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 :)

To MedSchool and beyond....

You know that feeling when you're suddenly thrown in the middle of a game of dodge ball and find yourself being hit from all sides? Personally, i don't, but my guess would be something like this..

I see myself as the eternal student, the girl who wants to be the jack of all trades. I've pretty much tried every sport i came across (well, except Dodge ball) and going through phases became as common as receiving the Sunday paper! I LOVE CHANGE! but that's completely cool unless you're fresh out of school having to decide what you want to do FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! 

That didn't make sense to me, I had to decide then what I wanted to do, forever? So I took the easy way out, i went into University with an open mind, exploring my take on the sciences, architecture and even photography. I had so much being thrown at me that I wanted to, just right then and there, take flight and soar into the unknown. So that's what i did...

I got onto a plane and flew across the world, to the cultural haven of China! Now i must add that Chinese culture has always been a part of my interest, so what better way to get away than immersing myself head first into the land of dumplings, kung-fu and over-dramatic movies. Not too long into my travels and studies of the Chinese language and culture, did i find myself making a decision that probably stabilized my journey more than i could imagine, i decided to join Med School!! 

Now, you may think it's not a good idea for someone like me who can't stick to one thing for longer than a semester, but being away from home in a foreign land with no familiarity brought me a sense of unexplained excitement and realization. THIS is the change i was forever seeking. Being independent, adapting and working towards changing peoples lives. 

So here I am, an almost 3rd year Medical student, blogging, re-blogging and simply surviving. 

My Scattered Notebook is a display of my dynamic learning methods and helpful techniques i find scattered around on the web. Go ahead, be inspired. Happy Studying future Doctors :)

Re-Blog: Medicowesome: Southern, Northern, and Western blot mnemonic

Medicowesome: Southern, Northern, and Western blot mnemonic:

 

Hello everyone!

The mnemonic to remember blotting techniques is "SNoW DRoP"

S -    Southern - DNA     - D
N -   Northern - RNA     - R
O -   Oooooo - Ooooo    - O
W -  Western - Protein   - P

That's all!

Hope you won't go, "Which direction was that again?" in the exam =P

-IkaN

 

- Found this AMAZING mnemonic to add to My Scattered Notebook. LOVE!! In fact i wish i had known this one last semester!