Official USMLE Facts/Concept Thread

[Shades McCool]

I think it would be good to post a concept or a fact that you picked up from a question bank that you feel is pretty high yield/important! This could be a very helpful thread if we all contribute.

I'll go first:
C. difficile causes damage to the gut by interfering with microtubles affecting epithelial cytoskeleton integrity.

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[winsicle]

MC site of colon cancer:

Ascending colon
(2nd MC = sigmoid <- I think I remember Goljan saying this was the MC, made me miss that question)



Reason for color change to Green in bruises:

Heme Oxygenase breaks down Heme into Biliverdin

 

[OrnotMajestic]

According to QBANK, if your median nerve gets severed and a surgeon reattaches, it will regenerate at a rate of 1mm/day.

 

[G0S2]

MC site of colon cancer:

Ascending colon
(2nd MC = sigmoid <- I think I remember Goljan saying this was the MC, made me miss that question)



Reason for color change to Green in bruises:

Heme Oxygenase breaks down Heme into Biliverdin

I am still going with Rectosigmoid (Robbins and Goljan) on that one despite UW.

 

[Tastebuds]

Drug-induced lupus: Procainamide, Quinidine, Hydralazine

INH too.....a good way to remember the main drugs causing lupus is HIP: Hydralazine, INH and Procainamide

 

[soeagerun2or]

B6 def (INH or dietary) - ala synthase
six - synthase

Pb poisoning - ala dehydratase
lead - dehydratase

 

[sfbear]

Just remember, its HIPPP to have lupus: hydralazine, Isoniazid, Procainamide, Phenyltoin, Pencillamine (the last one was a surprise to me too, got it off Qbank).

Drug-induced lupus is associated with drugs that have to be acetylated for excretion and anti-histone ANAs

 

[sfbear]

HIV+ mommy who refuses AZT even though she knows it decreases risk of infection to the fetus --> it's not illegal, and you can't make her

HIV+ mommy who just had baby and wants to breastfeed --> you can stop her by law

and you can treat the baby right after birth

 

[blz]

keep posting up mnemonics if you got any good ones. esp for pharm.

PSaMMoma - Papillary carcinoma of the thyoid, Serous papillary cystadenoma of ovary, Meningioma, Malignant mesotheliom

 

[SoCuteMD]

Drug-induced lupus is associated with drugs that have to be acetylated for excretion and anti-histone ANAs

so - slow acetylators = prone to drug induced lupus

 

[smalley]

b6 in the otc multivitamins increases the metabolism of levodopa thereby negating its effectiveness

 

[EvoDevo]

Here's a packet that has been passed around our school for some time. It's 36 pages of HY stuff broken down by sections. And no, it's not by Goljan:

1. Eponymous diseases
2. Hallmark findings
3. "Most Commons"
4. Pharm
5. Path
6. Signature Drug Toxicities
7. Micro (bacterial, viral, misc)
8. a "Miscellaneous" section
9. a page and a half of HY Phys questions

I don't know from whence it came and I won't take any responsibility for errors. However, I will say that while there may be minor quibbles, it's pretty good overall. I'm using it as a "Free moment" crammer for whenever.

Hope that some of you find it useful.

Cheers!

 

[cubsrule4e]

M. leprae = armadillo foot pads

T. pallidum = rabbit testicles

 

[winsicle]

T. pallidum = rabbit testicles

first on my list of questions I want to see on my test

(I will never forget this one)

 

[Shades McCool]

Here's a packet that has been passed around our school for some time. It's 36 pages of HY stuff broken down by sections. And no, it's not by Goljan:

1. Eponymous diseases
2. Hallmark findings
3. "Most Commons"
4. Pharm
5. Path
6. Signature Drug Toxicities
7. Micro (bacterial, viral, misc)
8. a "Miscellaneous" section
9. a page and a half of HY Phys questions

I don't know from whence it came and I won't take any responsibility for errors. However, I will say that while there may be minor quibbles, it's pretty good overall. I'm using it as a "Free moment" crammer for whenever.

Hope that some of you find it useful.

Cheers!

That is awesome! Thanks so much!

 

[smalley]

fresh from rx..
celiac disease associated with dermatitis herpetiformis

 

[Teejay]

T. pallidum = rabbit testicles[/QUOTE]

Do they get aortic dissection from chronic infection too?

 

[tofoo]

I believe the association is with Lambert Eaton, an MG-like syndrome.

MG is indeed associated with thymoma. Lambert Eaton is most commonly associated with lung malignancies but can also be found with malignant thymoma.

I feel that I have yet to see a LE question with association with thymoma. However they should give you clinical/PE/lab values if they indeed were going for LE with malignant thymoma.

My take on it:

I will pick MG for thymoma UNLESS the thymoma is described as having malignant tendencies and also myasthenia that improves with continued effort.

 

[tofoo]

in keeping with this theme, Dr. Trousseau - "founder" of Trousseau's paraneoplastic migratory thrombophlebitis - later diagnosed pancreatic cancer in HIMSELF because HE had Trousseau's Syndrome

I'd like to mention Doctor DeBakey. He devised the surgical procedure for aortic dissection. He also became the oldest patient to receive the same procedure for the same condition. And he's still alive at almost 100 years!!! Hoorah!

 

[PhatGtDmB]

keep posting up mnemonics if you got any good ones. esp for pharm.

PSaMMoma - Papillary carcinoma of the thyoid, Serous papillary cystadenoma of ovary, Meningioma, Malignant mesotheliom

this is so money

 

[hyperorchidism]

MG is indeed associated with thymoma. Lambert Eaton is most commonly associated with lung malignancies but can also be found with malignant thymoma.

I feel that I have yet to see a LE question with association with thymoma. However they should give you clinical/PE/lab values if they indeed were going for LE with malignant thymoma.

My take on it:

I will pick MG for thymoma UNLESS the thymoma is described as having malignant tendencies and also myasthenia that improves with continued effort.

oh hey Pure Red Cell Aplasia is associated with thymoma too

wiki says:

Acquired pure red cell aplasia (or PRCA) refers to a type of anemia affecting the precursors to red blood cells but not to white blood cells. In PRCA, the bone marrow ceases to produce red blood cells.

Pure red cell aplasia is regarded as an autoimmune disease. It may also be a manifestation of thymoma. It may also be as a result of viral infections such as HIV, herpes, parvovirus B19 (Fifth disease), or hepatitis. Most cases of PRCA are considered idiopathic in that there is no discernable cause. PRCA is considered an autoimmune disease as it will respond to immunosupressant treatment such as ciclosporin. It has also been also been shown to respond to treatments with Rituxan.

It can be associated with the administration of erythropoietin.

 

[G0S2]

oh hey Pure Red Cell Aplasia is associated with thymoma too

See way up above.

 

[hyperorchidism]

See way up above.

whoops!

 

[Freshnstylin]

Mutations for HIV

CCR5 (stays alive)
CXCR1 (HIV has won, or life is done)
CXCR4 (infects the helper store)

 

[winsicle]

Candida immune defense:

locally = T-cells

systemically = Neutrophils!?!


so neutropenic are predisposed to dissemination, not lymphopenic

wtf - who knew this?
(i'm willing to bet that of the 11% who got this one right on UW at least 1/2 were guessers)

 

[Rugby MD]

neurofibromatosis type 1: 17 letters, chromosome 17

 

[joe6102]

The most common cause of Toxoplasmosis in the U.S. is poorly cooked pork, not cats (per qbank).

 

[blz]

The most common cause of Toxoplasmosis in the U.S. is poorly cooked pork, not cats (per qbank).

goljan said that too.

 

[babies2009]

I would always forget which leukemia Auer rods were associated with until my friend told me this one...

What Auer (hour) in the AM (AML) is it?

 

[xoomn]

I always forgot that. Thankx.

 

[lfesiam]

Pretreat with Anti-Histamine before giving Vancomycin to prevent Redman.

Togavirus = PDA, Septal Defects (congenital rubella) in infant

 

[drss]

plssssss make this a sticky thread and lets continue it.....

 

[Shades McCool]

plssssss make this a sticky thread and lets continue it.....

I think it should be.

 

[Shades McCool]

Bump for those who haven't taken it.

 

[Sage880]

For the MG questions: 10% of patients with MG have a thyoma but 50% have thymus hyperplasia so that's a better answer if it's there.

Also, Hashimoto's thyroiditis can be associated with thyoma's as well. Just got a question right about that but only because I could rule out the other 4 answers.

 

[Pewl]

"C3, 4, 5 keeps the diaphragm alive" (supplies the phrenic nerve that innervates the diaphragm

"C5, 6, 7 keeps you out of heaven" (supplies the long thoracic which innervates the serratus anterior thus preventing winged scapula)

As far as anatomy and neuroanatomy review, did you guys use anything else aside from First Aid? How much anatomy and neuroanatomy is there really on the exam?