Explore human pathology: understand disease mechanisms, causes, and diagnostic approaches. Essential knowledge for medical students & healthcare professionals.
Year Three General and Systemic Pathology Department of Pathology School of Medicine, College of Health SciencesEmail: pathology@.ac.ke --- Vision To be a global hub of excellence in education, research and innovation in Pathology. Mission To provide world class education, research and innovation for global transformation and sustainable development in Pathology harnessing knowledge in applied sciences and technology for the service of humanity in line with the university quality policy and medical ethics. Core Values Integrity Professionalism Innovation --- 1. Course Purpose The main purpose of this unit is to equip learners with basic knowledge on general pathology to enable them understand the principles and function of the human body from cellular level, organs and systems and their inter-relationship. --- 2. Quality Objectives 2.1 Critical Thinking Develop the ability to collect, analyze and evaluate information and formulate conclusions through critical and analytical thinking. 2.2 Communication Competency Demonstrate competency in oral, written, quantitative, and technological skills including scientific and quantitative literacy. 2.3 Global Health Awareness Acquire understanding of economic, historical, political, geographic and environmental relationships, with awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity in global health. 2.4 Field Mastery Gain mastery of pathology knowledge and its multi-cultural and multinational application. 2.5 Community Service Participate in community service, citizenship, or social action projects and activities. 2.6 Ethical Standards Formulate and articulate ethical standards to guide professional and personal conduct. --- 3. Expected Learning Outcomes General Pathology - Explain cellular response to injury including adaptations, cell injury and cell death - Explain subcellular response to injury, intracellular accumulations and pathologic calcification - Explain general features of acute and chronic inflammation - Explain tissue repair and healing - Explain pathophysiologic categories of edema - Explain hyperemia, congestion and hemorrhage - Explain thrombosis, embolism, and infarction Systemic Pathology - Explain normal structure and function of all systems, classifications and etiopathogenesis of common disease processes - Explain clinical presentation, gross and microscopic findings of common diseases in all systems - Describe morphological features, functional consequences and clinicopathological and radiological correlations - Describe tissue processing from biopsy collection to report generation and interpretation Histology & Histopathology - Describe tissue processing and staining methods - Describe slide and tissue archival and retrieval - Interpret histopathology reports and make clinicopathological correlations Cytology & Cytopathology - Describe types of cytology specimens, indications and collection methods - Explain cytological fixation and staining methods - Interpret cytopathology reports and make clinicopathological correlations --- 4. Instructional Methods 4.1 Lectures & Discussions Didactic lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and class discussions emphasizing active learning and competency-based instruction. 4.2 Laboratory Learning Practical sessions demonstrating specific aspects of current topics, with students completing exercises in laboratory manuals and logbooks. 4.3 Multimedia Resources Video demonstrations and CD-ROMs on Human Pathology when available. 4.4 Assignments Individual or group research, discussions, presentations including discovery learning, problem-based learning, experimental learning, group-based learning, independent studies and e-learning. --- 5. Instructional Materials & Equipment Lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, tutorials, video demonstrations, CD-ROMs, microscopes, textbooks, and practical manuals. --- 6. Course Requirements - Attend all lectures and laboratory practicals - Logbook is mandatory - must be completed and submitted at the end of Year III for marking --- 7. Course Content FIRST SEMESTER Introduction to Pathology (12 weeks) - The Cell as a Unit of Health and Disease - Cellular responses to stress and toxic insults: adaptation, injury and death - Inflammation and repair - Hemodynamic disorders - Thromboembolic disease - Shock - Infectious diseases – Part 1 - Infectious diseases – Part 2 - Environmental diseases - Nutritional diseases - Diseases of infancy and childhood - Recap Oncopathology (12 weeks) - Nomenclature: Characteristics of Benign and Malignant Neoplasms - Epidemiology of Cancer - Molecular Basis of Cancer: Role of Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations - Proto-oncogenes, Oncogenes and Oncoproteins - Insensitivity to Growth Inhibition: Tumor Suppressor Genes and Evasion of Programmed Cell Death - Angiogenesis - Invasion and Metastasis - Evasion of Host Defense - Dysregulation of Cancer Associated Genes - Carcinogenic Agents and Their Cellular Interactions - Clinical Aspects of Neoplasia - Recap Genetic Disorders (12 weeks) - Genes and Human Diseases - Mendelian Disorders - Chromosomal Disorders - Down syndrome - Klinefelter syndrome - Turner syndrome - Single-Gene Disorders with Nonclassic Inheritance - Fragile X Syndrome and Fragile X Tremor - Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome - Molecular Genetic Diagnosis: Diagnostic methods and Indications for testing - Molecular Analysis of Genomic Alterations - Next Generation Sequencing Introduction to Cytopathology and Histopathology (11 weeks) - Tissues and Tissue fixation - Tissue decalcification and processing - Microtomy - Histochemical Stains - Immunohistochemical Stains - Introduction to cytology and cytopathology - Exfoliative cytology - Body fluids cytopathology - Fine needle aspiration - Special techniques in cytology - Recap --- SECOND SEMESTER Pathology of the Cardiovascular System (12 weeks) - Vascular Structure, function, Anomalies and Wall Response to Injury - Hypertensive Vascular Disease and Arteriosclerosis - Atherosclerosis, Aneurysms and Dissection - Vasculitis: Giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Behçet disease - Disorders of Blood Vessel Hyperactivity, veins and lymphatics - Vascular Tumors and Pathology of Vascular Intervention - Cardiac Structure, Specializations and Effects of Aging on the Heart - Overview of Cardiac Physiology and Heart Failure - Congenital Heart Disease and Ischemic Heart Disease - Arrhythmias, Hypertensive Heart Disease and Valvular Heart Disease - Cardiomyopathies, Pericardial Disease, Heart Disease Associated with Rheumatologic Disorders, Tumors of the Heart and Cardiac Transplantation - Recap Pathology of the Respiratory System (12 weeks) - Congenital Anomalies, Atelectasis and Pulmonary Edema - Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (Diffuse Alveolar Damage) - Obstructive Lung Diseases - Chronic Diffuse Interstitial (Restrictive) Diseases - Diseases of Vascular Origin - Pulmonary Infections: Community Acquired Bacterial Pneumonias - Pulmonary Infections: Community Acquired Viral Pneumonias - Health Care-Associated, Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, Aspiration Pneumonia and Lung Abscess - Chronic Pneumonias, Pneumonia in the Immunocompromised/HIV - Lung Transplantation and Tumors - Pleura: Pleural Effusion, Pneumothorax, Pleural Tumors - Recap Pathology of the Gastrointestinal System (12 weeks) - Congenital Abnormalities: Atresia, Fistula and Duplications, Hernia, Omphalocele, Gastroschisis, Ectopia, Meckel Diverticulum, Pyloric Stenosis, Hirschsprung Disease - Esophagus: Obstruction and Achalasia - Esophagitis and Esophageal Tumors - Stomach: Gastropathy, Acute Gastritis and Chronic Gastritis - Hypertrophic Gastropathies, Gastric Polyps and Tumors - Small Intestine and Colon: Obstruction, Ischemic Bowel Disease, Malabsorption - Infectious enterocolitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Inflammatory bowel disease, Graft vs Host Disease, Sigmoid Diverticular Disea