Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MDS1010

 
TITLE Blood and Body Defence Mechanisms

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

 
DESCRIPTION The students are guided to learn about the physiological mechanisms that sustain the cellular and molecular composition of blood in health and disease. The study unit includes the development of blood and blood vessels, structure and organization of blood cell formation, red blood cells and body defence mechanisms including the connections between inflammation, immunity and haemostasis. The teaching is framed within the context of basic science and clinical applications and consists of lecture topics as listed.

In addition to lectures, students shall be required to take part in small group teaching sessions that are based on carefully selected clinical cases. These sessions are intended to stimulate the student to think and discuss critically the presented problems and to formulate basic scientific and clinical concepts as well as ethical, behavioural and professional principles.

Study-Unit Aims:

1. To provide the student with the necessary physiology and pathophysiology of blood to apply logically in the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases of blood and other diseases that have manifestations in blood.
2. To provide exposure to the fundamental biology underlying progress in addressing those questions of physiology, pathophysiology, pharmaco-therapeutics that may be suitably addressed in an experimental or translational setting for young graduates who need to make well informed choices about future specialisation.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Describe cellular and molecular/biochemical composition of blood in the healthy steady state and the more common deviations from the normal
2. Explain the intimate relationship in development, organization and function of blood and blood vessels
3. Discuss mechanisms that maintain and restore the healthy steady state
4. Describe the structure and function of the red blood cell with respect to tissue oxygenation and the implications with respect to certain anaemias in particular the genetic disorders of haemoglobin and iron
5. Describe the structure and function of the white blood cells with respect to inflammatory and immune / auto-immune conditions and malignancy (leukemia / lymphoma)
6. Explain the coagulation, bleeding or thrombosis / thrombophilia, resolution and repair
7. Discuss the genetic risk underlying common complex disease of blood such as RBC microcytosis, infection / inflammation and thrombophilia
8. Describe existing options for clinical specialisation or graduate studies in the field

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

1. Give a comprehensive overview of blood with particular emphasis on those aspects of the biology that impact most in primary level clinical practice, the research laboratory or in the translation between the two
2. Identify normal and abnormal blood counts (CBCs)
3. Identify normal and the common abnormal serum protein profiles
4. Interpret the results of first line investigations for differential diagnosis of anaemia, leukopoenia/leukocytosis and bleeding/thrombosis
5. Explain the Haemoglobin phenotype in thalassaemia and common variants
6. Predict the restorative pathophysiology of an abnormality in blood count or composition
7. Select the appropriate bio-therapeutic for cell-lineage stimulation
8. Explain the principles behind matching sample to patient in transfusion and transplantation
9. Conduct information searches in the library or digital sources regarding blood
10. Promote the development of questions that may be answered by clinical, experimental or translational research

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

ISRAELS AND ISRAELS (CORE) MECHANISMS IN HEMATOLOGY. on line https://www.mechanismsinhematology.ca/site/home.aspx
Hoffbrand's Essential Haematology, A. Victor Hoffbrand, David P. Steensma, Wiley-Blackwell, 8th Edition, December 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-49590-1

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Multiple Choice Questions Examination (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Rosienne Farrugia
Alexander Gatt
Godfrey Grech
Stefan Laspina
Nicoletta Riva
David Saliba
Christian Scerri (Co-ord.)

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit