Course catalogue | University of Parma

Professor
Academic discipline: Fisiologia (BIO/09)
Field: Discipline fisiologiche
Type of training activity: Characterising

64 hours
of face-to-face activities

20 credits

hub:

course unit
in - - -

lectures timetable unavailable

exam calls

Learning objectives

To acquire expertise in the use of modern approaches for measuring and processing data relating to cardiac electro-mechanical function

Prerequisites

Elements of Biochemistry, Molecula Biology and General Physiology

Course unit content

- Measurements of the electro-mechanical competence of the heart at different levels of complexity, from the organ to cellular/molecular level.
- Analysis of changes induced by different heart conditions on cardiac electrical and mechanical properties with focus on the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Full programme

- Cardiac electrical activity: ECG telemetry recording in conscious freely moving animals; measurement of tissue eletrophysiological properties by simultaneously recording multiple epicardial electrograms from isolated or “in situ” hearts; measurement of cellular electrophysiological properties in enzimatically isolated cardiomyocytes (patch-clamp).

- Cardiac mechanical activity: recording of hemodynamic parameters in intact animals; measurement of cellular mechanical properties and calcium transients in enzimatically isolated cardiomyocytes

- Morphometric and immunohistochemical analyses on myocardial tissue samples.

- Molecular analyses (Western blot, RT-PCR) to evaluate the expression levels of protein involved in cardiac excitability, conduction and contraction.

Bibliography

Published papers provided by the teacher.

Teaching methods

Classroom lectures and laboratory experiences on animal models

Assessment methods and criteria

Written test on the laboratory experience and seminars

Other information

- - -

LABORATORY FOR PHYSIOLOGY cod. 18030