AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Acquire fundamental, basic and specialist knowledge on the main metabolic pathways - mechanisms regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the clinical biochemistry module of the course is to allow the student to acquire basic knowledge on the clinical-diagnostic significance of the laboratory tests that explore the function of specific organs/apparatuses. This knowledge will be applied to the discussion of simple case-studies, allowing the students to put into practice the basic knowledge acquired and test their understanding of laboratory tests. Students will realize the extent and severity of deviation from the normal range of the laboratory test discussed in the module during pathological conditions. Students will be able to identify the most appropriate laboratory tests to address specific diagnostic hypotheses and evaluate the results in terms of confirming or disproving these hypotheses. 

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons in presence or online, and available on AulaWeb, according to University’s anti-COVID instructions.

In each lesson, the various laboratory tests and some simple clinical cases will be presented to understand their usefulness in the diagnosis, prognosis or exclusion of pathology.

Students with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department before class begins, in order to liase and arrange the specific teaching methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

HEMATOLOGICAL DIAGNOSTICS

Blood count test

Iron metabolism

Anemias (morphological and pathogenetic classification)

Hemoglobinopathies

Thalassemia

Hemostasis

Laboratory indicators of haemorrhagic and thrombotic risk

DIABETES MELLITUS DIAGNOSTICS

Hormones that regulate blood sugar

Causes of hyper- and hypo-glycemia

Diagnostic criteria diabetes mellitus and gestational diabetes

laboratory exams in diabetic ketoacidosis; glucose tolerance test; glycosylated hemoglobin; chetonic bodies

Clinical cases of metabolic acidosis

THE ENDOCRINOLOGICAL LABORATORY

Steroid, peptide and amino acid-derived hormones: hints on function, basal levels and conditions of hyper-/hypo-secretion

Laboratory tests in conditions of hyper-/hypo-secretion: hypothalamic-pituitary axis; thyroid; adrenal (cortico- and medullo-adrenal pathologies); male and female sex hormones

THE LABORATORY IN PEDIATRIC DISEASES

Extended newborn screening

Differential diagnosis of childhood obesity

THE LABORATORY IN DISEASES OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

CSF, functions, cerebrospinal fluid examination (normal and pathological values of cytometric and biochemical examination), CSF markers of Alzheimer's disease, laboratory diagnosis of Creuzfeld-Jacob disease, diagnosis of CSF fistula.

THE LABORATORY IN DIGESTIVE DISEASES

Inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, breath test.

THE LABORATORY IN RESPIRATORY DISEASES

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, pulmonary embolism

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lecture notes on AulaWeb

Common laboratory tests - Vaughn G. Appleton & Lange

Medicina di laboratorio, M. Ciaccio et al., Edises

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

MARIO PASSALACQUA (President)

ELISABETTA FRATERNALE

MADDALENA MASTROGIACOMO

MAURIZIO BRUSCHI (President and Coordinator of Integrated Course)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Consult the detailed timetable at the following link: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam will consist of a written test (multiple choice quiz) performed in person or on a digital platform, according to University’s anti-COVID instructions.

The test is passed with at least 18/30.

The final grade will be averaged (weighted average) with that of Clinical pathology.

ATTENTION: If the minimum objectives of the course are not achieved, the student will not pass the exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam will verify the achievement of the training objectives; in particular, the student's knowledge of the clinical significance of the biochemical-clinical parameters presented in class, of the unit of measurement in which they are expressed, and of their dynamic range in the main pathologies for which they represent a diagnostic-prognostic tool.

Exam schedule