Lab Glossary Flashcards
Agenesis
Complete absence of an organ or its anlage
Anthracosis
Accumulation of carbon pigment (dust) in tissues
Apoptosis
A form of cell death which is endogenously controlled or “programmed” in order to obviate the host inflammatory reaction to the necrotic cell.
- Activation of Caspases
- Results in tissue regression
- Death of single or group of cells (apoptotic bodies)
Atherosclerosis
Accumulation of fat and connective tissue within the wall of arteries, often causing progressive narrowing of the lumen and decreased blood flow to tissues
Atrophy
Shrinkage in the size of the cell by loss of cell substance. The term is also used for a reduction in size of an organ due to loss of cells.
Autolysis
“Self-destruction” of normal tissue after death, produced by release of lysosomal or digestive enzymes
Caseous necrosis
Conversion of necrotic cells to an amorphous mass grossly resembling cheese. Histologically, appearance is as amorphous granular debris composed of fragmented coagulated cells (Think granulomas)
Cirrhosis
Liver disease characterized pathologically by loss of normal microscopic lobular architectured with fibrosis and nodular regeneration
Coagulative Necrosis
Conversion of the cell to an acidophilic, opaque structure with preservation of the basic cellular shape and outline
Cushing’s Syndrome
A constellation of clinical findings caused by excessive blood levels of adrenal corticosteroid hormones due to a tumor of the pituitary gland
Denervation
Disruption of normal neural supply, due to traumatic or degenerative damage to the peripheral nerve or central nervous system motor neurons.
Diabetes mellitus
A disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, caused by relative or absolute deficiency of insulin and associated with damage to many organs and accelerated atherosclerosis
Systrophic calcification
Deposition of calcium (and phosphate) in abnormal, damaged, or necrotic tissues. Serum levels of calcium and phosphate normal
Edema
Abnormal accumulation of fluid witin the interstitium of an organ, tissue or body cavity. This often leads to an increase in tissue or organ volume and weight
Enzymatic fat necrosis
Caused by escape of pancreatic lipase into fat tissue. Released fatty acids combine with calcium to create calcium soaps
Eosinophilic
Areas of a cell or tissue that stain with eosin, a rose-colored dye. This dye usually stains the cytoplasm of a cell
Fatty change
A reversible accumulation of fat within parenchymal cells, usually liver (fat vacuoles within cells).
Ferritin
An iron-protein complex. Chief form of intracellular iron storage present in many types of cells.
Fibrinoid necrosis
Conversion of necrotic tissue to an amorphous, fibrillar eosinophilic mass that resembles fibrin (think hairy heart/bread and butter)
Gangrenous necrosis
Not a specific form of necrosis. Term used clinically to describe necrosis of tissue in an extremity
“Dry” Gangrene
Tissue appears black grossly; not accompanied by putrefaction
“Wet” Gangrene
Necrotic tissue secondarily invaded by bacteria, resulting in liquefactive necrosis (putrefaction)
Hematoxyphilic
Areas of a cell or tissue that stain with hematoxylin, a blue-purple crystalline stain. This stain usually stains the nucleus of a cell or leaked DNA
Hemochromatosis
A genetic disease resulting in excess accumulation of parenchymal cell iron due to increased iron adsorption in the gastrointestinal tract. This is associated with damage of multiple tissues or organs, especially the liver and endocrine glands
Hemorrhage
Leakage of blood from a blood vessel
Hemosiderin
Aggregates of denatured ferritin, found only in reticuloendothelial cells under normal conditions
Hemosiderosis
Accumulation of iron in tissue parenchyma or macrophages often secondary to multiple blood transfusions, local bleeding, or congestion. This accumulation does not usually cause tissue damage
Hyaline Change
Denatured proteins that appear homogenous and pink in H&E stained tissue sections
Hyperplasia
An increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue
Hypertrophy
An increase in the size of cells in an organ or tissue
Hypoplasia
Incomplete development or underdevelopment of an organ or tissue
Hypoxemia
Critical decrease in oxygenation of the blood
Infarct
A localized area of tissue necrosis, caused by interruption to blood supply
Ischemia
Deficiency of blood supply to a tissue or organ usually due to functional constriction or anatomic obstruction of a blood vessel
Karyolysis
Dissolution of the nucleus as the result of the hydrolytic action of DNAse
Karyorrhexis
Dissolution of the nucleus characterized by its breaking up into small basophilic clumps.
Lipofuscin
A dust-like golden brown pigment formed by lipid-protein complexis which represents fatty breakdown products of cells resulting from cell necrosis or involution
Liquefactive necrosis
Tissue becomes softened and liquefied leaving a cavity
Metaplasia
A change from one mature type of tissue to another, usually on mucosal surfaces
- Usually due to stress
- Potentially reversible
Metastatic calcification
Deposition of calcium (and phosphate) in previously normal tissues resulting from blood concentrations of calcium and/or phosphate exceeding their solubility product
Putrefaction
Bacterially-induced tissue decomposition
Pyknosis
Shrinkage of the nucleus to a small, dense, wrinkled mass of tightly pack chromatin
Regeneration
Regrowth of normal tissue. Only labile cells and stable cells regenerate; regenration does not occur in permanent cells (cardiac muscle and neurons)
Torsion
Torsion is seen when a mobile organ twists, obstructing its blood supply and/or drainage
Transferrin
A serum glycoprotein that binds and transports iron in the circulation
Abscess
A localized collection of neutrophils and necrotic debris (pus) in a cavity
Acute Inflammation
Immediate response to injury characterized by vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, presence of an exudate, and emigration of leukocytes (neutrophils)
-Five characteristics (Redness, Swelling, Heat, Pain, Loss of function)
Blood
The fluid in the circulatory system
Congestion (hyperemia)
Increase in teh volume of blood in blood vessels or tissue or an organ due to impaired venous drainage or increased arterial pressure
Consolidation
Air spaces of lung filled with inflammatory exudate, giving lung a solid, rather than spongy appearance
Cytokine
A hormone-like mediator produced by inflammatory cells
Edema
The accumulation of excess fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces or body cavities
Effusion
An exudate or transudate that has passed into a part or tissue
Expectoration
Cough which produces sputum, typically a purulent (pus) exudate
Exudate
Protein rich fluid, often containing inflammatory cells and cellular debris
Fibrinous exudate
An exudate containing a large amount of fibrin. it is usually found upon inflammation of serosal or mucosal surfaces
Filtrate
A liquid that passes through a filter, e.g. the glomerular membranes
“Left-shift”
An increase in teh relative percentage of “less than mature” granulocytes (eg band forms)
-itis
Inflammation
Leukemoid reaction
Excessively high white cell counts (25-50,000) with “left shift” that mimics the blood picture of leukemia. This occurs in sever infection, sever toxic states, and other conditions. Usually, with infection, the increased WCC is about 15,000 (Normal 5,000-10,000)
Meningitis
Inflammation of the meninges
Plasma
Fluid portion of the blood in which the particulate components are suspended
Pus
An exudate containing large numbers of viable and dead neutrophils
Pyogenic
Producing pus
Serositis
An inflammation of the serosa of an organ, may have any type of exudate associated with it
Serous exudate
An exudate virtually devoid of inflammatory cells or fibrin; resembles the appearance of serum
Serum
Cellular free portion of blood from which fibrinogen has benn separated
Suppuration
Inflammation resulting in the formation of pus
Transudate
An ultrafiltrate of blood plasma that has passed from within blood vessels into tissues due to a change in hydrostatic pressure
Vascular permeability
Normally, only water and salt leave vessels; altered permeability, due to endothelial cell contractionor damage, causes leakage of larger compounds such as proteins and cells
Vasodilation
The relaxation of the vascular smooth muscle causes increased blood flow
