This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"For an anesthesiologist, medically induced transitions between conscious and unconscious brain states are just part of the daily routine. But precisely how general anesthetics produce a state of unconsciousness isn’t all that clear. That’s because researchers are missing a key piece to the puzzle: no one has been able to definitively pinpoint exactly where consciousness comes from. The prevailing idea is that there’s no single “seat” of consciousness – it’s more the product of multiple interactions occurring throughout the brain. A recent review article published in the journal Anesthesiology argues that, because of this global network property, the field of network science could provide the framework needed to more comprehensively understand the biological basis of consciousness…and by extension the principles underlying anesthetic-induced unconsciousness..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"New research published in the journal Anesthesiology provides fresh insights into how volatile anesthetics affect the central nervous system. Although anesthesia has been practiced for nearly 75 years, the precise cellular mechanisms driving anesthetic responses have remained ambiguous. Recent reports suggest mitochondria have a key role in the process, but prior research has only studied this connection in neurons. Now, researchers argue that astrocytes are also important, particularly when it comes to emergence from anesthesia. To reach this conclusion, the team produced a novel knockout mouse lacking the mitochondrial complex I gene known as Ndufs4. In the model, gene knockout is induced only in astrocytes of adult animals – the other cell types comprising the central nervous system retain functional copes of the gene. The result is astrocyte-specific mitochondrial dysfunction..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Students discuss several human reproductive technologies available today pregnancy ultrasound, amniocentesis, in-vitro fertilization and labor anesthetics. They learn how each technology works, and that these are ways engineers have worked to improve the health of expecting mothers and babies.

Student teams learn about and devise technical presentations on four reproductive technology topics pregnancy ultrasound, amniocentesis, in-vitro fertilization or labor anesthetics. Each team acts as a panel of engineers asked to make a presentation to a group of students unfamiliar with the reproductive technology. Each group incorporates non-lecture elements into its presentation for greater effectiveness. As students learn about the technologies, by creating a presentation and listening to other groups' presentations, they also learn more about the valuable skill of technical communications.