Biochemistry suggestions?

[Lolita]

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I'm going to be starting at Tufts in the fall and wanted to do some biochem review--just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of topics to focus on?

 

[hemp033]

my advice to you as an incoming first year is to relax this summer..cause when you're studying your butt off for the first round of finals you'll be glad you did...and i bet you'll be surprised at the amount of material you already know when they start going over it again in lecture. good luck and congrats.

 

[PWillis04]

Biochemistry Board Review Series (BRS) is good. It explains things pretty well, and it is not extremely long. Also, you can try Lippincott's Biochemistry because the newer version has colored pictures to simplyfy things. However, I liked the Biochem BRS better.

 

[jk5177]

I sworn by Lippincott's Bicohemistry.

However, I've never seen BRS Biochemistry myself.

 

[BrianMSchwab]

I'm going to be starting at Tufts in the fall and wanted to do some biochem review--just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of topics to focus on?

Hi Lolita,

I am a senior at PENN and I am a tutor in the biochemistry department. If you have a strong backing in the pure and applied sciences, then forget about getting a head start. On the other hand, if you were a non-science major, then perhaps it would not hurt to do a little preparatory reading. Focus on energetics (glycolysis, Krebb Cycle, and Oxidative Phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, etc) and particularly on bone function, saliva proteins and composition, and of course, the basics (DNA replication, DNA structure and function, genetics).

Best of luck at Tufts and don't forget that your first year will fly by!

All my best,
Brian M. Schwab D'06
University of Pennsylvania

 

[jk5177]

bone function? bone function? I never came across bone function in my biochem course.

 

[BrianMSchwab]

bone function? bone function? I never came across bone function in my biochem course.

We learned about the metabolism of bone (i.e. osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, osteogensis, etc) as well as how hormonal influences can effect bone (i.e. parathyroid hormone, 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, and calcitonin. These are pretty interesting topics in the dental school curriculum considering one of the tissues we deal with all the time is bone.

Perhaps you might want to get involved with the curriculum committee at your dental school and suggest it be taught in your biochemistry course because it is a hell of a lot more valid than Krebbs, or OxPhos, or even DNA structure and function!

Best,
Brian M. Schwab D'06
President, Student Council
Univeristy of Pennsylvania

 

[jk5177]

We learned about the metabolism of bone (i.e. osteoporosis, osteopetrosis, osteogensis, etc) as well as how hormonal influences can effect bone (i.e. parathyroid hormone, 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol, and calcitonin. These are pretty interesting topics in the dental school curriculum considering one of the tissues we deal with all the time is bone.

Perhaps you might want to get involved with the curriculum committee at your dental school and suggest it be taught in your biochemistry course because it is a hell of a lot more valid than Krebbs, or OxPhos, or even DNA structure and function!

Best,
Brian M. Schwab D'06
President, Student Council
Univeristy of Pennsylvania

Ahhhh. Thanks. Now I know what you mean about the metabolism of the bone. True. It is certainly important.

 

[airvent]

Hi Lolita,

I am a senior at PENN and I am a tutor in the biochemistry department. If you have a strong backing in the pure and applied sciences, then forget about getting a head start. On the other hand, if you were a non-science major, then perhaps it would not hurt to do a little preparatory reading. Focus on energetics (glycolysis, Krebb Cycle, and Oxidative Phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, etc) and particularly on bone function, saliva proteins and composition, and of course, the basics (DNA replication, DNA structure and function, genetics).

Well if you don't want to spend the summer teaching yourself Biochemistry the easiest thing to do would be just to memorize the structures of the essential amino acids & DNA as well as the order of metabolic pathways listed above.

That takes minimal effort and helps quite a bit. Simply memorizing the order of the pathways simplifies learning the more complex material

 

[highlanderdds]

Just have fun this the summer! THere's no need to stress! The syllabus they give you at the beginning of the course is pretty easy to read and you will also have some info pack questions to practice.

 

[Lolita]

Thanks for your advice everyone. I think I will at least try to freshen up on the pathways...but as summer wears on, it becomes more and more difficult to study!! 🙂