PA (ASCP) Certification Exam
Hypertrophy -
Increased cell and organ size, often in response to increased workload: induced by
mechanical stress and by growth factors; occurs in tissue incapable of cell division
Hyperplasia -
Increased cell numbers in response to hormones and other growth factors; occurs in
tissues whose cells are able to divide
Atrophy -
Decreased cell and organ size, as a result of decreased nutrient supply or disuse:
associated with decreased synthesis and increased proteolytic breakdown of cellular organelles
Metaplasia -
Change in phenotype of differentiated cells, often a response to chronic irritation that
makes cells better able to withstand the stress
Hypoxia -
Oxygen deficiency which interferes with aerobic oxidative respirations and is an
extremely important and common cause of cell injury and death
Ischemic -
Loss of blood supply in a tissue due to impeded arterial flow or reduced venous
drainage
Coagulative necrosis -
A form of tissue necrosis in which the component cells are dead but the basic tissue
architecture is preserved for at least several days
Liquefactive necrosis -
A form of necrosis seen in focal bacterial or occasionally fungal infections because
microbes stimulate the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the enzymes of leukocytes digest
the tissue
Caseous necrosis -
A form of necrosis encountered most often in foci of tuberculous infections
Fat necrosis -
Term referring to focal areas of fat destruction, typically resulting from release of
activated pancreatic lipases into the peritoneal cavity
Fibrinous necrosis -
A special form of necrosis usually seen in immune reactions involving blood vessels
Autophagy -
Lysosomal digestion of the cell's own components
1
,Apoptosis -
A pathway of cell death that is induced by a tightly regulated suicide program in which
the cells destined to die activate enzymes capable of degrading the cells own nuclear DNA
Steatosis (fatty change) -
Refers to any abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within parenchymal cells It is
most often seen in the liver
Dystrophic calcification -
Depositions of calcium at sites of cell injury and necrosis
Metastatic calcification -
Deposition of calcium in normal tissues, caused by hypercalcemia (usually a
consequence of parathyroid hormone excess)
Inflammation -
A protective response intended to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury as well as the
necrotic cells and tissues resulting from the original insult
Acute inflammation -
A rapid response to injury or microbes and other foreign substance that is designed to
deliver leukocytes and plasma proteins to sites of injury
Serous inflammation -
Fluid in a serous cavity
Serous inflammation is marked by fluid transudates, reflecting moderately increased vascular
permeability. Such accumulations in the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities are called
effusions;
Effusion -
Fluid in a serous cavity ,
Fibrinous inflammation -
Inflammation occurring as a consequence of more severe injuries, resulting in greater
vascular permeability that allows large molecules (such as fibrinogen) to pass the endothelial barrier
Abscess -
Focal collections of pus that may be caused by seeding of pyogenic organisms into a
tissue or by secondary infections of necrotic foci
Ulcer -
A local defect or excavation of the surface of an organ or tissue that is produced by
necrosis of cells and sloughing of inflammatory necrotic tissue
Cytokines -
2
, Polypeptide products of many cell types that function as mediators of inflammation
and immune responses
Chronic inflammation -
Prolonged inflammation in which active inflammation, tissue injury, and healing
proceed simultaneously
Granulomatous inflammation -
A distinctive pattern of chronic inflammation characterized by aggregates of activated
macrophages that assume an epithelioid appearance
Repair -
The restoration of tissue architecture and function after an injury
Regeneration -
The process of replacing damaged tissue components and essentially returning to a
normal state
Fibrosis -
The extensive deposition of collagen that occurs in the lungs, liver, kidney and other
organs as a consequence of chronic inflammation
Angiogenesis -
A critical process in healing at sites of ischemia where a preexisting vessel sends out
capillary sprouts to produce new vessels
Keloid -
A prominent raised scar caused by the accumulation of exuberant amounts of collagen
Edema -
Significant increased fluid in the interstitial tissue spaces
Anasarca -
Severe and generalized edema with profound subcutaneous tissue swelling
Hyperemia -
A local increase in blood volume that is an active process from augmented blood flow
due to arteriolar dilation
Congestion -
A local increase in blood volume that is a passive process resulting from impaired
venous return out of a tissue
Hematoma -
The accumulation of blood confined within a tissue after a hemorrhage
Normal hemostasis -
3
Hypertrophy -
Increased cell and organ size, often in response to increased workload: induced by
mechanical stress and by growth factors; occurs in tissue incapable of cell division
Hyperplasia -
Increased cell numbers in response to hormones and other growth factors; occurs in
tissues whose cells are able to divide
Atrophy -
Decreased cell and organ size, as a result of decreased nutrient supply or disuse:
associated with decreased synthesis and increased proteolytic breakdown of cellular organelles
Metaplasia -
Change in phenotype of differentiated cells, often a response to chronic irritation that
makes cells better able to withstand the stress
Hypoxia -
Oxygen deficiency which interferes with aerobic oxidative respirations and is an
extremely important and common cause of cell injury and death
Ischemic -
Loss of blood supply in a tissue due to impeded arterial flow or reduced venous
drainage
Coagulative necrosis -
A form of tissue necrosis in which the component cells are dead but the basic tissue
architecture is preserved for at least several days
Liquefactive necrosis -
A form of necrosis seen in focal bacterial or occasionally fungal infections because
microbes stimulate the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the enzymes of leukocytes digest
the tissue
Caseous necrosis -
A form of necrosis encountered most often in foci of tuberculous infections
Fat necrosis -
Term referring to focal areas of fat destruction, typically resulting from release of
activated pancreatic lipases into the peritoneal cavity
Fibrinous necrosis -
A special form of necrosis usually seen in immune reactions involving blood vessels
Autophagy -
Lysosomal digestion of the cell's own components
1
,Apoptosis -
A pathway of cell death that is induced by a tightly regulated suicide program in which
the cells destined to die activate enzymes capable of degrading the cells own nuclear DNA
Steatosis (fatty change) -
Refers to any abnormal accumulation of triglycerides within parenchymal cells It is
most often seen in the liver
Dystrophic calcification -
Depositions of calcium at sites of cell injury and necrosis
Metastatic calcification -
Deposition of calcium in normal tissues, caused by hypercalcemia (usually a
consequence of parathyroid hormone excess)
Inflammation -
A protective response intended to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury as well as the
necrotic cells and tissues resulting from the original insult
Acute inflammation -
A rapid response to injury or microbes and other foreign substance that is designed to
deliver leukocytes and plasma proteins to sites of injury
Serous inflammation -
Fluid in a serous cavity
Serous inflammation is marked by fluid transudates, reflecting moderately increased vascular
permeability. Such accumulations in the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities are called
effusions;
Effusion -
Fluid in a serous cavity ,
Fibrinous inflammation -
Inflammation occurring as a consequence of more severe injuries, resulting in greater
vascular permeability that allows large molecules (such as fibrinogen) to pass the endothelial barrier
Abscess -
Focal collections of pus that may be caused by seeding of pyogenic organisms into a
tissue or by secondary infections of necrotic foci
Ulcer -
A local defect or excavation of the surface of an organ or tissue that is produced by
necrosis of cells and sloughing of inflammatory necrotic tissue
Cytokines -
2
, Polypeptide products of many cell types that function as mediators of inflammation
and immune responses
Chronic inflammation -
Prolonged inflammation in which active inflammation, tissue injury, and healing
proceed simultaneously
Granulomatous inflammation -
A distinctive pattern of chronic inflammation characterized by aggregates of activated
macrophages that assume an epithelioid appearance
Repair -
The restoration of tissue architecture and function after an injury
Regeneration -
The process of replacing damaged tissue components and essentially returning to a
normal state
Fibrosis -
The extensive deposition of collagen that occurs in the lungs, liver, kidney and other
organs as a consequence of chronic inflammation
Angiogenesis -
A critical process in healing at sites of ischemia where a preexisting vessel sends out
capillary sprouts to produce new vessels
Keloid -
A prominent raised scar caused by the accumulation of exuberant amounts of collagen
Edema -
Significant increased fluid in the interstitial tissue spaces
Anasarca -
Severe and generalized edema with profound subcutaneous tissue swelling
Hyperemia -
A local increase in blood volume that is an active process from augmented blood flow
due to arteriolar dilation
Congestion -
A local increase in blood volume that is a passive process resulting from impaired
venous return out of a tissue
Hematoma -
The accumulation of blood confined within a tissue after a hemorrhage
Normal hemostasis -
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