02359 - General Pathology and Physiopathology (LZ-A)

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Single cycle degree programme (LMCU) in Medicine and Surgery (cod. 8415)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - has clear the concepts of disease etiology and pathogenesis. He/she also knows the etiology of disease processes and the pathogenic mechanism of their development. He/she knows the basic defense mechanisms involved in response to pathogens; the morphological alterations that they cause in cells and tissues and their systemic and functional consequences for the organism. He/she- is able to connect molecular, morphological, microbiological, immunological and physiological knowledge, with the etiopathogenesis of disease processes. He/she is able to use the knowledge of pathology and physiopathology for the critical interpretation of experimental and clinical data. He/she is able to understand the reasons of the signs and symptoms of disease and possesses the basis for the evidence based clinical practice.

Course contents

Etiopathogenesis. 

Environmental Pathology. Ionizing radiations and UV light. Electricity as a cause of disease. High and low temperatures as a cause of damage. Smoking-related diseases. Disease related with ethanol abuse. Microbiota in health and disease.

Cellular and extracellular pathology. Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mechanisms of formation and effects on tissues. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic protection systems. Cellular adaptations: hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, metaplasia, dystrophy. Cell injury and cell death: cell swelling; morphology and molecular aspects of necrosis and apoptosis. Anoikis, autophagy, entosis. Intracellular and extracellular accumulations: steatosis, amyloidosis, pathological calcifications. Molecular basis of Alzheimer disease and of prion diseases. Biological basis of aging: role of telomeres and of oxidative metabolism, progeroid syndromes. Relationship between senescence and cancer.

Inflammation, regeneration, and repair. Acute inflammation: cells and mediators of inflammation, formation of exudate, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, NETs and netosis. Neutrophils and bacterial biofilm. Chronic and granulomatous inflammation. Pathogenesis of tuberculosis. Pneumoconiosis. Tissue regeneration and repair, wound healing. Pathological outcomes of inflammation and repair. Sclerosis, cirrhosis.

General pathophysiologyStress and diseases. Thermoregulation, non-febrile hyperthermias, malignant hyperthermia, fever. Thrombosis and embolism. Atherosclerosis: risk factors, formation of the atheromatous plaque, consequences. Other arteriosclerosis: Mönckeberg's arteriosclerosis (medial calcific arteriosclerosis) and arteriolosclerosis. Pathogenesis of hypertension, shock, infarction. Etiopathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Diabesity and metabolic syndrome. Edema. Hypoxia, cyanosis.

Readings/Bibliography

McCance KL, Huether SE "Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children", 7th edition, Elsevier, 2014

Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. “Robbins & Cotran - Pathologic Basis of Disease, 9th edition, 2015, Elsevier Ed.

Teaching methods

A total of 64 hour of lectures.

Assessment methods

The exam of General Pathology and Pathophysiology is oral and consists of questions to assess the student knowledge of the subjects in the program, with his/her ability to illustrate and discuss the etiology and the general pathophysiology.

The exam of General Pathology and Pathophysiology will be carried on together with the learning assessment of General Pathology Laboratory.

Teaching tools

Slides are available from the AMS Campus website (Alm@-DL [http://almadl.cib.unibo.it/] AMS Campus: http://campus.cib.unibo.it/cgi/lista, search for teacher).


Office hours

See the website of Carla Renata Arciola