Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology Research Articles

The 2022 FASEB Virtual Catalyst Conference on the Cardiac Interatrial Septum and Stroke Risk, December 7, 2022.

There is emerging evidence that the cardiac interatrial septum has an important role as a thromboembolic source for ischemic strokes. There is little consensus on treatment of patients with different cardiac interatrial morphologies or pathologies who have had stroke. In this paper, we summarize the important background, diagnostic, and treatment considerations for this patient population as presented during the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Virtual Catalytic Conference on the Cardiac Interatrial Septum and Stroke Risk, held on December 7, 2022. During this conference, many aspects of the cardiac interatrial septum were discussed. Among these were the embryogenesis of the interatrial septum and development of anatomic variants such as patent foramen ovale and left atrial septal pouch. Also addressed were various mechanisms of injury such as shunting physiologies and the consequences that can result from anatomic variants, as well as imaging considerations in echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment options including anticoagulation and closure were addressed, as well as an in-depth discussion on whether the left atrial septal pouch is a stroke risk factor. These issues were discussed and debated by multiple experts from neurology, cardiology, and radiology.

Notes from the 2022 Folate, Vitamin B12, and One-Carbon Metabolism Conference.

Here, we present notes from the Folate, Vitamin B12, and One-Carbon Metabolism Conference organized by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), held in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, 14-19 August 2022. We aim to share the most recent findings in the field with members of our scientific community who did not attend the meeting and who are interested in the research that was presented. The research described includes discussions of one-carbon metabolism at the biochemical and physiological levels and studies of the role of folate and B12 in development and in the adult, and from bacteria to mammals. Furthermore, the summarized studies address the role of one-carbon metabolism in disease, including COVID-19, neurodegeneration, and cancer.

Maximizing Shared Research Resources: Next Steps.

Shared research resources (SRRs) promote access and training to advanced technologies and applications for a diverse array of trainees, faculty, students, and staff. Institutions and the broader research community benefit from the expertise and reputation of SRRs, their efficient use of research funds, and their positive impact on faculty recruitment and retention. Moreover, as contemporary science has become increasingly multidisciplinary and team based, SRRs are the nexus for basic discovery and the application of new groundbreaking technologies, with data as the key deliverable. However, despite their track record of accomplishments, barriers continue to exist, hindering SRRs essential role in modern research and highlighting the need for a national strategy to ensure their sustainability. The recommendations from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) SRR Task Force publication "Maximizing SRR part III" and subsequent roundtable meetings have spurred efforts for strengthening shared resources, achieving career recognition and parity, and elevating team science to its full potential. This JBT special issue focuses on these efforts, with contributions from members of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities and FASEB Task Force.

New aspects of TGF-β superfamily signaling in development and disease (2022 FASEB meeting review).

The 13th Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference, "TGF-β superfamily signaling in development and disease" was convened at the Grand Hotel in Malahide, Ireland in July 2022. The Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) family of secreted proteins consists of agents of intercellular communication found in all multicellular animals. Attending the meeting was a diverse group of scholars with shared interests in understanding TGF-β signaling mechanisms, normal functions, and the diseases associated with misregulation and mutation. Despite intense study over the previous 35 years, new features of TGF-β activity continue to be discovered. This meeting report offers 21 investigator-provided summaries that illustrate the breadth of the thought-provoking presentations. An emerging theme of the meeting was the power of cross-disciplinary studies, such as one combining immunology, biochemistry, and structural biology, to unravel the secrets of parasitic TGF-β mimics. Please join us at the next meeting.

Research for the Future: An Overview of the FASEB Shared Research Resources Task Force's Finding and Recommendations.

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) is composed of 28 member societies, representing over 115,000 individual scientists, including the Association of Biomedical Research Facilities and its members. As part of FASEB's mission to advance awareness and support of biological and biomedical research, the Federation remains committed to sustaining support for the resources that investigators use to conduct rigorous research. This includes shared resources and the core facility staff that enable researchers to have widespread access to state-of-the art technologies and expertise. Recognizing the fundamental role of shared resources in driving biomedical research progress, FASEB established the Shared Research Resources Task Force in June 2020 to discuss ongoing policy challenges related to shared resources and core facilities and identify ways to enhance their recognition and sustainability within the research enterprise. In addition to publishing a report outlining its final recommendations, the Task Force hosted a Virtual Roundtable with external stakeholders to exchange ideas and best practices about strengthening shared resources and elevating team science to its full potential. Taken together, these efforts demonstrate a key initial step toward addressing long-standing challenges and advancing shared priorities.

Cross Sectional Anatomy of the Pelvis and Perineum –A Dissection Approach to Increase Anatomical Knowledge

The complexity of both female & male pelvic cavities and perineum is evident in the complex spatial organization of structure and function, vascular supply, innervations, and internal organs1. Given the limited dissection time, a large portion of learning has been focused on learning pelvis and perineum from prosections, hemisections, models, and resources made publicly available. Currently also, many dissection manuals detail methods that do not guarantee successful visualization of the entire pelvic cavity and perineum. Moreover, we recognize the shift towards multi‐modal teaching such as the use of interactive virtual dissections and 3‐D models visualization in anatomical education2. However, we attempt to retain the classical approach to clinical anatomy with the use of gross dissection and to maximize the experience of a first‐year medical student by relying on donors’ bodies. We suggest that a cross‐sectional modified dissection approach of the pelvic cavity and perineum would reveal anatomical landmarks, tissues, musculature, vasculature, and innervations to the same detail captured from radiological imaging and thus increase student knowledge of cross‐sectional anatomy.We created a modified dissection protocol of the pelvic cavity using a cross‐sectional anatomy approach. We used a 2‐man crosscut saw to separate the pelvic cavity from the trunk and lower limbs into cross‐sectional slices. A cross‐section above the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta highlighted structures of internal and external iliac vasculature, pelvic musculature, and sacral innervations matched to CT‐scans at the exact plane of orientation. A cross‐section below the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) highlighted the urogenital and anal triangle, reproductive organs, and pelvic cavity musculatures matched to MRIs at the same plane of orientation.There is promising educational advantage for first year medical students to utilizing a cross‐sectional dissection approach in conjunction with imaging to visualize spatial complexity of the pelvic cavity. This practical approach allows medical students to develop fluency in spatial organization when dissecting and to map structures on relevant imaging commonly encountered in clinical practice including CT, MRIs, and ultrasound. Though there are no publications of a similar pelvic cavity and perineum dissection approach, we anticipate a growing trend towards cross‐sectional anatomy as a teaching model for radiological imaging3. We aim to complete multiple dissections with this dissection protocol using a specialized bandsaw and to propose the integration of cross‐sectional prosections into the clinical anatomy curriculum.1Hunter, L. D. and McHugh, K.M. A Novel Approach to Dissection of the Pelvis and Perineum for Professional Students. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal. 2018.2Boscolo‐Berto, R., Tortorella, C., Porzionato, A. et al. The additional role of virtual to traditional dissection in teaching anatomy: a randomised controlled trial. Surg Radiol Anat 43, 2021.3McLachlan J. C. New path for teaching anatomy: living anatomy and medical imaging vs. dissection. Anatomical Record—Part B: New Anatomist. 2004.

Biography of John W Suttie, PhD

John Weston Suttie was a pioneering scientist who had substantial impacts within and beyond the nutrition community. His service as AIN president, editor of society journals, and respected contributor to national committees establishing nutrient requirements continues to positively impact ASN members and the public at large. As president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), his advocacy for working scientists still benefits the broader biomedical sciences research community. He was a highly respected member of the Biochemistry and Nutritional Sciences departments at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW-Madison), for more than 40 years. John was most widely known for his outstanding contributions in defining the process of blood clotting, primarily regarding the mechanism of action and metabolism of vitamin K. He was an extraordinary scholar and scientist who not only received many honors but took them seriously, in that he used them to forge a pathway to make deep and long-lasting contributions to the nutrition and wider biomedical sciences communities at the local, national, and international levels (1, 2).

The 2021 FASEB Virtual Science Research Conference on Protein Aggregation: Function, Dysfunction, and Disease, June 23-25, 2021.

The 2021 FASEB Virtual Science Research Conference on Protein Aggregation: Function, Dysfunction, and Disease, June 23-25, 2021.

The 2021 FASEB virtual Catalyst Conference on Transplantation Genomics: Ethics of Research and Clinical Applications, January 27, 2021.

The 2021 FASEB virtual Catalyst Conference on Transplantation Genomics: Ethics of Research and Clinical Applications, January 27, 2021.

John W. Suttie (1934–2020)

John W. Suttie (1934–2020)

2020 FASEB Science Research Conference on Microbial Glycobiology, July 13-14, 2020.

2020 FASEB Science Research Conference on Microbial Glycobiology, July 13-14, 2020.

A brief history of FASEB and its programs and activities.

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) was formed in 1912 to serve the needs of its four charter societies. Its growth, from these organizations with a little more than 300 members to nearly 30 societies with over 100 000 members, is a tribute to its ability to respond to the changing structure and needs of the experimental biology community. The Federation began as a loosely constructed, single‐purpose organization established to facilitate the coordination of the annual meeting of its four member societies. Following World War II, the limitations of this informal structure became readily apparent, and the development of a professional staff under the leadership of Milton O. Lee ushered in the second phase of FASEB's history. Lee oversaw a period of substantial institutional growth, but when he retired in the mid‐1960s the unresolved issues of governance and member autonomy loomed large. These became increasingly divisive sources of organizational friction and were not meaningfully resolved until the Williamsburg Retreat of 1989 restructured the Federation and initiated the third phase of its existence. The changes made as a result of this pivotal event gave FASEB a new raison d'etre (public affairs) and made the organization attractive to many other biomedical research societies. Membership grew rapidly in the 1990s and early years of the 21st century. This larger membership, along with changing financial relationships, present new challenges for the Federation and are precipitating another restructuring.

The 2019 FASEB Science Research Conference on Matricellular Proteins in Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling, July 14-19, 2019, Lisbon, Portugal.

The 2019 FASEB Science Research Conference on Matricellular Proteins in Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling, July 14-19, 2019, Lisbon, Portugal.

Thomas Laux

Thomas Laux

Surgeon Scientists Are Disproportionately Affected by Declining NIH Funding Rates

Obtaining National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding over the last 10 years has become increasingly difficult due to a decrease in the number of research grants funded and an increase in the number of NIH applications. National Institutes of Health funding amounts and success rates were compared for all disciplines using data from NIH, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), and Blue Ridge Medical Institute. Next, all NIH grants (2006 to 2016) with surgeons as principal investigators were identified using the National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results (NIH RePORTER), and a grant impact score was calculated for each grant based on the publication's impact factor per funding amount. Linear regression and one-way ANOVA were used for analysis. The number of NIH grant applications has increased by 18.7% (p= 0.0009), while the numbers of funded grants (p < 0.0001) and R01s (p < 0.0001) across the NIH have decreased by 6.7% and 17.0%, respectively. The mean success rate of funded grants with surgeons as principal investigators (16.4%) has been significantly lower than the mean NIH funding rate (19.2%) (p= 0.011). Despite receiving only 831 R01s during this time period, surgeon scientists were highly productive, with an average grant impact score of 4.9 per $100,000, which increased over the last 10 years (0.15 ± 0.05/year, p= 0.02). Additionally, the rate of conversion of surgeon scientist-mentored K awards to R01s from 2007 to 2012 was 46%. Despite declining funding over the last 10 years, surgeon scientists have demonstrated increasing productivity as measured by impactful publications and higher success rates in converting early investigator awards to R01s.

ATG Interviews Jennifer Pesanelli, Past President of the Society for Scholarly Publishing and Deputy Executive Director forOperations at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

ATG Interviews Jennifer Pesanelli, Past President of the Society for Scholarly Publishing and Deputy Executive Director forOperations at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

M.C. Chang as a Mentor: A Memoir.

M.C. Chang as a Mentor: A Memoir.

A Call for the Voices of Early Career Researchers

One of the ways that early career researchers can effect change in the academic research system is to make their voices heard, particularly when their input is solicited. Two agencies are soliciting such input until early March 2015: a survey responding to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Report “Sustaining Discovery in Biological and Medical Sciences: A Discussion Framework”; and a Request for Information on the “Emeritus Award for Senior Researchers” from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Here we present a call to the scientific community to contribute to the discussions; provide resources that can allow researchers to read further and make informed comments on the proposals; and discuss the proposals in the hope of provoking further debate.

FASEB Science Research Conference on phospholipid cell signaling and metabolism in inflammation and cancer.

EACH SUMMER, A SERIES of science research conferences are sponsored by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a non-profit federation of 26 research societies representing approximately 125,000 scientists, that allows experimental biologists to meet in a relaxing, collegial atmosphere and explore new approaches to current research areas. From 2012 to 2014, I had the honor of organizing one such conference, “Phospholipid Cell Signaling and Metabolism in Inflammation and Cancer.” The conference was held in Niagara Falls, New York, June 1–6, 2014, at the “Sheraton at the Falls” hotel. The conference focused on the roles that cell membrane phospholipids play in inflammation and cancer. As I agreed to organize the conference, I devised a plan early on that the purpose of this meeting was to cover, at the very least, novel findings on membrane lipid enzymes and intracellular signaling; biochemistry, genetics, and visualization of organelle trafficking; metabolism and signaling deregulation in inflammation and cancer; and delivery systems of lipids (e.g., nanoparticles) as therapeutics.

John A. Milner: In Memoriam (1947–2013)

![Figure][1] On December 31, 2013, the scientific community lost Dr. John A. Milner, an internationally respected scientist known for his work in human nutrition and cancer prevention. John served as Chief of National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Nutritional Science Research Group in the