Test 1 Flashcards
]Cells adapt to change in 6 distinct ways, what are they?
○ Atrophy ○ Hypertrophy ○ Hyperplasia ○ Metaplasia ○ Dysplasia ○ Anaplasia
Whats the best example of Atrophy
■ Thymus undergoing involution
The best example of pathological Atrophy
■ Ischemic organs are typically small (kidneys involved in atherosclerosis)
The best physiologic example of Hypertrophy
■ Skeletal muscles in body builders due to weight training
The best pathologic example of Hypertrophy
■ Hypertrophy of the heart that occurs as an adaptation to increased workload
The best pathologic hyperplasia example
○ Endometrial hyperplasia due to estrogens
Best physiologic hyperplasia example
■ Physiologic hypertrophy of the uterine smooth muscle cells during pregnancy accompanied by hyperplasia
An adaptive change of one cell type for another to suit the environment
Metaplasia
Examples of adaptive change of one cell type for another to suit the environment
○ Squamous metaplasia of the bronchial epithelium due to smoking
○ Gastric or glandular metaplasia of the GE junction in Barrett’s esophagus
Disordered growth of tissues resulting from chronic irritation or infection
Dysplasia
The best example of Dysplasia
■ Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or CIN based on PAP smears
Undifferentiated and uncontrolled growth of cells. The hallmark of malignant transformation!
Anaplasia or cancer
Other names for Anaplasia
○ Malignancy
○ Carcinoma
○ Cancer
○ Neoplasm
What are Microscopic hallmarks of anaplasia?
○ Cell and nuclei display marked cellular pleomorphism
■ Variation in size and shape
○ Nuclei are irregular and hyperchromatic
○ Extremely high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio (N/C ratio)
■ About 1:1 instead of 1:4 or 1:6
○ Large nucleoli present within the nucleus
○ Large numbers of abnormal mitotic figures
Reversible Cell Injury characteristics
○ Swelling of the cytoplasm and it’s organelles due to malfunctioning ATP Na/K pump
○ Glycolysis takes over, PH decreases
○ If energy is restored the cell will survive and balance out.
condensation of the chromatin
■ Pyknosis
Fragmentation of the nucleus into small particles (nuclear dust)
■ Karyorrhexis
Involves dissolution of the nucleus and lysis of chromatin by enzymes
■ Karyolysis
Characteristics of irreversible cell injury
DNA in the Nucleus is damaged, cytoplasm is destroyed. Cells will release/leak enzymes into the ECF e.g… Hepatocytes release AST or LDH
What is coagulative cell necrosis?
■ The most common form of necrosis
■ Occurs when cell proteins are altered or denatured
■ Cell outlines are preserved and the cytoplasm appears finely granular
■ Occurs in solid internal organs
● Ex: heart, kidney, spleen, and liver
infarction
■ Appears white: dead myocytes and neutrophils that have infiltrated before the cells died
■ Most often caused by anoxia
● Ex: heart tissue undergoing a myocardial
■ Occurs in solid internal organs
● Ex: heart, kidney, spleen, and liver
infarction
coagulative cell necrosis
What is Liquefactive necrosis?
■ Refers to a process by which dead cells liquefy under the influence of certain cell enzymes
■ Occurs most often in the brain
● Brain cells lose their contours and liquify
● Typical of brain infarcts which are usually soft and are ultimately transformed into a fluid filled cavity
Liquefactive necrosis
What is caseous necrosis?
■ A form of coagulative necrosis in which a thick, yellowish, cheesy substance forms
■ Typically found in tuberculosis, characterized by the development of lung granulomas, inside of which can be found caseous necrosis
■ Can also be seen in some fungal infections
caseous necrosis
Fungi responsible for caseous necrosis in some infections
● Histoplasmosis
What is Fat necrosis?
■ A specialized form of liquefaction necrosis caused by the action of lipolytic enzymes
■ Limited to fat tissue, usually around the pancreas
What is one of the best example of fat necrosis?
● Enzymes are released into adjacent fat tissue after rupture of the pancreas (due to trauma, acute pancreatitis, etc) causing degradation of fat into glycerol and free fatty acids
What are Dystrophic calcifications?
○ Represents an extracellular deposition of calcium from the circulation into dead or dying necrotic tissue, often visible to the naked eye
The best example of Dystrophic calcification
■ Calcifications in atherosclerotic coronary arteries contributing to narrowing of vessels
Others
■ Calcifications of the mitral or aortic valves leading to impeded blood flow (stenosis)
■ Calcifications seen around breast cancers that can be visualized by mammography
■ Infact periventricular calcifications seen in congenital toxoplasmosis