84262 - Biochemistry Laboratory

Learning outcomes

Describe the principal biochemical techniques and their applications in medicine.

Course contents

-Enzymes and enzymology

- Oxygen binding proteins: myoglobin and hemoglobin

- Immunoglobulins and Vaccines - Speaker Prof. Antonio Pannuti

- The new era of rapid diagnostic tests in saliva and nasal secretion: focus on COVID19 - Speakers: Dr Donato Calabria and Dr AngelaPunzo

- Principles of Bioenergetics

- Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE) disease and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease -Speakers: Dr. Elisa Boschetti and Dr. Angela Punzo

- Clinical case study presentations (20 groups of students – 3 slides/ 5 min each)

- Mock exam

Readings/Bibliography

PowerPoint presentations integrated by personal notes can give a useful outline of the course. It is warmly suggested to support the above-mentioned material with the textbook

Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 7th edition - International Edition

D. L. Nelson, M. M. Cox

W. H. Freeman - Macmillan learning

ISBN: 978-1-319-10824-3.

The last textbook is equivalent to the standard 7th edition, whose ISBN code is: 978-1-4641-2611-6

Copies of the textbook, mostly in the previous editions, are available to consultation and borrow at the following University libraries:

• Biblioteca Biomedica Centrale (link [https://acnpsearch.unibo.it/library/BO303] );
• Biblioteca di Fisica (link [https://acnpsearch.unibo.it/library/BO405] ).

Teaching methods

Traditional lecture-based teaching based on Power Point presentations.

Assessment methods

The assessment of the course contents is based on a final examination only; no midterm exams are scheduled. The final examination consists of a single written exam, having a maximum duration of three hours.

During the examination, only the use of ordinary stationery (i.e., pencils, pens, rubber, rulers, etc.) and of a calculator is allowed. The periodic table (which sample copy is available on AMS Campus) and any other supplementary material will be directly attached to the exam papers. During the examination, students are not allowed to leave the classroom, unless they accept to definitively deliver all their exam papers and do not enter the classroom anymore. During the exam, the presence of electronic devices, other than a simple watch and the aforementioned calculator, is strictly forbidden.

In order to take the exam, students must sign up through AlmaEsami within the indicated deadlines. All the activities associated to the “Biochemistry Laboratory” must be completed and approved, before considering to take the exam. During the examination, students must have an ID document and their university badge.

The overall exam score is 34.00 points, equally divided in 17.00 points for the “Chemistry” part and 17.00 points for the “Biochemistry” one. Each single written exam will include both the “Chemistry” and the “Biochemistry” part and cannot be split.

The exam is passed by achieving at least 9.00 points (out of 17.00) in both parts. The final mark is calculated by summing the points obtained in both the above mentioned parts and rounding it to the nearest integer.

Examples:

• Chemistry: 10.50 pts + Biochemistry: 8.50 pts
  ---> FAILED
• Chemistry: 11.00 pts + Biochemistry: 13.75 pts
  ---> 24.75 pts ---> PASSED WITH 25/30.

If a student obtains an overall score of 31 points or more, 30L is assigned.

The exam results will be published online on AlmaEsami. If the exam is passed, the associated mark will be officially registered only after the student's confirmation using the student institutional email (e.g., name.surname@studio.unibo.it).

The registration of a successful examination is permitted no later than 6 months from the date of the exam; after this deadline, the result achieved and not confirmed will expire.

If a student decides to take the exam again, regardless of the associated outcome, the result obtained in the previous examination will automatically be cancelled. The exam can be repeated at any exam session.

Teaching tools

All the lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations and recordings, downloadable from virtuale.it

Kahoot! App will be used for a learning auto-evaluation in the end of each topic.

Samples of the written exam (with solutions) will also be uploaded on virtuale.unibo together with other files containing similar questions and/or exercises.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Caliceti