Pathoma High Yield Principles Flashcards
How is the cytoskeleton and organelles broken down during atrophy?
Cytoskeleton - tagged via ubiquination -> proteasome pathway
Organelles - via autophagy
Why is BPH a notable exception to pathologic hyperplasia?
It is one type of pathologic hyperplasia which does NOT increase risk for cancer
(i.e. vs endometrial hyperplasia)
What is keratomalacia? What causes it?
Disorder of the conjunctiva of the eye which causes it to thicken
-> due to loss of Vitamin A, which is required for differentiation of specialized epithelial surfaces
What cellular phenomena are streak ovary and unilateral renal agenesis examples of?
Streak ovary - hypoplasia (decreased cell production during embryogenesis)
Renal agenesis - aplasia - failure of cell production during embryogenesis
What is the definition of hypoxemia?
PaO2 < 60 mmHg, SaO2 <90% (hemoglobin saturation %)
How are PAO2 and PACO2 related?
As PACO2 goes up (i.e. hypoventilation, COPD), PAO2 must fall (crowding out O2 in the alveoli) -> results in hypoxemia and ultimately decreased SaO2
How does carbon monoxide affect PaO2 and SaO2?
PaO2 - normal
SaO2 - decreased (less oxygen bound since it is tightly binding CO)
What is the earliest symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning?
Headache
What are the causes of methemoglobinemia?
- Oxidant stress - i.e. nitrates, drugs like benzocaine (anesthetic)
- Newborns -> decreased ability to reduce iron back to Fe+2
What is the classic physical exam findings with methemoglobinemia and what is the treatment?
Cyanosis with chocolate-colored blood
Treatment - IV METhylene blue, Vitamin C
What happens to microvilli during reversible hypoxic injury?
Microvilli are lost -> like inflating a nitrile glove so you can’t differentiate between the fingers
-> due to cellular swelling
What happens to protein synthesis in reversible cellular injury and why?
It decreases, since ribosomes pop off of the ER which is swelling
In what type of tissue can red infarction occur?
- If blood can re-enter the tissue
2. The tissue must be loosely organized so blood, i.e. testicle or lung
Why does liquefactive necrosis occur in the brain?
Microglial cells liquefy the brain by release of hydrolytic enzymes
What type of necrosis happens in the parenchyma of the pancreas in acute pancreatitis?
Liquefactive necrosis -> digestive via proteolytic enzymes
Fat necrosis occurs in the surrounding fat. - peripancreatic fat
What is the most damaging free radical species and how is it generally produced?
Hydroxyl free radical -> because it can only be broken down by glutathione peroxidase
Generally produced via ionizing radiation
What is the underlying pathophys of damage in Wilson’s dz or Hemochromatosis?
Generation of free radicals -> cirrhosis
What causes Familial Mediterranean fever? What is the hallmark of the condition
Autosomal recessive mutation in pyrin, a regulator of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Leads to recurring fever, joint pains, and serositis with overproduction of IL-1 -> systemic accumulation of AA amyloid (SAA)
-> this is a neutrophil dysfunction disorder
What is the most commonly involved organ in amyloidosis? Other classical findings?
Kidney -> leads to nephrotic syndrome
Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Tongue enlargement
Hepatosplenomegaly, malabsorption
What amyloidopathies do normal vs mutated transthyretin cause?
Normal - Commonly an asymptomatic senile cardiac amyloidosis (common in elderly) - ATTR
Mutated - Familial amyloid polyneuropathy / cardiomyopathy - deposition of ATTR in peripheral nerves and in heart.
What are the three major factors which stimulate degranulation of mast cells (to release histamine)?
- Tissue trauma
- Complement proteins C3a / C5a
- IgE cross-linking
What is the immediate response to histamine? Late response?
Arteriolar vasodilation, postcapillary venule increased capillary permeability
Late response: Leukotriene synthesis and release (vasoconstriction, bronchospasm, increased vascular permeability)
What is the classical pathway? What pathway is most similar to it?
GM makes classic cars. Complement protein binds IgM or IgG
Other pathway most similar to it is Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) -> a lectin is a sugar-binding protein which binds mannose residues on microorganisms
The MBL acts as an antibody which triggers the cascade
What is the alternative pathway?
Microbial products directly activate complement
C3b directly binds to the pathogen and is stabilized by factor B and properdin to C3 convertase for further opsonization
What is the kinin system and how is it activated? What will Hageman factor do?
A system of plasma proteins which are activated in inflammation (much like complement)
Activated when Hageman factor (Factor 12) contacts collagen, which facilitates its conversion to 12a
12a will convert prekallikrein to kallikrein
What are the four functions of kallikrein?
Kallikrein - 4 functions
- Chemotactic agent like C5a or IL-8
- Converts HMW kininogen to bradykinin
- Converts plasminogen to plasmin
- Increases conversion of 12 (Hageman factor) to 12a (with HMWK as cofactor) -> positive feedback loop
What are the two main mediators of pain? How do they do this?
- Bradykinin
- Prostaglandin E2
They do this by sensitizing nerve endings
How is fever generated?
Macrophages release pyrogens IL-1 and TNF which travel to the hypothalamus and stimulate prostaglandin E2 synthesis which raises the setpoint of the hypothalamus
How does rolling occur? What upregulates this?
Leukocytes transiently attach to E-selectins on endothelium in a low affinity interaction to slow them down via their sialylated carbohydrate ligands (sialyl-Lewis) receptors.
E-selectins - upregulated by TNF / IL-1
P-selectins - upregulated via histamine, from Wiebel-Palade bodies
What mediates adhesion? What upregulates this?
Firm attachment, high affinity interaction between VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 (integrin ligands) of endothelial cells and ligands on leukocytes.
ICAM/VCAM are upregulated via IL-1 and TNF.
Ligands = Integrins. Upregulated by LTB4 and C5a, they neutrophil chemoattractant agents
ICAM = intercellular adhesion molecule
What is absent in LAD-1? What are the early features?
CD18 - an integrin receptor on leukocytes
Clinical features - delayed separation of the umbilical cord (requires necrosis), increased pool of circulating neutrophils (loss of tight binding as marginated pool of neutrophils), recurrent bacterial infections with lack of pus
What happens to neutrophils in Chediak-Higashi (CH) and why is this relevant? What’s the inheritance pattern? What is seen histologically?
Enlarged lysosomes with impaired neutrophil function -> poor phagolysosome formation and bactericidal activity
-> recurrent pyogenic infections. Also neutropenia since protein trafficking is required for cell division.
Autosomal recessive protein trafficking defect and phagolysosome formation.
Histologically - Giant granules from failure of trafficking = fusion together
What happens to skin, nerves, and hemostasis in CH?
Skin - pigment not properly trafficked in melanocytes - albinism
Nerves - periphery neuropathy - failure to traffick proteins to distal end of nerve
Hemostasis - defective primary hemostasis due to lack of dense core granule secretion
What are two tests for diagnosis of CGD?
- Dihydrorhodamine (DHR) flow cytometry test -> CGD neutrophils can’t oxidize DHR to fluoresce rhodamine
- Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) -> CGD neutrophils can’t turn yellow NBT to insoluble, blue-black NBT. Blue = intact.
What does myeloperoxidase deficiency cause? What will NBT test show?
Usually asymptomatic, but can cause an increased risk for candida infections.
NBT test will be normal since respiratory burst (NADPH oxidase) is intact
How do neutrophils resolve after doing their job?
They die by APOPTOSIS -> forming pus
How do macrophages normally do their killing? How do they continue inflammation?
Usually via oxygen-INDEPENDENT killing, i.e. lysozymes.
They can secrete IL-8 to continue inflammation
What are the two broad categories of macrophages? How are they activated and what is their function?
M1 - classically activated - via TH1 cells and IFN-y, function in inflammation and microbial killing
M2 - alternatively activated - via TH2 cells, release anti-inflammatory factors like IL-10 and TGF-beta, and stimulate fibrosis / tissue repair via growth factors.
Think IL-10 = atTENuating the immune response
-> also produced by Th2 cells to inhibit Th1 subset
What cytokines does the Th1 subset secrete and what does this do? What causes formation of this subset?
Secretes IFN-y -> activates macrophages, induces class switching to IgG3, suppresses Th2 response
Secretes IL-2 -> T cell growth factor and stimulator of CD8 cells (costimulator for cytotoxic cells which encounter their MHCI)
Induced by macrophages secreting IL-12
What cytokines does the Th2 subset secrete and what does this do? What causes formation of this subset?
Secretes IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13
IL-4 - Class switching to IgE and IgG, inhibits Th1
IL-5 - Eosinophil chemotactic agent, class switching to IgA
IL-10 - Inhibits Th1
IL-13 - similar to IL-4
Induced by IL-4, IL-2 from APCs
What are the three ways to activate apoptosis?
- Intrinsic mitochondrial pathway - loss of Bcl2 due to cellular damage, DNA damage, or loss of growth factor stimulation
- Extrinsic pathway - mediated by Fas/FasL or TNFalpha
- Perforin and granzymes from CD8 cells -> activates intrinsic / extrinsic pathways
What are two broad ways B cells can be activated?
- Interaction between antigen and IgM molecules on surface -> continued secretion of IgM
- Expression of ligands on MHC II -> costimulation by CD4 cells via CD40L interacting with their CD40 receptor, and then class switching and antigen maturation induced by third signal (IFNy, IL-4, or IL-5)
What is the histologic hallmark of cat scratch disease? What is the defining feature of this whole finding?
Stellate-shaped granulomas
Defining feature of granulomas - epithelioid histiocytes with abundant pink cytoplasm.
What is the DDx of caseating granulomas?
TB and fungus
What is the DDx of noncaseating granulomas?
- Sarcoidosis
- Berylliosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Cat scratch disease
- Foreign body reaction