Diagnostic Morphological Techniques and Cell and Tissue Research

Code:

OPT2_33

Acronym:

TMDICT

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (of 17-02-2025 to 13-06-2025)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Microscopy
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Masters Degree in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIM	15	Official Study Plan	2	-	3	28	81

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Suitable for English-speaking Students.

Objectives

The main objective of the curricular unit is that the Students know the theory and practice of the different morphological techniques that allow the study of cell and tissues. In this way, the Student should be able to select the most adequate cell and tissue analysis technique for resolving a clinical, diagnostic or medical research problem.  

Learning outcomes and competences

Students should be able to:

• Identify morphological techniques that allow the study of the cell and tissues in routine diagnosis and medical research.
• Acquire best practices in laboratory biosafety.
• Getting familiarized with the steps of routine histological, cytological and immunohistochemical laboratorial techniques.
• Recognize the utility of morphological diagnosis (including that obtaining with electron microscopy) in the clinical pratice of different medical specialties.
• Compare cell morphology in histological and cytological techniques.
• Enumerate immunohistochemical markers that are useful to determine the phenotype and origin of different cells and tissues, and recognizing their relevance in the resolution of diagnostic questions.
• Recognize that the quantitative morphological techniques such as morphometry and stereology can give complementary diagnostic or research data.
• Identify the qualitative and quantitative techniques used to study blood and bone marrow samples.
•  Recognize the main quantitative and qualitative changes detected in blood count and in the myelogram. Make basic clinical inferences.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Prerequisites: Previous attendance to Cell and Tissue Biology/ Cellular Biology and Histology curricular units.

Program

The importance of morphological techniques in clinical practice. Biosafety in a tissue processing laboratory.

Fundamental aspects of tissue processing for optical microscopy. The current importance of electron microscopy in the diagnosis. Clinical utility of the morphological diagnosis - basic notions.

Do it yourself - Routine histological technique (in laboratory context).

Antigens in cells and tissues - Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.

Do it yourself - Performing immunohistochemistry (in laboratory context).

Case-based learning – clinical cases for the interpretation of immunohistochemistry; identification of cell phenotype; diagnostic implications.

Quantitative morphological techniques (morphometry and stereology).

Problem-based learning - Practical application of quantification tools to solve a research question.

Cytology and cytological sample collection techniques.

Do it yourself - Collection of cytological samples in a simulation model (FioNA™ Fine Needle Aspiration Simulation Kit).

Case-based learning - Cytology-histology comparison in different tissues and organs by interpreting cytology preparations of selected clinical cases.

How are the cellular elements of blood counted? CBCs and blood smears. Introduction to flow cytometry.
 
Techniques for the study of the bone marrow. What is a myelogram? Contextualization and clinico-laboratorial integration with clinical cases.

Learning in lab – CBC machine and flow cytometry. Basis for the interpretation of the results (in hospitalar aand academic laboratory)

Case-based learning – Hematologic clinical cases. Basic morphologic-clinical relationships based on CBC and blood smear.

Mandatory literature

S. Kim Suvarna; Bancroft.s theory and practice of histological techniques. ISBN: 978-0-7020-4226-3 (Some selected chapters.)

Complementary Bibliography

Elaine M. Keohane, Larry Smith, Jeanine M. Walenga; Rodak’s Hematology Clinical Principles and applications, 2016 (Some selected chapters.)
J. M. Polak; Introduction to immunocytochemistry. ISBN: 1-85996-086-3
Stacey E. Mills; Histology for Pathologists, 2020. ISBN: 1496398947

Comments from the literature

Scientific articles selected by the Teachers will be the basis of the mandatory literature.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical introductions in classroom, which might include components of flipped classroom model. In the remaining hours of contact, Students will have practical lessons in laboratory context or practical interactions, including simulation model or lessons focused on solving diagnostic problems based on images/videos or microscopic examination of slide preparations of selected clinical cases (case-based learning) – with the Student being active in the learning process.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	70,00
Teste	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	53,00
Frequência das aulas	28,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

According to the rules (3/4 of attendance in classes).

Calculation formula of final grade

The evaluation is by continuous assessment with final multiple choice test (25 questions). The continuous evaluation will take in consideration the attendance, professional attitude and quality of the work in class (commitment and active participation in the practical sessions and in the resolution of the practical diagnostic or research problems/clinical cases).


Final Grade = Continuous Assessment (70%) + Multiple Choice Exam (30%).

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students-Workers (with formal status) who antecipate incompatibility between their professional activity and the participation in class work, for the purpose of continuous assessment, should contact the Regent at the beginning of the semester, in order to consider the possibility of performing individual works. These individual works will be presented and evaluated in sessions with a date and time to be agreed with the Regent and the Professors of the Curricular Unit.

For Student-Workers and for association leader-Students the computation of the final grade is the same and corresponds to:

Final Grade = Continuous Assessment (70%) + Multiple Choice Exam (30%).

Classification improvement

It is only possible to improve the grade after final approval.

It will be done by conducting a new final multiple choice test.