NEET MDS Lessons
General Pathology
Characteristics of Immunoglobulin subclasses
I. Ig G:
(i) Predominant portion (80%) of Ig.
(ii) Molecular weight 150, 000
(iii) Sedimentation coefficient of 7S.
(iv) Crosses placental barrier and to extra cellular fluid.
- (v) Mostly neutralising effect. May be complement fixing.
(vi) Half life of 23 days.
2.IgM :
(i) Pentamer of Ig.
(ii) Molecular weight 900, 000
(iii) 19S.
(iv) More effective complement fixation and cells lysis
(v) Earliest to be produced in infections.
(vi) Does not cross placental barrier.
(vii) Halflife of 5 days.
3. Ig A :
- Secretory antibody. Found in intestinal, respiratory secretions tears, saliva and urine also.
- Secreted usually as a dinner with secretory piece.
- Mol. weight variable (160,000+)
- 7 S to 14 S.
- Half life of 6 days.
4.Ig D :
- Found in traces.
- 7 S.
- Does not cross placenta.
5. Ig E
- Normally not traceable
- 7-8 S (MoL weight 200,000)
- Cytophilic antibody, responsible for some hypersensitivity states,
Hyperparathyroidism
Abnormally high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) cause hypercalcemia. This can result from either primary or secondary causes. Primary hyperparathyroidism is caused usually by a parathyroid adenoma, which is associated with autonomous PTH secretion. Secondary hyperparathyroidism, on the other hand, can occur in the setting of chronic renal failure. In either situation, the presence of excessive amounts of this hormone leads to significant skeletal changes related to a persistently exuberant osteoclast activity that is associated with increased bone resorption and calcium mobilization. The entire skeleton is affected. PTH is directly responsible for the bone changes seen in primary hyperparathyroidism, but in secondary hyperparathyroidism additional influences also contribute. In chronic renal failure there is inadequate 1,25- (OH)2-D synthesis that ultimately affects gastrointestinal calcium absorption. The hyperphosphatemia of renal
failure also suppresses renal α1-hydroxylase, which further impair vitamin D synthesis; all these eventuate in hypocalcemia, which stimulates excessive secretion of PTH by the parathyroid glands, & hence elevation in PTH serum levels.
Gross features
• There is increased osteoclastic activity, with bone resorption. Cortical and trabecular bone are lost and replaced by loose connective tissue.
• Bone resorption is especially pronounced in the subperiosteal regions and produces characteristic radiographic changes, best seen along the radial aspect of the middle phalanges of the second and third fingers.
Microscopical features
• There is increased numbers of osteoclasts and accompanying erosion of bone surfaces.
• The marrow space contains increased amounts of loose fibrovascular tissue.
• Hemosiderin deposits are present, reflecting episodes of hemorrhage resulting from microfractures of the weakened bone.
• In some instances, collections of osteoclasts, reactive giant cells, and hemorrhagic debris form a distinct mass, termed "brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism". Cystic change is common in such lesions (hence the name osteitis fibrosa cystica). Patients with hyperparathyroidism have reduced bone mass, and hence are increasingly susceptible to fractures and bone deformities.
Glycogen storage diseases (glycogenoses)
1. Genetic transmission: autosomal recessive.
2. This group of diseases is characterized by a deficiency of a particular enzyme involved in either glycogen production or degradative pathways.
Diseases include:
on Gierke disease (type I)
(a) Deficient enzyme: glucose-6-phosphatase.
(b) Major organ affected by the buildup of glycogen: liver.
Pompe disease (type II)
(1) Deficient enzyme: α-glucosidase(acid maltase).
(2) Major organ affected by the buildup of glycogen: heart.
Cori disease (type III)
(1) Deficient enzyme: debranching enzyme (amylo-1,6-glucosidase).
(2) Organs affected by the buildup of glycogen: varies between the heart, liver, or skeletal muscle.
Brancher glycogenosis (type IV)
(1) Deficient enzyme: branching enzyme.
(2) Organs affected by the buildup of glycogen: liver, heart, skeletal muscle, and brain.
McArdle syndrome (type V)
(1) Deficient enzyme: muscle phosphorylase.
(2) Major organ affected by the buildup of glycogen: skeletal muscle.
NECROSIS
Definition: Necrosis is defined as the morphologic changes caused by the progressive degradative
action of enzymes on the lethally injured cell.
These changes are due to
I. Autolysis and
2. Heterolysis.
The cellular changes of necrosis i.e. death of circumscribed group of cells in continuity with living tissues are similar to changes in tissues following somatic death, except that in the former, there is leucocytic infiltration in reaction to the dead cells and the lytic
enzymes partly come from the inflammatory cell also. (Heterolysis). Cell death occurs in the normal situation of cell turnover also and this is called apoptosis-single cellular dropout.
Nuclear changes in necrosis
As cytoplasmic changes are a feature of degeneration ,similarly nuclear changes are the hallmark of necrosis. These changes are:
(i) Pyknosis –condensation of chromatin
(ii) Karyorrhexis - fragmentation
(iii) Karyolysis - dissolution
Types of necrosis
(1) Coagulative necrosis: Seen in infarcts. The architectural outlines are maintained though structural details are lost. E.g, myocardial infarct.
(2) Caseous necrosis: A variant of coagulative necrosis seen in tuberculosis. The architecture is destroyed, resulting in an eosinophilic amorphous debris.
(3) Colliquative (liquifactive). Necrosis seen in Cerebral infarcts and suppurative necrosis.
Gangrenous necrosis: It is the necrosis with superadded putrefaction
May be:
a. dry - coagulative product.
b. Wet - when there is bacterial liquifaction.
Fat necrosis
May be:
a. Traumatic (as in breast and subcutaneous tissue).
b Enzymatic (as in pancreatitis). It shows inflammation of fat with formation of lipophages and giant cells.
This is often followed by deposition of calcium as calcium soaps.
Hyaline necrosis: Seen in skeletal muscles in typhoid and in liver ceIs in some forms of hepatitis.
Fibrinoid necrosis: In hypertension and in immune based diseases.
Neutrophilia
Causes
-Pyogenic infections.
-Haemorrhage and trauma.
-Malignancies.
-Infarction.
-Myelo proliferative disorders.
Adrenocortical Hyperfunction (Hyperadrenalism)
Hypercortisolism (Cushing Syndrome) is caused by any condition that produces an elevation in glucocorticoid levels. The causes of this syndrome are
A. Exogenous through administration of exogenous glucocorticoids; the most common causeB. Endogenous
1. Hypothalamic-pituitary diseases causing hypersecretion of ACTH (Cushing disease)
2. Adrenocortical hyperplasia or neoplasia
3. Ectopic ACTH secretion by nonendocrine neoplasms (paraneoplastic)
Pathological features
- The main lesions of Cushing syndrome are found in the pituitary and adrenal glands.
- The most common change in the pituitary, results from high levels of endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoids, is termed Crooke hyaline change. In this condition, the normal granular, basophilic cytoplasm of the ACTH-producing cells in the anterior pituitary is replaced by homogeneous, lightly basophilic material. This is due to accumulation of intermediate keratin filaments in the cytoplasm.
- There is one of four changes in the adrenal glands, which depends on the cause.
1. Cortical atrophy
2. Diffuse hyperplasia
3. Nodular hyperplasia
4. Adenoma, rarely a carcinoma
1. In patients in whom the syndrome results from exogenous glucocorticoids, suppression of endogenous ACTH results in bilateral cortical atrophy, due to a lack of stimulation of the cortex by ACTH. In cases of endogenous hypercortisolism, in contrast, the adrenals either are hyperplastic or contain a cortical neoplasm.
2. In Diffuse hyperplasia the adrenal cortex is diffusely thickened and yellow, as a result of an increase in the size and number of lipid-rich cells in the zonae fasciculata and reticularis.
3. Nodular hyperplasia, which takes the form of bilateral, up to 2.0-cm, yellow nodules scattered throughout the cortex.
4. Primary adrenocortical neoplasms causing Cushing syndrome may be benign or malignant. The adrenocortical adenomas are yellow tumors surrounded by capsules, and most weigh < 30 gm .
Cartilage-Forming Tumors
1. Osteochondroma (Exostosis) is a relatively common benign cartilage-capped outgrowth attached by a bony stalk to the underlying skeleton. Solitary osteochondromas are usually first diagnosed in late adolescence and early adulthood (male-to-female ratio of 3:1); multiple osteochondromas become apparent during childhood, occurring as multiple hereditary exostosis, an autosomal dominant disorder. Inactivation of both copies of the EXT gene (a tumor suppressor gne) in chondrocytes is implicated in both sporadic and hereditary osteochondromas. Osteochondromas develop only in bones of endochondral origin arising at the metaphysis near the growth plate of long tubular bones, especially about the knee. They tend to stop growing once the normal growth of the skeleton is completed. Occasionally they develop from flat bones (pelvis, scapula, and ribs). Rarely, exostoses involve the short tubular bones of hands and feet.
Pathological features
• Osteochondromas vary from 1-20cm in size.
• The cap is benign hyaline cartilage.
• Newly formed bone forms the inner portion of the head and stalk, with the stalk cortex merging with cortex of the host bone.
Osteochondromas are slow-growing masses that may be painful. Osteochondromas rarely progress to chondrosarcoma or other sarcoma, although patients with the multiple hereditary exostoses are at increased risk of malignant transformation.
2. Chondroma
It is a benign tumor of hyaline cartilage. When it arises within the medullary cavity, it is termed enchondroma; when on the bone surface it is called juxtacortical chondroma. Enchondromas are usually diagnosed in persons between ages 20 and 50 years; they are typically solitary and located in the metaphyseal region of tubular bones, the favored sites being the short tubular bones of the hands and feet. Ollier disease is characterized by multiple chondromas preferentially involving one side of the body. Chondromas probably develop from slowly proliferating rests of growth plate cartilage.
Pathological features
• Enchondromas are gray-blue, translucent nodules usually smaller than 3 cm.
• Microscopically, there is well-circumscribed hyaline matrix and cytologically benign chondrocytes.
Most enchondromas are detected as incidental findings; occasionally they are painful or cause pathologic fractures. Solitary chondromas rarely undergo malignant transformation, but those associated with enchondromatosis are at increased risk.
3. Chondrosarcomas are malignant tumors of cartilage forming tissues. They are divided into conventional chondrosarcomas and chondrosarcoma variants. Each of these categories comprises several distinct types, some defined on microscopic grounds & others on the basis of location within the affected bone, for e.g. they are divided into central (medullary), peripheral (cortical), and juxtacortical (periosteal). The common denominator of chondrosarcoma is the production of a cartilaginous matrix and the lack of direct bone formation by the tumor cells (cf osteosarcoma). Chondrosarcomas occur roughly half as frequently as osteosarcomas; most patients age 40 years or more, with men affected twice as frequently as women
Pathological features
Conventional chondrosarcomas arise within the medullary cavity of the bone to form an expansile glistening mass that often erodes the cortex. They exhibit malignant hyaline or myxoid stroma. Spotty calcifications are typically present. The tumor grows with broad pushing fronts into marrow spaces and the surrounding soft tissue. Tumor grade is determined by cellularity, cytologic atypia, and mitotic activity. Low-grade tumors resemble normal cartilage. Higher grade lesions contain pleomorphic chondrocytes with frequent mitotic figures with multinucleate cells and lacunae containing two or more chondrocytes. Dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas refers to the presence of a poorly differentiated sarcomatous component at the periphery of an otherwise typical low-grade chondrosarcoma. Other histologic variants include myxoid, clear-cell and mesenchymal chondrosarcomas. Chondrosarcomas commonly arise in the pelvis, shoulder, and ribs. A slowly growing lowgrade tumor causes reactive thickening of the cortex, whereas a more aggressive high-grade neoplasm destroys the cortex and forms a soft tissue mass. There is also a direct correlation between grade and biologic behavior.
Size is another prognostic feature, with tumors larger than 10 cm being significantly more aggressive than smaller tumors. High-grade Chondrosarcomas metastasize hematogenously, preferentially to the lungs and skeleton.