Sunday, October 30, 2016

Study group discussion: Why are agglutinates not seen in warm type autoimmune hemolytic anemia?

Why are agglutinates not seen in warm type autoimmune hemolytic anemia?

Because the antibody is IgG. IgG is called incomplete antibody.

RBCs have a strong negative charge on their surface called zeta potential. So the shortest distance attainable between two RBCs is 18nm. IgM molecule has a large pemtameric structure, so it has a distance of 30 nm between two binding sites. Hence, it is able to agglutinate RBCs.

But the small IgG molecule has only 12 nm gap between two binding sites. So it can't bind to multiple RBCs and hence fails to agglutinate them.

So it just coats the RBCs, which is taken to spleen to be killed.

That's all!

Thank you, Divya, for explaining this to us =)

-IkaN

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Marijuana and cannabinoids intoxication mnemonic

Hey!
So in this post, imma gonna talk about what happens when you smoke weed yo.

The symptoms of marijuana intoxication are:


Munchies (Polyphagia)
Autonomic hyperactivity (Mild hypertension, dry mouth)
Racing heart (Tachycardia)
Injection (Scleral, conjunctival injection)
Judgement impaired
Uphoria (Euphoria)
Anxiety
Nystagmus
Ataxia

Treatment? Intoxication is self-limited to several hours. Interestingly, the treatment for marijuana intoxication and withdrawal are exactly the same: supportive care only.
That's all!
Don't do pot, you dope, you :P
-IkaN

Step 2 CK: Treatment of narcolepsy and cataplexy

Treatment of Narcolepsy:
Patients with sleepiness severe enough to require medication can be treated with stimulant medications.

IPC and CrPC mnemonics

Hello!
This post is for Indian medical students only.

IPC 319, 320, 323, 324, 325, 326, 334, 335 mnemonic

Hey!

Narcolepsy mnemonic

Hello!

This post is on narcolepsy.

For those who don't know, narcolepsy is characterized by:

Crown rump length and gestational sac diameter

The crown rump length in mm is calculated by subtracting 42 from the gestational age in number of days.

The gestational sac diameter in mm is calculated by subtracting 30 from the gestational age in number of days.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Step 2 CK: Treatment of bipolar disorder

For acute maniac episode:
Give antipsychotic (preferably IM) like Olanzapine, Haloperidol first because they act fast.

Long term treatment for Bipolar disorder: Mood stabilizer like lithium.

If patient is on mood stabilizer and presents with maniac episode: Give antipsychotic.

For patients who have a history of multiple recurrences or have a partial but inadequate response to a maintenance drug that is tolerated, add a second drug:

Common combinations include lithium or valproate:
- Plus  a second-generation antipsychotic, such as quetiapine, long-acting injectable risperidone, ziprasidone, or olanzapine
- Lamotrigine
- Carbamazepine

Step 2 CK: Treatment of anxiety disorders

Patient is in a panic attack:
Use benzodiazepines because they act fast.

Long term treatment for panic disorder:
SSRIs

Long term treatment for GAD:
SSRIs
Buspirone

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

IPC 300, 302, 307, 308 and 309 mnemonic

Hello!

Here are some Indian Penal Code mnemonics :)

Study group discussion: Bradycardia

Name the causes of bradycardia!

Physiological bradycardia is seen during sleep and in athletes.

In typhoid fever, yellow fever and brucellosis, we see relative bradycardia.

Pathological bradycardia is seen in hypothermia, hypothyroidism, raised intracranial tension & inferior wall myocardial infarction, hypertension, bradyarrhythmia, etc.

What is relative bradycardia?

Indices of obesity mnemonic

Hello!
Let's mnemonic-fy everything!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Authors diary: IkaN's real name (Meaning and pronunciation of Nakeya)

Hello!

IkaN from Medicowesome here!
This video and post is from the authors diary! :D

People have been asking me what my real name is and how I pronounce it so I thought of making a video on it.

There you go! :)

Wolff–Chaikoff effect mnemonic

Hello!

Here's an awesome mnemonic on Wolff–Chaikoff effect sent to us by Hari!

For those of you who don't know what Wolff–Chaikoff effect is, it is a reduction in thyroid hormone levels caused by ingestion of a large amount of iodine.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Schizophrenia subtypes mnemonic

Schizophrenia types mnemonic: CURDP

Diagnosis vs. Prognosis! Which is which?


When I was in 1st year I used to mistake these two parts of patient care very much. Let’s try to understand these concepts.

Diagnosis (Dx) – The identified disease/condition that the person has. We get to a diagnosis, after considering all the symptoms, and signs.

Prognosis – What’s going to happen in future for the patient regarding this disease.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Step 2 CK: ADHD treatment

Hello! This post is on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)!

Cognitive behavioural therapy is the first line of treatment for ADHD.

As for pharmacotherapy, FDA has approved two types of medications — stimulants and non-stimulants.