90182 - Immunology and Molecular Pathology (C3B)

Learning outcomes

Knowledge of the main causes of  human diseases with the related fundamental pathogenetic and physiopathogenetic mechanisms; knowledge of fundamental biological mechanisms of defence by immune system and related pathologies;  microorganisms - host relationships  in human infections  and knowledge of defence mechanisms; ability to correctly apply methodologies capable of detecting clinical, functional and laboratory outcomes, physiopathological profiles and diagnosis and prognosis; ability to evaluate costs/benefits ratios in choosing diagnostic procedures considering either the proper clinical methodology and principles of evidence based medicine; systematic and adequate knowledge of the most relevant diseases in different organs (etiopathogenesis, physiopathology, clinical point of view) in a unique consideration  for human pathology; ability to  evaluate with criticism and to correlate clinical and physical signs, functional alterations and pathological lesions with the  related mechanims of  formation and clinical meaning.

Further knowledge on languages and mechanism of action of pathogenetic and carcinogenetic agents.  Ability to evaluate tumorigenesis process, to estimate cancer risk, to define neoplasias and molecular mechanisms involved in tumor onset.

 

Course contents

Chemical Carcinogenesis: general topics, direct and indirect carcinogens, matabolic activation and gene polymorphyms, multistep carcinogenesis, initiation and promotion, selected examples of synthetic and natural, organic and inorganic carcinogenic chemicals belonging to the  main chemical classes (benzo(a)pyrene, aminodiphenyl, benzene, dimethylnitrosamine, aflatoxins, asbestos), information levels  necessary for   carcinogenicity classification   for humans. 

Physical agent induced carcinogenesis:  ionizing radiations, type of tumors induced in humans, estimate of the potency of the effect and  cancer risk assessment  for definite scenarios of human exposure; exciting radiations (UV), skin melanomas and carcinomas, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of sun light and UV-A, UV-B, UV-C; non ionizing radiations (NIR), precaution principle for magnetic fields generated by ELF-NIR, limitations to human exposure to electric field induced by extremely high frequency radiations.

Viral carcinogenesis: DNA and RNA viruses, the most relevant human carcinogenic viruses and the related  types of tumors. Other carcinogenic biological agents.

Epidemiology and prevention: trends in carcer mortalities and incidences. Age and  tumors. Tools for analytical epidemiology of tumors (incidence, prevalence, mortality), case-control and cohort studies, relative and absolute risks, the main causes of cancer death in the most developed countries: cigarette smoke and diet, geographic distribution of tumors, risk factors and prevention of the most common tumors.

Tumor growth rates: theoretical models, growth rate in in vitro systems and in vivo. Fraction of  proliferating cells  and  of cellls candidate to death (necrosis and apoptosis). Doubling times. Main modificators of  tumor growth.

Biological bases of antitumor therapies and chemoprevention: radiotherapy, chemotherapy and main clases of antiblastics, hormonal therapy,  mechanisms of resistance at cellular and molecular levels. Innovative therapies.

Chemoprevention.

Readings/Bibliography

Robbins "Pathologic basis of disease" . A selection of  presented transparencies.

Teaching methods

ex-cathedra lessons

Assessment methods

Final oral examination: max performance 30 (vote)

Teaching tools

Slide,  video (multimedial) and overhead projectors

Office hours

See the website of Sandro Grilli