INTRODUCTION OF BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher: LUCA VANELLAExpected Learning Outcomes
1) Knowledge and understanding: The course aims to provide students with the main elements of biology and knowledge of nutrition from a biochemical point of view, therefore both as a source of macro and micronutrients useful for the structuring of body tissues and a source of energy for vital processes, both as a source of protective and harmful macromolecules for the organism.
2) ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the course aims to delve into the metabolic aspects linked to the use of nutrients, so that the student achieves the scientific-cultural objectivity necessary to address problems relating to food preparation, nutritional evaluation of diets and critical issues in food inspection and distribution.
3) independent judgment: teaching aims to provide critical and judgment skills through classroom exercises
4) communication skills: the teaching activities carried out, both with frontal lessons and classroom exercises, will be useful in stimulating a debate among students who will be able to communicate what they have learned
5) learning skills: the teaching aims to develop through "cooperative learning" those learning skills that are necessary for undertaking subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy
Course Structure
The course includes 35 hours of frontal lessons and 42 hours of exercises. The teaching methods used, in order to acquire basic knowledge of the principles of biology and nutritional biochemical constituents, mainly involve the frontal presentation of the topics in power point format by the teacher. In-depth seminars, reports, papers and individual researches carried out directly by the students will be agreed, with the integration of didactic material of a scientific nature which must include updates and useful applications for the continuation of the course of study.
If the teaching is given in a mixed or remote way, the necessary changes may be introduced with respect to what was previously stated, in order to comply with the program envisaged and reported in the syllabus.
Information for students with disabilities and/or DSA.
As a guarantee of equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their specific needs and on teaching objectives of the discipline. It is also possible to ask the departmental contacts of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Inclusion - Services for Disabilities and/or DSAs), in the persons of professor Anna De Angelis
Required Prerequisites
In order to be able to easily understand the contents of the teaching and profitably attend the course it is useful for the student to have a fair amount of "cultural" preparatory knowledge, understood as knowledge of basic elements of general, inorganic and organic chemistry, as well as the basic foundations of physics general.
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is strongly recommended according to the teaching regulations
Detailed Course Content
Elements of biology: recalls on eukaryotic cell (animal and plant), prokaryotic, membranes, organelles, bioenergetics and metabolism. Enzymes and enzymatic activities related to the body's demands. Biological macromolecules of food interest: proteins, lipids, sugars and their transformation. Digestion, intake, distribution and processing of nutrients, metabolic specialization of organs and tissues, regulation of metabolism and management of energy reserves in the alternation of meals and fasting. Free radicals and oxidative stress; foods as antioxidants: enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems by the body.
Textbook Information
1. Biochimica degli alimenti e della nutrizione, Ivo Cozzani,Enrico Dainese ,PICCIN
2. Basi molecolari della nutrizione-Giuseppe Arienti, PICCIN
3. Biochimica della nutrizione- Ugo Leuzzi,Ersilia Bellocco,Davide Barreca -Zanichelli
4. Abali E.E et al., Le basi della Biochimica, Ed. Zanichelli.
5. Biologia, David Sadava et al, Zanichelli
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cellule eucariotiche e procariotiche | 5 |
| 2 | Membrane e organelli | 5 |
| 3 | Principi di bioenergetica e funzione energetica degli alimenti | 1-4 |
| 4 | Cicli Metabolici e Regolazione | 1,2,4 |
| 5 | Fermentazioni | 1,2,3,4 |
| 6 | Enzimi | 1,2,4 |
| 7 | Struttura glicidi, lipidi e proteine | 1,2,4 |
| 8 | Vitamine | 1,2,3,4 |
| 9 | Utilizzazione Metabolica di glicidi, lipidi e proteine | 1,2,4 |
| 10 | Ciclo Alimentazione-Digiuno | 1,2,3,4 |
| 11 | Stress Ossidativo e antiossidanti | 1,2,3,4 |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Oral interview to verify the achievement of the training objectives. They will constitute elements of evaluation of the relevance of the answers to the questions asked and the level of detail of the topic, and the ability to connect the different topics covered by the program. The test learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it request. The test focuses exclusively on the topics covered in class. The exam dates are published on the Di3A website
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
-Mitochondria functions
-Anabolism and Catabolism
-Glycolysis
-Alanine Glucose Cycle
-Vitamin D