Problem-Based Learning Resources

Cardiovascular/Respiratory/Renal

Created by Eric C. Niederhoffer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Copyright 2000- , E.C. Niederhoffer. All Rights Reserved.
All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.


The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Problem-Based Learning Resources page is designed to support the three objective areas defined by the curriculum.

Check back often for resource page updates! [External links to resources are added (by me) and deleted (by them).]

  • Self-direct learning and articulation
  • Reasoning
  • Interpersonal and group skills

For more information concerning these objectives see PBL: A Student Guide.

As your tutor group works through a Problem-Based Learning Module, learning issues (LI) will be developed. Some groups (as well as some of the cases) are better at this than others. Some groups (and some of the cases) lose focus from time-to-time and important issues are lost in the shuffle.

In order to foster your ability to develop LI and build a knowledge base in biochemistry, including cell and molecular biology, I have created unit LI grids, featured topics, major points, and correlated readings. One can build a foundation by learning about specific topics or by asking questions pertinent to each case. You should note that many of the potential LIs appear in multiple cases and across units. You have multiple opportunities to encounter these topics, so don't think that you must completely cover them with any particular case These LIs will be revisited as the unit continues and also through cases encountered in other units. Note that the link to a PBLM resource page will be activated as tutor groups process that particular case (usually after the second tutor group session).

Metabolic pathways in CRR focus on where they start (substrates), where they finish (products), important intermediates, and regulated steps that are targets of medications.

Cases

Mid-Unit Exam Topics

Slides for the CRR MU review are available.

End-of-Unit Exam Topics

A list of the SAQs for the CRR EOU review is not yet available.

General Resources

You might anticipate exploring the following topics:

LI
 action potential  erythrocyte membrane structure
 alpha1-antitrypsin  fatty acid (beta) oxidation
 bases of clinical assays and tests  gene transcription and translation
 bases of genetic disease (docx, pdf)  glycolysis
 blood clot formation and degradation  heme synthesis and degradation
 blood gases and pH buffering  hemoglobin structure and function
 cardiac muscle contraction  ion transport in cardiac tissue
 cell communication through gap junctions  ion transport in erythrocytes
 chemical signals in inflammatory process  ion transport in kidney tissue
 cholesterol metabolism  ion transport in lung tissue
 composition of arteries and veins  lipoproteins and lipid processing
 composition of blood tissue  membrane transport
 composition of erythrocytes  metabolism of lipids
 composition of heart tissue  molecular analyses of genes
 composition of kidney tissue  nitrogen processing
 composition of lung tissue  oxidative phosphorylation
 dioxygen binding and transport  pentose phosphate pathway
 electron transport chain  reactive oxygen species
 energy production in erythrocytes  receptors and signal transduction
 energy production in heart tissue  renin-angiotensin-aldosterone
 energy production in kidney tissue  serum proteins
 energy production in lung tissue  tricarboxylic acid cycle
 enzymes in clinical medicine  urea cycle

General Internet Resources
 Biocarta cellular and metabolic pathways
 Cardiovascular physiology concepts
 Congenital heart disease
 Corrrelated readings for clinical laboratory tests
 emedicine for diagnoses and differentials
 Introduction to chest radiology
 Lab Tests Online
 Perioperative Echocardiography Database
 The Medical Biochemistry Page (for details of pathways)
 Urinalysis (University of Utah)
 Videos of surgical procedures

I recommend the following textbooks for biochemistry and cell and molecular biology:

If you have a background in biochemistry use:

  • Salway, J. Medical biochemistry at a glance. 2nd edition, 2006. Blackwell. A good overview with pertinent details and illustrations.
  • Salway, J. G. Metabolism at a glance. 3rd edition, 2004. Blackwell. Effective illustrations for learning metabolic pathways. Good overview and pertinent details. The other "… at a glance" books are very good also. This is very good for learning metabolic pathways and regulation, probably the best that I have seen but is physical large in size. Some students find the illustrations too complicated.

If you DO NOT have a background in biochemistry use:

  • Baynes, J. W. and M. H. Dominiczak. Medical biochemistry. 2nd edition, 2005. Mosby-Yearbook. Good biochemistry textbook with better illustrations.
  • Lieberman, M. A. and A. Marks. Marks' essential medical biochemistry: a clinical approach. 3rd edition, 2008. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. Has effective clinical correlations.
  • Meisenberg, G. and W. H. Simmons. Principles of medical biochemistry. 2nd edition, 2006. Mosby-Yearbook. Good biochemistry textbook with better illustrations.

High quality references/board review books:

  • Devlin, T. M. (ed.). 2010. Textbook of biochemistry with clinical correlations, 7th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. This is very good for most of what you need.
  • Hark, L. and G. Morrison. Medical nutrition & disease: a case-based approach. 3rd edition, 2006. Blackwell. Good overview and clinical information.
  • Karp, G. (ed.). 2010. Cell and molecular biology: concept and experiments, 6th ed. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. This covers cell biology topics not found in Devlin.
  • Murray, R. K., D. K. Granner, and V. W. Rodwell. Harper’s illustrated biochemistry. 27th edition, 2006. McGraw Hill. Review book.
  • Nelson, D. L., and M. M. Cox. (ed.). 2008. Lehninger principles of biochemistry, 5th ed. Worth, New York. This is very good for most of what you need but lacks the clinical correlations found in Devlin.
  • Sardesai, V. M. Introduction to clinical nutrition. 2nd edition, 2003. Marcel Dekker. Good information, more biochemistry aspects of nutrition, some errors were noted in structures of molecules.

The following textbooks are also useful:

  • Braunwald, E., A. S. Fauci, D. L. Kasper, S. L. Hauser, D. L. Longo, and J. L. Jameson (ed.). 2001. Harrison's principles of internal medicine, 15th ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.
  • Scriver, C. R., A. L. Beaudet, D. Valle, W. S. Sly, B. Childs, K. Kinzler, and B. Vogelstein (ed.). 2001. The metabolic and molecular bases of inherited disease, 8th ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.

The following may be quite useful also:

 

C2000 Resources

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Resources

Submit your questions and comments to the following:
eniederhoffer@siumed.edu