General Pathology

The course of General Pathology aims to provide the tools to understand the molecular mechanisms of human diseases for a rational identification of therapeutic targets. In addition, the course will provide the bases for understanding the mechanisms of inflammation and immune defenses, innate and acquired, implemented by the host against pathogens or tissue damage.
The course includes a series of lectures related to the pathogenesis of the most common organ-specific diseases, including details on terms and abbreviations used in medical terminology, to provide the student with a background knowledge for future work.

The students will be able to define the molecular mechanisms of human diseases and the basis of immunity and inflammation. They will be able to recognize the causes (aetiology) and the mechanisms (pathogenesis) of diseases, and to understand and use common medical words and meanings. Moreover, the students will develop methods to investigate any disease and to critically analyze scientific publications on the field.