Biochemistry, Pathology and Toxicology Food

OBJECTIVES OF THE TEACHING MODULE
To provide students skills in theory and practice for producing and interpreting results of laboratory analyses for measuring molecular markers of nutritional-related metabolic disorders in farm animals.

PROGRAM
Theoretical training (16 hours)
> Molecular basis of animal nutrition:
- Chemical and biochemical characteristics of nutrients (3h).
- Nutritional biochemistry: absorption, oxidation/reduction reactions in metabolism, gut fermentations (4h).
- Integration of metabolism and endocrine regulation of nutrient metabolism (3h).
> Clinical biochemistry methods for measuring molecular markers of nutritional diseases:
- Analytical techniques and instruments used in clinical biochemistry laboratories (5h).
- Source of error and variability of laboratory's test result (1h).

Practical training (16 hours)
Students will develop skills in calculation routinely used in clinical biochemistry laboratories.
- Different ways of expression of quantity and concentration (4h)
- Conversion between units of measurement (4h)
- From instrument reading to analyte concentration (4h)
- Laboratory mathematics, computer elaboration of raw data and graphical representation of clinical biochemistry analysis results (4h)

EXAMINATION PROCEDURE
Oral examination.

STUDY BOOKS
- Power point hand outs and lecture notes present on the ARIEL web site.
- Cozzani-Dainese, Biochimica degli alimenti e della nutrizione, Piccin Nuova Libraria, 2006
- Arienti, Le basi molecolari della nutrizione, Piccin Nuova Libraria, 2003.
- Kaneko, J.J, Harvey, J.W. and Bruss, M.L. Clinical Biochemistry of Domestic Animals, 6th edn. Eds J.J. Kaneko, J.W.Harvey and M.L.Bruss. Academic press, San Diego, 2008.

LECTURES
- Fatty liver and bovine ketosis (2 hours)
- Metabolic changes associated with deficiency or excess of Ca, P, Mg, trace elements and vitamins (6 hours)
- Sideropenic anemia (2 hours)
- Association between energy and mineral metabolism and production diseases (abomasal displacement, hypofertility, placental retention) ( 2 hours)
- The metabolic profile (2 hours)
- Acute and chronic toxicity - oncogenesis (2 hours)

PRACTICALS
- Preanalytical errors (2 hours)
- Practical lectures at the microscope: basic principles of blood smear examination (2 hours); hematological features of sideropenic anemias and inflammatory patterns (2 hours)
- Visit to a dairy herd: evaluation of production performances, production diseases and blood sampling (3 hours) samples preprocessing and biochemical/hematological analyses in the lab (3 hours)
- Interpretation of laboratory data collected during the visit described above (2 hours)
- Identification of morphological changes on projected images of tissues and cells (2 hours)

FEED TOXICOLOGY (3 CFU, 32hours)

OBJECTIVES OF THE TEACHING MODULE
The course will provide students with information about the presence of residues of natural origin or from illegal administration and of contaminants in the feed and main methods of detection.

PROGRAMME
Frontal Lessons (16 hours)
- Endocrine Disruptors: classification, definition, toxicity (6 hours)
- Phytotoxins in raw materials and in feed and species-specific toxicity (4 hours)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and brominated organic compounds (4)
- Perfluoroalkyl substances (2 hours)

Practical excercises (16 hours)
After a two hours theoretical class about laboratory methods, students will execute, in two working days, quantitative analysis on pelleted feed for active ingredients of natural origin or from environmental contamination. From the screening analysis through ELISA tests to the HPLC/MSn confirmation analysis according to the dictates of the Commission Decision 2002/657 / EC.

EXAMINATION PROCEDURE
Oral examination.

STUDY BOOKS AND COURSE MATERIAL
- Power point presentation and course materials present on ARIEL web site.
- C. NEBBIA Residui di farmaci e Contaminanti Ambientali nelle Produzioni animali, Edises 2009