First: Look for Mitochondrial Inheritance Female transmits disease to all the offsprings (both males and females). Male doesn’t transmit the disease and only the females transmit the disease. If Mitochondrial inheritance is absent, go to second step. Second: Look if the gene is Dominant, Recessive Dominant: Atleast one member in…
Category: PGMEE, MRCS, USMLE, MBBS, MD/MS
Medical knowledge in bullet points with understandable language, simplified images and graspable mnemonics.
Lysosomal Storage Disorders Made Easy
Among the common lysosomal storage disorders: Two of them are Mucopolysaccharidoses (Hunter and Hurler syndrome) Pompe’s disease is Glycogen Storage Disease. Others are Sphingolipidoses. Inheritance of Lysosomal Storage Diseases All are inherited as Autosomal Recessive (AR) condition except: Hunter syndrome (X-linked recessive) Fabry’s disease (X-linked recessive) Higher risk in Ashkenazi…
Glucose 6 Phosphate : Central to Glucose Metabolism
Glucose-6-Phosphate central to the 4 major metabolic pathways of glucose, i.e. glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis, glycogenolysis and HMP shunt (Pentose phosphate pathway). Glucose is immediately phosphorylated inside the cells to Glucose-6-Phsophate to trap them inside cell and prevent diffusion out of the cell. Glucose-6-Phosphate is the key intermediate to understand the…
Glycogen Storage Diseases with Mnemonics
Once again, I’m back with a biochemistry topic that everyone hates. Let’s try to break the topic, simplify it and cover all the important aspects of Glycogen Storage Diseases (GSD). 7 types of Glycogen Storage Diseases Mnemonic:VP CAM HT. This is a pretty lame mnemonic for the order of the…
Granular contents of Neutrophils and Platelets
Neutrophil Granules Azurophilic (Primary) Granules These are lysosomes that occur in all granulocytes, as well as in lymphocytes and monocytes. In addition to expected lysosomal hydrolases, they also contain peroxidases (used to demonstrate azurophilic granules chemically). Develop earlier than specific granules. Stains blue/purple by Romanowsky stain. Mnemonic: ABCDE MnOP Acid hydrolase…
Morphology of Granuloma
Concentric layers of Granuloma There are 4 concentric layers in a granuloma, however the clear distinction is difficult in reality due to overlapping. From inside to out: 1. Necrosis Caseating necrosis: Tuberculosis, Leprosy Coagulative necrosis: Buruli ulcer (M.ulcerans), Gumma containing central blood vessels (Syphilis) Fibrinoid necrosis: Aschoff bodies (Rheumatic granuloma),…
Chemokines Mnemonics
Difference between cytokines and chemokines Cytokines are small proteins released by cells, the function of which is “cell-signaling“. Chemokines are small cytokines, which functions as a “chemo-attractant“. Types of Chemokines When you go through the structural classification of chemokines, you come accross various arrangements of letter: C: denotes cysteine X:…
Tissue Specific and Named Macrophages
Subtle differences in the morphology and functions of macrophages develop as a result of the influence of a particular microenvironment. Appearance of macrophages to histologists have been described as a kind of mythological Proteus, “a creature who had the power of changing his appearance at will”. The life-span of these fixed…