Learning objectives
CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
The course aims to allow the student to know, understand and be able to: 1. Evaluate the analytical (pre-analytical and analytical variability) and biological circumstances that may lead to an incorrect interpretation of the laboratory results,
2. Interpret the main laboratory tests provided by a Clinical Laboratory,
3. Correlate the laboratory data and the different physiopathological situations.
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
The student should (1) know the most prescribed laboratory analyses in clinical pathology, (2) understand their role in diagnostic procedures, follow-up and therapy monitoring, (3) properly evaluate their cost/benefit ratio, and (4) apply this information to relevant clinical examples.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
The course aims to provide knowledge of the various methodological approaches that can be used for the microbiological and virological diagnosis of infectious diseases and to stimulate the ability to understand the different diagnostic strategies adopted based on the biological characteristics and pathogenicity of etiological agents and the host response to infections.
The course also aims to promote the ability to apply the knowledge acquired through participation in practical laboratory activities.
At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the fundamental knowledge for choosing the most appropriate diagnostic methods and interpreting the laboratory reports obtained.
SCIENZE TECNICHE DI MEDICINA DI LABORATORIO
The student should (1) know the most commonly prescribed laboratory analyses in clinical pathology, (2) understand their role in diagnostic procedures, follow up and therapy monitoring, (3) properly evaluate their cost/benefit ratio and (4) apply this information to relevant clinical examples.
Prerequisites
Mandatory propedeutic examinations are defined by the Course Council.
Relevant Biochemistry, Physiology, Immunology, General Pathology and genetics bases should be adequately recalled.
Course unit content
CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
The topics covered in the course are:
The meaning of Clinical Biochemistry in medical diagnostics, the logic of laboratory diagnostics, and the reasons for applying for laboratory tests.
Total quality in the laboratory: analytical quality, choice and verification of analytical methods. Types of variability: pre-analytical, analytical, post-analytical, biological.
Interpretation of laboratory analyses: the meaning of reference values and their obtainment, diagnostic characteristics of laboratory tests.
Parameters for evaluating the hydro-electrolytic balance, acid-base balance, and correlation with pathological conditions.
Clinical enzymology.
Clinical aspects of carbohydrate, lipid and nitrogen metabolisms.
The chemical-clinical profile: serum protein electrophoresis, non-protein nitrogen, serum enzymes, and urine analysis.
Organ-specific clinical biochemistry.
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
- The laboratory in hematology.
- Laboratory evaluation of hemostasis.
- Clinical pathology of neoplasia
- Systemic parameters of inflammation and immunity
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
The first part of the course covers the principles of laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases related to the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases. In parallel, the main methods used for the laboratory diagnosis of bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections will be illustrated.
The second part of the course, drawing on the premises of references on the pathogenesis of infections, their epidemiology, and the available prophylaxis systems, will focus on illustrating the diagnostic algorithms used for the laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases affecting the systems and apparatuses of the human body.
SCIENZE TECNICHE DI MEDICINA DI LABORATORIO
The course aims to provide specific knowledge in laboratory techniques. Topics of biochemistry and clinical and translational molecular biology will be explored. This will allow an understanding of the data production process, their interpretation, and their role in the clinical setting.
Full programme
CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
The meaning of Clinical Biochemistry in medical diagnostics.
General organisation of the clinical laboratory.
Pre-analytical phase
- patient preparation, biological samples, collection, storage and treatment
- the primary source of pre-analytical variability and interference factors
- intra and inter-biological variability
Analytical variability
- analytical characteristics of laboratory methods and their evaluation
- analytical principles of some standard laboratory test
- quality assurance
Interpretation of laboratory tests
- reference intervals, decisional limits,
- diagnostic specificity and sensibility, ROC curve
The most common laboratory tests, the role of the laboratory in the diagnosis and monitoring of some relevant diseases
- Parameters for evaluating the hydro-electrolytic balance and acid-base balance
- Laboratory test for diabetes management
- Dyslipidemia
- Tests for liver function
- Tests for kidney function
- Cardiac biomarkers
- Biomarkers for bone disorders
- Serum proteins and inflammation biomarkers
- Principles of clinical enzymology
- Urinalysis
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
A) Clinical pathology in hematology:
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Anemia (sideropenic, of chronic disease, aplastic; sideroblastic, B12 and folate deficiency; hemolytic)
- Hemoglobinopathies
- Disorders of white blood cells
- Disorders of iron metabolism
- Lymphoproliferative and myeloproliferative disorders
B) The laboratory in hemostasis:
- Bleeding disorders: alterations of primary and secondary hemostasis
- Thromboembolic disease and thrombophilia
- DIC
- Monitoring of anticoagulant therapies
C) Inflammation and immunity:
- ESR and acute phase proteins
- Complement, cytokines and chemokines
- Antibodies
- Cellular immunity
- Autoimmune diseases
- Immunodeficiency
- IgE-mediated hypersensitivity
D) Neoplasia:
- Tumor markers: concepts and classification
- Selected examples of tumor markers
- Genetic markers
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
The principles of laboratory diagnosis of infection:
- medical prescription
- methods of collection, transport and storage of the biological sample for microbiological and virological diagnostic tests
- search for the pathogen and/or its components in the biological sample (direct diagnosis)
- search for a specific immune response (indirect diagnosis)
- reporting and archiving of diagnostic results.
Characteristics of the main methods used for the laboratory diagnosis of bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral infections.
Laboratory diagnostic procedures and interpretation of the results of microbiological and virological tests relating to the following infections:
- respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, liver, cardiovascular tract, central nervous system, genitourinary tract, sexually transmitted, skin infections, osteoarticular tract, prenatal, congenital, perinatal, and systemic
Determination of the sensitivity/resistance of pathogens to antibiotics.
SCIENZE TECNICHE DI MEDICINA DI LABORATORIO
-Biological sample preparation, cell separation, cell cultures, cytometry and flow cytometry
-Nucleic acid and protein electrophoresis, Western-Blotting, ELISA assay
- Fundamental concepts of Molecular Biology, end-point PCR, Real-Time PCR, DNA sequencing using the Sanger method.
-Omic technologies in molecular biology and their applications: next generation sequencing, gene array, RNA-seq, single cell RNA-seq.
Bibliography
Refer to each module.
Teaching methods
During face-to-face lectures, it will illustrate and discuss the different topics of the program. Students' reception for elucidations only by appointment.
Assessment methods and criteria
The assessment of achieving the course's objectives consists of an oral examination of the entire course program. The students will be evaluated with votes ranging from 0 to 30, with 18 being the lowest vote to positively pass the exam of each module. The final vote will be
decided by mutual agreement among the teachers of the integrated course.
Other information
Students with SLD / BSE must first contact “Il centro accoglienza e inclusione” (https://www.cai.unipr.it/).
