The Rx Bricks Podcast USMLE-Rx

Megaloblast. Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day. The root -blast (from the Greek blastos, meaning germ or bud) may be somewhat familiar since we talk about blast cells (very young hematopoietic precursor cells) in hematology. And megalo- (from the Greek megas, meaning large or great) is also used fairly frequently, as in splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen). So does “megaloblast” just mean a large, immature cell? We’ll answer this question, and many more, in this discussion of megaloblastic anemia.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Describe the pathogenesis of megaloblastic anemia.
List common causes of B12 and folate deficiency and associated nonhematologic symptoms of each.
List and understand the characteristic complete blood count values in megaloblastic anemia.
Describe and identify the morphologic changes present in the blood and bone marrow in a patient with megaloblastic anemia.
Describe the treatment of megaloblastic anemia.

You can also check out the original brick on Megaloblastic Anemia from our Hematology collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/

Blood glucose is proof that you can have too much of a good thing. While glucose serves a critical role as fuel for many of our bodily functions, it must remain in a very tightly controlled range. If the level goes too low, you can fall into a coma. If glucose is too high, damage to tissues throughout the body can occur. When blood glucose is consistently too high and the mechanisms that return it to the normal range fail, this is called diabetes mellitus. Nearly 10% of the US population has a form of diabetes, so it is critical that physicians understand the disease and be prepared to care for patients with the diagnosis.


Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterized by a lack of insulin-mediated blood glucose control. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreatic β cells in the islets of Langerhans, which make up the endocrine portion of the pancreas.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Define type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Compare and contrast the pathophysiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Compare and contrast the clinical presentation of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Compare and contrast diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome as complications of diabetes mellitus.
Describe laboratory tests that help distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Compare and contrast management principles for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

You can also check out the original brick on Diabetes Mellitus: Foundations and Frameworks from our Endocrine collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/

Gallstones are the hardened precipitates—“stones”—of the substrates found in bile. The liver makes bile to help digest fats, and the bile is stored in the gallbladder. When there is an excess of a particular substance in the bile (eg, cholesterol or unconjugated bilirubin), gallstones form in the gallbladder.


Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand, as large as a golf ball, or any size in between. Gallstones are very common and usually do not cause any symptoms. But not all gallstones stay in the gallbladder.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Define, compare, and contrast cholelithiasis, cholangitis, choledocholithiasis, and cholecystitis, listing the most common causes of each.
Describe the structure and pathogenesis of cholesterol and pigment gallstones.
List the major risk factors for development of gallstones, describe the typical clinical course, and list the potential complications.
Distinguish acute and chronic cholecystitis, and describe the clinical presentation, signs, and lab abnormalities.
Describe the treatment of gallstones and acute cholecystitis.

You can also check out the original brick on Cholelithiasis and Cholecystitis from our Gastrointestinal collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/

Normal blood pressure keeps us alive. It’s the force that moves blood throughout our circulatory system, ensuring that oxygen and nutrients reach our organs and tissues and that waste products are eliminated. When we hear the word hypertension—high blood pressure—we know this describes the blood flow exerting too much force against blood vessel walls. Pulmonary hypertension describes high blood pressure in the vessels of the lung. Specifically, pulmonary hypertension is an elevated mean arterial pressure (≥20 mm Hg at rest) of the vessels between the heart and the lung.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Define pulmonary hypertension and compare with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Describe the clinical presentation and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, including results from electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and heart catheterization. Explain how pulmonary hypertension leads to right-sided heart failure.
Describe how pulmonary vascular resistance affects pulmonary arterial pressure. List common etiologies of pulmonary hypertension, differentiating between cardiac and pulmonary causes. List the most common cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Describe the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

You can also check out the original brick on Pulmonary Hypertension from our Respiratory collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/

Macroscopic Skin Lesions
A thorough skin examination should be performed annually to assess for new or changing macroscopic skin lesions. It is critically important to be able to identify and describe normal and abnormal skin and to note your findings carefully, because a change in an existing skin lesion is the most common sign of skin cancer, including deadly ones like melanoma. In this discussion, we will describe the specific ways in which you document skin lesions, using a vocabulary that other clinicians will understand.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Explain the importance of physical examination of the skin.
Describe skin lesions, explaining and illustrating each of the following: size, type (eg, vesicle, bulla), color, configuration (eg, annular, targetoid, discoid), arrangement (eg, solitary, grouped, linear, reticular), and distribution and location.

You can also check out the original brick on Macroscopic Skin Lesions from our Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Connective Tissue collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com.
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including Step 1 Qmax, Flash Facts, Express Videos, a digital version of First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, and nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/

Have you ever cut your finger, bumped your head, or fallen and scraped your knee? While you were cursing your clumsiness or bad luck, your body got straight to work healing the injury, relying on the wondrous process of acute inflammation. Shortly after your injury, you most likely experienced some or all of the cardinal signs of acute inflammation: pain (dolor), redness (rubor), heat (calor), and swelling (tumor).


There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is an essential part of the body’s defense system and generally lasts a few days. Chronic inflammation (discussed in detail in another brick) involves an ongoing low-level inflammation that lasts for weeks, months, or even years. Unlike acute inflammation, chronic inflammation is not beneficial; it leads to tissue damage and is linked to the development of many types of chronic disease, including diabetes, cancer, and a range of autoimmune disorders.
After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to:

Describe the three roles of inflammation.
Identify the cells of innate immunity involved in acute inflammation and the timeline of when each cell type is involved.
Describe the four reactions of blood vessels in acute inflammation.
Describe leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation.
Explain how these processes result in the general clinical manifestations of acute inflammation.
Provide specific examples of acute inflammation.
Describe the utility of acute-phase reactants as a marker of inflammation: erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, ferritin, fibrinogen (all increased with inflammation—positive markers).

You can also check out the original brick on Acute Inflammation from our General Pathology collection, which is available for free.
Learn more about Rx Bricks by signing up for a free USMLE-Rx account: www.usmle-rx.com
You will get 5 days of full access to our Rx360+ program, including nearly 800 Rx Bricks.  After the 5-day period, you will still be able to access over 150 free bricks, including the entire collections for General Microbiology and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
***
If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world.
Follow USMLE-Rx at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/usmlerx
Blog: www.firstaidteam.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/firstaidteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstaidteam/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/USMLERX
Learn how you can access over 150 of our bricks for FREE: https://usmlerx.wpengine.com/free-bricks/