AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Specific training objectives: basic knowledge on the origin and pathogenetic mechanisms of diseases. Course contents: Concept of homeostasis and disease. Intrinsic causes of disease. Physical, chemical and nutritional causes. Biotransformation of xenobiotics. Principles of radical pathology. Cellular pathology. The body's response to damage: inflammation and repair. Immunity and related pathologies. Oncology

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 a) to know the causes of human diseases, b) to recognize the different responses of adaptation to damage, c) to describe and classify inflammatory responses and d) to describe and classify epithelial and connective tumors

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching is organized in frontal classroom lectures for a total of 40 hours. The lectures are given by the teacher through the use of presentations that are made available to students on the Unige web classroom. In the period of health emergency the lessons can be carried out remotely by TEAMS platform and recorded by the teacher.

Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department ( Prof. Luca Raiteri, Luca.Raiteri@unige.it ) before class begins, in order to liaise and arrange the specific learning methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes. VERY IMPORTANT: any request for compensatory tools and adaptations in the exam MUST be done within 10 working days before the date of the exam according to the instructions that can be found at https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/comunicazioni

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. Cell death: necrosis and apoptosis. 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: Generalities. Innate and adaptive immunity. Cytokines. Complement system. Antigens and antibodies. Cells of the immune system. Immune responses to infectious agents. Vaccines.

IMMUNOPATHOLOGY: Hypersensitivity reactions (I, II, III, IV type). Autoimmune diseases. Congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies. Tumor immunology. Transplant immunology. Immunosuppressive drugs.

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-TERZA EDIZIONE

Lecture notes will be available and shared on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

BARBARA MARENGO (President)

ANNA MARIA SCHITO (President Substitute)

CINZIA MARIA DOMENICOTTI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

General Pathology lessons begin in the second semester generally in early March. In periods of health emergency they are held remotely using the TEAMS platform and the code to enter the classroom is communicated via the web classroom.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral test. In the period of healthy emergency, the oral exam can be held remotely in telematic mode.

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 also if he/she has acquired adequate terminology and the ability to analyze with a critical sense and synthesis the proposed arguments.

Exam schedule