ANIMAL BIOLOGY+HUMAN ANATOMY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2016/2017
- Teacher
- GILBERTO GRANDI
- Credits
- 12
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
Training objectives
- Although apparently different, living organisms have a common base, from biomolecules to biological processes (protein synthesis, cellular division, respiration etc.). The Integrated Course of Animal Biology and Human Anatomy will provide the basic information about biological systems and underline the morphological and anatomical differences among living organisms. This integrated course guides the student along a linear learning path, from cells to development and morphogenesis, ending up with a knowledge of the complex structure of animals and of biodiversity.
Concerning the course in Animal Biology, the specific purposes are: to learn the characteristics of the main biological macromolecules, the morphological and functional organization of the animal cell, the processes of cell division, the reproductive strategies, the developmental processes, the interactions among organisms, the biological cycles of the main human parasites; to understand the mechanisms of transmission and expression of genetic information and of the laws of heredity of biological traits.
The course of Human Anatomy has been designed to teach the students about the human body structure by integrating the tissue/organ and system levels, through the use of microscopic and macroscopic approaches. The main goals of the course are: the acquisition of histological basis with the aim of understanding the human body general organization and the identification of the components of the different systems of the human body to define their connections (both structural and functional levels).
The integrated course, aimed to the students of the first year, has also the purpose to introduce the students to the methods of scientific investigation and to the use of a correct terminology to describe biological processes.
The main skills acquired by the student will be:
- identify the relationships between structure and function and among the different biological processes;
- apply in an autonomous way the basic information to observe, describe and interpret the organization, the continuity and evolution of animal life;
- present the acquired information using the correct terminology and communicate the results concerning the studied biological features in a graphic way;
- understand the mechanisms that allow to cells, tissues and organs to perform their specific functions in the body
- discuss the correlations between the human body structures and its functions;
- understand the mechanisms of the nervous system which allow communication, control and integration of the human body functions;
- acquire the basic medical terminology necessary for their future profession. Prerequisites
- No formal preparatory courses are required, but it is necessary to have acquired the following information provided by previous high school courses in Chemistry, Physics and Biology:
- Hierarchic organization of inorganic, organic and living world;
- Types and characteristics of chemical bonds;
- Chemical and physical properties of liquids and solutions;
- the cell as morphological and functional unit of life;
- basic concepts of biological evolution;
- basic knowledge of human anatomy. Course programme
- The Integrated Course of Animal Biology and Human Anatomy involves 96 hours of lectures, 48 hours for the Animal Biology course and 48 hours for the Human Anatomy course.
Animal Biology programme (48 hours)
The course is divided into five main themes:
Biological macromolecules (6 hours) – Origin of life and cell evolution. Basic characteristics of biomolecules: water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Survey methods in biology.
Cytology (14 hours) – Morphological organization of the prokaryotic cell. Autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism. Eukaryote cell: structure and functions of cell membranes; cytoplasm and cytoskeleton; cell organelles; mitochondria and cell respiration. Nuclear structure in interphase and during division; chromatin, chromosomes and nucleolus, cell cycle and its control, mitosis and meiosis, apoptosis, cell differentiation.
Developmental biology (8 hours) – Asexual and sexual reproduction. Sex determination. Gonad differentiation, gamete maturation. Embryo development: fertilization, segmentation and developmental stages in invertebrates and vertebrates; tissues and organs from embryo layers. Gene expression during embryo development. Morphogenesis, differentiation and cell commitment. Structural plans of the body of animals.
Classic and molecular genetics (12 hours)- Mendelian inheritance and the gene. Dominance, Incomplete dominance and codominance. Chromosomal bases of heredity. Monohybrid and dihybrid crosses. Sex chromosomes and sex-linked genes. Gene expression and interaction. Linkage disequilibrium. Molecular bases of inheritance: transcription, genetic code, translation, regulation of gene expression and post-translational modifications. Gene, chromosomal and genome mutations, mutation rate and mutagens.
Species relationships (8 hours) – Biological definition of species, mechanisms of speciation and taxonomic systems. Adaptations to parasitism and host defenses. Biological cycles of the main human parasites.
Human Anatomy programme (48 hours)
First part: general histology (16 hours)
Epithelial tissue (2 hours) - Epithelium and glandular epithelium.
Connective tissue (8 hours) - Connective tissue proper. Cartilage tissue. Bone tissue. Blood.
Muscle tissue: (3 hours) -Skeletal muscle,heart muscle and smooth muscle tissue.
Nervous tissue: (3 hours) -Neurons and Neuroglia.
Second part: human anatomy (32 hours) -
Introduction to the study of human anatomy (2 hours) - Anatomical position. Hollow organs and solid organs. Anatomical section planes. Body cavities. Membranes of the human body.
Cardiovascular System (6 hours) - Blood vessels. Systemic circulation and pulmonary circulation. Hepatic portal system. Heart. Main arteries and veins of the systemic circulation.Lymphatic system.
Respiratory system (3 hours) –Nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs. Pleura and pleural cavities.
Digestive system (6 hours) - Peritoneum and peritoneal cavity. Oral cavity, tongue, teeth, salivary glands, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver and pancreas.
Urinary system (3 hours) – Kidneys. Nephron. Urinary tract: ureters, urinary bladder, male and female urethra.Juxtaglomerular apparatus.
Male reproductive system (2 hours) - Scrotum, testes, spermatic cord. Sperm ducts: epididymis, vas deferens, ejaculatory ducts. The accessory glands of the male reproductive system.
Female reproductive system (2 hours) - Ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and vagina. Ovarian and uterine cycle.
Nervous system (8 hours) - Central nervous system. Embryonic development and organization of the brain. Encephalic meninges. Ventricles and cerebrospinal fluid. Blood-brain barrier. Spinal cord. Brainstem. Diencephalon. Forebrain. Basal ganglia. Cerebellum. Didactic methods
- The course is organized as lectures (96 hours) using the following teaching supports: Power Point presentations, audio-visual supports, explicative tables, plastic models of cell processes (mitosis and meiosis), models of developmental stages, anatomical models of animals that can be disassembled preserved zoological specimens and anatomical models of human body parts and human organs.
Learning assessment procedures
- The aim of the final examination is to verify the level of achievement of the learning objectives of the course. The exam is an oral test, composed of three questions dealing with the program of the course of Animal Biology and three questions dealing with the program of the course of Human Anatomy. Besides the level of knowledge, it will be also evaluated the ability of the student to understand and discuss with expertise the subjects of the questions. The test will also consider the ability to identify the connections among the different biological processes, to enrich the explanation with appropriate examples, to use a correct terminology and discuss a critical way the information acquired. The answer to each question will be evaluated up to 10 points. In order to pass the exam, the student must obtain a minimal score of 18/30 in each course and the final score will be the average of the score obtained in each course. If the minimal score of 18/30 is not obtained in one of the two courses, the student must repeat the exam in both courses.
Reference texts
- Animal Biology course:
Sadava D., Hillis D.H., Heller H.C. and Berenbaum M.R. - Biologia (IV edizione)- Zanichelli Editore. Vol. 1 La cellula; Vol. 2 L'ereditarietà e il genoma; Vol. 3 L'evoluzione e la biodiversità.
Campbell N.A., Reece J.B., Urry L.A., Cain M.L., Wasserman S.A., Minorsky P.V. and Jackson R.B. - Biologia e Genetica (X edizione). Pearson Italia S.p.A.
De Carneri I. - Parassitologia Generale e Umana. Editrice Ambrosiana..
Human Anatomy course
Artico M. et al. - Anatomia Umana - Principi- Edi Ermes
McKinley M., O’Loughlin V.D. - Anatomia Umana - Piccin
Martini F.H., Timmons M.J., Tallitsch R.B., - Anatomia Umana- EdiSes
The students will also be provided with the pdf copies of the lectures, including bibliographic references of scientific papers, easy to understand and related to the lecture subjects.
