CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY -BA
There are no specific prerequisites, although notions of general chemistry, physics and mathematics can be of help for a faster and more rational understanding of the subject.
Students who, despite having passed the test, reach values of less than 3 in the Chemistry questions, will be assigned specific Additional Educational Obligations (OFA), to be met as part of the
first year of the course.
Students with OFA will have to carry out a recovery path in e-learning mode, in order to complete theirs
initial preparation.
At the end of the course there will be a test (OFA Recovery Test), upon passing the OFA will be considered fulfilled.
The attribution of the OFA, the methods of fulfillment and the dates and place of the recovery test will be advertised on the web page of the Degree Program.
Enrollment in the second year of the course in a 'Regular' position is subject to the completion of the OFA by 30 September
of the calendar year following that of registration.
The CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY part of the exam consists of a paper consisting of 10 chemistry questions and 20 biochemistry questions.
The 30 questions of the test will be multiple choice and the test will be considered sufficient if at least 18 correct answers are given.
The integrated course aims to provide the student with the basic knowledge to be able to understand the physiological chemical and biochemical phenomena at the cellular and tissue level.
1) Aqueous solutions: water, solvation and electrolytic dissociation, hydrogen bonding, concentration of solutions
2) Acid-base balance: definitions (strength of acids and bases pH, pK), buffer solutions, Handerson-Hasselbalch equation, physiological buffers
3) Organic compounds, classification and functional groups alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, amines. Nomenclature and main characteristics. Main types of isomerism. Aromatic compounds.
4) Amino acids and general structure of proteins. Collagen. Myoglobin and hemoglobin. Cooperativity and allosterism.
5) Kinetics of reactions: enzymes and kinetics of enzymatic reactions
6) Bioenergetics: Principles of thermodynamics. Free energy and spontaneous reactions. Bonds with a high energy content, redox potentials, redox pairs of particular biological importance.
7) Oxidative phosphorylation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, aerobic and anaerobic metabolism
8) Carbohydrates. Monosaccharides and polysaccharides. Glycogen metabolism
9) Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis and their regulation, via the pentoses
10) Lipids. Fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids; beta oxidation
11) Biosynthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides; Cholesterol and steroid hormones. The metabolism of lipoproteins
12) The general metabolism of amino acids and nitrogen compounds. Transamination, oxidative deamination, ammonium ion and urea cycle.
13) Nucleic acids. The nitrogenous bases and nucleotides and their metabolism
14) Metabolic interactions: glycemic control, postprandial and fasting phase, biochemical aspects of diabetes. Vitamins, iron metabolism and bilirubin.
15) Hints of hormonal biochemistry and signal transduction.
The course takes place through lectures in the Hospital of Busto Arsizio covering the entire exam program.
The slides used during the course are also available through the e-learning platform.