Face to Face:

Teaching of GENERAL MORPHOLOGY consists of lectures, seminars/tutorials, and laboratory practice. Attendance at Laboratory Practice and Seminars/Tutorials is obligatory.

The lectures’ content is described above.

Seminars/Tutorials (5 groups of students with 1 tutor per group) review and extend the lectures’ content. In each tutorial, students get familiar with the basic elements of each unit and prepare for the laboratory exercises.

Laboratory exercises (in 5 groups of students, 1 tutor per group of 25-27 students) are performed according to the lectures. They aim to familiarize the student with the application of techniques, the operation of simple laboratory instruments, and the experimental procedures often used in Morphology, to help the students comprehend concepts not easily presented theoretically (learning based on practical experience).

MANDATORY ATTENDANCES OF LABORATORY EXERCISES – NON-MANDATORY ATTENDANCE OF LECTURES

Information and Communication Technologies are used for the lecture preparation, the online information, and the provision of supplementary learning material to students.

Specifically:

• Common software (e.g., MS PowerPoint) is used to prepare lecture material and display slides and videos.
• The study guide (detailed supplementary material & additional bibliography), the tutorial material, the theory and protocols of the laboratory exercises, the slides of each lecture, as well as relevant videos and scientific articles made available electronically and online to students through the e-class system of our university.
• Information about the course, tutors, their research interests, and, in general, the Pathology Department is available online on the website of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Thessaly.
• Common software (e.g., MS Excel) is used for student assessment.

Announcements, information, etc., are available online and via e-class. Communication is also done via e-mail.

The language of assessment is Greek/ English.

Evaluation methods

Α.For the laboratory practical: Written Examination at the end of the semester with short questions and problem-solving.

The participation of students in the laboratory exercises is mandatory. At the end of the semester, the students are examined on the content of the Laboratory exercises. The examination material consists of the theory, the methodology, and the ways that results are processed, as included in the Guide of the Laboratory Exercises or presented by the tutors during the exercises.

• Only the students who have completed the laboratory exercises can participate in the written laboratory examination.
• Success in the laboratory examination is a prerequisite for participation in the course exams.                                              Β. For the Tutorials: In each tutorial, students delve into the theoretical background of the laboratory exercises that will follow. The performance of the students during the tutorials is considered in the final evaluation. The material of the tutorials is examined together with the laboratory examination.

 C. For the lecture material: Written Exams with multiple choice questions, true/false questions, short answers, and oral examination of students with special needs.

The course exams are written, last 2 hours, and consist of multiple-choice or True/False questions and critical or short answer questions. The material to be examined is lectures and tutorial material as described above.

Only those students who have successfully passed the Laboratory exams have the right to participate in the course exams.

 Final Grade:

The final grade of the course is based 100% on the grade of the written course exams.

The course deals with the structure of cells and tissues, emphasizing humans. The course material aims to understand the main components of the human body, the microscopic structure of cells and tissues, and introduces students to the basic principles of tumorigenesis at the tissue level, cellular growth, and differentiation. Additionally, the course focuses on examining the changes in cell and tissue structure in disease with a particular emphasis on inflammation and neoplasia.

The purpose of the course is to provide background knowledge and skills so that the students can study and comprehend various topics on anatomic pathology, internal medicine, oncology, and surgery.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to use the acquired knowledge to:

• Use basic laboratory equipment (light microscope)
• Understand the key principles of morphology, structure, and function of the human body’s normal tissues.
• Correctly approach the structure of the main normal tissues in the human body
• Use the appropriate optical equipment for the microscopic observation of the normal tissues and structures in the human body
• Collaborate with other students within a laboratory environment to carry out basic laboratory research tasks

General Abilities

• Research, analysis, and synthesis of data and information, using the necessary technologies.
• Decision making
• Autonomous work
• Teamwork
• Work in an interdisciplinary environment
• Production of new research ideas
• Exercise criticism and self-criticism
• Promoting free, creative, and inductive thinking

The content of the GENERAL MORPHOLOGY course includes the following major items:

A.The content of the lectures, together with the relevant clinical insights, that the students need to learn/acquire per chapter.

B.The content of the tutorials/seminars, together with the relevant clinical insights that the students need to learn/acquire per seminar.

C. The content of the laboratory practice, together with the relevant practical & clinical skills that the students need to learn/acquire per exercise.

A.Content of Lectures and relevant clinical insights

1. Introduction to morphology
2. Basic principles of cytology
3. Structure-function correlation in cell morphology
4. Epithelial tissue
5. Connective tissue
6. Cartilage and Bone
7. Muscle tissue
8. Circulatory system
9. Blood and hemopoiesis
10. Nervous tissue
11. Cell injury, necrosis, apoptosis
12. Acute inflammation
13. Chronic inflammation and repair
14. Basic principles of neoplasia-tumorigenesis                      B.Seminar/Tutorial content and relevant clinical insights

Problem-based learning

Presentation, analysis, and discussion of normal tissues in the human body.               

Laboratory Practical content

Hands-on learning: Acquisition of general and specific practical & clinical skills:

General Skills

• Observation, recording, and experimental data analysis
• Handling of basic equipment, especially the use of the optical microscope
• Teamwork
• Safety in the laboratory
• Taking and following instructions
• Troubleshooting and clinical significance of laboratory results

 Specific Skills

– Handling of the light microscope

– Use of objective lenses and magnifications

C.Knowledge – Lecture material 

1. Introduction to Morphology: basic histological techniques, tissue preparation, light microscopy, interpretation of histological sections, transmission, and scanning electron microscopy.
2. Basic Principles of Cytology: Subject of Cytology, methods for obtaining cytological material, techniques for preparation of cytological materials. General morphological criteria for the identification of neoplastic cells. Contribution of Cytology to the diagnosis of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. Contribution of cytology to the prevention and treatment of neoplastic diseases (immunocytochemical, molecular biomarkers)
3. Structure-function correlation of cell morphology: Cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell organelles and enclosed structures, transport proteins, cell signaling, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, protein synthesis, exocytosis, cell surface modifications. Nucleus, chromatin, epigenetics, cell cycle, mitosis. Extracellular matrix, fibers, basal membrane
4. Epithelial tissue: Surface epithelium, simple, pseudostratified, stratified, and transitional epithelia. Cell polarity, specific characteristics, villi, cilia, and epithelial cell junctions. Glandular epithelium: exocrine, endocrine glands, unicellular, multicellular glands.
5. Connective tissue: Functions, permanent and transient connective tissue cells, fibroblasts and collagen, mast cells, distribution and function of macrophages, connective tissue classification, white and brown adipose tissue.
6. Cartilage and Bone: Compact bone, endochondral bone formation, early embryonic and hyaline cartilage, elastic and fibrous cartilage, compact bone and intramembranous ossification, endochondral ossification, hyaline cartilage, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, types of bone tissue, Haversian systems, longitudinal and transverse bone growth, bone tissue remodeling.
7. Muscle tissue: molecular structure of skeletal muscle, types of muscle tissue, skeletal muscle cell, structure of myofibrils, muscle contraction and relaxation, neuromuscular synapse, muscle spindle, Golgi tendon organs, smooth muscle tissue, cardiac muscle tissue, muscle tissue regeneration
8. Circulatory system: Blood vessel structure. Artery and vein, Types of capillaries. Elastic type artery, Muscular type artery and vein, arterioles, venules, capillaries, and lymphatic vessels. Heart, endocardium, myocardium, epicardium.
9. Blood and hemopoiesis: Peripheral blood, erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets. Bone marrow, stem cells, progenitor and precursor cells, hemopoiesis.
10. Nervous tissue: Spinal nerve structure, nervous system cells, neurons, neuromuscular synapse. Central and Peripheral nervous systems. Spinal cord, cerebellum, brain, blood-brain barrier, glial cells, sympathetic and sensory ganglia, peripheral nerve, and choroid plexus.

11. Cell injury, necrosis, apoptosis: cell stress, acute cell damage, degeneration, necrosis, apoptosis. Mechanisms of cell damage, death, hypoxia, ischemia, oxidative stress, and toxins. Cellular adaptation to stress, atrophy, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and metaplasia.
12. Acute inflammation: General characteristics of inflammation, causes, detection of microbes and damaged cells, acute inflammation, blood flow and vascular permeability changes, acute inflammation cells, adhesion molecules, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, extracellular traps of neutrophil cells, tissue damage, morphologic features of acute inflammation, and outcome.
13. Chronic inflammation and repair: chronic inflammation causes, morphological features, cells and chemical mediators of chronic inflammation, cytokines and chemokines, complement system, granulomatous inflammation, tissue repair, regeneration mechanisms, scars, angiogenesis, fibrosis.
14. Basic principles of neoplasia-tumorigenesis: Introduction to neoplasms, nomenclature, differentiation, dysplasia, metaplasia, anaplasia, grade, invasion, metastasis. Precursor lesions, molecular carcinogenesis, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, repair genes, main pathways contributing to molecular carcinogenesis, chromosomal and microsatellite genome instability, and methods of laboratory cancer diagnosis. Epidemiological data, environmental factors. Molecular basis of carcinogenesis, genetic and karyotypic alterations, hereditary forms of cancer, radiation, chemical carcinogenesis, oncogenic viruses, and microbes. Cancer hallmarks, signaling molecules, autophagy, and metabolism reprogramming of cancer cells.

Tutorials – Laboratory Exercises 

• Histological techniques
• Introduction to light microscope use – observation of different types of cells
• Connective tissue: matrix and fibers, fibroblasts, adipocytes, macrophages, mast cells, loose and dense connective tissue, mucous connective tissue
• Various types of epithelia: in the bronchus, stomach, skin, urothelium (transitional epithelium), thyroid, and parathyroid glands
• Hyaline cartilage, Elastic cartilage, Fibrous cartilage, compact bone, spongy bone
• Aorta (H/E and elastic fibers staining), Muscle type artery (elastic fibers staining), Vein
• Skeletal muscle, Cardiac muscle, Smooth muscle
• Blood and bone marrow smears, blood cells
• Cortex, spinal cord, cerebellum, peripheral nerve, ganglion
• Acute and chronic inflammation cases

Α. Lecture Material

Main suggested textbooks:

1. “Histology” by L.P. Gartner,

3^rd greek/ 4^th english edition (2018)

ISBN: 9789605833022

2. Histology and Cell Biology: An Introduction to Pathology by L. Kierszenbaum, L. Tres

6^th English edition (2025)

      ISBN: 9780443284885

Further reading:

General pathology lecture notes (inflammation/neoplasia) 

Β. Laboratory Exercises Supplementary Material

GENERAL MORPHOLOGY LABORATORY GUIDE 

Relevant Scientific Journals:

None