OVERVIEW

Pathology is the study (logos) of suffering (pathos). It is a bridging discipline connecting basic science and clinical practice, and is devoted to the study of the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs that underlie disease. Through molecular, microbiological, immunological and morphological studies, General Pathology investigates the different causes of disease and their pathogenic mechanisms to favor the development of effective therapies.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The learning outcome is the knowledge the main responses of tissues to injuries mediated by exogenous or endogenous agents.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, with any possible dialectic interaction with students

In case of sanitary emergency, lessons will switch to remote learning

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Environmental factors of disease: physical causes (radiation, temperature extremes and mechanical energy); chemical causes.

Mechanisms of xenobiotic biotransformation.

Cell pathology: adaptation (atrophy/hypertropy, metaplasy, neoplasy) and death (necrosis and apoptosis).

Innate immunity: cells and molecules, local and systemic inflammation, acute and chronic, histological variants of inflammation, tissue damage repair and regeneration.

Adaptive Immunity: generation, education and function of B and T lymphocytes

Type I hypersensitivity

Mention of immune system’s diseases (immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity and auto-inflammatory diseases)

Mention of Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and HSC transplants

Mention of Overview of anemia and hemostasis disorders

Atherosclerosis and mention of cardiovascular disease and rheumatic fever

Oncology: benign and malign neoplasms, the abnormal metabolism of cancer cells, metastasis, local and systemic effects, paraneoplastic syndromes. Epidemiology (risk and prognostic factors). Molecular basis of tumor transformation: oncogenes, oncosuppressors and examples of tumors. Epigenetic mechanisms (methylation, miRNA). Cancer stem cells (CSC), Tumor-associated angiogenesis and tumor microenvironment.

Immune responses against cancer, Natural killer cells, tumor escape mechanisms, tumor-associated inflammation.

Environmental causes of cancer: physical, chemical and biological carcinogenesis.

Optical microscope evaluation of pathologic tissues (different types of inflammation and cancer).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, Elsevier

Abbas & Lichtman Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Elsevier

The didactic material is available in pdf format for download (https://www.aulaweb.unige.it).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

CRISTINA BOTTINO (President)

ROBERTA RICCIARELLI (President)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

2nd semester, 2nd year

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exams. The students are evaluated by two professors about any of the subject of the course program.

On line exams in case of sanitary emergency

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral examination consists in several questions, starting from more general questions to more precise ones, in order to assess the knowledge of the students. Students must know the requested pathogenetic mechanisms and demonstrate the ability to connect different subjects of the program.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

The didactic material is available in pdf format for download (https://www.aulaweb.unige.it)

Students can contact the teachers by mail  (information, appointment)