Radiation Biophysics, 7 April 2003: Second Midterm
- (5 points)
Define potentially lethal damage.
Answer:
Working definition: Potentially lethal damage is damage to cells
which, if left unrepaired, will result in [clonogenic] death.
Formal definition: Potentially lethal damage is injury that will
kill the cell unless intervention occurs to change the outcome.
- (5 points)
Define radiation-induced cell progression delay.
Answer:
Radiation-induced cell progression delay is the phenomenon wherein
the progression of a cell through its maturation cycle is interrupted or
slowed by exposure to radiation.
- (5 points)
Define a stem cell population.
Answer: A stem cell population is a group of relatively
undifferentiated cells that are capable of division and maturation
into a functional group of cells.
- (5 points)Define a functional subunit and give two examples.
Answer:
A functional subunit of an organ is a volume of tissue that can be regenerated
from a single surviving cell without loss of functional integrity. The
nephron is the FSU of the filtration system of the kidney; the alveolus
is the FSU of the lung.