Course Objective

The objective of this course is to provide graduate-level instruction in Pathobiology: the study of biochemical, structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs, which cause or are caused by diseases. The course is designed for graduate students training for a career in biomedical research. The goal of the course will be to expand and extend the student’s knowledge of normal structure and function, into the realm of disease processes. The course also provides a foundation for understanding the medical science literature.

Introduction

Modern pathology is practiced as both a clinical and an investigative science. Clinical pathology assists in disease diagnoses, based on observed changes in tissue structure or biochemistry, while the focus of investigative pathology is the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms related to tissue injury and disease processes. Pathology 515 is a four unit, graduate-level course providing students with the necessary foundation to incorporate investigative pathology into research programs relevant to human disease. Basic principles of tissue injury and disease processes will be presented in the course lectures. Laboratory sessions will be used to illustrate material presented in the lectures, and to discuss relevant data from the scientific literature. Prerequisites for Pathology 515 include basic courses in biology and biochemistry.

General Course Objectives

Students are expected to work towards meeting the following objectives:

1. To become familiar with pathology nomenclature. By the end of the course, the students are expected to be able to communicate an understanding of tissue injury and diseases processes, using appropriate vocabulary.

2. To recognize morphological and functional differences between normal and injured or diseased tissue. The first goal of the course is to learn to distinguish pathological lesions from normal tissue. The second goal is to understand, from a structural, functional and biochemical perspective, the different types of pathological lesions, and provide scenarios for how they each arise.

3. To integrate pathological findings with clinical manifestations of disease. As this course is designed for graduate students training for research in the medical field, the students are expected to develop an understanding of the clinical features for certain disease processes. Particular emphasis will be placed on clinical aspects of cancer and heart disease. These features may impact on detection, treatment or outcome of the disease or injury.

4. To integrate the principles and information presented in this course with that from related disciplines. Material presented in the course is expected to contribute to the body of knowledge which students will carry with them into a research career. This should be a “working” body of knowledge which the student can apply, in a problem solving manner, to understanding mechanisms of disease.

5. In working towards a current understanding of the pathologic basis of disease, the student should develop a sense of which questions in pathology remain to be resolved.

Recommended Text

Basic Pathology, 8th ed., V. Kumar, A. K. Abbas, N. Fausto, R. Mitchell (eds.) Saunders / Elsevier, 2007. The textbook can be checked out, for four hours at a time, from the Reserve Desk at the AHSL library.

Additional Reference Material and Learning Resources

Pathology 515 course information can be found on the internet at the following URL address: http://path515.pathology.arizona.edu/. The site provides contact information for faculty teaching the course, the course description, a listing of course topics and additional course resources, including copies of lecture presentations and laboratory study guides. Access to the latter is password restricted; students registered in Path 515 will be provided with the login and password. In addition, external harddrives containing laboratory virtual slides will be available for check out through the library.

Course Format

The format of Pathology 515 will consist of 2–1 hour and 15 minute lectures per week and one 3–hour laboratory session. In lecture, general mechanisms of disease will be emphasized. The laboratory will serve to illustrate and clarify material presented in the lecture and focus on the consequences of disease processes in cells, tissues and organs.

Laboratory Activities

The goal of the laboratory exercises will be to teach students a system for examining biological samples and making a pathologic diagnosis. This "hands-on" training is aimed at enabling graduate students to incorporate pathology into their research programs.

Laboratory exercises will include:

Virtual Microscopic examinations - tissue sections

For every disease process presented in the laboratory, students will first be introduced to normal cellular and tissue structure. With the normal structure as a frame of reference, students will then be asked to observe tissue sections representing a disease state and describe the changes they observe.

 

Macroscopic examinations - gross specimens

Gross specimens of the disease processes under study will be presented along with the tissue sections. Students will be asked to describe the changes they see in the diseased tissue or organ.

The exercises will help students relate the gross appearance of diseased tissues to changes in cellular structure. From the integration of this information with the lecture material, students should be able to describe structural, functional and biochemical changes which occur in cells, tissues and organs, as the result of specific disease processes.

Examinations and Grading

Examinations in the course are designed to allow the student to assess their progress towards meeting the course objectives by providing an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge acquired as well as an ability to apply and integrate core concepts. Review sessions will be arranged prior to each examination if the students feel a need.

The laboratory practical will consist of microscopic images, photographs and gross specimens for which students will be asked to objectively describe and answer questions assessing their knowledge of disease processes.

Exams and other activities are weighted as follows for determining the final course grade.

Code of Academic Integrity

Students are expected to follow The University of Arizona’s Code of Academic Integrity, as found at URL: http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm.

PRINCIPLE

Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. This principle is furthered by the student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308 - 5-403, all provisions of which apply to all University of Arizona students. This Code of Academic Integrity (hereinafter "the Code") is intended to fulfill the requirement imposed by ABOR Policy 5-403.A.4 and otherwise to supplement the student Code of Conduct as permitted by ABOR Policy 5-308.C.1.

PROHIBITED CONDUCT

Conduct prohibited by the Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to: cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the Code of Conduct, ABOR Policy 5-308-E.10 and F.1; submitting an item of academic work that has previously been submitted without fair citation of the original work or authorization by the faculty member supervising the work; modifying any academic work to obtain additional credit in the same class unless approved in advance by the faculty member; failure to observe rules of academic integrity established by a faculty member for a particular course; and attempting to commit an act prohibited by this Code. Any attempt to commit an act prohibited by these rules shall be subject to sanctions to the same extent as completed acts.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Students engaging in academic dishonesty diminish their education and bring discredit to the academic community. Students shall not violate the Code of Academic Integrity and shall avoid situations likely to compromise academic integrity. Students shall observe the generally applicable provisions of this Code whether or not faculty members establish special rules of academic integrity for particular classes. Failure of faculty to prevent cheating does not excuse students from compliance with the Code.

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITY

Faculty members shall foster an expectation of academic integrity and shall notify students of their policy for the submission of academic work that has previously been submitted for academic advancement, as well as any special rules of academic integrity established for a particular class (e.g. whether or not a faculty member permits collaboration on homework) and make every reasonable effort to avoid situations conducive to infractions of the Code. An intentionally false charge of violation of the Code shall be treated as a violation of the Code or of the applicable University rules.