General Instructions

In this learning activity, you will reflect on the health applications of biochemistry. To successfully achieve this, you will need to review all the study materials for Modules 1-4 on the building blocks of biochemistry, enzymes, non-enzymatic proteins, and carbohydrates.

Step 1: Select and Reflect

Select one of the introductory biochemistry topics below and reflect on how they are applied in practical/clinical settings to diagnose, treat, or understand pathological and healthy human states.

• Building blocks of biochemistry (amino acids, peptides, protein structure, and denaturation)
• Enzymes (classification, role of enzymes as biological catalysts, and enzyme kinetics)
• Non-enzymatic proteins (cellular functions, biosignaling, and protein analysis techniques)
• Carbohydrates (classification)

 Step 2: Respond

 Using supporting data to back your arguments, prepare a 400-500 word written piece which discusses any one of the following: 

• At least five industrial uses of amino acids, two of which must be of pharmaceutical and nutritional value
• Five specific enzyme-catalyzed reactions in the human body, two of which must be digestive and disease-related value
• The application of protein analyses techniques in medicine
• The role of carbohydrates in energy production and the mechanism of carbohydrate-induced disease states, for example, Obesity and Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Step 3: Share 

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Be sure your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas on other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to the forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

General Instructions

In this learning activity, you will read and analyze the two case scenarios provided and answer the questions related to carbohydrate metabolism.

Case Scenario 1

ABC is a 3-year-old boy who was referred to the hematologist after a pediatrician found him with an enlarged spleen (Splenomegaly), yellowing of the sclera of the eyes (Jaundice), and low blood volume (Anemic). In an interview with his mother, she hinted at a possible history of a blood-related disorders in her family, as revealed by the past medical diagnosis of other family members.

ABC was subjected to a test that measures the different types of hemoglobin in the blood (Hemoglobin Electrophoresis). The result was normal, and the Complete Blood Count (CBC) revealed normocytic anemia. However, bizarre erythrocytes, including spiculated cells, were observed on the peripheral smear.

ABC was diagnosed with pyruvate kinase deficiency.

Case Scenario 2

DEF is a 10-year-old girl with a grossly enlarged abdomen. Her medical history includes frequent sweating, episodes of weakness, and pallor that were eliminated by eating. DEF’s development had been undoubtedly slow. She began to sit at 11 months, walked freely/unassisted at two years, and was doing poorly in school.

Physical examination revealed normal blood pressure, temperature, and a normal pulse rate but a subnormal weight (20 kg). Her liver was enlarged, firm, and descended into the pelvis. The spleen and kidneys were not palpable.

Other physical examination parameters were within normal limits.

However, laboratory investigation reports revealed low blood glucose, low pH, high lactate, triglycerides, ketones, and free fatty acids. Again, the liver biopsy revealed high glycogen content. However, the hepatic glycogen structure was normal.

Very low Glucose-6-Phosphate levels were observed after an enzyme assay was performed on the biopsy tissue.

Step 1: Reflect

Read and reflect on the case scenarios above as they relate to carbohydrate metabolism.

Step 2: Respond

Based on the case scenarios above, prepare a 500-600 word written response that answers the following key questions:

Case Scenario 1:

1.  What is the biochemical basis of ABC’s disorder, and describe it?
2. Discuss the role of erythrocytes and ATP in the condition
3. Discuss the biochemical basis of anemia

Case Scenario 2:

1.  What might be the probable diagnosis of DEF’s condition?

2. Describe the pathophysiology of DEF’s condition

Step 3: Share 

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Be sure your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas on other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

General Instructions

In this learning activity, you will read and analyze the case scenarios below and answer questions that relate to lipid and amino acid metabolism.

Case Scenario 1:

GHI is a 23-year-old lady who presented to the Outpatient Department of a specialist hospital with a medical history of spleen removal secondary to hepatomegaly, joint and bone pains with femoral fractures at different times, and a previous liver biopsy which revealed accumulation of glucosylceramide in wrinkled looking cells.

Case Scenario 2:

JKL is a female child born after a normal pregnancy. Her development after birth did not occur normally, as expected. Upon presentation to a health center at the age of eight, the physician noted she could not feed herself, could not speak like children of her age and could only manage to say a few words, and showed involuntary limb movements. Her cognitive development was not encouraging, and after being subjected to an I.Q. test, her score turned out to be 70. Her skin is light-colored, and she has blue eyes and patches of white hair across her head.

Examination revealed a musty odor in her urine with large amounts of a certain amino acid (X). In addition, an appreciable amount of a compound was isolated from the urine, which, when incubated with NADH and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), produced the following compound:

Step 1 Reflect

Read and reflect on the case scenarios above as they relate to lipid and amino acid metabolism.

Step 2: Respond

Based on the case scenarios above, prepare a 500-600 word written response that answers the following key questions:

Case Scenario 1:

1.  What might be the likely diagnosis of GHI?

2. Discuss the pathophysiology of GHI’s condition

Case Scenario 2:

1. What metabolic disorder could be JKL’s condition?
2. Describe how the condition can be experimentally confirmed
3. Name the techniques that can be used to identify the unknown amino acid in the urine
4. Mention the class of reaction involved in the formation of compound II from the amino acid

Step 3: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Be sure your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas on other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

General Instructions

In this activity, you will describe the role nucleic acids play in DNA and RNA structures, the organization of chromosomes in eukaryotes, DNA replication, mechanisms of DNA repair, and recombinant DNA technology. To accomplish this, you will review all the study materials for Module 8.

Step 1: Select and Reflect

Select one of the key topics under DNA below and reflect on how they are applied in practical/clinical settings to either diagnose, treat, or understand pathological and healthy human states.

• Describe DNA cloning and restriction enzymes
• Hybridization
• Applications and DNA technology
• Ethical considerations of genetic engineering

Step 2: Respond

Using supporting data to back your arguments, prepare a 500-600 word written piece that discusses any one of the following: 

• The application of genetically-engineered organisms in agriculture and improving the nutritional value of the plant
• The application of gene therapy in medicine
• Explain the use of recombinant DNA technology in medicine and forensics
• Ethical considerations in experimental human genome editing

Step 3: Share 

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, evaluate and categorize the work from one of your peers based on items A - E of the rubric below. Provide a rationale for the grade you have provided, as well as comments or suggestions for improvement. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.” You can use the list below as an example:

Item A is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item B is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item C is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item D is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item E is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

General Instructions

In this activity, you will describe transcription factors and the preinitiation complex (PIC), the process of translation, prokaryotic gene regulation, and eukaryotic gene regulation. To achieve this, you will review all the study materials for Module 9.

Step 1: Select and Reflect

Read “Translation” from the learning resources under RNA.

Step 2: Respond

Using supporting data to back your arguments, prepare a 500-600 word written piece which discusses the following:

• Explain, in detail, the step-by-step process of translating the language of nucleotides into the language of amino acids in prokaryotes and eukaryotes

Step 3: Share 

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, evaluate and categorize the work from one of your peers based on items A - E of the rubric below. Provide a rationale for the grade you have provided, as well as comments or suggestions for improvement. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.” You can use the list below as an example:

Item A is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item B is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item C is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item D is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….
Item E is  .…. because….  My suggestions for improvement are….

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

General Instructions

In this activity, you will reflect on all you have read about thermodynamics and bioenergetics, ATP, biological oxidation and reduction, metabolic states, hormonal regulation and metabolism, tissue-specific metabolism, and integrative metabolism. To accomplish this, you will review all the study materials for Module 12. 

Step 1: Select and Reflect

Select one of the topics of biochemistry below and reflect on their practical effects on the human body.

• Metabolic States
• Hormonal Regulation of Metabolism
• Tissue-Specific Metabolism
• Integrative Metabolism

Step 2: Respond

Using supporting data to back your arguments, prepare a 400-500 word written piece which discusses any one of the following:

• Explain how the body processes glucose when the body is starved of fuel
• Describe the role of hormones in metabolism
• Describe the metabolic profile of skeletal muscle
• Describe the mechanism of appetite control in the human body

Step 3: Share 

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work into the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B.: references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact 

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Be sure your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas on other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to the forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”