Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Alkaptonuria notes and mnemonic

Today, Hari sent me his notes on Alkaptonuria.

Alkaptorr makes him think of helicopter! And he imagines a black ox sitting in it!

Alkaptonuria mnemonic

Diuretics and antidiuretics notes

Diuretics and anti-diurectics notes by Shubham. Isn't he plain awesome for sending his notes to us?

Monday, July 11, 2016

Treatment of acne mnemonic

Hello!

Here's a short post on acne.

Antimicrobials for treatment of acne mnemonic: ABCDE
Azelaic acid
Benzoyl peroxide
Clindamycin
Dapsone
Erythromycin

Sunday, July 10, 2016

GnRH agonists, GnRH antagonists, uses and mnemonic

Hey guys!

Here are a few more notes by the one and only, Shubham Patidar! This time on dopamine, prolactin and GnRH :D

Potter Sequence

A sequence is where a single initial aberration leads to a series of anomalies in the body. The best example of a sequence is 'Potter Sequence'.

Conditions like renal agenesis, maternal hypertension lead to oligohydramnios. The amniotic fluid plays a role in the lung development in the second half of pregnancy & so, there is a higher incidence of pulmonary hypoplasia in such foetuses which is the main cause of their death.

Oligohydramnios leads to direct pressure of the uterine wall on the developing foetus leading to flattened nose, recessed chin & low set ears. This is Potter sequence- sequence here because the initial aberration- oligohydramnios leads to & explains all the changes occurring later.

Happy Sunday!

Metronidazole notes and mnemonic

These amazing notes on Metronidazole were written by Shubham Patidar!

Biotin deficiency mnemonic

Hello!

Here's an interesting case of vitamin deficiency you should read.

Biotin deficiency is rare. Nice to know for exams though. Soooo.. I made a mnemonic. Biotin reminds me of the comic character, Tin Tin!

Biotin mnemonic

Study group discussion: A case of vitamin deficiency

Here's a vignette that I found on USMLE forums:

A 20-year-old male patient is admitted to the hospital 6 months ago following a motorcycle accident resulting in a severe closed head injury. The man has experienced recurrent fungal skin infections resistant to treatment for 1 month and severe vomiting over the last 2 days. Review of the patient's records shows he was well before the injury. He now suffers severe permanent cognitive impairment and requires continuous high-dose phenytoin therapy to manage chronic debilitating tonic-clonic seizures. The patient is resting comfortably in no apparent distress. He is unable to converse coherently. Vital signs are normal. Physical exam is striking for nearly total alopecia. A periorofacial erythematous macular rash is present along with severe seborrheic dermatitis and several truncal ringlike lesions consistent with tinea corpus infection.

Select the most likely vitamin deficiency.
Answer Choices:
A. Vitamin A deficiency
B. Vitamin B12 deficiency
C. Vitamin C deficiency
D. Vitamin D deficiency
E. Vitamin E deficiency
F. Thiamine deficiency
G. Pyridoxine deficiency
H. Folate deficiency
I. Biotin deficiency

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Order of decision making

Ideally, a doctor discusses the available options of treatment with the patient, the patient makes a decision and informed consent is obtained.

However, this may not be possible on every occasion and it is the physician's responsibility to ensure that a decision is made that would be what the patient would have wanted (if the patient does not have the capacity to make the decision himself/herself).

Monday, July 4, 2016

Apoptosis genes mnemonic

Hello all :)

So we basically have bcl 2 , bcl XL, mcl-1, Bax, bak, bcl -xs genes which influence apoptosis.

Now let's imagine a cell committing suicide which is apoptosis.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Dysphagia

Hi everyone!

So, here's what I found interesting today!

Dysphagia is awareness of something sticking in the throat or retrosternally during swallowing.

Whereas, odynophagia is pain as food or drink descends the esophagus. It almost always implies an infection of esophagus e.g.candida esophagus in HIV patients.

Remember, dysphagia often has a significant cause which can be malignant and almost always needs investigation!

Can there be different patterns of dysphagia?
Yes.
It can be more for solids than liquids.
When it is rapidly progressive, look out for a malignant cause! When it's fairly less rapid in progression, suspect a benign stricture (rarely an esophageal pouch)!

Or, it can be more for liquids than solids.
This usually is the case in neurogenic dysphagia and can be sometimes associated with aspiration or coughing.

That's all!
- Rippie