introduction to cellular pathology Flashcards
What are the four main tissue types?
- Epithelial tissue
- Connective tissue
- Muscle tissue
- Nerve tissue
What is histology?
Histology is the study of microscopic structures of the cells and tissues of plants and animals.
What is histopathology? Why is it used?
- Histopathology is the study of tissues affected by a disease.
- It is useful in making a diagnosis and in determining the severity and progression of a disease.
What is the general structure of epithelial tissue? And what are its three domains?
• Epithelial tissues are made of cells arranged in a continuous sheet with one or more layers and it has three domains:- i) Apical domain - found towards the exterior surface.
ii) Lateral domain - they communicate with adjacent cells and are characterised by special attachment areas.
iii) Basal domain - it interacts with the basement membrane. The basement membrane is a layer of matrix that separates the epithelial layer(tissue) from the underlying connective tissue.
What are the two types of epithelial tissue (depending on where they’re found)?
There are two types of epithelial tissue:-
- Covering and lining epithelia
- Glandular epithelium (endocrine and exocrine) - these are able to secret components.
What is used to classify the epithelium? What are the three main groups? What are the three shapes that the top layer of cells can be?
• The number of cell layers and the shape of the cells in the top layer are used to classify the epithelium. There are three main groups:-
- Simple epithelium - once cell layer
- Stratified epithelium - two or more cell layers
- Pseudostratified epithelium - cells are all anchored to the basement membrane (i.e. one cell layer) but not all cells reach the apical surface (nuclei do not align, does not look like one cell layer)
• The shape of the top layer of cells can be:-
- Cuboidal
- Columnar
- Squamous
Give the name, location and function of all 8 types of epithelial tisssue cells
What is the function of connective tissue? And what are the two main groups of connective tissue?
Connective tissue supports and binds other tissues or organs of the body. There are two main groups:-
- Connective tissue proper
- Specialised connective tissue
What are the two things connective tissue contain?
Connective tissue contain:-
- Many different cell types including:- fibroblasts (they usually secret and create the fibres that constitute the connective tissue), macrophages, mast cells, and adipocytes.
- Connective tissue matrix is made of two materials :-
A. Ground substance - proteins and polysaccharides
B. Fibres - reticular, collagen and elastic.
What are the two groups connective tissues can be divided into based on the density of the fibres they form?
Connective tissue can be divided into two groups based on the density of the fibres they form:-
- Loose connective - The fibres form a network but you can still see spaces in-between fibres and many cell types in gelatinous matrix, found in skin and surrounding blood vessels, nerve and organs.
- Dense connective - bundles of parallel collagen fibres and fibroblasts, found in tendons and ligaments.
What are the three types of specialised connective tissue?
There are three types of specialised connective tissue:-
- Cartilage
- Bone
- Blood
What are the two main components that make up cartilage?
It is made up of two main components:-
- Collagen and elastin fibres embedded in a matrix of glycoproteins.
- Cells called chondrocytes (specialised cartilage cells).
What are the three types of cartilage?
There are three types of cartilage:-
- Hyaline cartilage - weakest, most abundant type. Found at end of long bones, and structures like the ear and nose.
- Elastic cartilage - maintains shape, branching elastic fibres distinguish it from hyaline.
- Fibrous cartilage - strongest type, has dense collagen and little matrix, found in pelvis, skull and vertebral discs.
What is bone composed of?
Bone is composed of bone cells - osteoprogenitor cells (ones that give origin to bone cells), osteoblasts, osteocytes and osteoclasts - suspended in a matrix consisting of collagen fibres and minerals.
What are the two types of bone development?
Bone development can be:-
- Membranous bone - found in flat bones, clavicle (collarbone) or mandible (lower jaw/ jawbone).
- Endochondral bone - found in limb and vertebral column bones (spine).
What are the two forms mature bone can be?
Mature bone may be :-
- Compact - concentric circular layers (lamellae) organised in lacunae (a cavity or depression) and a central canal (Harvesian system).
- Trabecular - slender interlacing parallel lamellae with marrow within the spaces.
Concentric meaning - of or denoting circles, arcs, or other shapes which share the same centre, the larger often completely surrounding the smaller.
Interlacing meaning - crossed intricately together.
Describe the structure of cardiac muscle
- It is an involunatry muscle and has striations.
- Made up of muscle fibres connected by intercalated discs - they have low electrical resistance so nerve impulses pass easily between cells.
- The muscle fibres are branced to allow the nerve impulses to spread quicky throught the whole muscle cell.
- Each cardiac muscle is uninucleate (with the nuclei centrally located).
- The cells are smaller than skeletal muscle cells (cardiac - 0.1mm long).
Describe the structure of smooth muscle
- It is an involuntary, non-striated, spindle shaped muscle fibre.
- It is found in blood vessels and the GI tract.
- Cells can vary in size (usually around 0.2mm in length) and have a fusiform shape.
- Each muscle fibre is uninucleate (with the nuclei observed in different positions).
Fusiform meaning - having a spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends.
What are the two main functional cell types in nerve tissue?
- Neurons - cells that convert stimuli into electrical impulses to the brain.
- Neuroglia - collection of different cell types with supportive role.
