APPLIED BIOLOGY
Academic year and teacher
If you can't find the course description that you're looking for in the above list,
please see the following instructions >>
- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2019/2020
- Teacher
- MAURO TOGNON
- Credits
- 8
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
Training objectives
- The course includes the modules of General and Cellular Biology, General and Molecular Genetics, and Clinical Psychology.
The General and Cellular Biology, General and Molecular Genetics modules aim to give the student the knowledge of the basic notions of the biology and genetics, and then to highlight their applications in the medical fields.
Knowledge and understanding:
This teaching follows a training course that aims to lead the student to the understanding of:
1. the organization of living beings at the level of biological and cellular macromolecules;
2. the properties of biological macromolecules, and cells;
3. the reproductive and replicative capabilities of cells;
4. how the genetic information passes from DNA to RNA and proteins;
5. the structure, organization and function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and organelles;
6. how the genetic information is inherited in generations and the modalities of gene expression in general, over time, and in different tissue districts, as a result of the mutations.
7. the sequence of biological events associated to mutations and leading to the altered phenotype.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
the course aims to provide the basis to
1. distinguish the eukaryotic cell from the prokaryotic cell;
2. to master current cellular and molecular aspects related to scientific experiments in biology;
3. set-up a pedigree / family tree and the molecular analysis of the mutated DNA.
The main objective of Clinical Psychology module will be to lead the student to a preliminary consciousness of the scientific structure of doctor-patient (D-P) relationship, starting from elementary knowledge of the basic techniques of development of a trust-based relationship. Prerequisites
- The General and Cellular Biology, General and Molecular Genetics modules:
Knowledge of basic concepts of Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics
Clinical Psychology module:
no specific characteristic is needed, useful personal skills in communication and relationship Course programme
- Modules of GENERAL AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, GENERAL AND MOLECULAR GENETICS:
Chemical composition of living matter.
General characteristics of biological macromolecules
(nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides). Composition and
forms of DNA. DNA as a depositary
of genetic information: experiments of Griffith, and Avery, MacLeod and McCarty, and Hershey and Chase. Genomic DNA organization in
eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and viruses.
Chromatin. The nucleosome. The different classes of the eukaryotic DNA (highly repeated, averagely
repeated, unique sequences). The different RNA classes (mRNA, rRNA, RNAt, miRNA).
The prokaryotic cell: structure, organization and functions. The eukaryotic cell. Structure, organization and functions. Intracellular compartments. Cytoplasmic membrane. Receptors and mechanisms of transport. Cytoskeleton. Centrioles. The cytoplasmic organelles: structures and functions. Smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Ribosomes. Golgi apparatus and vesicular trafficking. Exocytosis and endocytosis. Lysosomes. Peroxisomes. Mitochondria. The nucleus. The nucleolus. The models of DNA replication: Meselson and Stahl experiment.
DNA replication. Transcription. Translation.
Mitogens and growth factors. Membrane receptors and signal transduction. The cell cycle. Mitosis. Meiosis. Comparison between mitosis and meiosis. Apoptosis. Cell transformation. The phenotype of the cancer cell. Chemical, physical and biological mutagens and carcinogens.
Ames’s assay. Point mutations.
The multiphase mechanism of oncogenesis. Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Recombinant DNA technologies and
gene therapy.
Mendel's experiments. dominant,
recessivity, co-dominance and dominance
incomplete inheritance. Allele segregation.
Independent assortment of alleles. Analysis of
general inheritance mechanisms. Trees
genealogy/pedigree. Monofactorial characters.
Mendelian transmission of hereditary.
dominant and recessive autosomal transmission of characters. Characters associated with the X chromosome. Test cross and back cross.
Crossing-over and meiotic recombination. Inactivation of the X chromosome. Monofactorial diseases: autosomal dominant (examples:
familial hypercholesterolemia, Huntington’s disease), autosomal recessive (examples: beta-thalassemias, cystic fibrosis), X-linked. (Examples: muscular dystrophies, hemophilia A). Genetic diseases with mitochondrial inheritance. The normal human karyotype. Chromosomal aberrations of number and structure.
Cancer genetics.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY module
Introductory presentation of the hystorical, philosophical and scientific roots of Clinical psichology. The Seven Pillars of D-P Relationship: Kindness, Empathy, Sincerity, Competence, Efficacy, Trust and Therapeutic Alliance. Didactic methods
- The course provides 100 teaching hours divided into 64 hours of theoretical lectures (total 56 hours of experimental biology module; 8 hours clinical psychology module), 36 hours of online assisted teaching. The hours of theoretical lectures include also teaching seminars. The hours of on-line teaching of moodle platform certification service consisting in the deepening of some topics covered in class and indicated by the teacher at the beginning of the course.
Learning assessment procedures
- For the modules of General and Cellular Biology, General and Molecular Genetics the learning assessment will be carried out by means of a written exam lasting about an hour, without the use of books or notes, in the presence of the teachers. The questions will be formulated with multiple choice questions (five options for each question), related to all the educational objectives as defined above. There will be no penalty for incorrect or not given answers. The questions will be prepared in order to verify the knowledge of applied biology acquired by the student in relation to all the teaching parts / modules of the program, with reference both to the basic notions of general and cellular biology and general and molecular genetics, and to their applications in medical field, also through the use of simple cases referring to comparisons between normal /wild and altered /mutated in human models treated in class.
To pass the exam it will be necessary to acquire a minimum score of 18 out of 30. The sufficiency threshold is exceeded with 36 correct answers.
The score is given in thirtieths.
The maximum score, equal to thirty and praise, is provided for those who correctly answer all the questions; the minimum score, equal to 18, is foreseen for those who will correctly return to the 18/30 of the questions.
The learning level of the Clinical Psychology module will be evaluated with the applications of psychometric measures loading on Resilience and Empathy, in order to achieve a final certification of suitability as a final result of the Integrated Course. Reference texts
- SUGGESTED TEXTBOOKS.
BIOLOGIA APPLICATA: 1. Autori Vari, a cura di De Leo, Ginelli, e Fasano. Biologia e Genetica, 3rd or 4th EDITION. PUBLISHER EDISES, Napoli. 2. B. Alberts, et al. - Biologia molecolare della cellula - Ed. Zanichelli, Bologna. 3.W.K.Purves et al. Elementi di Biologia e Genetica. Ed. Zanichelli, Bologna. 4. G.M. Cooper, R.E. Hausman. La Cellula. Un approccio molecolare. Ed. Piccin, Padova. 5. J. D. Watson et al. Biologia molecolare del gene. Ed. Zanichelli, Bologna. 6. M.R. Cummings - Eredità. EdiSES, Napoli. 7. B. A. Pearce – Genetica – Ed Zanichelli. 8. T. Strachan, A. Read - Genetica umana molecolare - Ed. UTET, Torino.
TEXTBOOKS SHOULD NOT BE OLDER THAN FIVE YEARS
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY module:
R.J.Comer – PSICOLOGIA CLINICA (2a Ed.), UTET
