• Microbiology Cheat Sheets For The Comprehensive Final. We Were Allowed Two Pages, Front And Back.

-28/11/17-

Had cramps so spent the day writing up microbiology notes whilst hunched over my hot water bottle. The lecture on vaccine design is 7 pages long and now I can hand cramp to my list of ailments…

Clostridium tetani

Gram+, anaerobe, spore forming, motile, rod.

Neurotoxin: Tetanus Toxin blocks glycine and GABA and produces a SPASTIC PARALYSIS.

TETANUS

Opisthotonus

Risus  Sardonicus

Severe mucle spasm

Stuff in my Office

From 1930. This well-dressed young scientist is experimenting with The Air. Exactly what he is doing is a mystery.

July 25 …. I finally get it!  He’s holding an eye dropper with a bulb on the end. I thought it was a pair of chopsticks! He’s picking up pieces of paper using the vacuum from squeezing the bulb! Still very formal, though …

Mechanism of Fever

Diphtheria is known for creating a slimy/sticky/smelly exudate in the throat and mouth, but there are quite a few variations on its etiology and presentation.

A. Common type of diphtheria. Child three years old, seen on fourth day of illness. Exudate covering pharynx, tonsils, and uvula. Received 16,000 units of antitoxin. Throat clear on sixth day. Discharged cured.

B. Follicular type of diphtheria. Child seven years old, seen on second day of illness. The membrane involved the lacunae of the tonsils. Resembles follicular tonsillitis. Received 6,000 units of antitoxin total.

C. Hemorrhagic type of diphtheria. Child seven-and-a-half years old, seen on sixth day of illness. Tonsillar and post-pharyngeal exudate. Severe nasal and post-pharyngeal hemorrhages during exfoliation of membrane. Received in all 15,000 units of antitoxin. Throat clear on ninth day of illness. Myocarditis developed. Case discharged cured four weeks after admission. 

D. Septic type of diphtheria. Child eight years old, seen on fifth day of illness. The pseudo-membrane in this case covered the hard palate and extended in one large mass down the pharynx, completely hiding the tonsils.

Diseases of Infancy and Childhood. Louis Fischer, M.D., 1917.

I need tips on taking textbook notes please! I always get bored reading and then I end up just writing down bolded words with no context (which is really bad I know) any tips to help take more efficient textbook notes without having to spend hours (because I have 3 content heavy classes that I need to take notes for)

Hi there! I know this post may feel basic, but I feel like you’re struggling with basic skills like summarising a topic and writing things in your own words, so I tried my best to explain things in a step-by-step action-oriented list so that you can stand on your own ‘feet’ when you’re studying :)

The Basics of Studying From a Textbook

1. The textbook may be boring, but you’ve still got to read it. 

Unfortunately, high school and university isn’t a walk in the park :( I know, some days it’s hard, but you’ve still got to put in at least a modicum of hard work if you want to do well. 

Sometimes, the studyblr community perpetuates the idea that there’s some sort of “secret” to being a straight-As, 4.0GPA, HD WAM student, but there’s only studying techniques to make things easier. You’re still going to need a basic level of motivation, discipline, time management, organisation and study in order to do well. 

So even though the textbook is boring, you’re either going to have to convince yourself that the topic is interesting, or pull up your socks, buckle down, and actually read it. 

2. Reading speed is a limiting factor on how fast you can take notes. 

Try reading the textbook without taking any notes and time how long it takes you. That’s going to be the minimum time it takes, so if doing all the reading for 3 content heavy courses takes at least an hour or two, then reading and taking notes is going to be much more than that (roughly more than double the time), so you can’t speed it up any faster than your base reading speed. 

I recommend trying speed reading techniques, but that would take a whole separate post, so I won’t go into that here. 

3. Learn how to summarise a topic. 

At the moment it seems like you’re struggling and not really understanding how to summarise topics, and just relying on the textbook to tell you what’s important. 

To summarise something, you’ll need to write down the key points (the most important information) from something that you read in the fewest number of words reasonable. I’m sure you already knew that, but you must not be putting it into practice because of what you’re telling me in your ask. 

4. Write things in your own words. 

Again, once you learn how to summarise, writing it in your own words will solidify that information in your brain. Explain the topic in layman’s terms to a family member, which forces you to use your own words. If you live alone, try a stuffed toy or rubber duck. 

5. Start off by annotating your class notes. 

I think initially you should start off with annotating just until you learn what information is important and what’s not. Class notes usually have 80% of the important information in brief points, and the textbook colours in the rest. 

6. Use the “gummy bears” method. 

I know it’s elementary, but you seemed to be having trouble with discipline and boredom, so place gummy bears on every paragraph as a crutch to get yourself to finish reading everything. Once you train yourself to do things that you don’t want to do, then you won’t have to use any cheap tricks, as you’ll be disciplined enough to read pages and pages without needing constant “carrot on a stick” rewards. 

Once you’ve done those, here are my masterposts for content heavy courses:

Studying Content Heavy Courses

Use my Unique Automated Study Planner Printable which uses spaced repetition to make you remember more strategically!

Content Heavy Courses Study Guide - biology used as an example

Self Studying Advice - when you have to study a lot by yourself

Staying Productive No Matter How Much Time You Have

The Blank Paper Method - for rote learning lots of information

Part 11 Adapting to Uni Study - university basically mandates studying a large amount of info in a short period, so you’ll find this post useful for balancing 6 heavy courses!

Part 12 How to Study From Textbooks in Uni

Hope that helps!!

Follow optomstudies for daily original posts and study masterposts! Links: all originals + langblr posts + 15-part college 101 series + web directory!

Micobacterium leprae

Acid Fast, OBLIGATE INTRACELLULAR ROD, optimal growth in less than body T°

Dx: punch bx, nasal scrapings, acid fast stain, NO CULTURE, lepromin skin test

Mucosa, nerves, skin (significant reservoirs)

Armadillos (Texas, Louisiana)

TUBERCULOID LEPROSY

Strong CMI (Th1)

Positive Lepromin Test

Low number of bacili

Fewer lesions: macular, nerve enlargement, paresthesia

Damage from immune response (granuloma formation, nerve enlargement, damage => loss of sensation)

Tx: Dapsone + Rifampin

BORDERLINE LEPROSY

LEPROMATOUS LEPROSY

Weak CMI (Th2)

Negative Lepromin Test

High number of bacili

Numerous lesions: nodular, leonine facies, loss of eyebrows, destruction of nasal septum, paresthesias)

Damage from large number of bacili (nerve damage from overgrowth, loss of sensation)

Tx: Dapsone + Rifampin + Clofazimine

Dapsone for contacts (prevention)

Sooo I’m studying microbiology 2:28 am because I’m a desperate bitch Microbiology + immunology = total final grade I got a 10 in my immunology test so I’m PRAYING for a 10 in microbiology so I can get a bIG BeauTiFul 10 on my final

Another Harry Potter Mnemonic (yayyy!!!)

So, whenever I read about this fungi Sporothrix schenckii I think about Bellatrix Lestrange… geti it? 

Sporothrix - Bellatrix

That evil deatheater that killed Sirius Black. But they actually got it wrong in the movie, she doesn’t “Avada Kedavra” him, she just knocked him through that veil where you could hear death people….

Ok, enough with the Harry Potter fact.

To diagnose an infection from Sporothrix schenckii, you have to see this cigar shaped yeasts (from the pus of the lesions), which are the tissue form of the fungi. 

So to remember this, just picture:

“Bellatrix Lestrange smoking a cigar”

(Sporothrix: cigar shaped yeast in pus)