pathophysiology- the study of the abnormal physical, and biochemical functioning of diseased organs, or that which causes the disease

• chemical changes that take place in body tissue that is undergoing inflammation

• harm caused to the body by toxins released by a bacterium

  • e.g. in cases of sepsis

pathology is the physical macroscopic and microscopic changes present in deseased organs and tissues

• usually studied in speciments obtained (often obtained post mortem)

disease- any abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes local or systemic discomfort, dysfunction, or distress to the person affected

• in broader terms, includes:

  • injuries due to:

    • deficiences

    • intoxication

      • endogenous (internal origin)

      • exogenous (external origin)

    • trauma

  • disabilities

  • syndromes (combination of signs and symptoms associated w a particular disease)

  • deviant behaviors

  • atypical variations of structure and function

• can be either infectious or not

  • infectious- aka contagious, can be transmitted

    • droplets from coughs or sneezes

    • bites of insects or other vectors

    • contaiminated water/food

    • etc.

  • non infectious- diseases (ex. cancer, heart disease) are not considered to be due to infection

    • although micro organisms may play a role

experimental pathology- aka investigative pathology, the study of disease mechanisms and pathophysiology

molecular pathology- the study of abnormalities in gene expression, gene morphology, and the use of gene expession analysis to validate large numbers of targets

histochemistry- the study of the chemical composition of cells and tussyes using a combination of biochemistry and histology techniques

immunohistochemistry- a lab method that uses antibodies to check for certain antigens in a sample of tissue

immunopathology- the branch of immunology that deals w pathologies of the immune system

neuropathology- the study of diseases of the nervous system, and changes in the brain produced by a disease

• alois alzheimer was a famous founder of neuropathology

diagnosis:

• the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms , and results of various diagnostic procedures

• the conclusion reached through diagnostic procedures

• using abnormal symptoms for a diagnosis:

  • obtain a history of their present illness and examine them for etiology of disease

    • etiology- the cause of the disease (ex. viral etiology describes a disease caused by a virus)

    • idiopathic- when the etiology is unknown

  • can be:

    • chronic- longer duration

    • acute- rapid onset

    • local- confined to one region of the body

    • systemic- more widely distributed

• commonly performed diagnostic tests and procedures:

  • urinalysis (urine test)

  • stool samples

  • saliva samples

  • blood test

  • medical imaging (ex. x-ray, mri)

  • electrocardiogram

  • biopsy (involves removal of cells or tissues for examination)

  • endoscopy

urinalysis:

• most common tests performed on a urine sample:

  • physical examination- a description of color and appearance

  • specific gravity- the ratio of the density of a substance to the density or a standard (usually water for a liquid)

    • urinary specific gravity- a measure of the concentration of solutes in the urine, measures the ratio of urine density compared w water density and provides info on the kidneys ability to concentrate urine

  • pH

  • glucose

  • ketones- acids the body produces when its using fat for energy instead of glucose

  • protein

  • rbc number

  • wbc number

  • hCG (for pregnancy)

blood chemistry tests:

• some of the tests done on a blood sample:

  • electrolyte tests

    • sodium

    • potassium

    • chloride

    • bicarbinate or CO3

  • BUN (blood urea nitrogen)

  • creatinine

  • glucose- this test can also be performed directly by diabetic patients using a glucose meter

  • large organic molecuels

    • proteins

      • protein electrophoresis (general technique, not a specific test)

      • western blot- general technique, not a specific test, a method of molecular biology /biochemistry to detect protein in a given sample of tissue homogenate or extract

    • liver function tests

  • cells

    • cbc (complete blood count)

    • hematocrit and mcv (mean corpuscular volume0

      • the hematocrit (Ht or hct) and packed cell volume (pcv) are measures of the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by rbcs

        • normally .42-.52 for men and .36-.48 for women

    • erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr)

    • cross matching

      • determination of blood type for transfusion or transplants

    • blood cultures are commonly taken if infection is suspected

      • positive cultures and resulting sensitivity results are often useful in guiding medical treatment

prognosis- the medical term denoting the doctors prediction of how a patients disease will progress and whether there is a chance of recovery

• the prediction of a particular diseases outcome