- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Physiology Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Landing a Postdoctoral Researcher Position
- Becoming a Physician-Scientist
- Mastering the Art of Science Communication
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Advocate for Women's Health Research Funding
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—James Rothman, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—George Brooks, PhD, FAPS
- Keynote Speaker—Holly Ingraham, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Social Events
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Travel & Transportation
- Liability Waiver
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Summit Store
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Nevada, Reno
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Long Beach, Calif. (April 5, 2024)—Spraying the skin with water helps reduce core and skin temperature in older adults during extremely hot and dry weather, according to a study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition, skin wetting lowered the heart and sweat rates of study participants. Researchers will present their work this week at the American Physiology Summit, the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS), in Long Beach, California.
“Our early results suggest that wetting the skin with a water spray may help older adults deal with extreme heat.”—Zachary McKenna, PhD
The research team investigated whether using a water spray to wet the skin could help prevent heat strain in older adults during extreme heat. Older adults are prone to heat injury such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are more susceptible to heat injury because their bodies cannot adjust to sudden temperature changes as fast as younger people.
Ten older adults ages 67–84 spent three hours in a hot room that recreated the conditions of the 2018 Los Angeles heatwave. The simulated temperature was 116 degrees Fahrenheit with a 15% relative humidity. Study participants visited the room on two occasions: once in which their skin was sprayed with water and the other with no skin wetting. During their visits, participants mimicked daily activities with short sessions of light cycling. Researchers measured their core and skin temperature, heart rate, sweat rate and skin blood flow to compare the effects of skin wetting versus not wetting the skin. They found that wetting the skin with a water spray reduced core temperature by 0.59 degrees Fahrenheit and heart rate by six beats per minute.
The goal of this study was to give older adults another tool to stay healthy during extreme heat. “This easy and low-cost strategy may help protect older adults from overheating and experiencing related health issues during heatwaves,” said Zachary McKenna, PhD, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: The American Physiology Summit will be held April 4–7, 2024, in Long Beach, California. To request the full abstract, “Skin wetting attenuates the thermal strain of older adults exposed to very hot and dry heat with accompanying activities of daily living” (#868), or schedule an interview with the researchers, conference organizers or presenters, contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more highlights from the meeting in our Summit Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- Study Bolsters Evidence that Effects of Puberty Blockers Are Reversible
- The Heart Grows More in Pregnant Rats with High Blood Pressure
- New American Physiological Society Leaders Take Office
- Brain Blood Flow Resistance More Common in Older Adults with Cognitive Problems
- The Physiologist Magazine
- Researchers are One Step Closer to Preventing Preeclampsia
- Prebiotics Could Help Space Travelers Stay Healthy
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us.