Year 3 General & Systemic Pathology
General principles of disease, then organ-system pathology, across three semesters. Each unit runs for about 12 weeks and ends with a recap.
Assessment: CATs & logbook 40% (a written CAT at the end of every semester) · End-of-year examination 60% (MCQ, SAQ, LAQ and practical).
Semester 1 — Introduction to Pathology
- The cell as a unit of health and disease
- Cellular responses to stress and toxic insults: adaptation, injury and death
- Inflammation and repair
- Haemodynamic disorders
- Thromboembolic disease
- Shock
- Infectious diseases — part 1
- Infectious diseases — part 2
- Environmental diseases
- Nutritional diseases
- Diseases of infancy and childhood
Semester 1 — Oncopathology
- Nomenclature: characteristics of benign and malignant neoplasms
- Epidemiology of cancer
- Molecular basis of cancer: genetic and epigenetic alterations
- Proto-oncogenes, oncogenes and oncoproteins
- Insensitivity to growth inhibition: tumour suppressor genes
- Evasion of programmed cell death
- Angiogenesis
- Invasion and metastasis
- Evasion of host defence
- Dysregulation of cancer-associated genes
- Carcinogenic agents and their cellular interactions
- Clinical aspects of neoplasia
Semester 1 — Genetic Disorders
- Genes and human diseases
- Mendelian disorders
- Chromosomal disorders
- Down syndrome
- Klinefelter syndrome
- Turner syndrome
- Single-gene disorders with non-classic inheritance
- Fragile X syndrome and fragile X tremor
- Prader–Willi and Angelman syndromes
- Molecular genetic diagnosis: methods and indications for testing
- Molecular analysis of genomic alterations
- Next-generation sequencing
Semester 1 — Introduction to Cytopathology & Histopathology
- 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
Semester 2 — Pathology of the Cardiovascular System
- Vascular structure, function, anomalies and wall response to injury
- Hypertensive vascular disease and arteriosclerosis
- Atherosclerosis, aneurysms and dissection
- Vasculitis: giant cell, Takayasu, polyarteritis nodosa, Kawasaki, Churg–Strauss, Behçet
- Disorders of blood vessel hyperactivity, veins and lymphatics
- Vascular tumours and pathology of vascular intervention
- Cardiac structure, specialisations and effects of ageing on the heart
- Overview of cardiac physiology and heart failure
- Congenital heart disease and ischaemic heart disease
- Arrhythmias, hypertensive heart disease and valvular heart disease
- Cardiomyopathies, pericardial disease, rheumatologic heart disease, cardiac tumours and transplantation
Semester 2 — Pathology of the Respiratory System
- Congenital anomalies, atelectasis and pulmonary oedema
- Acute lung injury and ARDS (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
- Hospital-acquired pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia and lung abscess
- Chronic pneumonias; pneumonia in the immunocompromised / HIV
- Lung transplantation and tumours
- Pleura: effusion, pneumothorax, pleural tumours
Semester 2 — Pathology of the Gastrointestinal System
- Congenital abnormalities: atresia, fistula, duplications, hernia, omphalocele, gastroschisis, Meckel diverticulum, pyloric stenosis, Hirschsprung disease
- Oesophagus: obstruction and achalasia
- Oesophagitis and oesophageal tumours
- Stomach: gastropathy, acute and chronic gastritis
- Hypertrophic gastropathies, gastric polyps and tumours
- Small intestine and colon: obstruction, ischaemic bowel disease, malabsorption
- Infectious enterocolitis and irritable bowel syndrome
- Inflammatory bowel disease, graft-versus-host disease, sigmoid diverticular disease
- Polyps: adenomatous polyposis and hereditary non-polyposis
- Colorectal cancer and adenocarcinoma
- Haemorrhoids, acute appendicitis and tumours of the appendix
- Peritoneal cavity and tumours
Semester 2 — Pathology of the Female Reproductive System
- Anatomy of the female reproductive system
- Infections of the female reproductive system
- Vulva: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Vagina: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Cervix: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Uterine body: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Fallopian tubes: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Ovaries: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Gestational disorders
- Placental disorders: inflammation and infection
- Placental disorders: neoplasms
Semester 2 — Pathology of the Head, Neck, Endocrine & Metabolic Systems
- Oral pathology
- Ear pathology: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Eye pathology: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Neck: inflammation, infection and neoplasms
- Salivary glands
- Pituitary gland
- Thyroid gland
- Parathyroid gland
- Pancreas
- Adrenal gland
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes and the pineal gland
Semester 3 — Neuropathology
- Cellular pathology of the central nervous system
- Cerebral oedema, hydrocephalus, raised intracranial pressure and herniation
- Malformations and developmental disorders
- Trauma
- Cerebrovascular diseases
- Infections
- Prion diseases
- Demyelinating diseases
- Neurodegenerative disease
- Genetic metabolic diseases
- Toxic and acquired metabolic diseases
Semester 3 — Bone & Soft Tissue Pathology
- Bone: structure and function, developmental, genetic and acquired disorders
- Bone: fractures, osteonecrosis, osteomyelitis, bone tumours and tumour-like lesions
- Joints: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthropathies
- Joints: infectious arthritis, crystal-induced arthritis, tumours and tumour-like lesions
- Soft tissue: tumours of adipose, fibrous and skeletal muscle tissue
- Peripheral nerves: injury and neuropathies
- Neuromuscular junction: antibody-mediated disease and congenital myasthenic syndromes
- Peripheral nerves: disorders caused by toxins
- Peripheral nerve sheath tumours: schwannomas, MPNST, neurofibromatosis I and II
- Skeletal muscle: atrophy, neurogenic and myopathic change, inflammatory myopathies
- Skeletal muscle: toxic myopathies and inherited diseases
Semester 3 — Skin & Breast Pathology
- Epidermis, blistering and bullous disorders, disorders of epidermal appendages
- Dermis: acute and chronic inflammatory dermatoses
- Dermal tumours
- Tumours of cellular migrants of the skin; molecular genetics of skin cancers
- Melanocytic tumours
- Life-cycle changes of the breast and inflammation
- Benign epithelial lesions
- Breast cancer
- Stromal tumours
- Male breast
- Diagnostic approach to breast disease
Semester 3 — Male Reproductive & Urinary System Pathology
- Kidney: congenital and developmental anomalies; clinical manifestations of renal disease
- Kidney: glomerular, tubular and interstitial diseases
- Kidney: vascular and cystic diseases, urinary tract obstruction
- Kidney: neoplasms
- Lower urinary tract: ureters, bladder and urethra — congenital anomalies
- Lower urinary tract: infections and inflammations
- Lower urinary tract: neoplasms and obstructive lesions
- Male genital tract: congenital anomalies
- Male genital tract: infections and inflammations
- Male genital tract: neoplasms and obstructive lesions
- Male genital tract: prostate enlargement and regressive changes
Compiled by Abongo Davis · Ompath Study · shared for MBChB students at Mount Kenya University and other universities.