Pathology Unit 1

Pathophysiology

Study of body’s response to altered function or disease

Pathology

Study of structural and functional changes that occur in cells, tissues, and organs of the body as a result of disease processes (pathos-disease)

Physiology

Study of body function

Health

Physical, mental, and social well-being

Disease

Disorder of system characterized by etiologic agents, signs/symptoms, or anatomic alterations

Etiologic factors

Causes of a disease (physical forces, chemical agents, biologic agents, genetic predisposition, and nutritional excesses or deficiencies)

Risk factors

Predispose someone to a given disease

Congenital

Present at birth (genetic, environmental)

Acquired

Occur after birth (injury, infections, malnutrition)

Pathogenesis

Development of a disease process (cellular & tissue level from contact with etiologic agent)

Morphology

Structure of cells or tissues

Histology

Study of cells at the tissue level

Lesion

Pathologic or traumatic injury of an organ or tissue

Clinical Manifestations

Ways a disease presents itself

Sign

Objective manifestation (fever)

Symptom

Subjective complaint (dizziness)

Syndrome

Group of multiple signs & symptoms occuring together

Complications

Potential adverse effects

Sequelae

Lesions or impairments that follow or are caused by a particular disease

Diagnosis

Process of identifying the disease or disorder based on patient symptoms & signs

Specificity

People without disease test negative

Sensitivity

People with disease test positive

Predictive Value

Ability of a test result or observation to predict the presence of a given disease or condition

Clinical Course

Development of a disease

Epidemiology

Study of disease occurrence

Prevalence

Number of people with disease at a particular time

Incidence

Number of new cases

Morbidity

Affect of disease on life

Mortality

Rates of death caused

Disease Frequency

Measurement to predict the rise or decline of disease

Disease Case

Existing case or number of new episodes

Natural History

Progression of disease when no treatment is provided

Prognosis

Predicted outcome and likelihood of recovery from a disease

Primary Prevention

Attempts to eliminate risk factors in order to prevent disease from occuring (daily multi-vitamin, vaccines)

Secondary Prevention

Aims to detect and treat disease early, usually while asymptomatic and curable (annual doctor visit)

Tertiary Prevention

Occurs after diagnosis is made and clinical intervention is needed to reduce complications and/or deterioration

Evidence-based practice

Conscientious reliance on current best, scientific evidence in making decisions regarding care

Cross-sectional studies

Simultaneous collection of info to classify exposure and outcome status

Case-control studies

Compare case subjects to control subjects

Cohort Studies

Groups of people born at the same time and/or who share the same characteristics of interest

Cell

Smallest functional unit of life

Nucleus

Command center, contains hereditary material in the form of DNA and RNA

Cytoplasm

Solution containing water, electrolytes, proteins, fats, and glycogen molecules

Plasma Membrane

Semipermeable and separates the intracellular contents from the extracellular environment

Integral Proteins

Span entire lipid bilayer & transport molecules across

Peripheral Proteins

Found on 1 side of membrane, but don’t pass through, they serve as receptors and intracellular signaling systems

Glycocalyx

(cell coat) fuzzy layer surrounding cell surface & made of complex carbohydrate chains that are attached to either protein or lipid molecules that penetrate the outside portion of the membrane

Lectins

Specific carbohydrate-binding proteins associated with the cell coat & have many important functions

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Essential for all life, its genes encode info necessary for protein synthesis

Chromatin

Complex structure of DNA-associated proteins contained in the nuclear matrix

Nucleolus

Inside nucleus where rRNA is processed & assembled into ribosomes

Nuclear Envelope

Surrounds nucleus & contains 2 nuclear membranes

Ribosomes

Site of protein synthesis in cell

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

Extensive system of interconnected membranes and flat vesicles that connect various parts of the cell

Rough ER

Carries ribosomes and functions to synthesize lysosomal enzymes

Smooth ER

Doesn’t carry ribosomes, but lipids, lipoproteins, and steroid hormones are made there

Golgi apparatus/Golgi complex

Composed of stacks of thin, flattened vesicles or sacs

Lysosomes

Serve as digestive capacity of cell, small sacs contain powerful hydrolytic enzymes that break down cell excess, worn cellular components, and foreign substances

Heterophagy

Digestion of a substance phagocytosed from outside of cell

Autophagy

Digestion of damaged cellular organelles, which lysosomes must remove for cell to function properly