Face to Face:
Teaching of the MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN MORPHOLOGY course consists of lectures and laboratory practice.
Attendance of Laboratory Practice is obligatory.
The lectures’ content is described above.
Laboratory exercises (in 1-2 groups of students, 1 tutor per group of 20 students) complementary to the lectures. They aim to familiarize the students with normal tissue morphology, the application of techniques, the operation of simple laboratory
instruments, and experimental procedures that are often used in Molecular Histopathology, as well as to help the students
comprehend concepts not easily presented theoretically (learning based on practical experience).

Information and Communication Technologies are used for the
preparation of the lecture material, 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 theory and protocols of the laboratory exercises, the slides of each lecture, and scientific articles made available electronically and online to students through the e-class system of our university.
• Information about the course, tutors as well as their research
interests and in general the Pathology Department are available
online on the website of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Thessaly.
• Common software (e.g.MS Excel) is used to statistically process student assessment.

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

Aims of the course
• The course material focuses on studying the structure of human cells and tissues with an emphasis on molecular and clinical applications. The course aims to the comprehension of the normal structure of cells/tissues and the disorders that occur and reflect the phenotype of the molecular changes at the cellular level. Students will be able to understand the molecular
mechanisms involved in morphological disorders and dysfunctions in the basic tissues of the human body and they will come to contact with their clinical implications in inflammation, neoplasia, and hereditary syndromes. In the context of laboratory exercises, the students will use basic laboratory equipment, especially optical microscopes to recognize characteristics of normal tissues. They will also be exposed to classical methodologies and modern cutting-edge technologies that allow the detection of biomarkers in clinical practice.
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
• understand the structure and function of normal cells/tissues of the human body
• comprehend the link between molecular alterations and morphological changes in variable diseases and the importance of biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment
• use and understand key terms in molecular histopathology
• operate basic laboratory equipment and perform basic molecular techniques
• collaborate with other fellow students to carry out basic  laboratory research tasks

General Abilities

• Research, analysis, and synthesis of data and information, using the necessary technologies.
• Decision making
• Autonomous and team-work
• Criticism and self-criticism practice
• Promotion of free, creative, and inductive reasoning

The content of the MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN MORPHOLOGY course includes the
following major items:
 The content of the lectures together with the relevant clinical insights the students need to learn/acquire per chapter.
 The content of the laboratory practice together with the relevant practical &clinical skills the students need to learn/acquire per exercise.
A. Content of Lectures and relevant clinical insights (normal structure and molecular mechanisms underlying specific phenotypic characteristics in various pathological conditions
and/or diseases).
 Introduction to morphology (histology and cytology)
 Cell components and correlation of structure and function
 Epithelial tissue structure and disorders
 Connective tissue structure and disorders
 Adipose tissue structure and disorders
 Cartilage structure and dysfunction
 Bone structure and disorders
 Nerve tissue and nervous system disorders
 Muscle tissue and disorders
 Circulatory system dysregulation
 Blood, disorders, and syndromes
 Acute and chronic inflammation
 Cell injury, necrosis, apoptosis, neoplasia
 Classical and new technologies applied in morphology and precision medicine
B. 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 laboratory equipment
 Teamwork
 Taking and following instructions
 Troubleshooting and clinical significance of laboratory results
Specific Skills
 Handling of the optical microscope
 Use of objective lenses and magnifications
 Familiarized with molecular techniques
Lecture material
The lectures focus on the structure of normal tissues of the human body and molecular alterations and related morphological changes in cells and tissues, associated with specific pathological conditions.
 Introduction to morphology (histology and cytology): tissue preparation, light microscopy, interpretation of histological sections – the subject of Cytology, methods for obtaining
cytological material, techniques for preparation of cytological materials. General morphological criteria for the identification of neoplastic cells.
 Cell components and correlation of structure and function: Cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell organelles, transport proteins, cell signaling, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, protein synthesis,
exocytosis, cell surface modifications. Nucleus, chromatin, epigenetics, cell cycle, mitosis.
Pathological conditions related to the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, organelles and cytoskeleton, nucleus, nucleolus, cell cycle, meiosis– dysfunctionality and molecular-associated
mechanisms.
 Epithelial tissue structure and disorders: types of surface epithelia, cell polarity and specific characteristics, epithelial cell junctions. Glandular epithelium: exocrine, endocrine glands,
unicellular, multicellular glands- pathological conditions/diseases related to apical cell surface specializations–dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Connective tissue structure and disorders: connective tissue cells, fibroblasts and collagen, mast cells, distribution and function of macrophages, connective tissue  classification pathologicalconditions/diseases related to cells, fibers, and matrix of connective tissue– dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Adipose tissue structure and disorders: white and brown adipose tissue – pathological conditions/diseases related to white and brown adipose tissue (e.g. obesity/white tissue
adipocytes, lipase reduced activity, diabetes, and heart disease/ increased amount of white adipose tissue, etc.)–dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Cartilage structure and dysfunction: types of cartilage-pathological conditions/diseases related to hyaline and elastic cartilage, fibrocartilage–dysfunctions and molecular associated
mechanisms
 Bone structure and disorders: osteoblasts, osteoclasts, types of bone tissue, Haversian systems, longitudinal and transverse bone growth, bone tissue remodeling – pathological conditions/diseases related to bone cells and matrix, types of bone, osteogenesis–dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Nerve tissue and nervous system disorders: nervous system cells, neurons, neuromuscular synapse. Central and Peripheral nervous system – pathological conditions/diseases related to
neurons, glial cells, and neuronal activity central or peripheral nervous system (Parkinson’s disease/ apoptosis of dopamine-producing neurons, Alzheimer’s disease/ neurofibrillary
defects, neuroma/ peripheral nerves deficiency) –dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Muscle tissue and disorders: types of muscle tissue, structure of myofibrils, muscle contraction and relaxation, neuromuscular synapse, muscle spindle, Golgi tendon organs, muscle tissue
regeneration – pathological conditions/diseases related to skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle–dysfunctions and molecular-associated mechanisms
 Circulatory system dysregulation: Blood vessel structure. Artery and vein, Types of capillariesthe heart- pathological conditions/diseases related to the heart, vasculature, lymphatic
vascular system, and others (valve defects, atherosclerosis/damaged endothelial cells and elastic and large muscular arteries) – molecular associated mechanisms
 Blood disorders and syndromes: Peripheral blood, erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets. Bone marrow, hemopoiesis – pathological conditions/diseases related to plasma components and blood cells (e.g. anemia/erythrocytes lack, dysregulation in the maturation of erythrocytes and granulocytes (e.g. neutrophilia/neutrophilia lack, leukemias, etc.) –dysfunctions and molecular associated mechanisms
 Acute and chronic inflammation: General characteristics of inflammation, causes of acute and chronic inflammation, types of cells, chemical mediators, cytokines, tissue damage and repair
processes, scars, angiogenesis, fibrosis, disorders
 Cell injury, necrosis, apoptosis, neoplasia: cell stress, acute cell damage, degeneration, necrosis, apoptosis. Mechanisms of cell damage, death, hypoxia, ischemia, oxidative stress, and
toxins. Molecular pathways implicated in the above processes – pathological conditions, hallmarks of cancer, introduction to nomenclature, differentiation, dysplasia, metaplasia,
anaplasia, grade, invasion, metastasis. Oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, repair genes, chromosomal and microsatellite instability
 Classical and new technologies applied in morphology and precision medicine: histological stains, types of immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, flow cytometry in hematological malignancies, real-time PCR applications, next-generation sequencing types (RNA-seq, singlecell seq, methylome seq, chip-seq)

Laboratory Exercises
• Microscope use – observation of different types of cells
• Observation of various types of epithelia
• Observation of Connective tissue types
• Observation of bone and cartilage tissue types
• Observation of muscle tissue types
• Observation of blood cells and types of vessels
• Observation of nervous cells
• DNA extraction from different types of fresh/ FFPET tissues and body fluids (blood, urine)
• PCR-based applications for mutation and polymorphism detection, gene expression
• Flow cytometry applications in hematological malignancies
• Histological and cytological stains, immunohistochemistry applications, In situ hybridization (FISH, CISH)
• Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) applications and data evaluation

Α. Lecture Material
Main suggested textbooks:
1. Human Molecular Genetics
By Strachan Tom, Read Andrew P.
5th edition (2019) ISBN-13:9780815345893
2. Junqueira’s Basic Histology TEXT & ATLAS
By Anthony L. Mescher
17thenglish edition (2024) ISBN: 9781266021398
Further reading:
Molecular and Clinical Applications in Morphology lecture notes (provided in e-class)
Β. Laboratory Exercises Supplementary Material
No
Relevant Scientific Journals:
Yes (strongly recommended)