apoptosis and necrosis

Question 1

How does a cell apoptose?

Answer 1

• The cell triggers a series of proteins which lead to the release of enzymes within the cell which eventually autodigest the cell.
• Many of these enzymes are caspase

Question 2

which gene mutations can cause cells to no longer detect DNA damage and instigate apoptosis causing a cancer neoplasm to get larger

Answer 2

• mutations on gene p53

Question 3

Which of the following statements best distinguishes apoptosis from necrosis?

a. Apoptosis involves programmed cell death, while necrosis is a result of injury or trauma.
b. Apoptosis leads to inflammation, while necrosis does not.
c. Apoptosis is characterized by cell shrinkage and fragmentation, while necrosis involves cell swelling and lysis.
d. Apoptosis occurs only in pathological conditions, whereas necrosis is a normal physiological process.

Answer 3

c

Question 4

Define necrosis

Answer 4

• Inflammatory traumatic group cell death due to pathologic injury
• cellular swelling

Question 5

State clinical examples of necrosis

Answer 5

• Toxic spider venom
• Cerebral/ general infarction
• Frostbite
• Avascular necrosis of bone, e.g. neck of femus/ scaphoid bone
• Pancreatitis

Question 6

State the types of necrosis and give examples of when they might occur

Answer 6

• Coagulative, e.g. ischaemia
• Liquifactive, e.g. abscesses
• Caseous, e.g. TB + fungi
• In which case Ziehl-Neelson stain is used to view mycobacteria (causative agent of TB)