Biomedical Sciences Lab Summer School 2018

Biomedical Sciences Lab Summer School 2018

Welcome to the University of Bristol Biomedical Sciences Lab Summer School. Below are details of the practicals you will be undertaking during the summer school, divided up into weeks and different themes – An Introduction to Biomedical Science Techniques, Exploring the Systems of the Body and Clinical and Scientific Inquiry. It is envisaged that the summer school will help develop a wide range of skills required for all biomedical science students, both laboratory based as well as transferable skills such as group work, problem solving and scientific communication.

Week 1 – An Introduction to Biomedical Science Techniques

Introduction to Physiology and simulation – Homeostasis and the effects of altitude

In this practical you will be gathering data from each other and a human simulator to explore the concept of homeostasis. You will present the body with various physical challenges and collect physiological data on the responses. This practical will give you the opportunity to use recording equipment with which you may be unfamiliar but that you will use again throughout your careers.

AIMS

To illustrate the concept of homeostasis
To provide an opportunity to measure physiological variables from humans and a human simulator
To develop teamwork skills
To provide data for subsequent analysis and interpretation
To compare the challenge to homeostasis posed by different stressors

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Explain the concept of homeostasis and how this is achieved via negative feedback mechanisms
Recognise the different components of a negative feedback loop and how they change following different challenges to homeostasis
Recognise that in extreme environments the negative feedback loop may not always be effective in maintaining homeostasis

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Working in a team
Making accurate measurements of physiological variables
Keeping an accurate record of experimental results
Analysis and interpretation of results

Introduction to biochemistry – pH and buffers

This experiment is designed to introduce you to the biochemistry laboratories and to give you practice using three of the most important pieces of equipment in the biochemist's toolbox - volumetric pipettes, analytical balances and pH meters - and you will explore a phenomenon essential to life: biological buffering.

AIMS

To practice using Gilson volumetric pipettes to accurately dispense fluids
To use an analytical balance
To explore the concept of pH as the -log[H+] and the importance of buffering

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Use Gilson volumetric pipettes to dispense fluids to within 2% of a set volume
Calibrate a pH meter and use it to measure the pH of various solutions
Understand the importance of buffers in biochemistry

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Pipettes
Balances
pH meters

Introduction to Pharmacology – quantifying drug action

Concentration response curves give information about the action of a drug at a receptor as it shows the response at any given concentration of the drug. To obtain a concentration response curve, a living piece of tissue (guinea pig ileum) will be mounted in an organ bath and its contraction when the acetylcholine receptor agonist, carbachol is added will be recorded.

AIMS

To become familiar with the use of guinea pig ileum in an organ bathand put into practice the knowledge of "Chart"
To compare a concentration response curve (obtained with individual additions of the drug) with a cumulative concentration response curve

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Successfully mount a piece of living tissue in an organ bath
Use the organ bath apparatus to quantify drug action in an isolated tissue preparation
Produce and compare two types of concentration response curves tocarbachol(amuscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist)using this tissue

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Pipettes
Calculations
Plotting data
Dilutions

INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY – Techniques in Microbiology

This practical is designed to introduce you to the procedures involved in setting up and using a light microscope and to the importance of practicing good aseptic technique. You will also learn how to perform a Gram stain and about basic bacterial identification tests.

AIMS

To correctly set up and use a light microscope for bright field, phase contrast and dark phase microscopy
To use aseptic technique to prepare slides
To take swabs and transfer these to nutrient plates for incubation
To demonstrate the techniques involved in bacterial identification

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Prepare and mount samples onto a microscope slide
Set up and be confident in using a Nikon microscope
Perform a Gram stain on a bacterial sample
Describe the size and shape of some commonly encountered bacterial cells
Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different types of microscopy
Understand the importance of using aseptic techniques in microbiology
Demonstrate knowledge of the methods by which bacteria can be identified
Display competent execution of identification techniques

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Microscopy
Staining
Aseptic technique
Diagnostic testing

Introduction to Neuroscience – Muscle nerve properties in the human forearm

This practical will give you hands-on experience of collecting and analysing data on the nervous system collected from healthy individuals. Equivalent techniques are used clinically to investigate neurological dysfunction. This practical allows you to investigate how to measure the electrical signals that are produced within muscles and that initiate muscle contraction, how to calculate the conduction velocity of a motor nerve and to get you thinking about neuromuscular transmission.

AIMS

To explain the principles of electromyograph (EMG) recording
To learn how to assess conduction in a peripheral nerve
To measure the conduction velocity of alpha-motoneurone axons in the ulnar nerve

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

List the components of neuromuscular transmission and be able to calculate transmission time across the synapse and along the muscle fibres
Describe the relationship between electrical and mechanical events
Appreciate the technical issues involved in measuring conduction velocity of axons in peripheral nerves
Calculate transmission time across the synapse and along the muscle fibres
Recall the conduction velocity of motor nerve fibres and relate this to other types of nerve fibre

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Use of the PowerLab hardware and LabChart software to record EMG
The importance of monitoring physiological records as they are collected to check their technical validity whilst accepting biological variation
The importance of making timely, accurate and complete records of observations
Problems of response size measurement
Tabular and graphical presentation of results

Introduction to Histology – Comparison of normal and diseased lungs

In this practical you will learn how to stain a tissue section, set up and align a light microscope, and examine diseased human tissues.

AIMS

To learn how to perform haematoxylin and eosin staining of a tissue section
To learn how to use a light microscope to examine tissue sections
To examine diseased human tissues (both whole organs and sections), identify abnormalities and relate to possible causes

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Understand how to prepare tissues for histological examination
Know how to set up a light microscope
Identify abnormal changes in human tissue samples

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Safe working in the laboratory
Microscopy
Tissue section staining
Examination of human tissues

Histology – Tissue structure and function

In this practical you will use both light microscopes and a virtual microscope to examine the basic tissue types and relate their structure to function. You will be expected to make drawings from certain slides. This is done to encourage careful scrutiny and therefore better appreciation of structure because a drawing can replace many words of description and to assess how well you have understood the structures.

AIMS

To help you understand how function andstructure are inter-related in animal, tissues and organs
To provide a basis for the study of histopathology
To give you the professional vocabulary needed for discussing fine structure
To build up your observational and recording skills

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Become skilled at using both real and virtual microscopes
Become adept at reconstructing in your minds 3-D structures from the 2-D images provided by viewing microscope sections
Relate cell and tissue structure to function
Learn the vocabulary necessary to discuss histological structures

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Light microscopy
Virtual microscopy
Making measurements from cells
Sketching cellular structures

Introduction to cell culture techniques

Cell culture plays an important part in research into cellular mechanisms, such as signal transduction, ion channel function and cellular motility. When investigating the mechanisms underlying cell behaviour it is often advantageous to remove cells from tissues and study them in the controlled environment of the cell culture vessel. This practical will introduce the basic concepts of cell culture.

AIMS

To subculture cell lines
To investigate the morphology of different cell types
To record and quantify cell behaviour in culture

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Understand the factors that are important for growing cells in culture
Appreciate different cell types have different characteristics in culture
Consider the physiological significance of different cell type morphology and behaviour

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Accurate observation and reporting using imaging equipment
Sampling a population of cells
The importance of accurate liquid/cell handling
Using image analysis to quantify morphological differences and carrying out suitable analysis

Week 2 – Exploring the systems of the body

Human Electrocardiography

The recording of the electrocardiogram (ECG) is a simple, non-invasive technique that can be used to monitor cardiac electrical activity. The electrical activity of cardiac muscle creates a weak electrical field around the heart that changes during the course of the heart beat and can be detected by electrodes placed on the skin. In hospitals and clinics, a 12-lead ECG is used to investigate disturbances in heart rhythm and cardiac electrical conduction and can also provide information about abnormalities in cardiac structure.

In this practical, you will record the ECG in the three limb leads and use a single lead recording to examine the mechanisms involved in controlling electrical conduction and heart rate. As a trainee scientist, you need to be able to conduct and interpret recordings and make accurate measurements from them. This practical will give you practice in these skills.

AIMS

To record an electrocardiogram (ECG) from a human subject
To demonstrate that the form of the ECG complex depends upon the recording lead
To measure heart rate and ECG intervals and observe how they vary with exercise and ventilation

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Relate the ECG to the electrical activity of the heart
Explain the relationship between the waves of the ECG complex and the cardiac cycle
Explain why the shape of the ECG complex depends upon the recording lead
Describe the mechanisms involved in controlling heart rate and the various ECG intervals during exercise and recovery

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Conducting recordings to address objectives
Making accurate measurements of physiological variables
Data interpretation

The effects of haemorrhage simulation

In this session you will have an opportunity to gather data from a high-fidelity simulator, a life-sized manikin for which computer modelling is used to simulate a number of physiological variables. You will use results from this session to help you to understand the physiological responses to haemorrhage and to learn more about measurements that can be taken that provide information on the cardiovascular system.

AIMS

To model the effects of haemorrhage on the cardiovascular system
To investigate the regulation of mean arterial pressure by the baroreceptor reflex
To provide an opportunity to measure physiological variables using human simulators
To provide data for subsequent analysis and interpretation

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Describe the baroreceptor reflex and how it regulates mean arterial pressure
Explain how the cardiovascular system responds to the challenge of varying levels of blood loss

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Using human simulators to collect physiological data
Keeping an accurate record of experimental results
Analysis and interpretation of results

histology of blood cells and the immune system

This practical will build upon skills developed in earlier histology classes to identify cells and tissues of the blood and the immune system and link structure with function.

AIMS

To provide a structured introduction to cells and tissues associated with blood and the immune system that enables the link between structure and function
To demonstrate that blood cells can be located in blood and also in other tissues
To appreciate the clinical relevance of blood cell and immune system histology

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Recognise the basic features of a blood smear, red bone marrow and inflamed tissue
Recognise the main types of blood cells in these tissues
Recognise the key features of different types of lymphoid tissues, structures and organs
Compare functional differences between different blood cell types

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Using microscopy to identify cells and tissues
Linking cell and tissue structure with function

Dynamic lung volumes

In this practical you will measure the volume and rate of airflow in the lungs as well as measuring the gas composition of the alveoli and how this can differ during breath holding. You will also investigate how factors can affect oxygen saturation.

AIMS

To measure the rate of airflow through the airways
To measure alveolar gas composition and the effects of breath holding
To investigate the factors affecting the oxygen saturation of arterial blood

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Describe the difference between static and dynamic lung volumes
State the fundamental determinants of alveolar gas composition
Explain what contributes to the breaking point of breath holding
Explain the physiology behind the alveolar-arterial (A-a) difference

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Operating and record static and dynamic lung volumes using a Vitalograph
Determining whether data falls within the normal range and how this range is obtained
Collecting alveolar gas samples and how to analyse them using gas analysers
Understanding the importance of accurately collecting, analysing and recording respiratory data
Understanding the importance of repeat measurements

Control of breathing simulation

In this session you will have a further opportunity to gather data from a Human Patient Simulator, a life-sized manikin for which computer modelling is used to simulate a number of physiological variables. You will use results from this session to help you to understand the physiological responses to breathing gas mixtures of different compositions, the consequences of hypo- and hyperventilation and to learn more about measurements that can be taken with regards to the respiratory system.

AIMS

To investigate the effects of hypoventilation and hyperventilation upon arterial blood gases
To investigate the responses of the respiratory system to hypoxaemia and hypercapnia
To illustrate the relationship between the arterial partial pressure of oxygen and the percentage saturation of haemoglobin
To examine the alveolar-arterial (A-a) difference in the partial pressure of oxygen

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Describe how the respiratory system detects and responds to changes in arterial blood gas composition
Explain the relationship between the partial pressure of arterial oxygen and haemoglobin saturation
Explain the physiological basis of the alveolar/arterial difference in oxygen partial pressure

SKILLS

The practical is designed to give you experience of:

Using human simulators to collect physiological data
Keeping an accurate record of experimental results
Analysis and interpretation of results

MEASUREMENT OF DRUG ACTION ON ISOLATED BLOOD VESSELS

Blood pressure is controlled in intact mammals by alterations in vascular tone (total peripheral resistance) and cardiac output. Modulation of blood pressure by drugs usually involves modulating vascular tone by altering the degree of vasoconstriction. In order to investigate the effects of drugs on blood pressure it is necessary to perform an intact animal experiment. This allows for the monitoring of changes in blood pressure resulting from changes in either vascular resistance and/or cardiac output. However, preliminary investigations into drug actions on vascular tone can easily be performed using anin vitropreparation, i.e. the isolated blood vessel.

AIMS

To investigate the effects of noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on an isolated piece of artery

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this practical you should be able to:

Understand the direct effect of drugs on living tissue
Appreciate that vascular smooth muscle cells contain predominately α-adrenoceptors, which link to contraction
Understand that agonists-evoked responses can be blocked with drugs having an antagonist action, and the relationship between concentration and effect

SKILLS