Experimental pathology 

About: Experimental pathology is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Cancer & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 0232-1513. Over the lifetime, 1967 publications have been published receiving 22177 citations. The journal is also known as: investigative pathology.

Apoptosis: Mechanisms and Roles in Pathology

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mechanisms and roles of apoptosis in pathology. Necrosis differs from apoptosis in structure, mechanism, and sequelae. Structurally, necrotic cells show critically damaged organelles, ruptured plasma membranes, and dispersal of cytoplasmic elements into the extracellular space. The mechanisms are various, but do not depend upon continuing synthetic activity. There is no evidence that specific signaling pathways are involved. There is breakdown of membrane homeostasis and net flow of water into the necrotic cell, whose density falls. Intracellular calcium rises uncontrollably to equilibriate with the millomolar concentrations in the extracellular space. The process results in an acute inflammatory reaction, triggered by complement-activating factors emanating from mitochondria that have escaped from the damaged cell. Alternatively, leukotrienes and other arachidonate chemotaxins can be generated from partially- degraded cell membranes. The arrival of neutrophil polymorphs permits digestion and phagocytosis of the constituents of the necrotic cells, but brings with it the risk of further tissue damage.

Patterns of cell death.

Abstract: Cell death takes two distinct forms, necrosis and apoptosis. Necrosis is a degenerative phenomenon that follows irreversible injury. Apoptosis, in contrast, appears to be an active process requiring protein synthesis for its execution; it is implicated in physiological regulation of tissue size, and, where it occurs pathologically, a homeostatic role for the death is often evident. Morphologically, apoptosis involves condensation of the nuclear chromatin and cytoplasm, fragmentation of the nucleus, and budding of the whole cell to produce membrane-bounded bodies in which organelles are initially intact. These bodies are disposed of by adjacent cells without inflammation. Biochemically, there is distinctive internucleosome cleavage of DNA in apoptosis, which is quite different from the random DNA degradation observed in necrosis.

Normal and abnormal aspects of proteinuria: Part I: Mechanisms, characteristics and analyses of urinary protein. Part II: Clinical considerations

Abstract: Part I highlights the mechanisms of glomerular filtration and tubular reabsorption of plasma proteins, selected characteristics of urinary proteins based upon electrophoretic properties and recent advances in clinical laboratory analysis of proteinuria. Both structural characteristic of the glomerular capillary wall and molecular properties of plasma proteins are important determinants of glomerular filtration. Proteins filtered by the glomerulus subsequently appear in urine only after escaping the efficient mechanisms of tubular reabsorption. Albumin is one such protein and constitutes the major protein in normal urine although trace amounts of alpha, beta, and gamma globulins are also detectable. Several techniques of protein analysis have thus been developed to specifically measure albumin as well as other plasma proteins. Other methods have been adapted to measure total urinary protein content enabling the clinician to readily monitor renal function in health and disease. The second part of this review will consider conditions associated with proteinuria in both asymptomatic individuals and patients with renal disease. Asymptomatic proteinuria encompasses states of excess protein excretion during conditions of orthostasis, exercise, travel to high altitude of fever. Proteinuria during renal disease has received considerable interest as a means to monitor kidney function. It is therefore classified according to the type of damage incurred: (1) glomerular-type where large molecular weight proteins are excreted (2) tubular-type where small molecular weight proteins are excreted and (3) mixed-type characterized by both large and small molecular weight proteinuria.