Huntington’s disease
a. Causes dementia.
b. Genetic transmission: autosomal dominant.
c. Characterized by the degeneration of striatal neurons, affecting cortical and basal ganglia function.
d. Clinically, the disease affects both movement and cognition and is ultimately fatal.

Joint pathology
1. Rheumatoid arthritis
a. Cause is autoimmune in nature.
b. More common in women aged 20 to 50.
c. Characterized by inflammation of the synovial membrane. Granulation tissue, known as pannus, will form in the synovium and expand over the articular cartilage. This causes the destruction of the underlying cartilage and results in fibrotic changes and ankylosis.
Scarring, contracture, and deformity of the joints may occur.
d. Clinical symptoms include swollen joints. It can affect any joint in the body.

2. Osteoarthritis
a. Most common arthritis.
b. Cause is unknown.
c. Higher incidence in women, usually after age 50.
d. Characterized by degeneration of the articular cartilage and the formation of osteophytes (bony spurs) at the margins of affected areas.
Clinical signs and symptoms include:
(1) Stiff and painful joints affecting joints in the hand (phalangeal joints) and weight-bearing joints.
(2) Heberden’s nodes—nodules at the distal interphalangeal joint.
(3) Bocard’s nodes—nodules at the proximal interphalangeal joint.

Congenital heart defect
Congenital heart defects can be broadly categorised into two groups,
o    acyanotic heart defects ('pink' babies) :

 An acyanotic heart defect is any heart defect of a group of structural congenital heart defects,  approximately 75% of all congenital heart defects.
 It can be subdivided into two groups depending on whether there is shunting of the blood from the left vasculature to the right (left to right shunt) or no shunting at all.

Left to right shunting heart defects include 
- ventricular septal defect or VSD (30% of all congenital heart defects),
- persistent ductus arteriosus or PDA, 
- atrial septal defect or ASD, 
- atrioventricular septal defect or AVSD.

Acyanotic heart defects without shunting include 
- pulmonary stenosis, a narrowing of the pulmonary valve, 
- aortic stenosis 
- coarctation of the aorta.

cyanotic heart defects ('blue' babies). 
obstructive heart defects

 cyanotic heart defect is a group-type of congenital heart defect. These defects account for about 25% of all congenital heart defects. The patient appears blue, or cyanotic, due to deoxygenated blood in the systemic circulation. This occurs due to either a right to left or a bidirectional shunt, allowing significant proportions of the blood to bypass the pulmonary vascular bed; or lack of normal shunting, preventing oxygenated blood from exiting the cardiac-pulmonary system (as with transposition of the great arteries).

Defects in this group include 
hypoplastic left heart syndrome,
tetralogy of Fallot, 
transposition of the great arteries, 
tricuspid atresia, 
pulmonary atresia, 
persistent truncus arteriosus.
 

Autopsy

Autopsy is examination of the dead body to identify the cause of death. This can be for forensic or clinical purposes.

Parasitic
1. Leishmania produce 3 kinds of disease in man

- visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) due to Leishmania donovani complex, 
- cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica complex, and 
- mucocutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania braziliensis. 
 
 - cutaneous (Oriental sore) and mucocutansous leishmaniasis limit themselves to the skinalone (ulcers) in the former disease and skin plus mucous membranes in the latter variant. 

 - the diagnosis of cutaneous or mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is made by biopsy, culture, skin test, or serologic tests
 
 - the laboratory diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis is made by performing a bone marrow aspirate and finding the leishmanial forms in macrophages, by culture, by hamster inoculation, or by serology. 
 - recovery from the cutaneous form incurs immunity.
 - treatment: stibogluconate 

Hyperparathyroidism 

Abnormally high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) cause hypercalcemia. This can result from either primary or secondary causes. Primary hyperparathyroidism is caused usually by a parathyroid adenoma, which is associated with autonomous PTH secretion. Secondary  hyperparathyroidism, on the other hand, can occur in the setting of chronic renal failure. In either situation, the presence of excessive amounts of this hormone leads to significant skeletal changes related to a persistently exuberant osteoclast activity that is associated with increased bone resorption and calcium mobilization. The entire skeleton is affected. PTH is directly responsible for the bone changes seen in primary hyperparathyroidism, but in secondary hyperparathyroidism additional influences also contribute. In chronic renal failure there is inadequate 1,25- (OH)2-D synthesis that ultimately affects gastrointestinal calcium absorption. The hyperphosphatemia of renal
failure also suppresses renal α1-hydroxylase, which further impair vitamin D synthesis; all these eventuate in hypocalcemia, which stimulates excessive secretion of PTH by the parathyroid glands, & hence elevation in PTH serum levels. 

Gross features
• There is increased osteoclastic activity, with bone resorption. Cortical and trabecular bone are lost and replaced by loose connective tissue. 
• Bone resorption is especially pronounced in the subperiosteal regions and produces characteristic radiographic changes, best seen along the radial aspect of the middle phalanges of the second and third fingers.

Microscopical features

• There is increased numbers of osteoclasts and accompanying erosion of bone surfaces.
• The marrow space contains increased amounts of loose fibrovascular tissue.
• Hemosiderin deposits are present, reflecting episodes of hemorrhage resulting from microfractures of the weakened bone.
• In some instances, collections of osteoclasts, reactive giant cells, and hemorrhagic debris form a distinct mass, termed "brown tumor of hyperparathyroidism". Cystic change is common in such lesions (hence the name osteitis fibrosa cystica). Patients with hyperparathyroidism have reduced bone mass, and hence are increasingly susceptible to fractures and bone deformities.