Cell Biology and Pathology Quiz

Histopathology & Cytology Techniques

• Histopathology is the analysis of cell and tissue shapes, sizes, and architectural patterns within a clinical context.
• Activities include pre-analytical (e.g., sample collection, transport), analytical (tissue processing, slide reading) and post-analytical (report delivery, archiving).

Risk Management

• Risk management ensures environmental and personal health and safety.
• The first step is identifying risks (electrical, mechanical, biological etc.).
• Inventory of chemical reagents and proper disposal of obsolete chemicals are essential.

Laboratory Safety and Instrumentation

• Understanding hazards (chemicals) is critical.
• Chemical labels should contain the chemical name, manufacturer's details, date of purchase/creation, expiry date, and safety procedures.
• Types of hazards include irritants (reversible skin effects), corrosives (irreversible tissue damage), and sensitizers (allergic reactions).
• Carcinogens can cause tumors (chloroforms, chromic acid, formaldehyde, nickel chloride, potassium dichromate, carcinogenic dyes).
• Toxic materials are hazardous at certain concentrations (methanol, mercury, chromic acid, osmium tetroxide, uranium nitrate).
• Physical hazards include falls and poor ergonomics.
• Biological hazards include infection agents and toxins.
• Also, Allergens (mold and fungi) can trigger allergic reactions.

Microscope

• Microscopes are used by pathologists and histotechnologists.
• Pathologists examine slides for disease processes.
• Histotechnologists use microscopy for quality control.
• Microscopes must magnify, resolve, and visualize.
• Compound microscopes have different parts (ocular, body tube, coarse focus, objective lens, stage, condenser, etc.).
• Magnification is determined by objective lens and eyepiece.
• Different types of microscopes (brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, fluorescence, polarized, electron) serve specific purposes.
• Electron microscopes (TEM and SEM) provide greater resolution for internal and surface viewing respectively.

Laboratory Quality Management System

• The degree to which healthcare services strive to meet pre-defined outcomes.
• Safety practices identify and mitigate risks (chemicals, biohazards, mechanical, electrical, fire).
• Quality Control ensures data integrity and accuracy.
• Quality Assurance involves assessing and improving various systems within the laboratory.
• A distributive system uses multiple laboratories for quality assessment.

Pathology

• The study of diseases at various levels (cellular abnormalities, tissue, organ, whole body, functional changes).
• Two main branches: General pathology (basic reactions of tissues) and Systemic pathology (specific responses in organs).
• Branches include Autopsy (study of macroscopic and microscopic tissue using cadavers), Gross Pathology (visual analysis), and Exfoliative cytology (microscopic study of desquamated cells).

Cellular Injury and Cell Death

• Cellular injury occurs when cells undergo stress that they are unable to adapt to.
• This may be due to external or internal factors.
• Cell death can be reversible or irreversible.
• Irreversible cell death can take place as Necrosis (unregulated cell death) or Apoptosis (programmed cell death).
• Different types of necrosis occur, including coagulative, liquefactive, gangrenous, and caseous.
• Cell death is a pivotal aspect of disease processes.

Techniques (Biopsy & Autopsy)

• Biopsy is the removal of tissue samples from a living patient for examination.
• Types of biopsy include excisional, incisional/core, fine needle aspiration, punch, and shave.
• Autopsy (also called necropsy) is the examination of a deceased body.
• Autopsy aims at determining if and where injury or disease occurred, and or the manner/cause of death.
• Both procedures are vital for diagnosis and clinical research.

Tissue Healing and Repair

• Tissue repair is a complex process.
• Repair involves regeneration (replacement with identical tissue) or scar formation (replacement with connective tissue).
• This process is affected by inflammatory response, blood supply, tissue type, and the presence of foreign substances.

Cellular Adaptations

• Cell adjustments to their environment include Atrophy (loss of cell size), Hypertrophy (increase in cell size), Hyperplasia (increase in cell numbers), Dysplasia (change in cell shape/size/arrangement), or Metaplasia (change in cell type).