MED2052

Tissue injury, neoplasia and inflammation and infection and immunity

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Tissue injury, neoplasia and inflammation

Professor J W Goding and Dr R Salom (Pathology and Immunology)

Objectives This unit aims to provide a solid understanding of the basic principles of pathology that form the foundations upon which subsequent systems-based courses and clinical teaching will be built. On completion of this unit, students should understand the causes and consequences of injury to individual cells and tissues, the processes of acute and chronic inflammation and normal and abnormal tissue repair mechanisms. They should comprehend the mechanisms which control cell growth and differentiation, and understand how these mechanisms go wrong in neoplasia. They should have a sufficient understanding of general and systematic pathology to act as a foundation for clinical learning, and appreciate the relationships between normal and abnormal structure and function. Finally, students should have acquired the basic skills of accurate observation and description which are the foundations of diagnosis and communication.

Synopsis This component is conducted conjointly by the departments of Pathology and Immunology and Anatomy, and consists of an integrated series of lectures, practicals and tutorials. Topics to be covered will include mechanisms of tissue injury, inflammation, cell death and repair, control of growth at the cellular and molecular level and the ways by which the normal mechanisms may be subverted in neoplasia, and an outline of how these processes affect specific tissues and organs.

Assessment Examination (in conjunction with 'Infection and immunity'): Essay questions (2 hrs): 55% · MCQ (1 hr): 25% · Practical (1.5 hrs): 20%

Recommended texts

Alberts B and others Molecular biology of the cell 3rd edn, Garland, 1994
Robbins S, Cotran R and Kumar V Pathological basis of disease 5th edn, Saunders, 1995
Rubin E and Farber J L Pathology 2nd edn, Lippincott, 1993
Stevens A and Low J Pathology Mosby, 1995
Underwood J C E General and systematic pathology Churchill Livingstone, 1996

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Infection and immunity

Associate Professor J K Davies (Microbiology)

Objectives The overall objectives of this unit are to provide an introduction to the basic principles of microbiology and immunology which are required for the understanding of systems based teaching in later years. On completion of this component students should have an appreciation of the basic structure and function of microorganisms and how they cause disease; be able to understand the nature of the human body's innate and adaptive responses to infectious agents; have an appreciation of the basic principles of immunology and their application to the control of infectious disease; be able to integrate the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis with the nature of the host's response and the role of vaccination in the control of infectious disease; have an appreciation for the role of sterilisation and disinfection procedures and antimicrobial agents in the control of infectious disease.

Synopsis This component is conducted conjointly by the departments of Microbiology and Pathology and Immunology, and consists of an integrated series of lectures and practicals that will involve topics such as microorganisms and disease; the anatomy and biology of the immune system; host-pathogen interactions; parasites and disease; bacterial and viral pathogenesis; control of microorganisms; the immune response to infection; vaccines; mechanism of immunological tissue damage; immunodeficiency diseases; tolerance and autoimmunity.

Assessment Examination (in conjunction with 'Tissue injury, neoplasia and inflammation'): Essay questions (2 hrs): 55% · MCQ (1 hr): 25% · Practical (1.5 hrs): 20%

Recommended texts

Mims C A and others Medical microbiology 2nd edn, Mosby, 1997
Janeway, C A and Travers P Immunobiology 3rd edn, Current Biology, 1997

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