General Pathology USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A 63-year-old man with hypertension (on lisinopril) undergoes colectomy for stage II colon cancer. On postoperative day 6, vital signs are stable (BP 138/82, HR 88, RR 16, temp 37.2°C, SpO2 98%). His surgical wound demonstrates appropriate healing without erythema or drainage. Microscopic examination reveals numerous newly formed capillaries at the wound edge. Hemoglobin is 10.2 g/dL. Which growth factor most directly promotes endothelial cell proliferation and migration in this wound healing phase?
Answer choices
- APlatelet factor 4
- BTransforming growth factor beta
- CEpidermal growth factor
- DVascular endothelial growth factorCorrect answer
- EInterferon gamma
- FFibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) binding FGFR1 on endothelial cells
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