Unit APPLIED HYGEN

Course
Biology
Study-unit Code
GP004089
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Roberto Fabiani
Teachers
  • Roberto Fabiani
Hours
  • 47 ore - Roberto Fabiani
CFU
6
Course Regulation
Coorte 2019
Offered
2020/21
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline del settore biomedico
Academic discipline
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 xeno-biotics. 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
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
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