The course provides notions of human vital functions. At the end of the course the student will have understood the functioning of the various organs and systems, their mechanisms of regulation and homeostatic control, with particular reference to gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and renal function and the mechanisms of hunger and satiety. The knowledge of physiological mechanisms will help the student to understand the complex relationship between nutrition and pathologies.
At the end of the course the student will have to:
- know the physiological mechanisms underlying the functioning of the various organs and systems of the human body
- have acquired the fundamental notions regarding gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal functions, hunger and satiety mechanisms and sensory perception of food
- understand the regulation and integration processes of the various systems
- understand the concept of homeostasis and the homeostatic control mechanisms
- know specifically the physiological mechanisms of digestion and nutrient absorption and acquire the ability to apply this knowledge to recognize the effects due to malnutrition
- be able to describe the mechanisms of taste perception and hormonal regulation of appetite and acquire the ability to evaluate the interaction of these mechanisms with food behaviour
- understand the importance of the consequences of changes in the body's homeostasis mechanisms and the role in the pathogenesis of diseases
- be able to recognize alterations in physiological processes and risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, digestive, endocrine and metabolic diseases
- acquire the ability to apply knowledge of the physiological mechanisms studied to understand the complex relationship between diet and pathologies.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of both anatomy and cellular and organ physiology.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with audio and video teaching material.
Further information
Program and teaching materials available on Moodle UNIFI (https://e-l.unifi.it).
Type of Assessment
Written examination (12 sessions per year; 1 hour time) assessing the acquisition of appropriate knowledge of organ basis of human physiology and in particular those of the gastrointestinal, renal and cardiovascular systems and the mechanisms that regulate energy expenditure and appetite. Written examination involves questions with short open-ended answers and multiple choice test.
Course program
- Heart and blood pressure.
Excitation-contraction coupling in the myocardium. Contractility and regulation mechanisms of cardiac contraction. Cardiac cycle. Cardiac output and regulation. Short-term blood pressure regulation mechanisms.
- Renal function and fluid and electrolyte balance.
Glomerular filtration and renal blood flow. Tubular functions. ADH and aldosterone. Homeostatic functions: regulation of osmolality and volume of extracellular fluids, renal pH regulation, long-term blood pressure regulation. Clearance.
- Functions of the gastrointestinal system.
Autonomic nervous system and enteric nervous system. Gastric function. Gastrointestinal motility: peristalsis of stomach and bowel; non-propulsive contractions; migrating motor complex. Gastrointestinal secretions. Nutrient digestion and absorption.
Hormones and peptides. Gastrin, histamine, cholecystokinin, somatostatin.
- Neurophysiology.
- Autonomic nervous system.
Functional differences of sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
- Taste.
Taste receptors. Taste transduction and molecular signaling systems. Five primary taste qualities. Taste and food behavior.
- Nutrition physiology.
The balance between energy intake and expenditure. Hypothalamic centers for controlling eating and energy expenditure. Mechanisms of satiety and hunger. Orexigenic and anorexigenic signals. Short- and long-term regulation of food intake. Ghrelin and enteric hormones. Adipose tissue as endocrine organ: leptin and adiponectin.