Chapter 1: What is Pathology? What Is Disease?

Subdivisions of clinical pathology

histopathology, cytopathology, hematology, microbiology, immunology, chemical pathology, genetics, toxicology, and forensic pathology

Autopsy

microscopic and microscopic examination of organs and diseased tissue; helped create determination of cause of death and accuracy of clinical diagnosis

Molecular Pathology

reveals the change of a single nucleotide in DNA resulting in the synthesis of the defective gene production to cause a particular disease

Light microscopy

sample of tissue is being looked at, sectioned in different ways

Histochemistry

study of the chemistry of tissue; biochemical features of individual cells can be visualized

Diagnosis

the act of naming a disease in an individual patient; the process of making a diagnosis involves several steps like clinical history and examination, lab tests, and category of disease determination

Prognosis

the anticipated course of the disease in terms of cure, remission, and fate of the patient; what is the forecast of the disease? cure? what is the potential of remission?

Pathogenesis

the development and mechanisms of the disease; an example of this is a virus - you would ask, what is the mechanism of is how is it entering, how is it replicating and using the body?

Clinical Pathology

the in depth study of cause and mechanisms of disease and the effects of the disease upon the various organs and systems of the body

Cytopathology

the investigation and diagnosis of disease from examination of isolated cells

Histopathology

the investigation and diagnosis of disease from examination of tissue

Gross pathology

the microscopic study of disease

Pathology

the scientific study of diseases; compromises a large body of scientific knowledge and diagnostic methods to understand diseases and causes

Complications and sequelae

the sequential order of the disease; is something quick,acute; does it become chronic?

Chemical Pathology

the study and diagnosis of disease from the chemical changes in tissues and fluids

Genetics

the study of abnormal chromosomes and genes

Hematology

the study of disorders of the cellular and coagulation components of blood

Microbiology

the study of infectious diseases and the organisms responsible for them; microscopy allows identification of the organism

Toxicology

the study of the effects of known or suspected poisons

Epidemiology

the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations includes incidence and prevalence

Immunology

the study of the specific defense mechanisms of the body

Immunohistochemistry

the use of antibodies to visualize substances in the tissue section or cell preparations; these antibodies are linked to an enzyme to give a color, which is *indicator specific* to what we are looking for - immunofluorescent shows a neon color but the color dies, so it is not reliable

Forensic Pathology

the use of pathology for legal purposes

Hematological techniques

used in the study of blood disorders involving cell counts and coagulation studies

Biochemical techniques

used to monitor fluids and electrolyte homeostasis in many disorders

Electron microscopy

used to study disorders at an organelle level

Etiology

what causes the disease

Pathological and clinical features

what does the disease look like? the structural and functional changes of the disease in the body