D1. Knowledge and understanding: by the end of the course, the student must have acquired the basic knowledge of biology in terms of organization, starting from microorganisms to eumetazoan eukaryotes, also in terms of size classes. The student will also acquire the basic knowledge of cellular, sensory and motor neurophysiology. The knowledge of cell and molecular biology about the morphological and functional characteristics of subcellular structures, cells and tissues enables the understanding of the physiology of organs, systems and apparatuses, which are dealt with in the second part of the course.
D2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course, students should be able to apply the knowledge of cell biology and physiology acquired in point 1, which is necessary to understand the mechanisms underlying the complexity and functionality of cells and living organisms, as well as the processes of cell damage/death; in addition, they will be able to determine the physiological conditions for the maintenance of viable cells and organisms.
D3. Judgement competence: At the end of the course, the student should be able to independently clarify and competently answer questions about the biocompatibility of materials and biomedical and biotechnological instruments using appropriate knowledge and bio-physiological criteria.
D4. Communication skills: At the end of the course, the student must be able to clearly explain the concepts acquired in the course and describe the topics covered using linguistic features.
D5. Learning competence: At the end of the course, the student must be able to deepen the topics covered in the course independently and to consult the biomedical scientific literature.

For Phisiology: Knowledge of the fundamental laws of physics

The Biology and Physiology course aims to provide students with the notions useful for understanding the morphofunctional characteristics of cells and tissues, describing their structure and functioning under physiological conditions. The course is organised in two modules with the biology part preceding the physiology part. Biology: Prof. Pacor Eukaryotic cell and subcellular structures, organization and functions of organelles and cytoskeleton. Cell nucleus and the flow of information. The cell cycle is the division of somatic or germ cells. Cell death: apoptosis and necrosis. Cytological specialization of cells - extracellular structures: organization of cells in tissues and maintenance (labile, stable, permanent cells). Physiology: Characteristics of electrically excitable cells. Neuromuscular junction and central synapses. Muscle structure-function characteristics. Circulatory and respiratory systems, morpho-functional aspects.

Biologia - 1. La cellula, 5. la biologia degli animali. Sadava et al. Zanichelli
L'Essenziale di Biologia Molecolare della cellula. Alberts et al. Zanichelli
Fisiologia umana: un approccio integrato. D.U. Silverthorn, Pearson.
Lecture presentations in Power Point and links provided on the course Moodle site

Biology: Prof. Pacor Levels of organization and properties of living organisms. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Introduction to the eukaryotic cell. Unicellular and multicellular organisms. Chemical composition of living organisms: inorganic components; organic components (biological macromolecules). Units of measurement in biology. Cellular and subcellular structures. Structure and functions of the cell membrane. Transport of ions and solutes: simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, active transport (direct, indirect), endocytosis and exocytosis. Subcellular organelles, organization and functions. Endoplasmic reticulum SER, RER. Golgi apparatus. Lysosomes. Peroxisomes. Mitochondria and energy production. Cytoskeleton. Nucleus, nucleolus, pore complex, DNA structure, nucleosome, chromatin. Chromosomes, ploidy. Flow of information. Replication, transcription, translation. Cell division cycle, mitosis (somatic cell), meiosis (germ cells). Cell death, apoptosis, necrosis. Principles of cellular communication. Signal receptor. Second messengers Organization of cells in tissues: Adhesion molecules. Cell junctions. Extracellular matrix. Cytological characteristics of the main tissues: epithelial tissue, connective tissue, muscle tissue, nervous tissue. Physiology: Characteristics of electrically excitable cells. Generalities of membrane ion channels: kinetics and modulation, the voltage-dependent sodium channel in particular. Resting membrane potential, graded potentials and action potential. Equilibrium potential and laws governing the movement of ions through channels. Chemical and electrical synapses. Equivalent membrane circuit. Neuromuscular junction and central synapses. Quantal release of neurotransmitters. Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Organisation of the central and peripheral nervous system. Generalities of the sensory and motor system. Morpho-functional characteristics of muscle. Ultrastructure of skeletal muscle, excitation-contraction mechanism, generalities on the mechanics of movement. Circulatory system, morpho-functional aspects. Ionic bases of cardiac autorhythmicity. Cardiac cycle. Modulation of systolic output and heart rate. Regulation of vasomotility. Respiratory system. The respiratory membrane. Gas exchange and transport of respiratory gases.

Lectures with the help of Power Point and audiovisual presentations.
"Any changes to the procedures described herein that may be necessary to ensure the application of safety protocols related to emergency situations will be posted on the department, programme, and course website

On the Moodle site the lecturers will activate two separate modules (courses), Biology and Physiology respectively, which students can access with the password provided by the lecturers at the beginning of the course. In moodle the power point presentations discussed in the classroom, the detailed syllabus and links to official sites are available. Contacts: Prof. Pacor Sabrina, pacorsab@units.it

The examination is designed to ascertain knowledge of the topics listed in the official Course Programme.
For each student, the examination consists of two partial oral tests, one in Biology and one in Physiology respectively. In each partial test the student must correctly answer at least 2 of the 3 questions proposed. In order to obtain the highest mark (30/30 cum laude), the student must answer all questions correctly.
During the examination, the student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired the fundamental concepts of the organisation and physiological function of cells-tissues-organs. He/she should demonstrate complete understanding and the ability to expound clearly.

The final mark, expressed in thirtieths, will be given by the arithmetic mean of the two partial oral tests, i.e. biology and physiology

This course explores topics closely related to one or more goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs)