Pathophysiology Foundations, Cellular Function, and Immunity Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the introduction to pathophysiology, cellular mechanisms, genetic disorders, and the immune system based on the lecture transcript.

Pathophysiology

The study of what happens when normal anatomy and physiology go wrong, serving as the foundation for medical and nursing therapies.

Homeostasis

A self-regulating, give-and-take system that maintains internal balance, consistency, and stability through compensation mechanisms.

Negative Feedback System

The most common type of feedback system that works to resist change from normal by maintaining a deficit in the system, such as temperature or glucose regulation.

Positive Feedback System

A system that moves the body away from homeostasis by amplifying a response in the same direction as the original stressor, such as childbirth or blood clots.

Etiology

The study of disease causation, which may include infectious agents, chemicals, or environmental influences.

Idiopathic

A term used to describe a disease for which the cause is unknown.

Iatrogenic

A disease or condition caused by an unintended effect of a medical treatment.

Pathogenesis

The sequence of events representing how a disease develops, from initial contact with an etiologic agent to the expression of the disease.

Signs

Clinical manifestations of a disease that can be seen or measured by a healthcare practitioner.

Symptoms

Clinical manifestations described by the patient that are not visible to the healthcare practitioner.

Prognosis

An individual's likelihood of making a full recovery or regaining normal functioning after a disease.

Epidemiology

The branch of science that analyzes patterns of diseases in a group of people, including occurrence, transmission, and distribution.

Nucleus

The control center of the cell that contains genetic information in the form of $DNA$ and regulates growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

Mitochondria

Organelles responsible for cellular respiration and energy production by consuming nutrients and creating $ATP$.

Diffusion

The movement of solutes from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration until equality is reached.

Osmosis

The passive movement of a solvent across a cellular membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration.

Active Transport

The movement of a substance from an area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration against a gradient, requiring a carrier molecule and $ATP$.

Phagocytosis

A form of endocytosis, or 'cell eating,' where the cell membrane surrounds and engulfs solid particles.

Mitosis

The most common form of cell division resulting in two genetically identical daughter cells through four steps: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Differentiation

The process by which primitive stem cells develop into specialized cells with specific types, functions, and structures.

Atrophy

Cellular adaptation where cells decrease in size and number due to decreased work demands, such as disuse or ischemia.

Hypertrophy

An increase in cell size in an attempt to meet increased work demands, such as cardiac muscle thickening due to hypertension.

Hyperplasia

An increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue, which occurs only in cells capable of mitotic division.

Metaplasia

The replacement of one adult cell type by another cell type, usually initiated by chronic irritation and inflammation.

Dysplasia

An abnormal cellular adaptation where cells mutate into cells of a different size, shape, and appearance; often considered precancerous.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that occurs due to morphologic changes, serving to eliminate unwanted cells.

Ischemia

Inadequate blood flow to tissue or an organ, which can lead to cell damage or death.

Liquefaction Necrosis

A type of cell death where caustic enzymes dissolve and liquefy necrotic cells, commonly occurring in the brain.

Anaplasia

A key feature of cancer characterized by a loss of cellular differentiation; the less a cell resembles the original cell, the more anaplastic it is.

Carcinogenesis

The three-phase process by which cancer develops, consisting of initiation, promotion, and progression.

Metastasize

The process by which cancer spreads from a primary site to secondary sites via the circulatory or lymphatic system.

Karyotype

The representation of a person's unique set of $46$ chromosomes.

Homozygous

A genetic state in which a person has identical alleles for a specific gene on both chromosomes.

Marfan Syndrome

An autosomal dominant degenerative disorder of connective tissue resulting from an $FBN1$ mutation on chromosome $15$.

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

An autosomal recessive deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase ($PAH$) that leads to toxic levels of phenylalanine and central nervous system damage.

General Adaptation Syndrome

The cluster of systemic manifestations described by Hans Selye as an attempt to cope with a stressor, involving alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages.

Innate Immunity

Immediate and nonspecific defenses including physical barriers like the skin and chemical barriers like stomach acid.

Inflammatory Response

A nondiscriminatory series of reactions to tissue damage characterized by erythema, edema, heat, and pain.

Interferons

Small proteins released from virus-infected cells that bind to uninfected cells to trigger enzymes that inhibit viral replication.

Cellular Immunity

A defense approach mediated by T cells that recognize and bind to antigens to trigger a response by other immune cells.

Humoral Immunity

An immune approach mediated by B cells that differentiate into antibody-secreting cells to eliminate extracellular pathogens.

Active Acquired Immunity

Long-term protection gained by actively engaging with an antigen through infection or vaccination, where the body produces its own antibodies.

Passive Acquired Immunity

Short-lived protection gained by receiving antibodies made outside the body, such as from mother to fetus via the placenta.

Type I Hypersensitivity

An $IgE$-mediated immediate response to an allergen that triggers mast cell degranulation and the release of inflammatory mediators like histamine.