best way to study for metabolic biochem

[caseofthemndays]

Hey guys,
I'm a first year who didn't pass the first of three metabolic biochem exams. I crunched some numbers and I need an 80% average on the next two exams to pass. It's totally doable, but I've been scraping by in my first year and realize that I may not be studying the best way. So, how are the high-scorers on here studying? For first year classes in general and metabolic in particular? Thanks for your input!
-Case

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[itellitlikeitis]

I used a white board until I could diagram what I just went over without having to look it up

Lippincott also had some nice diagrams that put everything in perspective

 

[MrBeauregard]

OP,

It's vitally important that you understand aerobic vs. anaerobic early on. Once you understand that, you will begin to deal with fed vs. fasted, which will quickly become the most important single factor in metabolism. What does your liver do in the fed state? The fasted? In what types of cells do certain cycles occur? What portions of those cells (mitochondria vs. cytosol)? For me, it was very important to understand the big picture at hand. Everything is interconnected and our bodies can switch between processes all the time. Thus, you need to understand what happens during the fed and fasted states. Equally as important is understanding the roles of insulin and glucagon (the fed and fasted hormones) and definitely get a solid understanding of what will happen in the DIABETIC patient. Very important!

We were not required to memorize the structures of any compounds or amino acids, no pKa's of any compounds, etc. We did need to know the names of all compounds as well as the enzymes involved in the cycles and all disorders that can result from a deficiency of said enzymes. Because of this, it was easier for us to focus on the big picture of metabolism instead of simply memorizing trivial details of compounds. If you're class isn't set up this way, you probably won't benefit much from my advice.

But again, find a good friend who you think is doing pretty well and has the concepts down and ask that person if you can just "talk it out" with them. I found that to be a great way to understand metabolic biochemistry. Just talk out what happens to an alcoholic who hasn't eaten in two days. Talk out what happens in contracting skeletal muscle in a diabetic. Hopefully this will help you out some.

 

[caseofthemndays]

Thanks guys, all really great ideas!! Wish me luck!

 

[redsquareblack]

Hey guys,
I'm a first year who didn't pass the first of three metabolic biochem exams. I crunched some numbers and I need an 80% average on the next two exams to pass. It's totally doable, but I've been scraping by in my first year and realize that I may not be studying the best way. So, how are the high-scorers on here studying? For first year classes in general and metabolic in particular? Thanks for your input!
-Case

Like itellitlikeitis, I used a white board religiously for pathways. The time you spend drawing them out will pay dividends come exam time from a memorization standpoint, as well as from the standpoint of recognizing the relationship between certain reactions under different conditions.

Also like Beauregard, we weren't required to learn structures or pKas (though we did need to know enzyme names), which definitely helped with a big-picture understanding. That said, I don't think the two are mutually exclusive; if you establish a strong big-picture understanding of metabolic biochemistry, you cannot help but learn a bit about the specifics, too.

Lastly, the book that was most helpful for me was Salway's Metabolism at a Glance. It helped immensely in learning pathways and disease states, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Metabolism-at-Glance-Jack-Salway/dp/1405107162