OVERVIEW

The teaching of General Pathology studies the concept of health and disease, the causes of diseases, the cellular pathology, the neoplasms and the defense responses of the organism.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to enable the student to know the etiological basis and the pathogenic mechanisms of the diseases in humans. The course is divided into several parts including: Etiology and pathogenesis of diseases. Physical and chemical causes of disease. Biotransformation of xenobiotics. Principles of free radical pathology. Pathophysiology of cell injury. Neoplastic transformation. The tissue response to injury: inflammation and immunity.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main purpose of the course is to provide students with basic knowledge on the etiology and pathogenetic mechanisms of diseases in humans, as well as the mechanisms of tissue response to damage: inflammation, shelter and adaptive immunity. Attendance at lectures and individual study will allow the student to know the causes of human diseases, to recognize the different responses to adaptation to damage, to describe and classify inflammatory responses and to describe and classify epithelial tumors and connective ones.

PREREQUISITES

To effectively address the teaching content, the following basic knowledge is needed: elements of cell and genetic biology; notions of anatomy, histology and physiology.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching is organized in frontal classroom lectures for a total of 48 hours. The lectures are given by the teacher through the use of presentations that are made available to students on the Unige web classroom.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Fields of the study of General Pathology. Concept of homeostasis. Differences between the disease, the pathological state, process and phenomenon. Reversible and irreversible cell damage. Cellular pathology.

GENERAL AETIOLOGY: genetic and chromosomal disorders. Radiations. Trauma and wound repair. Burns and frostbite. Mode of action of pathogenic chemicals. Alteration of the pH. Solvent action. Denaturing action. Toxic action. Enzymatic defenses: Phase I and II biotransformation mechanisms. Causes of proteic malnutrition: marasma and kwashiorkor. Anorexia and bulimia. The water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins related deficiencies. Deficiencies in minerals. Obesity. Dietary relationships with atherogenesis and cancer.

INFLAMMATION

Definition, causes and stages. Chemical mediators. Vasoconstriction. Vasodilation, the active hyperemia and the consequences on the balance of Starling-Landis. The increase of the permeability and the inflammatory edema formation. The chemical mediators of cellular and plasma origin. Chemotaxis, diapedesis and phagocytosis. The passive hyperemia and its consequences; cyanosis and its mechanism; inflammation tissue suffering. The acute phase reaction: mechanisms, consequences and significance. Resolution and its possible outcome: healing (with recovered fully or outcome scar) and regressive diseases. Classification of acute inflammation: serous, fibrinous, mucous, purulent, hemorrhagic, necrotic, allergic. Chronic inflammation and chronic inflammatory infiltrate cells. The types of chronic inflammation (widespread and granulomatous). Granulomas: definition and etiology. Structure of tuberculous granuloma and its possible evolution. Notes on tuberculosis (primary complex, post-primary tuberculosis).

FEVER: Termoproduction and heat dispersion. Febrile hyperthermia. Types of fever.

IMMUNOLOGY: innate and acquired immunity. Antigens and antibodies. Cells of the immune system. Cytokines. Antigen presentation. Conformational determinants and sequential. Defenses against viruses and bacteria. IMMUNOPATHOLOGY: Hypersensitivity reactions (I, II, III, IV). Autoimmune disease (systemic and organospecifiche). Congenital and acquired (AIDS) immunodeficiencies.

CANCER: molecular basis of cancer: oncogenes and their activation. Alterations of tumor suppressors. Etiology of cancer. Initiation and promotion. Classification of tumors.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

PAROLA M.: PATOLOGIA GENERALE-EDISES

PONTIERI G.M.: PATOLOGIA GENERALE-EDIZ. PICCIN

Lecture notes will be available and shared on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CINZIA MARIA DOMENICOTTI (President)

BARBARA MARENGO

SUSANNA PENCO

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The lessons start on september 24th 2018.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will focus mainly on the topics covered during the lectures and will have the purpose to evaluate not only if the student has acquired an adequate level of knowledge on the issues but if he has acquired adequate terminology and the ability to analyze with a critical sense and synthesis the proposed arguments.

Exam schedule