Medicowesome

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Cocaine and beta blockers

Hello! Let's talk about cocaine and beta blockers! :)

But just to cover the basics:

Cocaine blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine at the presynaptic adrenergic terminals, causing an accumulation of catecholamines at the postsynaptic receptor (Mnemonic). That makes it a powerful sympathomimetic agent. Cocaine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Study tips on preparing for PG CET

Hey everyone!

So many of you have been asking me how to prepare for the Indian PG exams. As you all know, I am preparing for studies abroad and I don't find myself competent to answer the question. But, we convinced Dr. Prateek Charuchandra Joshi to share his study tips with us.. And he agreed! How cool is this guy! Thanks, Prateek! ^__^

I asked him a few questions focusing on the strategy of studying and irrelevant questions like - how many months/attempts did you take, what were your MBBS scores, how was internship, etc. were not asked simply because these are variable for all of you and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is get a general idea from this post, and make your personalized study schedule :)

Cocaine blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine mnemonic

Hello! Short post for the day!

Cocaine blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin.

How do you remember this?

Lipoprotein A and Thrombosis

It is a well known fact that Lipoprotein A is a cardiovascular risk factor.

Increased levels of Lipoprotein A causes Thrombotic events.

But why does this happen?

Random mnemonic on multiple sclerosis

I sometimes get blank as to what happens in multiple sclerosis.

Drugs causing SIADH mnemonic

Hello!

Because ADH makes you retain water, the mnemonic goes: "SIADH Causes Poor Voiding"

S: SSRIs (Sertaline)
I: Indomethacin (Analgesics)
A: Antidepressants (Tricyclics)
D: Diuretics (Thiazides)
Desmopressin
H: Hello :D

Study group discussion: GI hemorrhage and urea

Why does GI haemorrhage increase serum urea?

Any patient with GI bleeding will have an increased serum urea.

Urea is an end product of protein metabolism. Digested blood contains loads of proteins so it's as good as having a meal rich in proteins. Blood proteins include hemoglobin, Immunoglobulins, etc.

Glucose in pleural fluid analysis

Hi :)

A low pleural fluid glucose concentration (less than 60 mg/dL, or a pleural fluid/serum glucose ratio less than 0.5) narrows the differential diagnosis of the exudate.

Causes of low glucose in pleural fluid include:

Symptoms of Legionella pneumonia mnemonic

Happy weekend everyone!

The mnemonic for Legionella is in the word itself - LEGIONella.

L: Lungs - Atypical pneumonia.
Relatively nonproductive cough
Dyspnea
Pleuritic or non pleuritic chest pain
Confluent or patchy infiltrates on x-ray
Random fact: Interstitial infiltrates aren't seen often like in other atypical pneumonias.

COPD: Tips for step 2 CK and rounds

Hello! I have a pulmonary rotation going on and I thought I'd shed light on management of COPD :D

During rotations, you may be asked what you want to do for the patient. I have written "Plan" for what you might want to answer to impress your attending. I've included a few common brand names too :)

Inhalers: Remember inhalers only improve symptoms and have no mortality benefit and do not affect the progression of the disease.