Medicine and Surgery "E" - Pontine Campus

PAOLA BAIOCCO
PAOLA BAIOCCO
CHIARA LANZILLOTTA
CHIARA LANZILLOTTA

Based on the attachments to Ministerial Decree no. 418 of May 30, 2025, the syllabus for this course is uniform nationwide and has the following general objectives:

To provide the basis for understanding the fundamental laws governing matter and its transformations, with particular attention to biological phenomena at the atomic and molecular level, in relation to biomedical applications.

Main teaching objectives:
At the end of the course, the students should have knowledge of basic chemistry and of biochemical structures: glucides, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. In addition, he/she shoudl:
Know the chemical bases of pathophysiological processes,
Address in molecular terms some simple biomedical aspects,
Be aware of the importance of the chemical instruments in the cultural formation of a medical doctor.

1. Chemistry
-Atom, molecule, strong and weak interactions in matter (Educational debt; 1 CFU):
Structure of the atom; isotopes. Electrons and orbitals; hybridization of atomic orbitals. General properties of the elements; periodic table of elements. Nature of the chemical bond. Molecule concept. Nomenclature and structure of the main inorganic compounds of biomedical interest.
-Concentration and Properties of the solutions (1 CFU):
Chemically pure homogeneous systems: gases; relationships between volume, pressure, temperature and quantity of matter; concept of mole and Avogadro's number. Condensed states of matter: liquids (and their equilibrium with the gaseous phase). Phase transitions. Properties of water.
Mixtures and solutions; unit of measurement of the concentration of the solute in the solutions. Intermolecular interactions; hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions and Van der Waals forces; their role in systems of biomedical importance. Properties of solutions; osmosis and osmotic pressure; its importance in medicine. Solubility of gases in liquids and its importance for respiratory exchanges. Quantitative treatment of the main aspects of gases and solutions.
-Chemical processes seen at equilibrium and in their dynamics (1 CFU):
Chemical reactions: definitions. Conservation of mass, energy and electric charge. Reversibility'. Concepts of enthalpy, entropy and free energy.
Homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical equilibrium; equilibrium constant and mass action law; Principle of mobile equilibrium. Chemical equilibrium in biomedical processes. Quantitative treatment of the most relevant aspects of the equilibrium state.
The speed of chemical reactions; rate constant; effect of temperature on the rate constant. Catalysis. Biomedical implications of catalysis; enzymes and Michaelis and Menten model for enzymatic catalysis.
-Acids, bases, salts and buffers (1.5 CFU):
The autoprotolysis reaction of water; the concept of pH. Acids and bases; strength of acids and bases; strength of acids and bases; saline hydrolysis. The buffer solutions. pH indicators. Biological swabs. Acid-base titrations. Quantitative treatment of ionic equilibria.
-Electron Transfer and Bioenergetics (0.5 CFU):
The redox reactions. The oxidation number. Redox potentials; notes on the functioning of electrochemical batteries; Nernst equation; potentiometric measurement of pH; other potentiometric measurements of biomedical interest. Importance of redox reactions in biology and medicine. Chemical aspects of respiration; the reactions of oxygen.
2. Organic Chemistry (1CFU)
Nomenclature, shape and symmetry of organic molecules.
Hydrocarbons: aliphatic (saturated and unsaturated), linear and cyclic; aromatics.
Heterocyclic compounds. Geometry and shape of organic molecules. Residues or radicals.
The isomers.
3. Introduction to Biochemistry (0.5 CFU)
The functional groups of oxygen: alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids; ethers, semiacetals and semiketals, acetals and ketals, esters, anhydric.
The functional groups of nitrogen: amines, amides, quaternary ammonium.
The functional groups of sulfur: thioalcohols, thioethers, thioesters.
Characteristic reactions of the above compounds
4. BioMacromolecules
-Sugars (0.5 CFU):
Chemical nature and stereoisomerism of monosaccharides; cyclic structures and mutarotation. The glycosidic bond; disaccharides; homopolysaccharides; heteropolysaccharides. Biological importance of sugars.
-Lipids (0.5 CFU):
Fatty acids. Mono-, di- and triglycerides; phosphoglycerides and sphingolipids; notes on the structure of cell membranes. Cholesterol, its esters and its derivatives; notes on their importance in human physiology.
-Amino acids and proteins (1 CFU):
Stereochemical and acid-base properties of amino acids. Peptide bond and polypeptide chains. disulfide bond. Proteins: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures. Mechanisms of three-dimensional protein folding; denaturation and renaturation of proteins. The active site of enzymes.
-Nucleotides and nucleic acids (1 CFU)
The nucleotides; polynucleotides; the pairing of nitrogenous bases; RNA; DNA and the double helix.

“Principi di Chimica Generale e Organica“. M. Santaniello,M. Alberghina, M. Coletta, S. Marini. (Piccin)
Binaglia, Giardina "Chimica e Propedeutica Biochimica" Mc Graw Hill
Palmisano, Schiavello "Elementi di Chimica" EdiSES
Bertani e altri "Chimica Generale ed Inorganica" Ambrosiana
Silvestroni "Chimica Generale per gli studenti di Medicina" Vestri
Gli ultimi tre testi non contengono una trattazione adeguata della chimica organica quindi devono essere integrati da un testo di chimica organica; ad es.:
Hart e altri "Chimica Organica" Zanichelli
Il calcolo chimico (stechiometria) viene spiegato nelle lezioni; lo studente interessato puo' comunque procurarsi un testo dedicato, se lo ritiene opportuno; ad es.:
Bertini e altri "Stechiometria" Ambrosiana.