Innate Immunity (MHC processing)

This video simplifies all the complexity of understanding MHC processing and I completely LOVE this! So I had to share it onto My Scattered Notebook :)

Hope you all find it as helpful as I did!

Here's a little something to remember the basics of MHC class I and class II with regards to their interaction with T cells, it's called 'The Equal To 8 Equation':

1 x 8 = 8 therefore MHC I interacts with CD8 T cells
2 x 4 = 8 therefore MHC II interacts with CD4 T cells

That is all! :)

Med School Addict

Two weeks left until my Summer holiday ends. Feels pretty strange to come home to winter in the Southern hemisphere while it's actually my summer holiday in the Northern hemi! Anyway, all this holidaying and free time got me to a myth-busting realization.

So yes, we spend long hours behind books, in libraries and around labs and when it comes to the summer holiday, med students jump right onto the next plane home! Now I talk for those that, like me, study medicine abroad. Three flights, a train and a bus ride later, WE ARE HOME! Eating home food, visiting buddies, relaxing in your comfy bed... now what?

We find ourselves wondering what that answer in that exam was, out comes Google, Wikipedia and next thing you know, you're watching a lecture on You Tube just 'coz you've become one curious busy body who can't sit still for more than a few hours without doing something that makes you, well, as some say, A NERD!!

Well, not entirely. This is who we are now. We are Medical Students. We study medicine, sleep medicine and basically live medicine! But that's ok, we have papers to write, scholarships to apply for, board exams to pass and one day, we'll have lives to save.

So, be proud of the intellectual bad ass that you are and get that holiday butt up and keep learning something new everyday.

Cheers to the eternal students. Hope you all had a cracker of a holiday :)

The Immune Response, a Perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVMIZy-Y3f8

Ok so this is something I just happened to bump into and I had to share it onto My Scattered Notebook just because:
1. I laughed my way through it
2. My mind works in graphics quite like this one and
3. It's pretty solid for someone with a short attention span, like me :D

it's the kind of fun video where you go "oh, that's what they mean when... ". Don't know about you but when my brain is too studied out and I just need a quick revision without having to skim through my notes again, it's animations like these that kickstart my memory processes.

Happy Revising! :)

The Textbook Scramble!!

Guys!

Check out this new gem i found floating around the web! I had to add this to My Scattered Notebook and share it with you all.

I know, for me, scrambling around to find textbooks when the semester starts is a real drag! Plus, being on a student budget doesn't make it any easier. Just click on this link http://www.textbooknova.com/ and you will find yourself at a MASSIVE database for textbooks free to download!

What a great way to start saving money before the new semester even begins!

Happy downloading :)

Food fit for a Student!!

Hey there!

I think I can speak for many other students out there when I say that WE LOVE FOOD!! And as for me, living abroad in a foreign land is anything but a simple walk to the grocery store to get food I feel at home with. Wouldn't it be ideal to have a home-cooked meal once in a while?..

But who has the time?

Not to worry, I use this amazing Student Recipes Blog to get my tastebuds back on track AND not only is it on a student budget BUT also super fast so we can spend all that extra time saving lives and whatever it is we do :)

Check out studentrecipes.com for super fast, super tasty and super versatile recipes that can have you feeling like a chef even amidst all the studying.

You know what I say, a hungry student isn't a happy one.

Happy Munching!!

Virchow's Triad

Hey there!

Here's a little something to help you remember a frequently tested concept in Pathology:

Virchow's triad are basically the three factors that predispose venous thrombosis.

To remember these factors, notice,  VIRchow:

1. Vessel wall injury
2. Increased coagulability (Hypercoagulability)
3. Reduced blood flow (stasis)

Keep learning :)

Master USMLE

Hey there!

If you guys are just as excited as me about mnemonics and simply making your notes fun to remember, follow @master_usmle on twitter!

Probably one of the most helpful accounts i follow AND if you're thinking on writing the USMLE exams in the future, why not start revising now. No pressure, it's super simple plus it may help you conquer some midterms and finals you find along your medschool journey.

Happy Studying :)