Test 1

Question 1

Incidence rate of disease

Answer 1

Number of new cases of disease occurring in population of defined size during defined period

Question 2

Mortality rate

Answer 2

Number of deaths from disease found in defined population at stated time

Question 3

Prevalence rate

Answer 3

Number of cases of disease in defined population at stated time

Question 4

Remission rate

Answer 4

Proportion of cases of disease that recover

Question 5

Aetiology

Answer 5

Cause of the individual’s disease/condition – the trigger that initiates the subsequent events leading to the illness

Question 6

Pathogenesis

Answer 6

Mechanism that the cause/aetiology operates to manifest in the pathological condition e.g. inflammation

Question 7

Sequelae

Answer 7

A condition which is the consequence of a disease or injury (secondary)

Question 8

Idiopathic

Answer 8

Disease or condition with an unknown cause/aetiology

Question 9

Risk factors

Answer 9

Traits, occupations, habits or habitats that are commonly associated with a disease

Question 10

Pathognomonic

Answer 10

Sign or symptom that is a specific characteristic indicative of a particular disease

Question 11

Eponymous

Answer 11

Disease or condition named after the person who discovered it

Question 12

Distinguish between the following:

Iatrogenic disease and nosocomial infection

Answer 12

Disease or condition that is the result of a medical practitioner’s actions
Hospital-acquired infection that is transmitted to a patient by hospital personnel other patient or their own endogenous flora

Question 13

Distinguish between the following

Symptoms of disease and signs of disease

Answer 13

Symptoms are the complaints of the patient

Signs are the abnormalities found on examination

Question 14

Distinguish between the following

Incidence rate and prevalence rate

Answer 14

Number of new cases of disease in a defined population at a defined period
Number of cases of disease in a defined population at a stated time

Question 15

Distinguish between the following

Benign and malignant

Answer 15

Classification of disease with a likely mild outcome

Classification of disease with a likely severe outcome

Question 16

Distinguish between the following

Acute and chronic

Answer 16

Rapid onset often but not always followed by rapid resolution
Onset may follow after acute initial episode but often insidious onset with prolonged course (months to years)

Question 17

Distinguish between the following

Primary and secondary

Answer 17

Disease causation which is unknown/not understood

Disease which is a consequence of a complication of manifestation of an underlying lesion

Question 18

Four techniques for obtaining tissue samples by biopsy

Answer 18

1. Excision biopsy
2. Incision biopsy
3. Needle biopsy
4. Endoscopic biopsy

Question 19

Ubiquitin

Answer 19

A type of HSP which acts as a cofactor of proteolysis of old/damaged proteins

Question 20

HSP

Answer 20

Heat Shock Protein which is a protein seen in cell stress response in increased numbers following exposure to damaging stimuli and is vital to cell viability

Question 21

Small heat shock proteins

Answer 21

A type of HSP which act as molecular chaperones to protect normal or damaged proteins from further damage

Question 22

Inclusion bodies

Answer 22

Visible masses of permanent aggregates of abnormal cell constituents and ubiquitin, seen in cells undergoing chronic stress

Question 23

Lipofuscin

Answer 23

Visible yellow-brown granules called the “wear and tear” pigment common in ageing tissues with cellular atrophy

Question 24

Distinguish between key features of hyperplasia vs neoplasia

Answer 24

-

Question 25

Explain what metaplasia is and how it occurs

Answer 25

Metaplasia is a reversible transformation from one mature cell type to another cell type, mainly affecting epithelial or mesenchymal cells and is due to long-standing environmental stimuli. The new cell types are mature and more stable to better withstand environmental stress
It occurs by abnormal regulation of growth factors or cell signalling system. Growth factors with tyrosine kinase activity – peptides which act upon specific cell-surface receptors i.e. growth factor receptors – trigger intracellular messenger systems. The secondary messenger systems modulate transcription regulation and therefore gene regulation processes. In other words, the growth factors activate cells to alter gene expression.

Question 26

State the four mechanisms that may trigger apoptotic death

Answer 26

1. Activation of surface receptor due to attached ligand triggers signal transduction cascade activating initiating caspases
2. Cell membrane damage activates sphingomyelinase to generate ceramide from membrane lipids
3. Direct mitochondrial damage increases permeability of mitochondria, thereby liberating pro-apoptotic factors
4. Unrepairable DNA damage activates the p53 system which modulates transcription of pro-apoptotic factors

Question 27

Distinguish between apoptosis and necrosis cell deaths

Answer 27

Apoptosis cell death that is energy dependent, controlled process, no inflammation induced, occurs to individual cells one at a time
Necrosis cell death that is not energy dependent, inflammatory response is elicited, uncontrolled, occurs to many cells at a time