Medical Microbiology

One tough class.

Lactate acid and Exercise

Just learned an interesting bit on lactic acid. Lactic acid is produced through the cori cycle during anaerobic exercise. For an athlete, during explosive exhausting exercise lactic levels in the plasma can go up 10x whats normal. (note lactic levels usually don't change much during everyday activities if you're a healthy person.)

This is all background. What i found interesting was that while lactate acid concentration in the blood takes 6-8 hours to clear from the plasma (return to normal levels) if you rest right after your exercise, when you take a light but lengthy jog, a cool down jog, lactic acid in the plasma drops rapidly. This is because the lactate acid ends up being used by working muscles. In muscles it is converted back to pyruvate and this pyruvate is directed into the TCA cycle.

So the old adage, do a cool run after an explosive run is back by fact!

My favorite players: Samuel Eto'o, The Barcelona god

My favorite players: CRISTIANO RONALDO - All 33 Goals 2009/2010 ▌ [*Special Edition*] ▌░ HD...

My Favorite players: Lionel Messi "All 47 Goals" - Season 2009/2010

One down four more to go

We just had our final for Biostatistics. It was ok. I'm still waiting on my results.

This coming Monday we have Block 2 for MCBII, physiology I and Immuno.

Also, The world cup is upon us. Its a period you'll find me glued to the tv, cheering loudly as skilled players from different countries compete for the honor of the best in the world; a day I'll watch professionals deftly manipulate a football with their feet, performing feats only left to the imagination of many of us...

I'll be rooting for Ghana!

Maximum heart rate

Men: subtract age from 220
women: subtract age from 227.

Following this crude formula, my maximum heart rate should be around 295-292. Running, or exerting myself maximally resulted in an actual heart rate of 177, ie. when i first started running last week. This week my heart rate just hoovers around 150 during soccer, running or high exertion. It relaxes pretty well, drops back down to 105 bpm not to long after.

A little pride: Ghana

Blocks are right around the corner, peering peering at me at my fellow students. We're rocking the books. No problem. I'm looking forward to the world cup starting. Lets go Ghana.

More Hilarity

Hilarity.

Wicked!

oi!

Second block is going to be harrrrrdddd. oi!

You are going to be a...

"I can't quite read you," he said to me. His questioning gaze revealed nothing, yielded no more knowledge than I relayed to him. He was refering to what kind of doctor I would become. Good. I don't like to be figured out. :)

The med school workout

My eyes open. Theres still sleep left in me, but the day must start. I rub my eyes, and roll off the bed landing on the floor, catching myself with my palms. I lay still. AAA I think, do i have to do it. I do this everyday so i have some leeway to skip it today. Why should i do it everyday? I'm hungry. I could be making some eggs, add some cereal and toast some of my favorite raison bread. Yes that sounds like a plan. I catch myself. Whoa. Almost psyched myself out there. eh. I think of the nike slogan.

Just do it!

I push down on the floor, lifting myself up. Thats one. Thats two... three... four... 300... aaaaaaaa. Yes. done. Well, not yet, but I'm in the mood now. I roll onto my back I do my crunches. Then I do two more sets of the above. I feel good now.

I stand up. Stretch a little. I punch the air lounging at an imaginary opponent. My punches flow out in a certain rhythm. Straight, straight, cross, hook. I mix in some kicks. Then I go into my Wing chun forms. I slowly do Siu lum Tao, and then chum kiu... I've not advanced enough to do the Biu jee but I'm fine with just these.

I look at the clock its an hour since I started. I'm wide awake and ready for the day.

While studying Molecular cellular biology, my brain saturated with info. An idea hit me. Studying is just like a workout... Just a work out for the brain. The more you work out the better you get, the more you practice the more things are recalled with little effort. Everything flows. And just like working out, you have the nagging voices in your head telling you to skip work today for numerous silly reasons. You can't conquer those voices, but you can ignore them. The best way is to do the nike slogan.

Just do it!

Going high Tech in my fitness training!

The past two days, thursday and Friday, I did all my activities wearing a "forerunner 305". On thursday I played soccer with it. Then right after playing soccer for one hour I run a mile and change with it around campus. Then on friday I run around around campus with it on. I was running a bit faster than normal (a mile in 7 minutes) I felt the strap around my chest as i attempted to take in larger breaths. I love this watch soo far.

Vincenza bought me this little gadget as an early birthday present to help me prepare for a martial arts competition that I'll be partaking in come a month.

The forerunner 305 monitors my heart rate as i run: I can tell how high my HR goes during exertion and then i can monitor how fast it goes back to resting stating. Additionally, it has a gps system on that tracks distances and more specifically saves courses that i run. Later, I can run on that same course and see if I'm behind or in front of the time I used to run the course the prior time. (theres a simulation map that with two triangles: one of me while i'm actually running and the other of me when I run the day prior.)

One word: HOT!

MCB!! and... other stuff!

MCB takes forever to cover! From now on I'm covering physio first, then immuno and lastly MCB. This would minimize the amount of time I spend reading MCB... I think i spend way too much time on the little details in MCB, this will hopefully minimize that kind of waste.

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Got some soccer into my schedule this thursday and a run afterwards. Then yesterday, friday I got another run in. Felt great to be on the soccer court again.

First block went well.

All exam grades are finally out. I did good in all my subjects. Awesome! Gonna follow the same routine, with a few tweaks.

Thanks be to God.

Crossed Check point 1

Of the five check points, I can finally cross one of: Block 1 is done! Only 3 more blocks and a final to go before the end of the semester. Time seems to be flying now. It seems like we just started 2nd semester a few days ago and now we're already done with the first block.

Already, two of our grades are up: MCB and Immunology. Literally, MCB was up 2-3 hours after we took the exam. When it comes to grading exams and letting us get our results this department seems to be the fastest everytime, since first semester. Now, I'm just waiting on Physiology now.


Today, I do some much needed grocery shopping. Ahaaa. My fridges empty enough to play soccer in. Well... maybe not thaaaat empty, but it definitely needs some replenishing. My ramen diet's got to be broken:)

A snapshot of my day in medical school

As usual, I wake up around 4 am all thanks to Vincenza, who wakes me up in the morning. I spend an hour per subject to review the material that we've covered during the block. So I spend an hour studying MCB, an hour doing Physiology, and an hour doing immuno. Somewhere in between I lose an hour but thats not a big deal.

Around 750 i hope an my bike and bike to class. Then I'm in class till 1 pm.

After classes, I nap for an hour or so. Then I start studying. I go through all the material that was covered during that day. I try to not just read through it. I attempt to truly understand the material, so it takes me a while to go through each subject. For now, MCB takes the longest to assimilate because of the quantity of material. I also make flash cards as i go along.

I study till 10 pm, and by that time i'm itching to get out of the study hall. haha. I'm a very active person so I bike back home and hit my swimming pool for an hour. Then I spend some quality time talking to my girlfriend, Vincenza. Then its lights out.

Thats how my days have been going during this exam week. It is exhausting but fulfilling in the long run. ok.... back to work...

P.S. pardon the spelling errors, I'll go through this and edit it later.

Things are just getting started (rambling)

Semester started a week ago, and everything is already in full gear. Already there's a ton of material to learn. In the tradition of continuously tweaking my studying routine, I have embarked on a new journey, a journey that involves reading the days material and also reading ahead. It is getting more difficult to maintain this routine especially with an increase in things that I want and need to do: soccer (keeps me sane), martial arts (same as soccer), Student Government Association, exercise/cardio (building up my stamina for a competition I would like to participate in), tutoring sessions, learning swimming... etc.

Juggling everything will take some serious time management. Still, it is doable and will be fulfilling once everything is done

I feel rejuvenated from my break. Although short it served its purpose. I stayed on the island and got a special visitor. Vincenza, my girlfriend, made it up to St. Maarten to enjoy the island with me. It was good to see her in person again and not just talk over skype. We went adventuring on the island and explored what it had to offer. We went ziplining with Benji, his girlfriend Irene, and Claudia; went to St. Maarten Zoo; had great meals at different native restaurants; partied at a few clubs; went to a soca concert and then to a reggae concert, in which Beenie Man, Busy Signal and Ja q performed; relaxed at the beach and then by the pool in my appartment complex; and just slept in at times. We squeezed all of this into my week and a half break.

This break was short but still good enough. Now back to work!

Lessons from the toils of a 1st semester moving to 2nd semester

Lessons from the toils of a 1st semester moving to 2nd semester:

My first semester in medical school can be described with one word: rough. I wasn't adequately prepared for the quantity of material. I knew that there was a lot more material to assimilate versus undergraduate and graduate school, however what I had in mind was short of the actual quantity, and then some. The volume to be learned put my studying out of sync. Actually, I changed the way i studied, changed it some more, changed it some more again, revamped my studying technique and then changed it, and then modified it and modified it and modified it till the very end of the semester. I will keep tweaking the way I study to optimize my studying technique because there's always room for improvement. Medical school is more fun this way; I would be bored if I simply figured everything out without any hardwork. That said here's what I learned in 1st semester.

1st semesters lessons:
1) Histology is not an easy class: I put this first because if you play around with this subject you can easily fail. It is taught by two good professors. They do the best they can to make the material easy to understand/assimilate. The material isn't difficult because it is hard to comprehend rather it is just dense and volumous. Do not procrastinate because the material looks familiar/easy, do not put it off. Start studying right away. Study everyday.
2) Do not listen to upperclassmen when they say a class is easy. Maybe it was easy for them. Study hard for every class everyday... everyday!
3) Anatomy notes are good... if you can decipher the diagrams. I took the time to decipher the notes, while most people didn't. Thats fine since there are different ways to study... from the BRS, from the notes, from tutors notes etc. Regardless of how you study FINE TUNE YOUR KNOWLEDGE. I put this in caps for a reason. If you want to do well in the "written anatomy" section tuning what you've learned is vital.
4) Pick one or two comprehensive resources and stick with them. In every class there many books and videos to study from. Different books / videos work well for different people. Every upper semester you speak with will have varying opinions as to which is the most useful and which they used to pass their classes. Your job as a first semester is to figure out which one u like and stick to it. If you don't, you will be overwhelmed and waste a lot of time.
5) FINE TUNE YOUR ANATOMY KNOWLEDGE: This is critical so it gets a bullet of its own. There are three ways to tune your knowledge of anatomy.
a) BRS questions
b) University of Michigan questions (found on angel)
c) Tutoring slides (from you anatomy TAs)
I have listed the above in order of importance with the most important at the top (a). The way to use the BRS questions, is to get a note book and write down the questions and then write the answer to the question... In addition to the answer other relations between other structures are pointed out. write these down. Then study these answers and relationships together with your other material. (remember this is fine tuning and is not sufficient on its own.)
6) The way to study anatomy: a) learn position of structures, b) know your insertions, attachments, innervations, and blood vessels. c) Then and this is very important know the relationships between different structures. This will help you do well in the written section of your anatomy block. An example of a relationship is that the bladder is right above your pubic symphysis so a gun shot to right above the border of the pubic symphis would strike what structure( the bladder.) Another example is the external laryngeal nerve runs with the superior lthyroid artery so if one of them is cut what other structure is most likely to be cut... Duh... the other structure running with it. This is how your anatomy questions are structured so know relationships
7) Use your TA's. Ask them for questions... Ask them what they remember about past exams. Ask them what's important. Ask not just one TA but numerous. (they all remember different things) Whatever you're told do not take it in passively... write it down in the same note book and study it...
8) Make a plan on how you'll study.
9) Stick to your plan. do not put off what you learn. If u miss a day, just skip it and keep up with the rest of the material.
10) Study everyday! (except sunday or one day...)

I said first semester was rough but I can say looking back that I liked it. It was enlightening and brought out the best in me. I put myself to the test and came out a wiser student. For everyone that helped me thanks: Benji, chanudi, Ada [histo TA- big shout out to her], classmates, and most importantly thanks to GOD.

Anyways, onwards to 2nd semester for me. Welcome and good luck to the incoming 1st semesters!

Away for sooo long but I'm still here:-d

I've been caught in the whole process which is medical school, working on balancing my time, working on my study habits, working on how to best assimilate all that is taught here. I take this very serious because I'm not just studying for myself but for all of my future patients. I want to be the best I can be.

Things are going well so far. We have had two blocks already and are preparing for the third block at the moment. I was a caught of gaurd by the quantity of material to be learned so I didn't fare as well as I wanted to in my first block, but after tirelessly tweaking the way i study I well in my second block.

Still, I continue to tweak away. I'm shooting for the stars for this block.

Internet at last!

After almost a month of trying to set up internet I finally have it set up in my room. I don't have to walk to campus just to talk to my family, girlfriend and friends. I don't have to walk to school to check my email. Among others, I also don't have to be in school to blog.

More regular updates on the way:-d

Anatomy Mock exam

I walked out of anatomy mock lab practical absolutely obliterated by the test, intimately molested if you will. lol. Regardless, I walked away with the knowledge that a lot more studying needed to be done between now and the actual test next monday.

The mock exam, according to upper classmen and Anatomy TA's, is meant to urge students to study by being a lot harder than the actual exam. Also, they covered material that had not yet been taught in class: The upper limb and all its bones, innervations and blood supply. This was about 60% of the test.

I take this mock exam in stride and will continue to study hard till the exam. Hopefully, I can pull honors in this class and the others. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The helpful upperclassman phenomenon

First of all, sorry I've not updated in a while; I am still waiting get internet set up in my apartment. A lot has happened since I last updated: 1) I am the SGA (the auc student board) representative together with another one of my classmates; 2) I have done my first dissection on a human cadaver; 3) I have made it through my first week of classes; 4) continuously tweaking my study technique.



Still, all that isn't the reason for this post. Its just a teaser for the things to come. Onto today's blog. I have noticed something from the moment my feet touched Sint Maarten soil.

The upperclassmen are so helpful. Initially, I thought it was just something appointed upperclassmen were delegated to do, an obligation if you will. However, this continued way past orientation week, to now. Now, with orientation done first semesters are no longer anyone's obligation, since if they are still on the island after a week and a half they will probably stay. (not statistically proven so don't qoute me.)

They come up to us and give us advice on how to prepare for class. They point out little tendencies of professors. They share mistakes they made so we can learn from them. They point out the best places to go shopping, the best way to navigate this lovely island.

I'm not sure if this is the prevailing temperament in most other medical schools. However, I know i haven't experienced that kind of support during my high school years, during undergrad, and even when i was doing my masters.

I wondered why there is such an interest in making us succeed, in making us stay, in making us enjoy the island.

My conclusion is they want to first celebrate surviving their first year (for the second semesters) or surviving medical school till now. Second, Difficulty breeds camaraderie. Since we are all in this together, they want to give us a leg up so we can succeed just like they did.

I look forward to shedding light on medical school for anyone that comes after me...

I finally get some time to myself to write about my trip to and the events that took place in Sint Maarten. I don’t have internet in my apartment at the moment. I’m working to get that problem fixed. The thing that sucks about not having internet is that blogging becomes that more difficult. Basically when there is internet access there is no time and when there is time (like when I’m home) there’s no internet.

Anyways, I’m exhausted right now. Its only 12 am here and I am done. My brain wants to shut down... Onwards…

I missed a couple of days but I’ll try to get all that down now.

January 3^rd, 2010

I managed to sell my car the night before. Finally, I was freed from the weight of worrying about where to park the car, how to get the parts for the car to fix it, who was going to move the car during alternate side parking, and if I were to park the car in the garage how much money would be needed (money that could be spent up here.) It was definitely a blessing.

Ride to the Airport:

I was up at 4:30am. I got ready and drove my ex-car (we definitely had some good times) to the guy that purchased it.

At 7am my family consisting of my moms, pops, sister, and cousin together with my girlfriend piled into a big taxi, squashed like sadines. My three big bags, my carry on and my laptop bag were snuggly packed in the vans sizeable trunk.

There was no traffic so we made it to the airport in 45 minutes, about 2 hrs 45 min before my departure time. The airport was crowded and the check in line was about two or three manhattan (street) blocks long. My family was worried that I wouldn’t make it in time to catch my flight. I wasn’t worried though, standing in line slightly tilted backwards due to the weight of my laptop bag. This is what I get for fitting in what I could into this bag.

Everything went smoothly… By 1115, ie. After a 45 min delay my flight was up and away, and I instantly passed out.

Arrival in Sint Maarten:

As the airplane got closer to Sint Maarten a few other small islands came into view. The Caribbean sea was lit up as if an invisible hand had turned on an underwater light on; gorgeous barely surfices as a description. I was enthralled as I stared out the window in between listening to the old man, seated beside me, advising me not to go to the casino.

The airport was nice, small and very clean. Walking through it I could feel a difference, feel it in my body. No one was rushing to get anywhere. Everything and everyone moved at a pace much slower than NYC…

By the time I made it outside customs the person that was to pick me up had already departed. This wasn’t a good thing; I didn’t have the address to my apartment. Luckily as with every airport there were numerous cabs waiting. I asked the cab driver to take me to the security office at AUC where I could hopefully be pointed in the right direction. In short it all worked out. Security pointed me to the office where I was to pick up my keys for my apartment.

My apartment here is three minutes walk to the AUC campus. It is owned by a management company called Solutions. “Solutions” owns a few other apartments in the apartment building. The rest are either privately owned or are the property of other management companies. No one management company owns all the apartments.

At the solutions office, I met my first classmate, V. V graciously together with a gentleman working in the solutions office helped me transport my luggage to the apartment. Yes I had that many bags.

By the time I was unpacked it was late. Later at night V and I went out to the casino nearby to grab a bit to eat, chill and watch the Jets cream the Bengals.

01/4/2010 Monday

First Day of Orientation:

Registration only took a few minutes, probably because V and I got there at 8am, when registration started. Next there was a business fair, which had representatives from the banking, phone, internet and posting services. After this we had a wellness lecture with Dr. A, to prepare us for the rigours of Medical School, to instill in us the right mindset to succeed in medical school. I thought it was really good but way to long. During break, I purchased my white coat and got the notes needed for the first exam from note services. Afterwards we met up with our orientation advisors.

In between our orientation activities, V and I took his rented car to grocery shop. We went to a big supermarket called Cost U Less, quite some distance from the our building. During the ride, I glanced out the window taking in the sights. This island is really pretty.

When Orientation was over, I went with B, another first semester, to play pick up soccer.

My opinion overall: everyone is friendly and supportive.

Of note: I finally got to meet Benji, whose blog helped paint a picture of life on the Island, a picture of how the first semester is organized, and ways to prepare for my trip up there. If you are considering AUC definitely give his site a read!

01/06/2010

Today we really start our semester. The first lecture begins at 8 am and the last lecture ends at around 12. Then, theres a 2 hour break before we have anatomy lab.

I woke up around 5am and did my routine push up’s and sit ups. Now I’m heading to class.

First post of the New Year on the First day of new years!

Spent yesterday, new years eve, at home with the family and my girlfriend. We simply chilled and watched some tv. Sometimes its good to stay away from all the craziness thats out in times square.

As usual at new years I made some resolutions, but in an unusual twist my resolution covers six months. I don't believe in setting a year long new years resolution because till now I have never remembered what my resolution was after about a few days into the new years.

By setting a six month resolution I make sure certain things happen. I set plausible goals because there is a limited time to complete goals. I am able to cover more goals than usual and not lazily try to accomplish only one goal a year.

In addition to a six month resolution I regularly check on how I'm advancing on my resolutions every month, until the six months are over.

My Resolutions for Jan 1-July 1 2010:
1) Get honors in all my classes
2) keep a tight financial budget
3) Organize my things very well; specifically, my room, my files, my papers.