Clinical Biochemistry Course
Course Objectives
Clinical Biochemistry is highly relevant to a medical student throughout the whole training period, since it is integrated into systems-based teaching at all levels of the medical curriculum. The main goal of the Clinical Biochemistry Course is to:
- bring a wealth of information on the biochemical basis of various diseases, the selection of biochemical diagnostic tests and their interpretation,
- capacitate students for understanding sample handling, as well as, analytical and biological factors which can affect test results in health and disease, and how these relate to the concept of a test reference range,
- enable understanding of the importance of biochemical measurements in disease diagnosis, monitoring and treating complications,
- bring practical recommendations and laboratory diagnostic algorithms for interpretation of biochemical test results,
- enable students to correctly interpret the results of biochemical tests in accordance with the relevant human pathology.
Course outcome
To enable understanding of the importance of biochemical measurements in disease diagnosis, monitoring and treatment complications, and to bring practical recommendations and laboratory diagnostic algorithms for interpretation of biochemical test results. Finishing the Course, the student should understand and know to choose and interpret results of:
- basic and comprehensive metabolic panel in health and disease
- complete blood analysis in health and disease
- electrolytes and blood gasses in acid-base disorders
- tests to assess inflammation; myocardial function and infarction; kidney, liver and pancreatic function; bone and muscle function; various endocrine glands function
- pregnancy and prenatal screening
- blood analysis and metabolic panel in a specific population of people (children and elderly )
- tumor marker assessment
Members of the Department:
Tatjana Simić, MD, PhD; full professor
Nataša Petronijević, MD, PhD; full professor
Ivanka Marković, MD, PhD; full professor
Aleksandra J. Isaković,MD, PhD; full professor
Ana Savić-Radojević, MD, PhD; full professor
Marija Plješa Ercegovac, MD, PhD; full professor
Marija Matić, MD, PhD; full professor
Sonja Misirlić Denčić, MD, PhD; associate professor
Željka Stanojević, MD, PhD; associate professor
Tatjana Đukić, MD, PhD; associate professor
Tatjana Nikolić, MD, PhD; assistant professor
Vesna Ćorić, MD, PhD; assistant professor
Milica Velimirović Bogosavljević, MD, PhD; assistant professor
Anđelka Isaković, MD, PhD; assistant professor
Tihomir Stojković, MD, PhD; assistant professor
Sašenka Vidičević Novaković, MD, PhD; teaching assistant
Đurđa Jerotić, MD, PhD; teaching assistant
Marija Jeremić, MD; teaching assistant
Janko Zeković, MD, teaching assistant
Milica Živković, MD
Sanja Blagojević, MD
Tamara Stanisavljević, MD
Course structure
Lectures
- Requesting and interpreting tests: reference intervals of basic biochemical analysis
- Standard hematological parameters
- Water and electrolyte balance. Acid-base disorders
- Trauma, inflammation, immunity
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Renal disease
- Liver disease
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Bone and muscle diseases
- Endocrine control and dynamic function tests. Diabetes mellitus
- Pituitary function. Thyroid pathophysiology
- Adrenocortical pathophysiology
- Gonadal function. Pregnancy and prenatal screening
- Clinical biochemistry in pediatrics and the elderly
- Tumor markers
Practical classes:
- Interpretation of biochemical parameters in physically active persons
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - hemolytic anemia
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient – diabetes insipidus
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - rheumatoid arthritis
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - acute myocardial infarction
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - chronic kidney failure
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of a patient - toxic hepatitis
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - functional disorders of the pancreas
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - secondary hyperparathyroidism
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - diabetes mellitus
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - Hashimoto's thyroiditis
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - Cushing's syndrome
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient – preeclampsia
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient with enzymopathy
- Laboratory diagnostics and presentation of the patient - breast cancer
Course organization
Clinical Biochemistry Course is organized in the hybrid form through 15 online lectures (each accompanied by a formative test with multiple choice questions) on interactive online platform on Belgrade University Medical Faculty official site. Students are required to take all the tests within the course. Practical classes are organized in the form of 15 interactive clinical-case solving classes which are supervised by the teachers.
The Course is organized during 9 weeks in VII semester. It starts with the opening of two online lectures. Next week two clinical cases corresponding to online lectures from the previous week are covered on practical classes. During the same week, two new lectures are available on the platform. Every week to come, two clinical cases are discussed on practical classes and two new lectures are opened for learning.
Each online lecture is followed by a multiple-choice test. The 10 question-test is considered passed only if it has ≥ 6 correct answers. Lectures are available for learning during the whole ongoing academic year. On the other hand, tests are available only within the week when a certain lecture is scheduled. Student may skip/ not pass the test ( ≤ 5 correct answers) just one lecture without compensation.
For practical classes students are divided into two- three groups. Students are advised to be prepared for the practical classes so that they can participate in discussions and interpretation of laboratory parameters. Student may skip one practical without compensation.
Grading policy
Final exam is in the form of written exam. Final test has 10 questions (8 multiple choice questions and 2 fill in the blanks questions) regarding interpretation of two clinical cases with laboratory results. The exam is considered passed if it has ≥ 6 of correct answers. The result is expressed as passed/not passed.
Contact:
Sonja Misirlić Denčić, MD, PhD; associate professor
e-mail: sonja.misirlic-dencic@med.bg.ac.rs