, Robert Bies, Jon Rittenberger, Philip Empey, Patrick Kochanek, Clifton Callaway, Samuel Poloyac | Drug Metabolism and Disposition (2010)

High-dose diazepam facilitates core cooling during cold saline infusions in health volunteers

David Holster, William Northington, Clifton Callaway | Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism (2009)

Core temperature cooling in healthy volunteers after rapid intravenous infusion of cold and room temperature saline solution

David Holster, William Northington, Clifton Callaway | Annals of Emergency Medicine (2008)