SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED SYLLABUS FOR BIOCHEMISTRY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Item 6: The common genetic disorders that need to be covered should be specified.

Item 9: The biochemical techniques that need to be covered should be specified.


COURSE CONTENTS
1. Acid-base disorders
The study of acid-base disorders, their causes and laboratory diagnosis should be included in the “must know” category.

2. Enzymes
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Properties of enzymes
Coenzymes and cofactors
Diagnostic and therapeutic importance of enzymes, icluding use of isoenzymes.

3. Carbohydrates
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Overview of metabolism of fructose and galactose to be included in the “must know” category.
Hyper- and hypoglycemia
Uronic acid pathway and basic concepts of glycogen storage disease
Regulation by hormones in starvation, the well-fed state and diabetes mellitus.


Topics under this should include the following in the “desirable to know” category
Importance of mucopolysaccharides

4. Lipids
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Metabolism of ketone bodies
Metabolism of triacylglycerols
Metabolism of adipose tissue
Essential fatty acids

Topics under this should include the following in the “desirable to know” category
Overview of phospholipid metabolism
Drugs used to treat dyslipidemias
Sphingolipidosis


5. Proteins
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Essential amino acids
General pathways for amino acid catabolism
Overview of disorders associated with metabolism of phenylalanine, tryptophan, glycine, serine, sulfur containing amino acids and histidine
Specialized products obtained from amino acid, metabolism and their
importance, eg. creatine, melatonin, melanin, epinephrine, thyroxine, nitric oxide
Biogenic amines
Importnace of glutathione
Overview of aminoacidurias

6. Intermediary metabolism
Methods of study of intermediary metabolism are not required.

7. Nucleic acids
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Salvage pathways for purines and pyrimidines
Synthetic nucleotides
Nucleotide analogues
Biologically important nucleotides

8. Energy metabolism
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Basal metabolic rate
Specific dynamic action
Components and requirements of a balanced diet
Overview of nutrition in physiological states and in diseases such diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, renal diseases
Parenteral feeding

9. Human genetics and molecular biology
Topics under this should include the following in the “must know” category
Genetic code
Mutations

10. Mechanisms of actions of hormones
This topic should be included

11. Apply concepts of rational diagnostic methods and tests in laboratory medicine
Diseases to be covered under this heading should be specified to be covered in the “must know category” (eg, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, myocardial infarction, renal diseases, thyroid disease, etc).