PHYSIOLOGY

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr D Scott and Dr P Kippelen

Pre-requisites

BI 20B2 and BI 25B2.

Co-requisites

BM 3006 or SR 3001.

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

This course takes the integrative function of major organ systems as its main theme. We begin by considering the scientific method in physiology and how the human body copes with the challenges of maintaining homeostasis. We then focus on three specific organ systems - the cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems. The student will learn how these systems function during health and disease, and how they interact with one another. Special emphasis is placed on the measurement of organ function and pathophysiology. Instruction is also provided in experimental design and measurement of cardiorespiratory variables. Lecture and case-study material is accompanied by use of the microcomputer in data capture and analysis and a problem-solving project. The course consists of 4 lectures and 1 project/laboratory session per week, and is examined by continuous assessment of course work and a 3-hour written exam.

PLEASE NOTE: The lecture content and continuous assessment components of PY 3002 have changed slightly as of academic year 2005/06.

Structure

12 week course - 4 one-hour lectures per week, 1 four-to-eight-hour project/laboratory session per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (67%), and in-course assessment based on research project, case studies and practicals (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G T A McEwan

Pre-requisites

BM 3006

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

This course deals with epithelia that act as selectively permeable barriers or perform specific transport functions. The course considers the problems of transport of water, ions and nutrients across epithelia; membranes by passive and mediated systems. The contributions to transport includes examination of transcellular and paracellular routes and the roles of tight junctions. Tight and leaky epithelia are exemplified by the properties of amphibian skin and bladder and mammalian intestinal and renal epithelia. Barrier functions are studied in relation to gastric and airway epithelia.

Structure

6 week course - 3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour seminar and 1 eight hour laboratory session.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 ninety-minute written examination paper (70%) and in-course assessment - essay and laboratory practicals (30%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr A M Rajnicek

Pre-requisites

BM 3006

Overview

A major focus of the course is the substantial degree of “plasticity” which occurs in the development of the nervous and muscular systems and in the mechanisms governing transmission between these two tissues. The basic cell biology of the developing nervous system is explored. Topics covered include: what initiates nervous system formation, how do nerves grow, how do they move, how do they transport materials over long distances intracellularly, how do they communicate with each other, what environmental signals regulate these activities and how and what happens when these tissues are damaged and are required to regenerate? Emerging technologies for studying nervous system development and repair are also explored.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour seminar, 1 two-hour laboratory demonstration over 6 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (80%) and in-course assessment - essay (20%).

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.

Credit Points

60

Course Coordinator

Dr D Shewan

Pre-requisites

BM 4004

Notes

The practical work required in this course may pose difficulties to some students with disabilities. If this arises alternative arrangements will be made. Any student wishing to discuss this further should contact the School Disability Co-ordinator.

Overview

A ten week research project is undertaken and the student learns laboratory and literature research techniques and presents a thesis. The thesis is defended in an oral presentation. Students gain extensive experience of data acquisition and databases using microcomputers.

Assessment

Resit (for Honours students only): Candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit themselves for re-assessment and should contact the Course Co-ordinator for further details.