ABPath General Pathology Principles 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of necrosis is most characteristically associated with ischemic injury to the myocardium?
- Coagulative necrosis (Correct answer)
- Liquefactive necrosis
- Caseous necrosis
- Fat necrosis
Correct answer: Coagulative necrosis
Ischemic injury to solid organs except the brain produces coagulative necrosis, where tissue architecture is preserved.
Question 2: Apoptosis differs from necrosis primarily in that apoptosis:
- Triggers a strong inflammatory response
- Is energy-dependent and does not incite inflammation (Correct answer)
- Involves cell swelling and membrane rupture
- Only occurs in pathologic states
Correct answer: Is energy-dependent and does not incite inflammation
Apoptosis is an ATP-dependent, programmed cell death that leaves the membrane intact and does not provoke inflammation.
Question 3: Dystrophic calcification is best described as calcium deposition in:
- Normal tissue with hypercalcemia
- Damaged or necrotic tissue with normal serum calcium (Correct answer)
- Only vascular walls
- Bone matrix during remodeling
Correct answer: Damaged or necrotic tissue with normal serum calcium
Dystrophic calcification occurs in previously injured or necrotic tissue despite normal serum calcium levels.
Question 4: Which cellular adaptation refers to a decrease in cell size and number leading to reduced organ size?
- Hypertrophy
- Hyperplasia
- Atrophy (Correct answer)
- Metaplasia
Correct answer: Atrophy
Atrophy is a reduction in cell size and number, shrinking the tissue or organ.
Question 5: The reversible cellular change of hydropic swelling results primarily from:
- Failure of the Na+/K+ ATPase pump (Correct answer)
- Increased lysosomal enzyme activity
- Mitochondrial DNA mutation
- Excess collagen deposition
Correct answer: Failure of the Na+/K+ ATPase pump
Cellular swelling occurs when the Na+/K+ ATPase fails, causing sodium and water influx into the cell.
Question 6: Free radical injury to cells is mediated most directly by:
- Antioxidant enzymes
- Lipid peroxidation of membranes (Correct answer)
- Increased ATP synthesis
- Enhanced protein folding
Correct answer: Lipid peroxidation of membranes
Reactive oxygen species damage cells largely through peroxidation of membrane lipids.
Question 7: Metaplasia of respiratory columnar epithelium to squamous epithelium in chronic smokers is best characterized as:
- An irreversible malignant transformation
- A reversible adaptive change to chronic irritation (Correct answer)
- A form of dysplasia by definition
- An example of atrophy
Correct answer: A reversible adaptive change to chronic irritation
Metaplasia is a reversible replacement of one differentiated cell type with another in response to chronic stress.
ABPath General Pathology Principles 2
Which type of necrosis is most characteristically associated with ischemic injury to the myocardium?