Toxicology
CHEM 471/ENSC 531
Fall Semester 2006
Department of Chemistry
Environmental Sciences Program
Southern
Monday 6:15 - 9:00 pm, SL 2224
Course Instructor:
Dr. Kevin A. Johnson, SL0328 or PH3431 650-5934, kevjohn@siue.edu
Office Hours:
By appointment-schedule with Cindy Gober at 650-3311;
Wednesday: 2:30 - 3:30 pm, SL0328
and/or after class
Objectives/Course
Description:
To present the biochemical and cellular basis for target site specificity of toxic agents in living organisms. Students will learn toxicant routes of entry, absorption, distribution throughout the body, Phase I and Phase II metabolism, organ specific toxicities, and defense mechanisms. Special attention will be given to environmental contaminants.
Throughout the semester there will be applied toxicology topics covered in between the first and third hours of lecture. Topics will include: Toxicity testing and ecotoxicological approaches in the field, biological and chemical warfare agents, chlorinated insecticides, natural toxins, case histories and ecosystem surveys, and other topics.
Required Text:
Klassen, C. D. 1996/2001.
Casarett and Doull's Toxicology:
The basic science of poisons (CD). 5th/6th Edition.
Chapters from, Hoffman et al. 1995. Handbook of Ecotoxicology (HE). Lewis Press.
Two useful physiology texts (in our library) are Guyton's Textbook of medical physiology (QP34.5.G9 1991) and Marieb's Human anatomy and physiology (QP31.2.M36 1998). Students are advised to read pertinent sections of the physiology text for additional information on specific organ systems as needed.
Preparation/Prerequisites:
General and organic chemistry; biochemistry is encouraged, but not essential; or consent of the instructor.
Organization:
The class will be held once a week for three hours. After the first hour of lecture a supplemental topic will be covered followed by another hour of lecture. Class participation is expected and encouraged. The material in the first hour of lecture may be pertinent to that in the third hour, thus it is extremely important to ask questions and engage in discussions with the entire class. I would much rather stop and explain key points rather than have anyone “lost” for the remainder of the lecture.
There will be three exams and a
comprehensive final taken during the scheduled final exam. Note
that the midterms will begin at
Grading: Undergraduate Students
Term paper/Presentation 20%
Homework 20%
Exams: 3 midterms and final 15%/each
Graduate Students
Term paper/Presentation 18%
Lecture 6%
Homework 16%
Exams: 3 midterms and final 15%/each
All course grades are converted as follows: A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59. If you have questions regarding the grading of a particular problem on an assignment (homework, exam, term paper, or presentation), please see me as soon as possible to discuss the matter. I reserve the right to re-grade the entire assignment. No points will be awarded or grades changed one week after an assignment has been handed back to the class. Unless arrangements are made with the instructor prior to the due date, late assignments (homework, papers, etc.) will be marked down 10% a day beginning at the end of the class period in which it was due (e.g. 9:01 pm on the date its due = - 10%). Some assignments will be worth no credit after a specified date (e.g. if an assignment is due one week from an exam, I will likely post a key on a specified date/time, after which time students cannot earn credit for late homework).
Attendance:
Attendance is essential for success in this class. If excessive absenteeism occurs, percentage points will be deducted from the overall grade. Exams will cover material both from lectures, reading, and homework assignments. If you miss a class, work with your fellow students to obtain notes for the missed lecture. Only University approved absences will be accepted for missing exams (however, it is strongly discouraged).
Student
Paper/Presentation:
Each student will give a brief presentation (approximately 7-9 minutes) accompanied by a five to seven page term paper (excluding figures, tables, etc.; points will be deducted if the paper is not double spaced; have one inch margins; Times New Roman-12 point font (not in bold); have page numbers on each page, except the first page—which is not the title page). Note: points will be deducted if charts, figures, pictures or other “non-text” items are included in the five page limit. Both a paper and an electronic copy of the final paper will be handed in on the due date.
The paper will cover a specific toxic chemical (e.g. a heavy metal--Se, Cd; a pesticide—DDT, paraquat; a teratogen–thalidomide, cyclophosphamide). Flip through your book for ideas and/or look through the "Dictionary of toxicology" (ref: RA1193.H63 1998). The paper should contain some historical background (e.g. what industry the chemical is a by-product of or why it was synthesized, how long has it been in use, what scale it was produced, distributed, and current use or occurrence), general toxicity, the known or believed mechanism of toxicity (you must discuss the mechanism at length), any antidotes, and its current status (e.g. phased out, replaced by, no-longer a by-product of x, y, and z industries). You must use at least 5 references (with no more than 30 percent of all references coming from the internet). Student presentations will be given using PowerPoint presentation software and graded based on understanding of the subject and clarity of presentation.
NOTE: 1. Once a toxicant has been selected by one student, it cannot be selected by another (e.g. first come, first serve); 2. Toxicants that you cannot select: any carbamate or organophosphate insecticide, benzo(a)pyrene, dioxin, cadmium and mercury. You should make sure that you can explain the mechanism of toxicity (e.g., if it is unknown, it might not be a good candidate for your paper).
Student
Paper/Presentation:
Important due dates for graded assignments:
Topic/narrative (0.5 %) Sept. 25
Outline (1.0 %) Oct. 09
Overview (1.0 %) Oct. 23
Paper (15 %) Nov. 13
Presentations (2.5 %) Nov. 13 & 27; Dec. 4 (if nec)
Graduate Students:
If you are a graduate student (including those that are in the 3 + 2 program), regardless for which course you enrolled (CHEM471 or ENSC531), you are required to abide by the “Graduate Student” guidelines herein.
Graduate students will be required to turn in a six to eight page term paper. The general guidelines are the same as those listed above, however, a more in depth and thorough coverage of the topic/toxicant will be expected. Similarly, you will have to give a more thorough presentation.
Additionally, exams and homework will have extra question(s) for graduate students to answer. These question(s) will require a more comprehensive understanding of the material and a more thorough explanation.
Graduate Student
Lectures
Each graduate student will be assigned a chapter from a textbook (you can volunteer for a topic until the cut-off date). These chapters will be distributed to the entire class. The graduate student will prepare and deliver a 20-30 minute lecture (using PowerPoint and/or other appropriate media) on the topic of the chapter. It is completely acceptable (and encouraged) to gather information from additional sources. At the completion of the lecture you must ask two questions based on the material you present. There will be a few minutes for everyone to write down answers to the questions which will then be collected. After which the student will lead a brief discussion relative to the questions and the topic. The two questions must be emailed me by no later than the Friday preceding the lecture. Prior to the delivery of your lecture, you will turn in a “hard-copy” of you presentation (6 slides per page).
Policy Statement:
Academic Misconduct by Students
Faculty members retain their traditional authority to take disciplinary action in the event of academic misconduct. Acts of academic misconduct for which students are subject to sanctions include, without limitation, plagiarism, cheating, failure or refusal to follow clinical practice standards, falsifying or manufacturing scientific or scholarly experiments or research, and soliciting, aiding, abetting, concealing, or attempting such acts.
Plagiarism is defined as including, without limitation, the act of representing the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism may consist of copying, paraphrasing, or otherwise using written or oral work of another without proper acknowledgment of the source or presenting oral or written material prepared by another as one's own.
In the event of academic misconduct, the instructor may request the Student Assessments and Standards Committee of the Chemistry Department to impose on a student the sanction of a failing grade on an individual assignment or on the course as a whole. The Chair of the Department may recommend to the dean of Students other sanctions, such as dismissal from a major or from the University.
Note: Reading newspapers, listening to music with headphones, reading your email, playing on a computer, repeatedly leaving the classroom, cell phone ringing (turn your phones to “vibrate” when you enter the classroom if you must keep them on), and/or ANY other inappropriate behavior that is distracting is unacceptable. If your behavior is causing a distraction (i.e. people looking at you and not involved in the class) this will be considered disruptive. In the event of classroom disruption the student(s) will be asked to leave and receive a zero for material missed. In the event of continued misconduct, the instructor may request the Student Assessments and Standards Committee and the Chair of the Department to recommend to the Dean of Students other sanctions, such as dismissal from the course, their major, or from the University.
Students with
disabilities:
Persons with documented disabilities should visit the Disability Support Services Office, located in Rendleman Hall, room 1218, at their earliest convenience to meet the director and discuss available services. The student should also, make an appointment with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss any special arrangements.
Tentative Lecture Schedule
|
|
TOPIC |
LECTURER |
|
T1 |
Ecological Risk Assessment |
Johnson |
|
T2 |
Chemical and Biological
Warfare Agents |
Johnson |
|
T3 |
Toxicity Testing and
Ecotoxicological Approaches |
S1 S2 |
|
T4 |
|
S3 S4 |
|
T5 |
|
S5 S6 |
|
T6 |
|
S7 S8 |
|
T7 |
and Poisons |
S9 S10 |
|
T8 |
TBA |
S11 S12 |