Pathobiology

Abstract:

The purpose of this course is to explore the subject of human disease, placing special emphasis on the cause of disease at the tissue level. The student will pay close attention to the underlying mechanisms that initiate and perpetuate the disease state. The student will begin this course with a basic review of molecules, cells, and tissues in the human body, then discuss the inflammatory reaction and the immune system. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: explain how atoms combine to form larger molecules such as proteins and carbohydrates; compare and contrast inflammation, the innate (non-specific) immune response, and the adaptive immune response; define the term infectious disease, giving examples of causative agents and resulting disease states; differentiate between apoptosis and necrosis; describe how normal cells become immortalized to become cancer cells; compare and contrast diseases involving an overactive and underactive immune system, including SCID, HIV, allergies, and asthma as examples; explain how an autoimmune response leads to diseases such as Type 1 diabetes mellitus and lupus (SLE); explain how genetic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, are passed from parents to offspring and the changes that occur to the cells involved; describe how changes in the skeletal system and skeletal muscle anatomy and physiology lead to the development of diseases such as osteoporosis and muscular dystrophy; identify the changes that occur in the circulatory system with atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction; outline the major changes that occur in renal diseases such as glomerulonephritis; diagram the levels of damage seen with first-, second-, and third-degree burns; write a list of cellular and tissue changes seen with various diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver, thyroid disorders like hypothyroidism, nervous system diseases like Alzheimer's, and in sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis; identify major changes that occur to a body postmortem and how the autopsy is used to recognize normal and abnormal changes. (Biology 402)

Subject:

Science and Technology

Grade Level:

Post-secondary

Collection:

Saylor Foundation