AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Clinical Biochemistry studies the clinical, diagnostic and prognostic relevance of laboratory tests that explore organ and tissue function.

The following are the educational goals of this course:

to acquire the knowledge necessary to interpret laboratory tests of the "clinical chemical profile" and of the organ/apparatus presented in the lessons; to apply this knowledge to the diagnostic reasoning in simple clinical cases, representative of pathologies of the main organs and apparatuses; to evaluate the magnitude and severity of the deviation of the main biochemical and clinical parameters from the normal range; to propose appropriate laboratory tests to solve specific diagnostic hypotheses and evaluate the meaning of the result in terms of confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of 20 hours of training activities that will take place in the classroom through face-to-face lectures, or via the Teams platform, as indicated by University guidelines. Attendance is required for at least 75% of the hours of the lessons.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1-BLOOD

The complete blood count

Electrophoretic profile of serum proteins and its diagnostic interpretation

Principal serum enzymes of diagnostic interest

Non-protein nitrogen

Iron metabolism, quantitative and qualitative defects of hemoglobin

Electrolytes

2-LIVER FUNCTION

Enzymes, bilirubin and jaundice, modifications of serum proteins in selected liver diseases, coagulation factors, diagnosis of selected liver diseases

3-GLUCOSE METABOLISM

Hormones regulating glycemia

Causes of hyper- and hypo-glycemia

Lab tests in diabetes mellitus

Lab tests in chetoacidosis, glucose tolerance test, gestational diabetes.

4-LIPID METABOLISM

Lipoprotein classification and function

Reference values for blood lipids

Hyperlipidemic profiles and cardiovascular risk

5-URINE ANALYSIS AND TESTS OF RENAL FUNCTION

The physical-chemical urineanalysis

Renal functional tests: indicators of glomerular and tubular malfunction

6-TESTS FOR ENDOCRINE DISORDERS

Steroid, peptide and aminoacid-derived hormones: basal levels and pathologic conditions of hyper/hypo-secretion

Lab tests in the diagnosis of endocrinological disorders

7- LAB CONFIRMATION OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

8-TESTS OF PANCREATIC FUNCTION

9-ARTERIAL BLOOD GASES AND ACID-BASE BALANCE

10-ELECTROLYTE BALANCE

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Online available slides

Biochimica Clinica e Medicina di Laboratorio, M. Ciaccio e G. Lippi, Edises

Online available slides

Biochimica Clinica e Medicina di Laboratorio, M. Ciaccio e G. Lippi, Edises

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CONSUELO BORGARELLI (President)

FRANCESCA BRUZZONE (President)

FEDERICA BARBIERI

SUSANNA PENCO

LAURA STURLA

ELENA ZOCCHI

ILARIA DEMORI (President and Coordinator of Integrated Course)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

For lessons start and timetable go to the link: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Please check the module Aulaweb page for timetable updates dependent on the sanitary and epidemic situation.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written multiple-choice test (30+1 questions), to be attended either in person or via the Teams platform, as will be indicated.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will verify the achievement of the educational goals; in particular, it will ascertain the student's knowledge of the clinical meaning of the biochemical-clinical parameters presented during the lessons, of the unit of measure in which they are expressed and of their dynamic range in the main pathologies for which they represent a diagnostic-prognostic tool. The ability to choose, among some proposed tests, those suitable to solve a specific diagnostic question, and the ability to identify deviations from the norm indicative of pathology, will be evaluated.

Please refer to the AulaWeb instance specific to the teaching for possible updates due to changes in the health and epidemiological situation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

On-demand tutorials and questions, either in presence (at DIMES, Sez. Biochimica, Viale Benedetto XV 1, 1st floor) or via the Teams platform, by appointment (ezocchi@unige.it).