AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Knowledge of the main cellular functions and physiology of various systems. Provide information on nutrient metabolism and diets. Highlight the importance of the relationship between diseases and food.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Participation in the planned training activities (frontal lessons) will allow the students of the Course of Studies in Chemistry and Chemical Technologies to acquire the fundamental notions of Physiology that are necessary for professional opportunities in the field of Chemical Sciences.

Specifically, the student must be able to:

• to know the mechanisms and general principles of the main physiological processes;

• to acquire the fundamental notions of the main functions at the cellular and organism level, starting from the Cellular Physiology to arrive at the Organ Physiology;

• to reach a knowledge of the Physiology of the main organism's systems by integrating the different physiological functions.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching mode includes 2-hour frontal lessons each provided through multimedia presentations. Frequency is strongly recommended.

Please refer to the classroom-specific instance of the teaching for any updates.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

General principles of physiology: structure / function relationship, homeostasis, plasticity, redundancy, feedback control. Compartmentalization.

Liquid organisms: Intra- and extra-cellular liquids.

Membrane transport. Diffusion and Fick's law. Ionic distribution and Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. Osmosis and law of Vant'off. Facilitated diffusion. Primary active transport: sodium / potassium pump, calcium pumps (SERCA and PMCA). Secondary active transport of sugars, aminoacids, etc. Glucose transporters. Endocytosis and exocytosis.

Excitable cells. Transmembrane potential: resting potential, Nerst and Goldman equations. Graduated potentials: hyperpolarization, depolarization, spatial and temporal summation. Ionic channels: classification and functioning of the main ion channels. Action potential: characteristics (phases, threshold etc.). Ionic genesis of action potential. Propagation of action potential. Morphology and function of the neuron. Functional classes of neurons: afferent, efferent, interneurons. Glial cells. Synaptic transmission. Chemical and electrical synapses. Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. Neurotransmitters: accumulation, release, degradation / re-uptake. Neuromuscular plaque: structural and functional characteristics; genesis and propagation, of the action potential in muscle cells.

Nervous system. Anatomo-functional organization: central and peripheral nervous system. Afferent and efferent nerve pathways. Autonomous and somatic systems.

Physiology of the muscle. Organization: skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle tissues. Motor unit of skeletal muscle fiber: myofibrils, sarcomere, myosin, actin, tropomyosin, troponin. Sarcolemma and transverse tubules. Sarcoplasmic lattice and longitudinal tubules. Triad. Stimulation of muscle fiber and action potential. Excitation-contraction coupling. Chemo-mechanical flow cycle. Smooth muscle: organization and molecular mechanism of contraction. Comparative aspects of muscle contraction: skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle.

Blood. plasma and corpuscular elements. Plasma proteins. Red blood cells: transport of gas; oxygen-hemoglobin association / dissociation curves; catabolism of hemoglobin. Platelets and hemostasis. Blood groups. Rh factor.

Cardiovascular physiology. Heart: anatomical and functional aspects. Electrical and mechanical activity of the heart. Blood vessels: role of arteries, arterioles, capillaries and veins. Blood pressure. Capillary exchanges.

Physiology of the digestive system. Anatomo-functional organization of the digestive system. Oral digestion. Gastric digestion and stomach functions. Intestinal digestion: composition, secretion and functions of pancreatic juice. Intestinal absorption: mechanisms of absorption of nutrients, water, electrolytes, vitamins. Liver functions. Components and bile formation.

Renal physiology: elements of renal function. The nephron: filtration, absorption and secretion. Urinary excretion. Hydro-electric homeostasis.

Endocrine system and function control: Chemical and functional classification of hormones. Synthesis and transport in the blood. Hypothalamic-hypophysis axis. Adenohypophysis and neurohypophysis. Examples.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Fisiologia” C.L. Stanfield, EdiSES

“Fondamenti di Fisiologia Umana” L. Sherwood, PICCIN

“Fisiologia umana” D.U. Silverthorn, CEA

“Fisiologia” R.M. Berne & M.N. Levy, CEA

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

From September 30, 2024

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination procedure to assess the achievement of the objectives set will take place with an oral examination, and is always be conducted by a Commission consisting of at least two tenured teachers (or in cases limited by a tenured professor and a lecturer of the subject designated by the CCS) and has a duration of at least 30 minutes. The Commission, appointed in this way, is able to verify with high accuracy the achievement of the educational objectives of the teaching. 

Booking: https://servizionline.unige.it/studenti/esami/prenotazione

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The Commission accurately verifies the achievement of the educational objectives of the teaching by asking different questions related to the program actually carried out during the lessons of the course. For the final evaluation of the student the commission evaluates the following requirements: level of knowledge of the topics covered by the questions, exposure skills, ability to reason and link with other topics of the course. In the event that the training objectives are not achieved, the student is invited to better verify his / her knowledge and possibly to make use of further explanations by contacting the teacher in charge of the course.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Attendance at the course is strongly recommended.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sergio Di Domizio (sergio.didomizio@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.