PHYSIOLOGY

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

OD09

Academic Year of enrolment:

2020

Year of supply:

2021/2022

Type of Course:

Basic

Degree:

Course of Single Cycle Degree 6 years in SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Disciplinary Sector:

PHYSIOLOGY

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

MARIGGIO' Maria Addolorata

Cycle:

Single Annual Cycle

Obligatory attendance:

Yes

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

187

Prerequisites:

Prerequisites: according to the Teaching Regulations of the Course (Regolamento Didattico del Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Odontoiatria e Protesi Dentaria, Classe LM-46) to take the Human Physiology exam, the student must have taken the exam of the first year and of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Objectives

The understanding and learning the mechanisms that underlie the functions of the human body. The course of Human Physiology, starting from the knowledge of biophysics, anatomy and biochemistry, represents a path to the study of organs and apparatuses both in the light of specific functions, and in their integrations directed to the control of the whole organism. Specifically, these objectives will be achieved by analyzing the responses to changes in the internal and external environment at the cellular, organ, system and apparatus levels, defining the human-environment interaction. These essential basic knowledge are enriched by elective insights of more specific dental interest in order to stimulate the interest and participation of the student and provide the basis for subsequent courses of pathology and clinics.

Contents

Description of the mechanisms underlying the functional processes at the cellular, organ and apparatus levels.
Illustration of the functioning of organs and systems of the human body.
Definition of the principles that regulate cellular and sensory transduction, to arrive at the description of the endocrine and nervous systems integration and control.
Description of the peculiar functions of the stomatognathic apparatus.

Extended Syllabus

Cellular physiology
Homeostasis. Biophysics of the cell membrane (permeability and transport). Membrane potentials: resting, electrotonic, action potentials. Propagation of potentials. The synapses.

Neurophysiology
The nervous system: characteristics and functional organization - somatic and autonomous systems.
Somatic sensitivity. Sensory receptors (classification and functional properties), stimulus decoding, propagation and integration of sensory information. Cortical somatotopic representation, sensation and perception. Tactile sensitivity; pain sensitivity; thermal sensitivity (hypothalamic regulation of body temperature); proprioceptive sensitivity.
Specific senses. The chemical senses: taste and smell. Hearing (organ of Corti and sound decoding). The vestibular apparatus. The sight (retina, cones and rods and signal transduction, visual cortex).
Motor control. Spinal reflexes (stretch, Golgi tendon, flexion and cross extension reflexes). Spinal integration and superior control of reflexes. Voluntary motor control: the motor areas of the cerebral cortex and motor programs. Basal ganglia: organization and functional role. The cerebellum: functional anatomy and cerebellum control of movements. Rhythmic movements: the walking. Posture control and muscle tone.
Physiology of skeletal muscle (ultrastructure and excitation-contraction coupling, muscle metabolism). Neuromuscular synapses and motor units (classification, functional properties and recruitment). Length-tension relationship in the sarcomere. Muscle single twitch and tetanus responses. Isometric, isotonic, concentric and eccentric contraction.
Notes on memory and learning processes: neurobiological basis of short and long term memory.

Endocrine system
Endocrine function: the hypothalamic-hypophysis-target axis.
The control of body metabolism.
Homeostasis of calcium and phosphate (parathormone, calcitonin and Vit D).

Cardiovascular system
Blood: composition and function; erythropoiesis, coagulation and haemostasis.
The common myocardium and the specific myocardium. The electrical activity of the heart: cardiac pacemakers and conduction system. ECG. Mechanical features of the heart: the cardiac cycle.
Structure and function of vessels, visco-elastic behavior, arterial pulse, blood pressure, blood volume, flow and resistance. Microcirculation and interstitial plasma-liquid exchanges. The laws of hydrostatics and hemodynamics. Control of cardiac output and systemic blood pressure.

Respiratory System
Structure and function of the respiratory system. Respiratory mechanics. Ventilation-perfusion ratio. Respiratory centers and breathing control (nervous, chemoceptive and mechanoceptive). Respiratory indexes: lung volumes and capacity. Alveolar exchanges and transport of gases in the blood.

The kidney
The nephron. Filtration, re-absorption, secretion and excretion processes. The functions of the kidney (endocrine, control in hydro-saline and acid-base balance).

The gastrointestinal system.
Nervous and hormonal control of gastrointestinal functions. Digestion and absorption of the main nutrients. Functions of the exocrine pancreas, gallbladder and liver.

Special part
Facial sensitivity: tactile, thermal and painful. Anatomo-functional organization of the trigeminal system. The pulpodentinal complex, the dental pulp: function of the pulp nerves and nociceptive response. Salivary glands: innervation and stimulus to secretion. Mastication: the muscles and the mechanics of mastication. Electromyography (EMG) of the mastication muscles. Occlusion and resting position of the mandible. Head-neck reflexes and of mastication muscles.
The tongue: functions and posture.
The swallowing.

Recommended Bibliography

General part
Choose one of the following:
-Stanfield C. Fisiologia, Edises
-Klinke R, Pape H, Kurtz A, Silbernagl S, Fisiologia, EdiSes
- Lauralee Sherwood. Fisiologia Umana. Zanichelli
- William J. German, Cindy L.Stanfield. Fisiologia. EdiSes.
- R. Rhoades , R.Pflanzer. Fisiologia Generale e Umana. Piccin

Special part
Main text: Diego Manzoni - Eugenio Scarnati - Fisiologia Orale e dell'Apparato Stomatologico, Edi-Ermes
Suggested consultation text: David B. Ferguson - Biologia del cavo orale (Istologia, Biochimica e Fisiologia). Ed CEA

Teaching Methods

Lessons, training and in-depth seminars. When necessary, the activities will also be carried out online on the Teams platform.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

Depending on the training needs, ongoing tests may be done to detect the effectiveness of learning and teaching processes.
The final exam consists of an oral discussion in which the student must prove that he/she has learned the topics of the course program. The final exam can be sustained in one of the date present in the calendar.
The oral discussion focuses on a series of topics in which the student can demonstrate:
a sufficient but incomplete basic knowledge (score 18-22/30),
a discreet knowledge with the ability to clearly illustrate the topics (score 23-25/30),
good ability to illustrate the subjects with properties of language (score 26-28/30),
excellent knowledge of the matter moving easily from one subject to another contextualizing any interconnections and/or differences (score 28-30/30).
The laude is reserved to those who also show particular interest and knowledge of the functional aspects of the professionalizing sector, with high communication skills and autonomous learning.

Contacts/More Information

Ask for appointments:
by telephone to 0871 3554048 or 0871/541399
or by email to maria.mariggio@unich.it

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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