Cell injury and fate Flashcards
Causes of cell injury?
Oxygen deprivation, Chemical agents, Infectious agent, immunological reactions, genetic defects, nutritional imbalances, physical agents and aging.
Consequences of an injurious stimulus depends on what?
Type of cell. Cell status (where in the cell cycle).
What are the four intracellular systems that are particularly vulnerable to cell damage?
Cell membrane integrity, ATP generation, protein synthesis and integrity of genetic material.
What is atrophy?
Shrinkage of the cell or organ.
What happens to muscle after denervation?
Muscle atrophy.
What is hypertrophy?
An increase in the size of cells and therefore an increase in the size of an organ.
What causes hypertrophy?
Increased functional demand or hormonal stimulation.
What is hyperplasia?
An increase in the number of cells in an organ.
What is the common cause of physiological hyperplasia?
Hormonal or compensatory.
What is the common cause of pathological hyperplasia?
Excessive hormonal or growth factor stimulation.
What is metaplasia?
A reversible change when one cell type is replaced by another cell type.
What is dysplasia?
Precancerous cells which show the genetic and cytological features of malignancy but do not invade underlying tissue.
Key feature of dysplasia?
Increase in nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio.
What are some changes you could see under a light microscope associated with reversible injury?
Fatty change and cellular swelling.
What is necrosis?
Cell death associated with inflammation.
