Essential Guide to Reading Biomedical Papers (eBook)

Dr. Philip David Langton, Senior Lecturer and Academic Director of E-Learning, Department of Physiology, University of Bristol Dr Philip Langton is currently a Senior Lecturer and Academic Director of e-Learning in the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK.?Dr Langton is an advocate for excellence in all forms of learning, teaching and assessment in HE. He is an enthusiastic undergraduate and graduate teacher, contributing to Medical Sciences and Physiological Sciences programmes. Finalist of 'Bioscience Teacher of the Year' for 2011, Dr Langton is passionate about providing an excellent learning experience for students in ways that are stimulating and rewarding for University staff, and disseminating innovative and high-quality learning practices.

List of contributors ix

Foreword xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgements xvii

Introduction xix

Section A - Basic principles 1

1 Philosophy of science 3

James Ladyman

2 Ingredients of experimental design 9

Nick Colegrave

3 Statistics: a journey that needs a guide 17

Gordon Drummond

Section B - Cell and molecular 27

4 Organ bath pharmacology 29

Emma Robinson

5 Small vessel myography 39

Tomoko Kamishima and John M Quayle

6 Mammalian cell cultures: the example of airway epithelial cell
cultures for cystic fibrosis research 49

Scott H Randell

7 Electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) 59

Paul Verkade

8 Fluorescence microscopy 67

Mark Jepson

9 Intracellular 'sharp' microelectrode recording 77

Helena C Parkington and Harold A Coleman

10 Single electrode voltage-clamp (SEVC) 85

Harold A Coleman and Helena C Parkington

11 Patch clamp recording 95

Neil Bannister and Phil Langton

12 Production of antibodies 105

Elek Molnar

13 Immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry 117

Elek Molnar

14 Immunoprecipitation (IP) 129

David Bates

15 Immunoblotting (western) 137

Samantha F. Moore, Joshua S. Savage and Ingeborg Hers

16 Applications of green fluorescent protein (GFP) 147

Mark Jepson

17 Fluorescent measurement of ion activity in cells 153

Helen Kennedy

18 Detection of exocytosis - real time 163

Anja Teschemacher

19 Viral vector transgenesis 173

Anja Teschemacher

20 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription
(RT)-PCR 179

Lucy F. Donaldson

21 In situ hybridisation (ISH) 187

Lucy F. Donaldson

22 Methods of interference (antisense, siRNAs and dominant
negative mutations) 193

Allison Fulford

23 Transcriptome analysis: microarrays 203

Charles Hindmarch

24 Experimental proteomics 215

Thierry Le Bihan

Section C - In vivo / integrative 229

25 Behavioural methodology 231

Emma Robinson

26 Genetically modified mouse models 241

Nina Balthasar

27 Wireless recording of cardiovascular signals 247

Julian FR Paton and Fiona D McBryde

28 Electrical stimulation methods 253

Jon Wakerley

29 Extracellular recording 261

Jon Wakerley

30 Antidromic identification 271

Jon Wakerley

31 Event-triggered averaging, including spike-triggered
averaging 279

Richard Apps

32 Axonal transport tracing of CNS pathways 285

John Crabtree

33 Cardiovascular methods: general considerations for human
studies 291

Erica A Wehrwein and Michael J Joyner

34 Measuring cardiac output in humans 299

Erica A Wehrwein and Michael J Joyner

35 Measuring peripheral blood flow in humans 311

Erica A Wehrwein and Michael J Joyner

Index 319

"The book would be of most benefit to new researchers or
early career scientists though with some benefits to the more
experienced scientist moving into a new discipline."
(Microbiology Today, 1 September 2013)

"As a guide to how to properly ask questions of life and
how to interpret its often-enigmatic answers, this book is a must
read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division
undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and
professionals." (Choice, 1 August 2013)

"Too many recent bioscience graduates lack significant
research lab experience. Even research projects can expose them to
just a few techniques. Appraisal of research papers in
undergraduate courses tends to address the results, but rarely
includes a critical evaluation of the researchers methodology. In
reality, few bioscientists can claim a working knowledge of more
than a handful of the techniques covered in this collection.

These shortcomings can be greatly overcome thanks to this book.
The contributors are active research scientists of high quality.
Each addresses the methods in a critical sense and provide an
expert's view of the advantages and pitfalls. There is no
equivalent book currently available." Dr David J. Miller on
behalf of The Physiological Society

"Research questions require the scientist to employ
molecular, cell, organism and population approaches, and the reader
of scientific literature to carefully consume data from each of
those environments. This book provides a clear and concise
summary of the research techniques and approaches that generate
data. Importantly, the authors identify appropriate uses and
cautionary caveats, essential for readers who do not use the
technique. This book is essential for accurate and careful
interpretation of scientific literature." Professor Robert G.
Carroll, Editor Advances in Physiology Education





About the Author

Dr Philip Langton is currently a Senior Lecturer and Academic
Director of e-Learning in the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary
Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK. In addition to
conducting research into the physiology of small arterial blood
vessels, funded by the British Heart Foundation, Dr Langton is an
acclaimed undergraduate and graduate teacher, contributing to
Medical Sciences and Physiological Sciences programmes. Finalist of
'Bioscience Teacher of the Year' for 2011, Dr Langton
is devoted to improving student's learning experiences and
disseminating innovative and high-quality learning practices.