Ateneo - UPO

The content of the course is a general frame of internal medicine diseases, aimed to give a general insight of the clinical implications of medical biotech innovations

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine - 22th edition - New York: McGraw-Hill

The aim of the course is to give notions of methodology relating to the main biotechnological applications in Internal Medicine. In particular, the course will transmit skills on the growing role of biotechnology applications both in the diagnostic and in the therapeutic approach to different acute and chronic diseases.

The topics that will be object of the lessons have been selected to give examples of diseases characterized by educational relevance in the description of the diagnostic approach strategies (genetic diseases on one hand but also the development of diagnostic strategies in the fight against doping in sport) in the study of pathophysiology (diabetes mellitus, hypercalcemia) and in the therapeutic approach (evolution of the treatment of diabetes mellitus, viral hepatitis and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis).

The course will also show some examples of the development of drugs obtained by recombinant DNA techniques and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies such as stem cell transplantation and gene therapy in different conditions.

The student should possess basic knowledge about the Human Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology and General Pathology.

Lectures with supporting slides

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The final exam will be a multple choice test (first exam, June 2027); the following exams wil be oral

Introduction to internal medicine
The physiology of immune system
Immunodeficiencies
The pathological basis of autoimmune conditions, such as RA and connective tissue diseases
Osteoporosis and calcium phosphate metabolism
Cardiovascular diseases
Arterial Hypertension
Diabetes Mellitus and dyslipidemia
Thromboembolic disorders and coagulative diseases
Frailty
Lung diseases: COPD, pneumonias, lung cancers
Acute and chronic liver diseases
Infectious diseases: HIV, TBC, sepsis, COVID

At the end of the course the student should acquire a deeper knowledge about the appliations of medical biotech in clinical practice