SCV0699 - INTEGRATED COURSE ON MOLECULAR BASIS OF IMMUNOLOGY AND PATHOLOGIES - Molecular basis of Pathologies

courses

ID:

SCV0699

Duration (hours):

48

CFU:

SSD:

PATOLOGIA GENERALE

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (28/09/2025 - 29/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The course introduces students to the understanding of the mechanisms and phenomena underlying human diseases. Specifically, it aims to provide students with knowledge of the cellular, biochemical, and molecular alterations associated with the loss of health; the main exogenous and endogenous causes of disease; the fundamental mechanisms of pathogenesis; and the biological processes involved in defense, damage adaptation, regeneration, and repair. By the end of the course, students are expected to understand: i) how etiological agents of disease—whether of exogenous or endogenous origin—lead to pathological events through complex cellular and molecular mechanisms; ii) how these mechanisms govern the organism’s response to injury, including adaptation and cell death; iii) that disease states arise from the interaction between causative agents and the organism’s cellular and molecular regulatory systems; iv) how the activation of pathophysiological regulatory circuits initiates or contributes to the development of general pathology.

Course Prerequisites

The course requires students to have acquired foundational knowledge in cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, biochemistry, and immunology.

Teaching Methods

The course objectives will be achieved through 48 hours of in-person lectures, supported by PowerPoint slide presentations. Given the complexity of the topics and the depth of the material covered, regular attendance is strongly recommended.

Assessment Methods

Students must pass an oral examination covering theoretical aspects of general and molecular pathology. Assessment will be based on the acquisition and understanding of knowledge (40%), the ability to apply acquired knowledge (30%), independent judgment (10%), communication skills (10%), and learning capacity (10%).

Basic concepts in Pathology: Etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical significance. General etiology of disease; inherited and acquired diseases. Definition and classification of cellular injuries/damage. Cellular responses to stress and harmful stimuli. Mechanisms of Adaptation: Hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, agenesis, metaplasia, and dysplasia. Causes of cellular injury; morphological, biochemical, and molecular alterations associated with cell damage. Reversible and irreversible injury. Cell Death: Necrosis and apoptosis. Autophagy. Cellular aging and senescence. Intracellular Accumulations and Calcifications: Accumulation of water, lipids, proteins, glycogen, and pigments. Pathological calcifications: dystrophic and metastatic calcification. Genetic Diseases Acute Inflammation: Chemical and cellular mediators of inflammation. Outcomes of acute inflammation. Morphological patterns of acute inflammation. Chronic inflammation, systemic effects of inflammation, and consequences of defective or excessive inflammatory responses. Tissue Repair and Regeneration: Cellular and molecular elements involved in healing processes. Scar formation and fibrosis. Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Hemodynamic Disorders: Edema, hyperemia, congestion, hemorrhage, hemostasis and thrombosis, embolism, infarction, shock. Atherosclerosis Diabetes Amyloidosis Nutritional Disorders Oncology: Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Tumor classification. Carcinogenesis and carcinogens. Cancer-associated inflammation. Tumor microenvironment and tumor angiogenesis. Tumor immunology: tumor–immune system interactions, immune cell polarization. Seminars