Cell Injury, Inflammation, Repair, and Lysosomal Storage Diseases Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic mechanisms of cell injury, cell death, adaptations, inflammatory pathways, tissue repair, and lysosomal storage disorders based on lecture notes.

Hypoxia

The most common cause of cell injury, characterized by oxygen deficiency in tissues.

Ischemia

The most common cause of hypoxia, characterized by reduced blood supply to tissues.

Hydropic change

Cellular swelling occurring during reversible cell injury due to Na+ K+ ATPase pump failure and water influx.

Myelin figures

Phospholipid-rich lamellated concretions visible under electron microscopy in reversible and enhanced in irreversible cell injury.

Amorphous flocculent densities

Calcium-containing mitochondrial damage structures seen in mitochondria during irreversible cell injury.

Pyknosis

Nuclear shrinkage and condensation observed during irreversible cell injury.

Karyorrhexis

Fragmentation of the cell nucleus during irreversible cell injury.

Karyolysis

The dissolution or fading of the cell nucleus during irreversible cell injury.

Coagulative Necrosis

The most common type of pathological cell death in solid organs like the heart, kidney, and liver, caused by protein denaturation and preserving tissue architecture.

Ghost cells

Microscopic feature of coagulative necrosis where tissue architecture is preserved but fine cellular details are lost.

Liquefactive Necrosis

Type of necrosis seen in organs rich in hydrolytic enzymes (such as the CNS and pancreas) where tissue architecture is completely lost.

Caseous Necrosis

A cheesy-appearing combination of coagulative and liquefactive necrosis commonly seen in tuberculosis and fungal infections.

Fat Necrosis

Breakdown of fat into fatty acids and calcium (chalky white areas), occurring in the breast due to trauma or in the omentum due to acute pancreatitis.

Fibrinoid Necrosis

Necrosis associated with antigen-antibody reactions in blood vessels, seen in conditions such as Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN), Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), and SLE.

Zenker's Degeneration

A form of coagulative necrosis occurring in skeletal muscles (e.g., rectus abdominis) as a complication of typhoid.

Apoptosis

Programmed, caspase-dependent cell death occurring without inflammation in both physiological and pathological conditions.

Councilman Bodies

Pathological apoptotic bodies observed in viral Hepatitis (HCV).

Civatte Bodies

Pathological apoptotic bodies (also known as Colloid or Cytoid bodies) seen in Lichen Planus.

Efferocytosis

The phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies by macrophages, triggered by the flipping of phosphatidylserine to the outer cell membrane (the eat me signal).

Annexin V

A diagnostic marker used to identify cells undergoing apoptosis.

TUNEL Stain

A stain used to differentiate apoptosis (positive result) from necrosis (negative result).

Necroptosis

Caspase-independent programmed cell death involving a combination of necrosis and apoptosis features, mediated by TNF receptor binding, RIPK 1, RIPK 3, and MLKL phosphorylation.

Pyroptosis

Cell death associated with bacterial infection (e.g., Shigella, Salmonella) and fever, mediated by Nod2 receptors, Caspase 1 activation, and Interleukin 1 (IL-1).

Hypertrophy

An increase in the size of cells driven by increased transcription factors such as GATA, NFAT, and MEF 2.

Hyperplasia

An increase in the number of cells within a tissue resulting from increased mitosis.

Atrophy

A decrease in both the size and number of cells mediated by the Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway (UPP).

Metaplasia

A 100% reversible phenotypic replacement of one adult cell type by another, driven by stem cell reprogramming.

Barrett's Esophagus

Intestinal metaplasia of the normal esophageal squamous epithelium into intestinal columnar epithelium containing acidic mucin-producing goblet cells (alcian blue positive) due to chronic GERD.

Myositis ossificans

A form of mesenchymal metaplasia where muscle tissue converts into bone following trauma.

Lipofuscin

A brown perinuclear wear-and-tear pigment derived from lipid peroxidation, serving as a tell-tale sign of free radical injury and senile atrophy.

Masson Fontana

A special stain used to identify melanin pigment.

Perl's stain

Also known as Prussian blue stain, a special stain used to identify iron accumulation such as hemosiderin.

Rhodanine stain

A special histological stain used to detect copper accumulation, as seen in Wilson disease.

Dystrophic calcification

Calcium deposition occurring in dead or degenerating tissues (e.g., TB, atheromas, Psammoma bodies) with normal serum calcium levels.

Metastatic calcification

Calcium deposition occurring in normal living tissues (most commonly lungs) secondary to high serum calcium levels.

Von Kossa stain

A histological stain that colors calcium deposits black.

Alizarin Red S

A stain that turns even minute amounts of calcium red.

LC3

Light chain 3, a specific diagnostic marker for autophagy.

Hayflick limit

The average maximum number of cell divisions ($60\text{-}70$ divisions) a cell can undergo before telomere shortening prevents further division.

Sirtuins

Histone deacetylase enzymes (SIRT 1-7) activated by calorie restriction or red wine that promote anti-aging, cancer inhibition, and improved insulin sensitivity.

Werner Syndrome

An adult-onset progeroid syndrome caused by a defect in the DNA Helicase gene.

Hutchinson-Gilford Syndrome

A childhood-onset progeria (laminopathy) caused by a defect in the LMN-A (Lamin A) gene.

Hydroxyl radical

The most potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) free radical.

Ferroptosis

Iron-induced cell death regulated masterfully by Glutathione peroxidase type 4 (GPX4).

Bread and Butter appearance

The classic gross appearance of sero-fibrinous pericarditis in Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD).

Chemotaxis

The unidirectional targeted movement of leukocytes toward a chemical stimulus or bacterial products.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps

Extracellular web-like structures composed of extruded nuclear chromatin and arginine released by dying neutrophils to trap and kill bacteria during severe infections.

Emperipolesis

A phenomenon where an intact cell enters and exists inside another cell (macrophage) without being destroyed.

Chediak Higashi Syndrome

An autosomal recessive disorder caused by a LYST gene defect, characterized by neurological deficits, hemorrhage, albinism with silvery gray hair, and coarse cytoplasmic granules in WBCs.

Toluidine Blue

A metachromatic stain specifically used to visualize mast cells and basophils.

Epithelioid cells

Modified macrophages with slipper-shaped nuclei that form the principal cellular component of a granuloma.

Langhans giant cells

Multinucleated giant cells formed by fused macrophages with nuclei arranged in a horseshoe pattern, typical of tuberculosis.

Touton giant cells

Multinucleated giant cells with a wreath-like nuclear arrangement seen in xanthoma.

Granulation tissue

The hallmark tissue of wound repair consisting of new leaky blood vessels (neovascularization) and proliferating fibroblasts, beginning around Day 3 to 5.

Proud Flesh

An excessive accumulation of granulation tissue that projects above the level of surrounding skin during wound healing.

Keloid

An excessive scar composed of thick, haphazard collagen bundles extending beyond original wound boundaries, commonly found on the sternum.

Gaucher's Disease

An autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by Beta-glucocerebrosidase deficiency, featuring macrophages with a crumpled tissue paper appearance and severe bone pain.

Tay Sachs Disease

An autosomal recessive deficiency of Hexosaminidase A causing ballooned neurons, lysosomal onion skinning, and a cherry red macular spot without splenomegaly.

Niemann Pick Disease

An autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by sphingomyelinase deficiency, presenting with foamy cells, electron-microscopic zebra bodies, a cherry red spot, and palpable splenomegaly.