Menù principale
B026602 - PHYSIOLOGY
Main information
Teaching Language
Course Content
Suggested readings
Learning Objectives
Prerequisites
Teaching Methods
Further information
Type of Assessment
Course program
Academic Year 2017-18
Course year
First year - First Semester
Belonging Department
Surgery and Transfer Medicine (DCMT)
Modulo di sola Frequenza of
Scientific Area
BIO/09 - PHYSIOLOGY
Credits
4
Teaching Hours
48
Teaching Term
02/10/2017 ⇒ 30/04/2019
Attendance required
No
Type of Evaluation
Giudizio Finale
Course Content
show
Course program
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Lectureship
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
The course gives basic notions to understand human vital functions. Cell physiology: membrane transport mechanisms. Electrical properties of excitable cells. Synaptic transmission. Mechanisms of contraction and mechanics of skeletal muscle. Mechanics of skeletal muscle. Proprioception and somatic reflexes. Organ physiology: heart and circulation, respiration.
Suggested readings (Search our library's catalogue)
Principi di Fisiologia, Zocchi, EdiSES
Fisiologia, Stanfield, EdiSES
Fisiologia umana, Silverthorn, Pearson
Fisiologia, Stanfield, EdiSES
Fisiologia umana, Silverthorn, Pearson
Learning Objectives
Acquire an appropriate functional background of cells, tissues, organs & systems. Describe the integration of physiological functions, which characterize the performance of the human body as a whole in health and in the presence of functional and pathological alterations. In particular, at the end of the course, students should demonstrate to know the functional and mechanical properties of the skeletal muscle and the movement control.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of physics and anatomy.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with audio and video teaching material.
Further information
Program and teaching materials available on didonline UNIFI.
Type of Assessment
Written and/or oral examination.
Course program
Electrical properties of the cell membrane.
Membrane potential. Selective membrane permeability. Intracellular and extracellular ionic concentrations. The resting membrane potential. Ion channels. Active and passive ion currents. Sodium-potassium ATPase. Subthreshold graded potentials. Depolarization and hyperpolarization. Spatial and temporal summation. Action potential. Characteristics. Ion movements. Refractory period. Conduction in myelinated and amyelinated fibres. Classification of nervous fibres.
Cell-to-cell Comunication
General properties of synaptic transmission. Electrical synapses. Chemical synapses. Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. Neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter actions. The neuromuscular junction: structure and function; acetylcholine release and postsynaptic action.
Muscle physiology.
Skeletal muscle - Functional organization. Structure and mechanism of the contraction. Sliding filament theory. Crossbridge cycles. Excitation-contraction coupling. Mechanics of muscle
contraction. Twitch and tetanus. Isometric and isotonic contractions. Force-velocity relation. Length-tension relation. Fast and slow muscle fibres. Motor unit.
Cardiac muscle. Functional organization. Similarities and differences compared to the skeletal muscle.
Neurophysiology.
Sensory systems. Sensory receptors. Sensory transduction, receptor potential, stimulus intensity effect, adaptation. Signal coding. Somatic sensation – Peripheral mechanisms: receptors and afferent fibres for mechanic, proprioceptive, thermal and pain sensation. Central pathways of pain perception. Referred pain. Somatosensory cortex.
Motor systems. Spinal reflexes: definition and general properties. Muscular somatic reflexes: afferent and efferent fibres in reflex arcs. Muscle spindle reflex. Golgi tendon organ reflex. Defensive reflex.
Autonomic nervous system. Functional organization. Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Cardiovascular system.
Heart - Cardiac conduction system and contractile myocardium. Excitation-contraction coupling. Cardiac electrophysiology – Myocardiac action potentials. Pacemakers and electrical conduction, refractory period. The electrocardiogram. Contractility and cardiac cycle. Cardiac output. Regulation of the stroke volume and heart rate. Role of the autonomic nervous system. Frank-Starling law of the heart.
Circulation - Characteristics and function of the blood vessels. Pressure, volume, flow, and resistance. Poiseuille’s law. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure. Measurement of arterial blood pressure. Distribution of blood to the tissues and resistance in the arterioles. Exchange at the capillaries. Regulation of blood pressure.
Respiratory system.
Mechanical aspects of respiration – lung volumes and capacities. The spirometry. Respiratory muscles. Elastic properties of the lungs, intrapleural pressure, pressure-volume curve, surfactant. Elastic properties of the chest wall.
Gas exchange – partial pressures of gases in the inspired and alveolar air. Pulmonary and alveolar ventilation.
Gas transport in the blood. Alveolar ventilation/perfusion relationship.
Nervous control of respiration.
Membrane potential. Selective membrane permeability. Intracellular and extracellular ionic concentrations. The resting membrane potential. Ion channels. Active and passive ion currents. Sodium-potassium ATPase. Subthreshold graded potentials. Depolarization and hyperpolarization. Spatial and temporal summation. Action potential. Characteristics. Ion movements. Refractory period. Conduction in myelinated and amyelinated fibres. Classification of nervous fibres.
Cell-to-cell Comunication
General properties of synaptic transmission. Electrical synapses. Chemical synapses. Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. Neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter actions. The neuromuscular junction: structure and function; acetylcholine release and postsynaptic action.
Muscle physiology.
Skeletal muscle - Functional organization. Structure and mechanism of the contraction. Sliding filament theory. Crossbridge cycles. Excitation-contraction coupling. Mechanics of muscle
contraction. Twitch and tetanus. Isometric and isotonic contractions. Force-velocity relation. Length-tension relation. Fast and slow muscle fibres. Motor unit.
Cardiac muscle. Functional organization. Similarities and differences compared to the skeletal muscle.
Neurophysiology.
Sensory systems. Sensory receptors. Sensory transduction, receptor potential, stimulus intensity effect, adaptation. Signal coding. Somatic sensation – Peripheral mechanisms: receptors and afferent fibres for mechanic, proprioceptive, thermal and pain sensation. Central pathways of pain perception. Referred pain. Somatosensory cortex.
Motor systems. Spinal reflexes: definition and general properties. Muscular somatic reflexes: afferent and efferent fibres in reflex arcs. Muscle spindle reflex. Golgi tendon organ reflex. Defensive reflex.
Autonomic nervous system. Functional organization. Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Cardiovascular system.
Heart - Cardiac conduction system and contractile myocardium. Excitation-contraction coupling. Cardiac electrophysiology – Myocardiac action potentials. Pacemakers and electrical conduction, refractory period. The electrocardiogram. Contractility and cardiac cycle. Cardiac output. Regulation of the stroke volume and heart rate. Role of the autonomic nervous system. Frank-Starling law of the heart.
Circulation - Characteristics and function of the blood vessels. Pressure, volume, flow, and resistance. Poiseuille’s law. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure. Measurement of arterial blood pressure. Distribution of blood to the tissues and resistance in the arterioles. Exchange at the capillaries. Regulation of blood pressure.
Respiratory system.
Mechanical aspects of respiration – lung volumes and capacities. The spirometry. Respiratory muscles. Elastic properties of the lungs, intrapleural pressure, pressure-volume curve, surfactant. Elastic properties of the chest wall.
Gas exchange – partial pressures of gases in the inspired and alveolar air. Pulmonary and alveolar ventilation.
Gas transport in the blood. Alveolar ventilation/perfusion relationship.
Nervous control of respiration.