Cell Pathology 1

Question 1

What are the 8 causes of cell injury?

Answer 1

1. Oxygen Deprivation
2. Chemical Agents
3. Infectious Agents
4. Physical Agents (trauma)
5. Genetic defects
6. Nutritional imbalances
7. Immunological reactions
8. Aging

Question 2

What could oxygen deprivation in a major part of the body(e.g. coronary arteries) lead to?

Answer 2

Myocardial infarction

Question 3

What does the cellular response to injury depend on?

Answer 3

1. Type of injury
2. Severity of injury
3. Duration of injury

Question 4

What do the consequences of cell injury depend on?

Answer 4

1. Type of cell
2. The cell’s status
   (3. Ability to adapt
3. Genetic makeup)

Question 5

What is the sequence of cell death?

Answer 5

1. Cell function ceases
2. Cell death occurs
3. Morphological changes seen

Question 6

What are the 4 vulnerable intracellular systems?

Answer 6

1. Cell membrane integrity
2. ATP production
3. Protein synthesis
4. Integrity of genetic apparatus

Question 7

What is atrophy?

Answer 7

1. Shrinkage in cell size

2. by loss of cell substance

Question 8

Give 2 examples of atrophy

Answer 8

1. Dementia

2. Pernicious anaemia

Question 9

Define hypertrophy.

Answer 9

1. Increase in size of cells
2. Consequently increase in size of organ
3. Can be physiological or pathological
4. Caused by increased functional demand or hormone stimulation

Question 10

Give an example of hypertrophy.

Answer 10

Physiological hypertrophy (e.g. uterus or when muscle builds)

Question 11

Define hyperplasia.

Answer 11

1. Increase in number of cells
2. Can be physiological or pathological
3. Physiological hyperplasia can be hormonal or compensatory
4. Pathological Hyperplasia is usually due to excess hormonal/growth factor stimulation.

Question 12

Give an example of hyperplasia.

Answer 12

Proliferating endometrium (menstrual cycle - pays) or carcinoma (path).

Question 13

Define metaplasia.

Answer 13

1. Reversible change when one adult cell type is replaced by another.
2. Can be physiological process or pathological.

Question 14

Give examples of metaplasia.

Answer 14

Physiological - cervix (puberty when cells change)

Barrett’s Oesophagus - acid reflux causes cells in oesophagus to change from squamous to columnar.

Question 15

Define dysplasia.

Answer 15

1. Precancerous cells
2. Show the genetic and cytological features of malignancy
3. NOT invading underlying tissue

Question 16

Give an example of dysplasia

Answer 16

Retinal dysplasia - abnormal formation of retina in embryo

Barretts Oesophagus - sometimes dysplasia occurs instead of metaplasia.

Question 17

What are the light microscopic changes visible that are associated with reversible injury?

Answer 17

1. Fatty changes (e.g. alcoholic fatty changes in liver)

2. Cellular swelling

Question 18

What are the light microscopic changes associated with irreversible injuries?

Answer 18

1. Coagulative necrosis
2. Liquefactive necrosis
3. Caseous necrosis
4. Fat necrosis

Question 19

What is coagulative necrosis?

Answer 19

When cells die, but are still recognisable as cells (e.g. MI)

Question 20

What is liquefactive necrosis?

Answer 20

When cells die and become liquid (e.g. brain)

Question 21

What is caseous necrosis?

Answer 21

Cells look “cheesy”

Dead tissues become granules, unrecognisable as cells (e.g. TB - almost exclusively)

Question 22

What is fat necrosis?

Answer 22

1. Enzymes become free
2. Fatty autodigestion
3. Fatty acids produced
4. Release of Ca ions causes fat deposition.

(e.g. Acute pancreatitis).

Question 23

What is apoptosis?

Answer 23

1. Programmed cell death, requires energy
2. No inflammatory response
3. No secondary damage to surrounding tissue

Question 24

What is necrosis?

Answer 24

1. When lots of cells die together.
2. Uncontrolled and unexpected
3. Inflammatory response occurs, meaning surrounding tissues are damaged.

Question 25

What are the 3 nuclear changes associated with irreversible cell injury?

Answer 25

1. Karyolysis (nucleus lysed) 2. Pyknosis (nucleus shrunk) 3. Karyorrhexis (nucleus fragmented)

Question 26

Why is there an inflammation response in necrosis?

Answer 26

1. Cell membrane integrity is lost. 2. Cell contents released to surrounding tissues. 3. Cell contents detected by immune system 4. Causes inflammatory response mediated by T cells.

Question 27

What are the causes of apoptosis?

Answer 27

1. Embryogenesis 2. Deletion of auto-reactive T cells in Thymus 3. Hormone dependent physiological involution (shrinkage of an organ when inactive/old - e.g. uterus) 4. Cell deletion 5. Irreparable DNA damage can trigger apoptosis

Question 28

What is the hallmark of apoptotic cells?

Answer 28

Pyknotic nuclei (shrunk nuclei).

Question 29

What happens to apoptosed cells?

Answer 29

They are phagocytksed and disposed of by macrophages.

Question 30

What 3 things is necrosis more than apoptosis?

Answer 30

1. More toxic 2. More severe 3. Longer

Question 31

How can cancer occur?

Answer 31

When cancerous cells are not apoptosed.

Question 32

3 differences between necrosis and apoptosis.

Answer 32

1. Necrosis is not dependent on energy, whereas apoptosis is an active energy dependent process. 2. Apoptosis may be physiological. 3. Apoptosis is not associated with inflammation.

Question 33

What is another type of programmed cell death?

Answer 33

Necroptosis.

Question 34

What is necroptosis?

Answer 34

1. Programmed cell death associated with inflammation. | 2. Has many causes (e.g. viral infections).

Question 35

What is lethal cell injury?

Answer 35

Produces cell death

Question 36

What is sublethal cell injury?

Answer 36

Produces injury not amounting to cell death. May be reversible. May progress to cell death.