Study group discussion: Lipid Metabolism Deficiency Enzymes

Hey guys, this is a minor post about Lipid Metabolism Deficiency enzymes we talked about in Medicowesome Whatsapp Group. (If you want to join our group, please email us!)

DNA viruses mnemonic

DNA is the blueprint of biological life as we know. 

Viruses contain either DNA or RNA, they NEVER contain both. Now whether viruses containing DNA makes them superior to there only-RNA containing counterparts..that is debatable.

Medical humour: Face-lift

"Face-lift is like a prolapse repair of the face."

- Sim, my medical friend rotating in urology talking about plastics.

Mnemonics - Dermatomal distribution easiest way to remember

Hey people,

I don't know if you struggled remembering the dermatomal distribution but I always had a tough time with it. 

Starting off: The sensory distributions always overlap with the adjacent ones. So there is no hard and fast rule. The zones that have sole supply from one nerve are known as Autonomous Sensory zones. Which are helpful in identifying the nerve lesion. C1 segment has no sensory supply, only motor supply.

Mnemonic for the layers of the skin (Epidermis)

Hey guys! 

Here's an easy mnemonic to remember the layers of the epidermis and some other fun facts.

The Epidermis consists of 5 layers (From base to top)

- Stratum basale
- Stratum spinosum
- Stratum granulosum
- Stratum lucidum
- Stratum corneum

Mnemonics

Top to Bottom:

Come Lets Get Sun Burnt                                            
Bottom to Top:

Britney Spears Glows Like Candy (If  you like her!)

Britney Spears Grows Like Cancer (If you don't like her :P )

Stratum Basale (as it is the basal layer) :

Columnar epithelial cells. 
These cells multiply and produce the keratinocytes which move up the layers. 
Melanocytes are present in this layer which produce melanosome (melanin packed in granules) and ship them to the keratinocytes in other layers  through their dendrites. 

Stratum Spinosum / prickle cell layer (contains desmosomal bridges which look like spines.) :
Polygonal cells.
Connected to each other by the aforementioned desmosomal bridges.

Stratum Granulosum (contain keratohyaline granules) :
Diamond shaped cells. 
Granules contain protein filaggrin (filament aggregation) which is responsible for the aggregation of keratin filaments. 

Stratum Lucidum:
Flat cells. 
Present only in palms and soles.

Epidermis in rest of the body has only 4 layers.

Stratum Corneum (horny layer) :
Most superficial layer. 
Cells are fully keratinised and end up as anucleate dead cells which later desquamate. 

Basale, spinosum and granulosum together are called as the living layer. 
Corneum is called as the dead layer. 

Dermis consists of the superficial papillary dermis and the deep reticular dermis.

Fun facts:
Skin is the largest organ in the body.
Keratin is synthesised in the Spinosum layers but accumulates in the granulosum layer.
The migration of cells from basal layer to desquamation is known as the Turn over Time which is normally 4-5 weeks.
Merkel cells(sensory end organ) present in the basal layer are responsible for the touch sensation.

P.S. The image has been taken from another site.

- Ved

Signs seen in Aortic regurgitation mnemonic

Hello! In this post, I talk about the signs seen in Aortic regurgitation and share a few mnemonics with you. I also inserted some gif images to make it fun.

I recommend using mnemonics for the signs you can't remember after learning them thoroughly than trying to memorize the mnemonics first :)

Let's get started :D

de Musset's sign: Rhythmic nodding or bobbing of the head in synchrony with the beating of the heart.

Mnemonic: Imagine a musketeer, raising his hat and then bowing his head stylishly.

Quincke's sign: Regurgitant blood flow into a dilated left ventricle during diastole leads to a decrease in diastolic pressure and a consequent increase in stroke volume, resulting in blanching and flushing, respectively, of the nail bed.

PS: They are pulsations which are SEEN, they are NOT FELT.

Quincke's pulse is the capillary pulsations and any thing that demonstrates these pulsations may be known as Quincke's sign. (I don't know for sure though.)

Other ways to see Quincke's pulse:

- While drawing the thumb nail sharply across the forehead, one can cause a red mark, which can be seen paling and flushing with each beat of the heart.

- When pressing a glass slide on the inner part of the lower lip, the same capillary pulsation will be seen. 

So these two can also be called Quincke's signs! :)

Mnemonic: I honestly don't have a mnemonic for this one. Uhh.. How about.. "Quickly keep Quiet with Quincke's finger on your lips?" The Q's to remind you of Quincke. Finger for nail bed. Lips for the glass slide thingy.

Causes of inverted T waves

Causes of inverted T waves :

1. Normal in lead V1 , V2 and V3 ( V3 only in blacks )  , normal in avR too

2. Ventricular hypertrophy

3 . ischemia / infarction

4. Digoxin toxicity

5. Bundle branch block

Written by Huzaifa Bhopalwala (Previously known as mist amidst)

ST elevation other than MI

Causes of ST elevation other than MI:

1. Prinzmetal angina
2. Hyperkalemia
3. Acute pericarditis and myocarditis
4. Brugada syndrome
5. Arrhythmogenic RV cardiomyopathy
6. PE (Pulmonary embolism )
7. LBBB
8. And Normal variants ( high Take off and early repolarization )

Written by Huzaifa Bhopalwala (Previously known as mist amidst)

Zika-The next Ebola?

Zika virus is a member of the flavivirus group currently spreading wildly across the Americas, especially the Latin America.

Okay, it's just another virus.Who cares?
Zika virus spreads by a mosquito bite,Aedes aegypti. 80% of the affected population are asymptomatic. Its manifests itself as a fever, headache,  joint pains and rarely conjunctivitis just like any other flu. Basically you don't know you have it.

A headache and joint pain epidemic? Stop kidding me. 

Is diarrhoea really that bad?

Hello,

Since I haven't found a solid topic to post on I'll be doing this bit.
Remember that dreaded diarrhea which struck when you were traveling off on a trip far from home and you thought you could trade your life for a toilet? That might be a saviour though.

Whaaa? Stop that Shit? No really. Read on.
Serotonin is primarily produced by enterochromaffin cells in the crypts of Leiburkuhn. These are

Mnemonic for the laryngeal muscles and their actions

Hey people,

We've all tried to remember the laryngeal muscles time and again but it just doesn't stick right?
I devised an easy way which helped me.

Mnemonic: Organisms penetrating an intact Cornea

The organisms affecting the cornea(like pneumococcus) usually do so if there is a preexisting injury especially a breach in the basement membrane of the epithelium.
But some do so despite it being intact, by creating a CHNL.

Hypoxia and radiotherapy

What effect do you think hypoxia would have on radiotherapy?

Okay I know this. Hypoxia kills cells so it should help right?
I'm afraid you couldn't be more wrong.