Download Response to Review of ANS 495 595

The assertion that the proposal contains three serious flaws is flawed. As stated within the Course Content
portion of the Category II Proposal:
“reading assignments will be based upon the Textbook of Veterinary Physiological Chemistry, 2nd Edition by L.
R. Engelking (2011). This 596-page paperback text is subdivided into seven sections that collectively contain
94 chapters. Therefore, lectures will be apportioned according to the number of chapters within a section
(see proposed class schedule below). Lectures will be used to integrate information from reading assignments
with supplemental information obtained from three principal sources: (1) General Histology of the Mammal:
An Atlas for Students of Medicine and Biology by R. V. Krstić (1985), (2) Hepatic Circulation by W. W. Lautt
(2010), and (3) The Liver: Biology and Pathobiology, 5th Edition by I. M. Arias et al. (2009). In summary, course
content will be based upon subject matter provided by a text along with the interpretation of this subject
matter within a living context.”
Therefore, the proposed course is not a reiteration of BB 350. A condensed list of chapter titles from Textbook
of Veterinary Medicine is found in the table below. Please note that these chapter titles are shown in relation
to BB 350 lecture topics as well as chapter titles from a contemporary biochemistry text used for
undergraduate instruction.
Next, students cannot, at present, enroll in a course entitled “Physiological Chemistry” at Oregon State
University. This is what was meant by “physiological chemistry is a subject that is not taught at OSU.” This
statement was made within the context of a course proposal as opposed to a summary of subject matter
found within and among courses taught at OSU. The reader need only look at chapter titles from
Biochemistry and Textbook of Veterinary Physiological Chemistry to see that each text differs in scope – even if
they do share common ground. Amino acids, after all, are amino acids. They have a finite set of properties,
and they are used by living organisms for certain purposes. That said, the appearance of false
neurotransmitters within the central nervous system due to an imbalanced ratio between circulating branched
chain and aromatic amino acids (due to liver malfunction) is the purview of physiological chemistry.
To argue that physiological chemistry is merely a synonym for biochemistry is akin to Dr. Sheldon Cooper
arguing that universities only need teach mathematics and physics because mathematics is the language of
physics and physics explains the totality of the universe. Once again, the proposed course is not just another
“biochemistry” course.
In questioning the value of the proposed course to veterinary science students, the reviewer entirely missed
the point of the table from Textbook of Medical Physiology (2006) found within the proposal’s rationale.
Veterinarians seldom make decisions based upon X-ray crystallography, enzyme kinetics, or mass
spectrometry. Rather, they make diagnoses from limited information, which oftentimes includes one or more
attributes of an animal’s bloodstream. One’s ability to use limited information to make correct inferences is a
valuable skill. Most people, including those who have taken a biochemistry course, have no clue as to why
metabolic acidosis induces hyperkalemia and then why hyperkalemia induces cardiac arrhythmia.
In summary, the proposed course will not duplicate any biochemistry course taught at OSU due to differences
in scope and application.
The table below serves as a comparison / contrast for: (1) lecture topics in BB 350 Elementary Biochemistry from Spring
Term 2012, (2) chapter titles from a contemporary biochemistry textbook for sale at the OSU Bookstore (Biochemistry,
7th Edition, by Berg et al., 2012), and (3) a condensed list of chapters from Textbook of Veterinary Physiological
Chemistry by Engelking (2011).
BB 350 Lecture Topics
Introduction
Water/Biochemistry
Amino Acids/Peptides
Proteins (3D)
Protein Purification
Protein Purification/Enzymes
Enzymes
Enzyme Controls
Membranes
Nucleic Acids
DNA Synthesis
RNA Synthesis
Protein Synthesis
Biotechnology
Viruses, Cancer, and Immunology
Energy and Metabolism
Carbohydrates
Glycolysis
Carbohydrate Storage
Citric Acid Cycle
Electron Transport & Oxidative
Phosphorylation
Lipid Metabolism
Photosynthesis
Nitrogen Metabolism
th
Biochemistry, 7 Edition
Biochemistry: An Evolving Science
Protein Composition & Structure
Exploring Proteins & Proteomes
DNA, RNA, and Information Flow
Exploring Genes & Genomes
Exploring Evolution & Bioinformatics
Enzymes: Basic Concepts & Kinetics
Catalytic Strategies
Regulatory Strategies
Carbohydrates
Lipids and Cell Membranes
Membrane Channels & Pumps
Signal-Transduction Pathways
Metabolism: Basic Concepts & Design
Glycolysis & Gluconeogenesis
The Citric Acid Cycle
Oxidative Phosphorylation
The Light Reactions of Photosynthesis
The Calvin Cycle & Pentose Phosphate
Pathway
Glycogen Metabolism
Fatty Acid Metabolism
Protein Turnover & Amino Acid
Catabolism
Biosynthesis of Amino Acids
Nucleotide Biosynthesis
Biosynthesis of Membrane Lipids &
Steroids
DNA Replication, Repair, & Recombination
RNS Synthesis & Processing
Protein Synthesis
Control of Gene Expression in Prokaryotes
Control of Gene Expression in
Eukaryotes
Sensory Systems
The Immune System
Molecular Motors
Drug Development
Textbook of Veterinary
Physiological Chemistry
Chemical Composition of Living Cells
Properties of Amino Acids
Amino Acid Modifications
Protein Structure
Properties of Enzymes
Enzyme Kinetics
Protein Digestion
Amino Acid Catabolism
Transamination & Deamination
The Urea Cycle
Glutamine & Ammonia
Nonprotein derivatives of amino acids
Nucleotides
Pyrimidine Biosynthesis
Purine Biosynthesis
Folic Acid
Nuclei Acid & Nucleotide Turnover
Carbohydrate Structure
Polysaccharides and Carbohydrate
Derivatives
Glycoproteins & Glycolipids
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose Trapping
Glycogen
Glycolysis
Metabolic Fates of Pyruvate
Hexose Monophosphate Shunt
Uronic Acid Pathway
Erythrocytes & Oxygen Toxicity
Erythrocyte Metabolism
Heme Biosynthesis & Degradation
The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle
Leaks in the TCA Cycle
Oxidative Phosphorylation
Gluconeogenesis
Carbohydrate Digestion
Vitamin C
Thiamin & Riboflavin
Niacin & Pantothenic Acid
Biotin & Pyridoxine
Cobalamin
Vitamins A, D, E, & K
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Manganese & Selenium
Textbook of Veterinary
Physiological Chemistry
(cont.)
Iodine & Cobalt
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Fatty Acids
Fatty Acid Oxidation
Fatty Acid Biosynthesis
Triglycerides & Glycerophospholipids
Phospholipid Degradation
Sphingolipids
Lipid Digestion
Cholesterol
Bile Acids
Lipoprotein Complexes
Chylomicrons
VLDL, IDL, LDL
LDL Receptors and HDL
Hyperlipidemias
Eicosanoids
Lipolysis
Ketone Body Formation & Utilization
Fatty Liver Syndrome
Starvation: Transition into the PostAbsorptive Stage
Starvation: The Early Phase
Starvation: The Late Phase
Exercise: Circulatory Adjustments &
Creatine
Exercise: O2 Consumption & Respiratory
Quotient
Exercise: Substrate Utilization & Endocrine Parameters
Exercise: Muscle Fiber Types
Exercise: Athletic Animals
pH & Buffer Systems
The Anion Gap
Metabolic Acidosis
Diabetes Mellitus (Metabolic Acidosis &
Potassium Balance)
Metabolic Alkalosis
Respiratory Acidosis
Respiratory Alkalosis
The Strong Ion Difference
Alkalinizing & Acidifying Solutions
Dehydration / Overhydration