Histology

The course of Microscopic and Ultrastructural Human Morphology aims to:
- describe the basic knowledge on the structural and ultrastructural organization of the eukaryotic cell;
- illustrate the organization of the cellular and extracellular components of the tissues and their interactions, highlight the morpho-functional correlations in the context of the different organs and lay the groundwork for the recognition of the histopathological aspects characteristic of human pathologies;
- provide the basis for understanding the mechanisms of histogenesis, tissue regeneration and repair for identifying the main pathogenetic mechanisms at cellular and molecular level;
- to define the microscopic structure of the organs of the human body;
- acquire the skills and the correct methodology to carry out organ diagnosis by light microscope on normal preparations of microscopic anatomy.

At the end of the course in Microscopic and Ultrastructural Human Morphology, students must be able to describe the normal structure and function of the various cell types, tissues and organs and, by microscopic examination, to recognize normal histological aspects in order to make diagnosis of organ from normal preparations of microscopic anatomy. Students must also demonstrate that they are familiar with the methodological and experimental pathways underlying the contents of the discipline, as well as their current and prospective value in biomedical applications and in pathophysiology.
In particular, the specific educational objectives of the teaching can be defined as follows:
1. Knowledge and understanding: students must demonstrate to have acquired a broad knowledge concerning differentiated cells (both in the structure and in the ultrastructure), to know how to establish a correlation between structure and function and to illustrate the morphological characteristics of different tissues and their organization within complex organs ;
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: students, following a careful observation of normal histological preparations by light microscope, must be able to recognize and describe differentiated cells, tissues and organs in an autonomous way;
3. Making judgments: students, on the basis of information collected through the observation of a histological preparation with a light microscope, must be able to make an organ diagnosis by recognizing the presence of specific cells and tissues;
4. Communication skills: students must communicate their knowledge clearly, exposing the information in a coherent logical sequence, with appropriate technical language and using correct terminology;
5. Learning skills: the student, based on the acquired cultural elements, must be able to broaden his/her knowledge and to be up-to-date by drawing independently on texts, scientific articles and online platforms.