Pathology Course

Lesson 1 • Definition and Scope of Pathology

Pathology is defined as the scientific study of disease causes, mechanisms, and effects. This grounds all subsequent disease analysis in a unified framework.

Lesson 2 • Health, Disease, and Homeostasis

Homeostatic mechanisms and their disruption define the boundary between health and disease. Students apply this model to interpret cellular and systemic responses.

Lesson 3 • Diagnostic Methods in Pathology

Gross examination, histology, cytology, and molecular techniques are surveyed as diagnostic tools. Students understand how each method contributes to disease diagnosis.

Lesson 1 • Cell Death: Necrosis and Apoptosis

Necrosis and apoptosis are contrasted by mechanism, morphology, and biological significance. Students distinguish patterns of necrosis and identify apoptotic triggers.

Lesson 2 • Cellular Adaptations to Stress

Hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, and metaplasia represent adaptive responses to altered demands. Each adaptation is linked to specific stimuli and clinical examples.

Lesson 3 • Causes and Mechanisms of Cell Injury

Physical, chemical, biological, and ischemic agents injure cells through distinct pathways. Understanding these mechanisms links cause to observable cellular damage.

Lesson 4 • Intracellular Accumulations and Calcification

Lipids, proteins, glycogen, and pigments accumulate in cells under pathological conditions. Dystrophic and metastatic calcification patterns are also examined.

Lesson 1 • Chronic Inflammation

Persistent injury drives macrophage and lymphocyte dominance, granuloma formation, and fibrosis. Students distinguish chronic from acute inflammation by cellular composition.

Lesson 2 • Acute Inflammation

Vascular permeability, leukocyte recruitment, and phagocytosis define acute inflammation. Students trace the sequence from injury to neutrophil-mediated defense.

Lesson 3 • Tissue Repair and Wound Healing

Regeneration, scar formation, and angiogenesis restore tissue integrity after injury. Students evaluate factors that promote or impair healing.

Lesson 4 • Chemical Mediators of Inflammation

Cytokines, eicosanoids, complement, and kinins orchestrate the inflammatory response. Students map each mediator to its specific vascular or cellular effect.

Lesson 1 • Hyperemia, Congestion, and Hemorrhage

Active hyperemia, passive congestion, and hemorrhage reflect distinct vascular disturbances. Morphological patterns and clinical consequences are correlated.

Lesson 2 • Hemostasis and Thrombosis

Normal hemostasis involves platelet plug formation and coagulation cascade activation. Thrombosis results from Virchow's triad: endothelial injury, stasis, and hypercoagulability.

Lesson 3 • Shock and Circulatory Failure

Hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive, and obstructive shock share a final pathway of tissue hypoperfusion. Students trace cellular consequences and organ-specific damage.

Lesson 4 • Edema and Fluid Imbalances

Altered hydrostatic pressure, oncotic pressure, and lymphatic drainage produce edema. Students classify edema types and link each to its pathophysiological mechanism.

Lesson 1 • Immunodeficiency Disorders

Primary and secondary immunodeficiencies impair host defense and predispose to opportunistic infections. Students correlate the deficient component with the resulting infection pattern.

Lesson 2 • Autoimmune Diseases

Loss of self-tolerance drives organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases. Students identify pathogenic mechanisms and morphological features of key autoimmune conditions.

Lesson 3 • Transplant Rejection and Amyloidosis

Allograft rejection mechanisms and amyloid deposition represent immune-mediated tissue injury. Students distinguish rejection types and classify amyloid by protein precursor.

Lesson 4 • Immune System Review for Pathology

Innate and adaptive immunity components are reviewed with emphasis on pathological relevance. This bridges prior immunology knowledge to disease-causing immune mechanisms.

Lesson 1 • Characteristics of Malignant Tumors

Invasion, metastasis, anaplasia, and altered growth kinetics define malignancy. Students use morphological and molecular criteria to assess malignant potential.

Lesson 2 • Carcinogenesis and Risk Factors

Chemical, radiation, viral, and hereditary factors initiate and promote tumor development. Students apply the multistep model of carcinogenesis to specific cancer types.

Lesson 3 • Tumor Grading, Staging, and Diagnosis

Histological grading and anatomical staging systems predict prognosis and guide treatment. Students apply biopsy interpretation, immunohistochemistry, and molecular markers diagnostically.

Lesson 4 • Molecular Basis of Cancer

Oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, DNA repair defects, and epigenetic changes drive carcinogenesis. Students trace how genetic alterations translate into uncontrolled proliferation.

Lesson 1 • Renal and Urinary Tract Pathology

Glomerulonephritis, tubular injury, interstitial nephritis, and renal tumors are classified by mechanism. Students interpret urinalysis and biopsy findings in the context of renal disease.

Lesson 2 • Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology

Peptic ulcer disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cirrhosis, and GI tumors are analyzed. Students trace disease progression from mucosal injury to systemic complications.

Lesson 3 • Cardiovascular Pathology

Atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, valvular disorders, and cardiomyopathies are analyzed morphologically. Students link vascular lesions to downstream cardiac and systemic consequences.

Lesson 4 • Respiratory Pathology

Obstructive and restrictive lung diseases, pneumonias, and lung tumors are examined structurally. Students correlate pulmonary function changes with histological patterns.

Lesson 1 • Peripheral Nervous System Pathology

Peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and neuromuscular junction disorders are classified by mechanism. Students distinguish axonal from demyelinating neuropathy patterns.

Lesson 2 • Soft Tissue and Muscle Pathology

Inflammatory myopathies, muscular dystrophies, and soft tissue tumors are classified by histological and molecular criteria. Students distinguish reactive from neoplastic soft tissue lesions.

Lesson 3 • Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, and Huntington's diseases are characterized by protein aggregation and selective neuronal loss. Students correlate clinical deficits with anatomical lesion sites.

Lesson 4 • Bone and Joint Pathology

Osteoporosis, osteomyelitis, arthritis, and primary bone tumors are examined through radiological and histological correlation. Students classify joint diseases by inflammatory vs. degenerative mechanisms.