Tips on creating a Rank Order List (point system) for residency and fellowship

Types of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)

 Types of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH)

LVH = increase in the mass of the left ventricle (LV)

Caused due to:

1. enlargement of the muscle cells

2. extracellular fibrosis

Concentric LVH 

- occurs in response to pressure overload

- examples: aortic stenosis or hypertension

- associated with: reduced cavity size

Eccentric hypertrophy

- occurs in response to volume overload

 -examples: aortic or mitral regurgitation

- associated with: dilation

LVH is also classified based on the cause

Due to primary condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)

Secondary to pathology (hypertension, myocardial infarction, and valvular heart disease)

That's all!

-IkaN

Pediatrics | Male Reproductive System | CK Uworld

J-1 visa: Statement of Need and surety bond for Indian International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

Histoplasmosis mnemonic

Histoplasmosis mnemonic

Bubonic plague mnemonic

Bubonic plague mnemonic 

COVID-19 Vaccine Development

The worldwide magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic is ineffable; it is unsurprisingly compared to the Spanish flu pandemic, which ravaged the world during the First World War (adding fuel to the fire!). One of the pandemic's various positive impacts has been the unprecedented research collaboration and data sharing across the world. Such singular efforts made it possible to cut down the usual time to achieve an approved vaccine from 10⁺ years to less than a year.

To put things into perspective, it took 60 years from the time of the first polio outbreak to developing its vaccine; in the case of Ebola, it took 15 years. Vaccine candidates for SARS-CoV-1 and MERS did not receive the necessary impetus to advance into fruition. However, with SARS-CoV-2, the situation is very different. Global initiatives such as ACTIV (Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines), a public-private partnership comprising of bigwigs like CDC, FDA, EMA (European Medicines Agency), and numerous leading biopharmaceutical enterprises. Another project on a similar scale is Operation Warp Speed, which has invited comparison to the infamous Manhattan Project.

What is an "ideal" COVID-19 vaccine? There are three criteria from the immunological perspective: 1) It induces a robust humoral immune response that produces long-lasting neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 antigens, 2) It generates a strong cell-mediated immunity that includes the production of memory T cells, 3) It should be free of any serious local or systemic adverse effects. Considering the logistics of vaccinating the entire world, there are three more criteria: 1) It should be easy to administer, preferably in one or two doses, 2) It should be easy to produce on a large-scale, 3) Its storage should be uncomplicated, ideally possible at room temperature.

 Source: Front. Pharmacol., 19 June 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00937

Let us discuss the vaccines that are currently in development. We all have heard about a few of them in the news and social media, namely, Pfizer, Moderna, Covaxin, Astra Zeneca, and so on. There are, impressively, 125⁺ SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development globally. Broadly, there are six platforms currently being utilized for vaccine development –

1.   DNA

2.   mRNA (examples – Moderna, Pfizer)

3.   Protein (Subunit vaccines)

4.   Viral vector – replicating/non-replicating (examples - Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson)

5.   Live attenuated virus

6.   Inactivated virus

Almost all of the above models have targeted the spike glycoprotein, which is present on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, to interfere with the viral entry into a cell.

This article is an oversimplified summary of the vaccine development process. I haven't covered the vaccine platforms, molecular targets, and vaccine candidates in detail. With the advent of vaccine administration, whether it's Pfizer's or any other, there will be a massive surge in vaccine-related information. There will be challenges at every step, from distribution to underdeveloped areas of the world to alleviate the concerns of the skeptical anti-vaxxers. Let us hope that these vaccines start the end of the pandemic.

-Vinayak

J-1 visa: Statement of need (SON) attestation from Indian Consulate

PDA dependent Congenital Heart Diseases mnemonic for step 2 CK

 

 

About the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine trial

Important things we know about the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

• From roughly 44000 participants, vaccine and placebo were administered 1:1 ratio, the vaccine participants demonstrated 95% efficacy in preventing COVID-19 in those without prior infection 7 days or more after the second dose.

• Partial protection from the vaccine candidate appeared as early as 12 days after the first dose.

• The vaccine has shown consistent results in people of different ages, races, BMI, and with various co-morbid conditions.

Emoticon game: Acute Liver Failure answers

If you haven't tried the emoticon game, check it out here: https://www.medicowesome.com/2020/12/emoticon-game-causes-of-acute-liver.html

The answers are posted below.

Emoticon game: Causes of Acute Liver Failure

 

Pediatrics Allergy & Immunology UWorld Step 2 CK

 

COVID-19 and the increased risk of Parkinson's disease

Hi!

Currently posted in psychiatry, I was reading articles on Parkinson's disease and came through this important finding in context with the coronavirus disease.

Cosmetic surgery and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial infections

There has been an increase in plastic surgery tourism because some countries offer cheap cosmetic surgery. Common surgical procedures sought are breast augmentation surgery, liposuction, eyelid surgery, facelift, labiaplasties, and gluteal lift procedures. [1]

Conus medullaris syndrome vs. Cauda equina syndrome

Both of these are orthopedic/neurosurgical emergencies! But in general, CM syndrome is more severe than CE syndrome.

Here's a comparison between the two...

Guidelines for management of gout by ACR 2020

 Hi!

Long time..

Urate-lowering therapy indications and important guidelines for management of gout, as updated by ACR in 2020:

TORCH syndrome + mnemonic

 TORCH syndrome is caused by congenital infection by a group of infectious agents. 

Respiratory fluoroquinolones

Why are moxifloxacin, gemifloxacin, and levofloxacin also known as respiratory fluoroquinolones?

Determining axis of EKG (isoelectric method) practice tracings