PATOLOGIA GENERALE

The aim is to give the student the basic knowledge necessary to define causes and pathogenic mechanisms involved in diseases. To develope a course orienting the student towards professional interactions among patients and physicians. It is noteworthy to remember that the pharmacist is often the first patient-health care interlocutor, who offers patient concise and clear information and directions.

Etiology: Health and disease, definition of aetiopathogenesis. Intrinsic and extrinsic causes of disease.

Cellular pathology: acute and chronic cell injury. Cellular stress response. Cellular adaptations: regeneration, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, phenotypic changes. Cell death: apoptosis and necrosis.

Acute and chronic inflammation: cells and chemical mediators of acute inflammation. Chemotaxis and phagocytosis. Cytokines in inflammation. The complement cascade. Chronic inflammation. Wound healing. Fever.

Immunology and immunopathology: innate and adaptative immunity. Immunological tolerance. Antigens and antibodies. The histocompatibility antigens and rejection of grafts. Hypersensitivity reactions. Immunodeficiencies. Autoimmune diseases.

Oncology: chemical, physical and biological causes of tumors. Genetic predisposition to cancerous conditions. Pathogenesis of neoplastic transformation. Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Local growth and metastasis.

Pathogenetic mechanisms of: Cell blood disorders (anemia, acute and chronic leukemias, lymphomas, monoclonal gammapathies). Heart and vessel diseases (atherosclerosis, thrombosis; embolic disease; ischemia and stroke; aneurysms; regulative mechanisms of blood pressure; blood hypotension and hypertension; the shock; cardiac arrhythmias). Pulmonary diseases (respiratory insufficiency, asthma, emphysema, edema). Gastro-intestinal and liver diseases (dysphagia, esophagitis, gastritis. ulcers pancreatitis; hepatitis; cirrhosis; icterus). Kidney diseases (acute and chronic insufficiency, nephritis and nephrosis, neprolithiasis). Endocrine disorders (hypophysis thyroid, pancreas (diabetes mellitus), adrenal glands).

Pontieri et al. Patologia Generale. Piccin Nuova libraria. Robbins et al. Basi Patologiche Malattie: Patologia Generale. Elsevier Mak/Saunders. Fondamenti di Immunologia, Zanichelli.