Definition Failure of bone marrow to produce peripheral blood cells and its progenitors Etiology The following illustration gives a brief idea about the etiological factors of aplastic anemia Now going into each etiological factor: – Autoimmune diseases: – Either they affect all the lineages (autoimmune aplastic anemia) or a single…
Category: PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS
Medical knowledge in bullet points with understandable language, simplified images and graspable mnemonics.
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) – Quick revision
New Criteria for HRS 1. Cirrhosis with ascites 2. Serum creatinine >1.5mg/dl 3. No sustained improvement in renal function after 2 days of diuretic withdrawl (if on diuretics) and volume expansion with albumin infusion at 1 gm/kg/day upto a maximum of 100 gm/day. 4. No evidence of shock 5. No…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) – Mnemonic
ASBURY CRITERIA FOR GUILLAIN BARRE SYNDROME (GBS) Required Criteria Mnemonic: AIDP 1. Areflexia 2. Include in differential and rule out other causes 3. Duration < 4 weeks 4. Progressive weakness of 2 or more limbs due to neuropathy Supportive criteria Mnemonic: AIDPS 1. Afebrile 2. Involvement: Mild sensory involvement Facial…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Antigenic Shift and Drift
Antigenic Drift Nature of antigenic variation: Minor Mechanism: Gradual accumulation of amino acid substitutions due to point mutation in the hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) genes. As mutations accumulate, antibodies generated by exposure to previous strains do not neutralize current strains to the same extent, resulting in only limited or…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Bedside Cold Agglutinin Test for Mycoplasma
Definition of Cold Agglutinin Cold agglutinins are polyclonal IgM that have specificity against the I-antigen on red cells, and often there is light chain restriction, with kappa being predominant. The infections associated with cold agglutinins are: Mycoplasma pneumoniae Epstein Barr virus Cytomegalovirus HIV Rubella Steps for Bedside Cold Agglutinin Test…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Rickettsial Diseases Made Easy
Important features of Rickettsia and Rickettsial Diseases Obligate intracellular parasites like Chlamydia – can survive only in host cells Cannot produce their own ATP, so they utilize the ATP of a host cell Gram negative coccobacillia, and short bacilli that grow strictly in eukaryotic cells (unable to grow in cell…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Ethambutol Induced Optic Neuropathy
Mechanism of Ethambutol induced optic neuropathy Ethambutol is metabolized to a chelating agent. The chelating agent formed then may impair the function of metal-containing mitochondiral enzymes, such as the copper containing cytochrome-c oxidase of complex IV and the iron containing NADH:Q oxidoreductase of complex I. These mitochondrial respiratory chain play…
PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS 
Thoracocentesis : Practical Essentials
Absolute contraindications of thoracocentesis There are no absolute contraindications to diagnostic thoracocentesis. If clinical judgement dictates that the information gained from the pleural fluid analysis may help in diagnosis and therapy, thoracocentesis should be performed. Necessity of an immediate alternative procedure such as open thoracostomy or thoracotomy is the only…