Faculty of Medical Sciences

Biophysics

Responsible:       dr hab. Krzysztof Bryl, prof. UWM

“Biophysics”

for 1^st year students of School of Medicine University of Warmia and Mazury

Academic year 2024/2025

Biophysics classes include lectures (11 h), seminars (10 h) and hand-on experiments (24 h). Attendance on seminars and hand-on experiments is mandatory. Credit for biophysics course is an examination.

Seminars take place in groups of 20 students. During the semester student prepare one presentation. Each person has to prepare 15 minutes seminar (12 minutes presentation plus 3 minutes discussion) about the assignment topic. The topics are assigned by drawing of lots. Student can get from 0 to 10 points for his presentation. All students have to study problems and participate in discussion. At the beginning of each seminar the knowledge will be checked by test containing 5 test questions. Score for seminars: 10 points for presentation and 20 points for tests = 30 points.

Students has to perform 8 hand-on experiments in teams of two according to schedule presented below. For each laboratory exercise, the teacher checks the knowledge. Student can receive from 0 to 10 points for each class: 8 (max.) points for theory (test) and 2 (max.) points for the report.

During semester student can obtain together 110 points. Student who collects 66 points or more will be allowed to take the exam. Student who collects 41-65 must complete a colloquium basing on all 10 hand-on experiments. Student with total score of 40 points or less will fail Biophysics.

In case of illness, the student must provide the medical leave confirmed by Dean’s Office.

The Schedule:*Catching up with one’s work

Hand-on experiments:

M2.Ionizing radiation.Determination of linear and mass absorption coefficient of gamma rays for different materials.

M3.Electrical activity of the heart.Electrocardiography.Determination of the heart's electrical vector.

M4.Laminar and turbulent flow.Measurement of fluid viscosity.

M5.The sense of hearing.Measures of auditory threshold.

M6.Physical principles of ultrasound in medicine.Ultrasonography. Determination of  blood pressure.

M7.Modeling the electrical properties of biological objects.Examination of serial RLC circuit.

M8.The phenomenon of absorption and emission of light in analysis.Measurement of absorption spectra and the concentration of riboflavin in aqueous solutions using a spectrophotometer.Determination of concentrations of substances in solution using fluorescence.

M9.Optical rotation of solutions.Measurement of the concentration of optically active substances by using a polarimeter.

M10.Determination of changes of thermodynamic function of state.Determination of changes in the entropy of the system.Determination of enthalpy change in the process of dissolving salt.

M13.Eye model. Determination of focusing power of the lenses by using an optical bench. 
 

 The Schedule

Medicine - English Division

Seminars:

Seminar 1. Chosen problems of biophysics of sensory mechanisms (dr hab. K. Bryl, prof. UWM)

P1. Biophysics of photoreception

P2. Implants of vision apparatus – is it possible to repair vision apparatus

P3. Biophysics of chemoreception: smell, taste.

P4. Biophysics of mechanoreception

P5. Biophysics of electroreception

Problems for study:

• Models of biological membranes

• Membrane proteins

• G-proteins

• Role of receptors in life of organisms

• General structure and mechanisms of action sensory systems

• Photoconversion of rhodopsin systems

• Geometrical optics of eye

• Structure of photoreceptor systems: simplified structure of eye

• Primary reactions in rhodopsin systems

• Which elements of vision apparatus can substituted with implants

• Categorization of taste receptors

• Structure and action of smell and taste receptors: differences, similarities

• Space resolution of touch receptors

• Mechanisms of electricity generation by living organisms

• Localization of different objects by means of electroreceptors

• Effect of gravity on organisms

• Effect of the geomagnetic field on organisms

Seminar 2. Molecular biophysics of the cells and tissues. (dr hab. M. Szabelski)

P6. Molecular spectroscopy in the study of structure and function of macromolecules.

P7. “Classical” optical microscopy.

P8. Confocal microscopy.

P9. Biophysics of neural tissue.

P10. Biophysics of muscular tissue.

Problems for study:

• Basic structure and function of biological macromolecules.

• UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy.

• nfrared (IR) spectroscopy.

• Luminescence.

• Polarimetry.

• Nephelometry.

• Microscopy.

• Structure of biological membranes.

• Neurons, synapses, action potentials, and neurotransmission

• Muscle cells contraction.

Seminar 3. Ionizing radiation in medicine. (dr hab. K. Bryl, prof. UWM)

P11. Formation of corpuscular and electromagnetic ionising radiation.

P12. Effect of electromagnetic and corpuscular ionising radiation on living organisms.

P13. Dosimetry of ionising radiation. Basics of radiation protection.

P14. Radioisotopes in diagnostics and therapy.

P15. Ionising radiation in diagnostics and therapy.

Problems for study:

• Structure and characteristics of atomic nucleus.

• Radioactive disintegrations.

• Formation of electromagnetic ionising radiation – X and g radiation.

• Radioactive disintegration law. Disintegration constant and disintegration half-life time.

•  Activity of radioactive isotopes.

• Main radioisotopes used in nuclear medicine.

• Law of electromagnetic radiation weakening. Weakening index.

• Mechanism of electromagnetic ionising radiation interaction with matter.

• Mechanism of b radiation interaction with matter. LED index.

• Quantities and units used in radiation protection.

• Use of ionising radiation in diagnostics – radiology, computer tomography, scintigraphy.

• Use of ionising radiation in therapy – teletherapy and brachytherapy.

• Basics of radiation protection.

• Basic phenomena used in dosimeters of ionising radiation.

Seminar 4. Physical basis of selected imaging methods of tissues and organs. (dr hab. M. Szabelski)

P16. Ultrasound in medicine and biology.

P17. X-ray transmission computed tomography.

P18. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) – spectroscopy.

P19. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) – imaging.

P20. Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET/CT).

Problems for study:

• Ultrasound - generation, detection, basic properties.

• The propagation of ultrasound in tissues.

•  Doppler effect.

• The impact of high energy electromagnetic radiation with matter.

• The principle of operation of computer tomography.

• Image formation in X-ray transmission computed tomography.

• Physical basics of nuclear magnetic resonance.

• Dependence of the NMR spectra of the structures studied molecules, the chemical shifts, spin - spin coupling.

• Nuclear relaxation processes. Mechanisms of relaxation in biological systems.

• Nuclear Overhauser effect.

• Fourier transform spectroscopy.

• Scanning and image reconstruction in NMR tomography.

•  Diagnostic capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

• Construction and operation of emission tomography PET.

• Isotopes used in PET computed tomography.

• Clinical applications of PET CT.