Study-unit APPLIED HYGEN
| Course name | Biology |
|---|---|
| Study-unit Code | GP004089 |
| Curriculum | Comune a tutti i curricula |
| Lecturer | Roberto Fabiani |
| Lecturers |
|
| Hours |
|
| CFU | 6 |
| Course Regulation | Coorte 2021 |
| Supplied | 2022/23 |
| Supplied other course regulation | |
| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline del settore biomedico |
| Sector | MED/42 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Type of learning activities | Attività formativa monodisciplinare |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | From traditional epidemiology to molecular epidemiology. Type of epidemiological studies. Categories of biomarkers. The use of biomarkers in risk assessment. Role of molecular epidemiology in the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases. Applications of classical and molecular epidemiology to risk assessment associated with exposure to environmental and food xenobiotics. The role of protective factors |
| Reference texts | -Molecular Epidemiology, principles and practics. Schulte A.A., Perera F.P. Ed. Academic press -Molecular Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases. Wild C., Vineis P., Garte S. Ed. Wiley |
| Educational objectives | At the end of the course students will have acquired extensive knowledge about the benefits and limits the use of biomarkers can make to epidemiological study. They will also acquire knowledge about some of the most common experimental methods for the determination and validation of biomarkers. They will also acquire the methodology for assessing environmental and food risks. |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Teaching methods | Face-to-face |
| Other information | Frequency is strongly recommended |
| Learning verification modality | Oral exam on the topics covered during the lessons. 3 main questions will be asked regarding the different aspects of the course to which 10 points will be attributed, in case of exhaustive answer. |
| Extended program | Lectures General informations on the epidemiological method. Descriptive epidemiology. Incidence, prevalence, mortality rates. Standardization by age. Overview of analytic epidemiology and intervention studies. Risk assessment. Relative risk, odds ratio, attributable risk. Advantages and disadvantages of prospective and retrospective studies. Use of biomarkers in epidemiological studies. Molecular epidemiology. Classification of biomarkers. Biomarkers of exposure, effect and susceptibility. Example of biomarkers used for risk assessment following exposure to cigarette smoke. Advantages of using biomarkers in epidemiological studies. Selection, validation and predictive significance of biomarkers. Internal and external validity. Sensitivity and specificity. Biomarkers of exposure: exposure pathways, lifetime, kinetics, pharmacokinetic modeling. Use of biomarkers in the case-control studies and cohort studies: advantages and disadvantages. Examples of analytical studies conducted on humans through the use of different classes of biomarkers. Molecular epidemiology in cancer research. Methods for assessment of DNA damage: comet assay, p32 post-labeling, micronuclei. Oxidative stress, oxidative DNA damage, antioxidants, biomarkers of oxidative stress. Adducts to proteins. Mutagenicity tests in vitro. Spectra of mutation, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Biomarkers of susceptibility. Cancer biomarkers. Molecular epidemiology of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Application of classical and molecular epidemiology for the risk assessment associated with exposure to environmental and food xeno-biotics. The role of protective factors. Laboratory exercises Flow cytometry Methods for the DNA damage evaluation |