PhD Student

Course Start: 01/10/2013
Supervisor: Dr Loukia Tsaprouni
Second Supervisor: Dr Andrew Govus

Working thesis title

Acetaminophen, cyclooxygenase, and non-febrile thermoregulation: Is there cause for concern?

Abstract

Maintaining a normal body temperature is essential for our cells to function optimally. Thus, mammals have developed a highly conserved system for balancing heat production and heat loss. This system is largely activated via ‘delivery’ of thermal sensory input from the periphery (skin, core) to the pre-optic anterior hypothalamus, which then orchestrates the appropriate physiological (efferent) response. During cold exposure, autonomic responses include shivering thermogenesis, brown adipose tissue activation, and a shunting of cutaneous blood flow.

In my PhD project, the first aim is to determine if ingestion of antipyretic (anti-fever) drugs facilitate a loss of thermoregulatory control during exposure to cold environmental conditions. The second goal is to determine the mechanism of this response, whereby we will investigate if the isoenzyme cyclooxygenase is involved in the mediation of thermogenic responses to such environments. If cyclooxygenase is involved in the regulation of non-febrile body temperature, new guidelines should be made regarding the safe use of cyclooxygenase inhibitors during exposure to cold weather.

We are currently recruiting Caucasian Males aged between 18 and 35 for participation in this project.

Research Questions

• Do over the counter antipyretic drugs inhibit thermoregulatory control during exposure to cold environments.
• Does cyclooxygenase mediate autonomic thermogenic responses to environmental cooling in healthy humans.

Contact Information

Please feel free to contact me to take part in my research. 

T: +44 (0)1234 793053
M: +44 (0)7590808009
E: josh.foster@beds.ac.uk
Twitter: @JoshFosterMMA
LinkedIn: Josh Foster
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