LEARNING OUTCOMES
Aims and Scope
The purpose of this course is to make students able to:
a) know, to distinguish, and to process the organs of the digestive, respiratory, urinary and genital (male and female) system.
b) take frozen sections, to make paraffin blocks, to operate cryostats, microtomes, and to perform special stains for the organs of each system of the human body.
c) Observe microscopically the above organic systems.
d) prepare cytological smears.
After successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Be aware macroscopically and microscopically the various organs of the digestive, respiratory, urinary, genital (male, female), endocrine system, skin and appendages, organs of vision and audition.
- Prepare microscopic preparations and cytological smears
Color histological preparations with various common and special staining techniques from various organs of the digestive, respiratory, urinary and male and female genital tract
SYLLABUS
Theory
1. Respiratory System. Detailed description of the microscopic structure of the organs which constitute the respiratory system in relation to their function.
2. Digestive System. I. Upper Gastrointestinal Tract: Detailed description of the microscopic structure of the organs of the upper digestive tract in combination with their function. Oral cavity, tongue, teeth, esophagus, stomach.
3. Digestive System. II. Lower Gastrointestinal Tract: Detailed description of the microscopic structure of the organs of the lower digestive tract according to their function. Small intestine (Duodenum-jejunum-ileum). Large intestine. (cecum and appendix-ascending colon–transverse colon-descending colon-sigmoid colon-rectum and anal canal). Histological differences between small and large intestine.
4. Digestive System. III. Digestive Glands: Detailed microscopic description of the liver, pancreas and major salivary glands in relation to their function.
5. Urinary System. Detailed microscopic description of the structure of the parts of secretion and excretion of the urinary tract in relation to their function. Reproductive system of a woman. I. Detailed microscopic description of organs of the female system combined with their operation. Menstrual cycle
6. Female Reproductive System I: Detailed microscopic description of organs of the female genital system according to their function. Menstrual cycle of female reproductive system.
7. Female Reproductive System II: Fertilization. Development of the placenta and breastfeeding. Histological changes of the mammary gland during puberty and pregnancy.
8. Male Genital system. Detailed description of the organs of the male genital tract in relation to their function. Spermatogenesis-Transport and maturation of spermatozoa.
9. Neuroendocrine system. Detailed microscopic description of hypothalamus-pituitary system and endocrine glands in relation to their function.
10. Endocrine System. Detailed microscopic description of the basic endocrine glands in
relation to their function.
11. Sensory organs: Audition and Vision. Microscopic description of the basic histological structure and function.
12. Integument and Appendages: Microscopic description of the basic histological structure of skin and its appendages (hair, sweat glands, sebaceous glands) and function basics Cytology
13. Basic elements of Cytology. Morphology of the basic cytological smears (test-Pap).
Laboratory
The laboratory exercises are performed in a histology-cytology laboratory equipped with the necessary machineries-reagents-staining and the necessary microscopes and concern:
1. Information about the laboratory, the rules of operation and safety of the material. Postmortem lesions (autopsy), cutting incisions, fixation, in general. Consolidation of differences in vivo and in vitro, advantages and disadvantages. Presentation of some frequent fixative (fixative) substances such as formaldehyde (gas), formaldehyde solution 10% (formalin), formalin solution, glacial acetic acid, 70-100% ethyl alcohol, zinc chloride, bitter acid, potassium dichromate (salt). Advantages-disadvantages. Microscopic observation of various cells.
2. Solutions of fixative substances. Formalin solution, such as, saline solution of neutral formalin, formaldehyde sodium, sodium acetate, formaldehyde sodium-ammonium bromide, alcohol-formalin solution, acetic acid. Formaldehyde staining (method of removing the color of formaldehyde), branded fixative fluids (Zanker solution, Helly, Bouin, Carnoy, Clarke, Newcomer, Orth and other laboratory-related possibilities). Advantages- disadvantages. Microscopic observation of epithelial tissue.
3. Desalination (Perenyl method-nitric acid-formic acid-sodium citrate solution, (electrolysis method), control of desalination termination. Dehydration-dehydration factors (ethyl alcohol, methanol, acetone). Advantages-disadvantages. Clarification and clarifying agents. Microscopic observation of connective tissue types.
4. Paraffin histokinette, operation, programming. Microtomes, types, (rotary, rolling with control and adjustment of cutting parameters), and care of the cutting knife, sharpening tool, disposable knifes. Microscopic observation of cartilaginous and osseous tissue.
5. Microsections (taking paraffin cuttings), suspended tissue bath, band-shaped cuttings and their in situ separation, microscopy slides and a Mayer case. Problems in receiving cuttings. Deparaffination of cross sections, hydration and staining. Staining: Weigert’s Iron-hematoxilin, Hematoxylin-eosin, Periodic Acid Schiff Stain (P.A.S). and other possibilities depending on the laboratory. Differentiation for hematoxylin. Microscopic observation of types of muscle tissue (skeletal-cardiac-smooth (visceral).
6. Deparaffination of cross sections, hydration and staining of these (1% stock-reserve of eosin solution from eosin-phloxine for staining the sections with hematoxylin-eosin), desiccation (drying), classification (separation), creation of slides and coverage with balm of Canada. Regular staining with Mayer’s hematoxylin-eosin. Microscopic observation of neural tissue types.
7. Staining sections from different viscera sites by the May Grunwald-Giemsa method, Congo’s Alkaline Red method. Staining of sections from various organs positions by the
Bielschowsky method, Gomori tricolor stain method. Staining of sections from various organs positions by Masson’s trichrome stain method and staining by Periodic Acid Schiff’s method (P.A.S.). Microscopic observation of viscera (organs of abdominal wall).
8. Frozen section (rapid biopsy), cryotomes, cryostats, receiving cuttings and staining with thionine and fast-action hematoxylin-eosin. Inclusion of gelatin, receiving sections and staining them. Celloidin embedding (incubation), receiving cuttings and staining. Microscopy.
9. Basic principles of exfoliative cytology, search methods, material preparation. Smear of the oral cavity, fixation and Giemsa staining, coating, microscopy, archiving.
10. Pap test, historical overview, purpose, methods of material preparation. Smear of the oral cavity, fixation and staining of smears.
11. Classification of upper-lower digestive, respiratory organs, and special staining of the organs of these systems, microscopy and imaging.
12. Classification of organs of digestive glands, urinary tract, and special staining of the organs of these systems, microscopy and imaging.
13. Classification of organs of genital tract (male-female) and special staining of the organs of these systems, microscopy and imaging.