Histology and Histopathology Self-Study Program For HHMI MSP Students

I.   Perspective
            Histology, the study of tissue organization as the basis of function, is an essential discipline for biomedical researchers who are interested in translating their benchwork into disease therapeutics. With a knowledge of normal histology, one can see the types, location, and scope of cells involved in disease, whether their intrinsic morphology is impacted (indicating cellular dysfunction), and whether higher order tissue structure is impaired (indicating organ dysfunction).   Histopathology is the visual picture of molecular mechanism.   It demonstrates disease progression or therapeutic correction in animal models or human clinical trials, as well as illustrates dysfunctions that can be solved by biomechanical devices.   Histopathology is the means to verify accurate animal models of disease, which can then be used to understand molecular mechanisms and therapeutic efficacy.
            For biomedical graduate students, histopathology knowledge is your bridge into the medical world.   It will allow you to consider expanding your research goals into methods that assess the effectiveness of potential therapeutics you identify through the rapidly-emerging field of computer-assisted drug design or through biomechanical design. When coupled with a specific MSP training program, it will promote your interaction and communication with academic physicians and facilitate your long-term goal of translating benchtop discoveries into treatments for human disease.
            As you begin your histology/histopathology self-study, it is important that you understand which cells, multicellular structures, and/or organs are impacted by the diseases you will be exposed to in your MSP. You can identify these diseases by reading the list of focuse diseases provided by your MSP director and consulting both general Pathology texts, such as Kumar: Robbins and Cotran: Pathologic Basis of Disease, 8th ed., (UCSD network access only) and Henry: Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods, 21th ed., (UCSD network access only). The texts related to your MSP studies are provided in your summary of pre-MSP activities.

II.   Introduction to self-study
            The ability to learn histology through a self-study program has become possible by the internet interface, which couples digital images viewed through virtual microscopes, magnification-by-click, and stage-movement-by-drag computer functions, tools that have been designed for you in large part by UCSD and University of Iowa Pathology Department faculty. An extremely useful tool is structure-selected highlighting on digital images. As you begin your self-study of histology, it is essential to consider an important point. Although your particular interest may focus on a particular organ in disease, remember that it is a part of an integrated system, so do not adopt a narrow focus.   All individual study should begin with a thorough understanding and ability to recognize the 4 basic tissue types: epithelial, connective, muscular and nervous tissues.   These 4 tissues are combined in various proportions to form all the different organs of the human body.   Your overall objective should be to acquire knowledge of normal tissues and organs, which is essential to understanding the altered structure and function of diseased cells, tissues and organs.   The scope of histology involves learning to identify the specialized cells of tissues and organs, and understanding the structural basis of their function. At the end of the quarter, you should understand the general principals of histology, and know the histopathologies related to your MSP disease(s).

III.   Materials required for self-study

       A.   Histology syllabus and lab manual. The self-study program will use the same syllabus and lab manual used by the comprehensive histology courses offered to UCSD medical students (SOM 213) and UCSD pharmacy students (SPPS 240).   Essential tissue features described in this Laboratory Manual are illustrated in the Histology Image Bank, which contains images compiled from SOM 213 and SPPS 240 glass slide sets. The histology laboratory manual will be your principal training tool. You will have access to the sets of slides described in the manual through the Histology teaching facility in the basement of the Basic Science Building.

       B.   Textbook for self-study program. Ross MH, Pawlina W. Histology. A text and atlas, with correlated cell and molecular biology. 5 th edition. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 2006 .   The text is succinct and clearly written with chapter subheadings and summary tables that highlight important information.   Text boxes highlight key concepts and often introduce disease in the context of structure-function relationships.   A stand-alone attenuated atlas of light and electron micrographs provides a visual summary of the information presented in each chapter.   The text comes with an image bank CD-ROM. You will use this reference book intermittantly, and it will become part of your histopathology library.

      C.   Atlas for self-study program. V.P. Eroschenko, di Fiore's Atlas of Histology with Functional Correlations, 11th edition, (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, softbound ISBN 0-7817-7057-2, $71.20; BML Reserves QS 517 E71d 2008). The illustrations consist of drawings, not photomicrographs. Some students find it easier to understand structures presented as drawings rather than micrographs.

      D.   UCSD Histology and Histopathology Websites for self-study
MedPics:    MedPics is a computer-assisted learning program with online access to histology and pathology images.   The Instructional Development Group of Educational Computing in conjunction with the Histology and Human Disease course faculty created MedPics, which provides a convenient mechanism for reviewing photomicrographs and other images chosen by faculty to demonstrate major course concepts in Histology, Pathology and Hematology.   Make sure you recognize that you can toggel between the histology section (normal tissues) and the pathology section (disease states). Each image is accompanied by a descriptive text legend and graphic overlays that identify key structures, enabling you to study at your pace with faculty-level guidance.

Histology Image Bank:  The Histology Image Bank has been compiled from student glass slide sets used in the laboratory to illustrate essential features described in the Laboratory Manual used for the Histology courses (SOM 213 or SPPS 240).   In contrast to MedPics, there are no graphic overlays indicating key features.   In the Histology Image Bank, descriptive legends emphasize key features in order to encourage students to master relevant vocabulary.

     E. Histopathology Website for self-study
Virtual Slidebox:  Virtual Slidebox is a comprehensive website that contains a full histology slide set that can be manipulated with a virtual microscope.   In addition to descriptive legends, many slides contain links to corresponding gross anatomical images.   Importantly, there are links to pathology slides sets and corresponding gross anatomical images, giving easy access to normal and abnormal histology and gross anatomy.   One of the best websites for histology and histopathology available.