1 - Intro to Path Flashcards
What is pathology the study of? What does it help us do?
Structural and functional alterations in cells, tissues, and organs that underlie disease.
Helps us understand the mechanisms of disease.
Define etiology and pathogenesis?
Etiology: case
Pathogenesis: mechanism of disease development
Define morphology and clinical significance?
Morphology: structural alterations induced in the organs or cells
Clinical significance: functional consequences of disease that result in symptoms and signs
What are the types of etiology?
- Intrinsic (genetic)
- Extrinsic (acquired)
- Idiopathic (etiology not determined yet)
- Multifactorial etiology
What are the types of extrinsic etiologies?
- Infectious
- Iatrogenic
- Nutritional
- Toxic
- Physical (trauma)
What is pathogenesis?
Sequence of events that occur in cells or tissues in response to injury by an etiological agent (ie what happens because of the underlying cause)
Often dictates the appearance of signs and symptoms
What is morphology? What is abnormal morphology?
Structure and form of tissue.
Abnormal: structural changes that are characteristic of the disease or diagnostic of the etiologic agent
How is morphology important in clinical medicine?
Biopsies (for diagnosis) and resections (complete removal of disease processes) - used for treatment
What are two ways of preparing slides for light microscopy?
- Frozen sections: in surg or under anesthesia to determine prolim diagnosis. May need to guide surg. Frozen tissue allows very thin slices.
- Permanent sections: prepared after tissue fixation and processing. Tissue embedded in wax to allow thin sections.
Tissue samples are placed in plastic ________.
Cassettes
How does a pathologist approach evaluating tissue microscopically?
- Types of cells present: do they look normal and if not, how are they different?
- Cellularity: how much does it differ from normal cellularity?
- Architectural pattern: is it a normal pattern of the organ or altered?
- Necrosis and mitosis: present or absent?
What are classifications of disease based on?
- Etiology (genetic, infectious, iatrogenic, nutritional, toxic/chemical, physical.
- Pathogenetic mechanisms
- Organ system affected
What are three types of pathologist?
- Anatomic: surgical, cytopathology (evaluates cells -pap smear), autopsy (medical or forensic).
- Clinical : all blood or fluid samples are evaluated
- Molecular: eval/screening of tissue or cells for polymorphisms
What are the three layers of blood vessels (arteries, arterioles, veins, and venules)?
- Intima: endothelial cells and subendothelial tissues (fibroconnective and elastic tissue)
- Media: smooth muscle cells and connective tissue
- Adventitia: collagenous issue that blends with the connective tissue
How do varteries, veins, and capillaries differ in their structure?
Arteries: have elastic lamina - internal between the intima and media, and external between the the media and adventitia
Veins: no elastic lamina
Capillaries: do not have media
Name these vessels and cells
Name these
What cell types are these?
What cell type is this? What is the structure?
Mononuclear cell, one-lobed nucleus
What cell type is this? What is the structure?
Plasma cells - mononuclear cell with an eccentric nucleus and pale zone next to nucleus
What cell type is this?
Macrophages in tissue (aka histocytes)
WBC that engulfs and digests cellular debris, foreign substances, microbes.
What are these? What type of tissue is this?
Fibrous tissue
