USMLE Pathology mnemonics
ANGINA :
1. Stable … mnemonic SS (strain, subendocardial ischemia)
2. PrinzmeTal … P (periodic /episodic pain at rest ), Transmural ischemia
ex: pt wakes up with chest pain
3.USA … Uncontrollable pain at rest (i.e. recurrent pain), related to plaque rupture/ulceration/hemorrhage
USA..got high risk of M.I.
VINDICATE
V-vascular
I-infectious
N-neoplasia
D-drugs
I-idiopathic
C-congenital
A-anoxia/acidbase imbalance/auto immune
T-trauma/toxins
E-ethyl alcohol, endocrine
TD. AREEC or REED CAT
T-Thymine
D-dimers
A-Autosomal
R-recessive
E-*excision endonuclease
E-extreme UV sensitivity
C-corneal ulceration
A girls name not casi
but "TASI"
T-thalasemia
A-anemia of chronic ds
S-sideroblastic anemia(least common)
I-iron deficiency anemia**
cardiomyopathies make the heart HARD
H - Hypertrophic
A - Arrythmogenic right ventricular
R - Restrictive
D - Dilated
IP3 mechanism -
1. All hormones produced by hypothalamus - i.e. all the Releasing hormones, oxytocin and ADH - [except CRH]
2. All hormones causing contractions [remember that IP3 causes Ca+ increase which is required for contraction] - this includes Angiotensin, Alpha-1 receptors and muscarinic receptors [pupil contraction]- also Oxytocin fits here [uterine contraction] and vasopressin
Tyrosine kinase - All hormones that are "growth Factors" and Insulin
cGMP - is easy : all these are secreted by the vascular system: ANP. EDRF & NO
cAMP mechanism:
All hormones that are not steroids and thyroid and that don’t fit in above logic
steroid hormones - this one is real easy and needs no memory aid
CPS = Cells Precpitating Slowly
C = Congestive Cardiac Failure
P = Polycythemia vera
S = Sickle Cell Disease
HLA-DR
H - Hashimoto
L - sLE
A - Addisons
D - Diabetes [2], Dermatitis herpetiformis
R - Rheumatoid Arthitis
HLA-B
P - Psoriasis
A - Ankylosing Spondylitis
I - Inflammatory bowel disease
R - Reiters syndrome
One more thing about HLAs - Class II MHC diseases are more common in women - so HLADRs are more common in women - whereas Class I MHC diaseases are more common in men - e.g. Ankylosing Spondylitis
Heres a real easy way of remembering Thyroid tumors-
1.Papillary Thyroid tumor —— 5Ps
Popular
Palpable Lymph nodes
Positive I (131) uptake
Positive Prognosis
Post radiation in head and neck(cause)
2.Follicular tumor————– Fs
Female
Faraway metastasis
Favorable prognosis
3.Medullary tumor————- Ms
MEN association (2a,2b)[/b]
Median node dissection
aMyloid
Also remember the Lymphoma is most commonly associated with Hashimotto’s Thyroiditis
POSTCARDS
Pyelonephritis
Obstruction of urinary tract
Sickle cell hemoglobinopathies, including sickle cell trait
Tuberculosis
Cirrhosis of the liver, chronic alcoholism
Analgesic abuse
Renal transplant rejection, radiation
Diabetes mellitus
Systemic vasculitis
Platelet Aggregation Agonists = PET CAT
P = PAF or platelet activation factor
E = Epinephrine
T = Thrombin
C= Collagen
A = ADP or adenosine diphosphate
T = Thromboxane A2
Symptoms of Carcinoid Syndrome
They are sometimes quite hard to rember, because they seem unrelated: diarrhea, flushing, diseases of the right heart valves and bronchospasm.
So imagine a toilet with this sign on it:
When in DIARRHEA:
Please FLUSH
using the RIGHT VALVE
to avoid BRONCHOSPASM
Microcytic Anemia is a disfunction of hemoglobin–agreed. Anemia of Chronic Disease (ACD) can be considered to be both microcytic and normocytim (low reticulocyte count). However, its more important to understand why that is the case.
During a chronic inflammation (microbial or RA)… the microbes love to iron, so your body reacts by locking all of its iron within the macrophage and loosing the key (analogy used by Edward F. Goljan, MD)…
the good news is that the microbe does not get any iron
the bad news is that your body doesn’t get iron either, which reduces the amount of heme (no iron, no heme), which reduces the amount of hemoglobin. hence, microcytic anemia.
Anemia of Chronic Diseases (lab values)
MCV low
Serum Iron low
TIBC low
% Saturation low
Serum Ferritin HIGH
PTEW7
like something is disgusting P-TEEEEW!!!!!!! (with 7 exclamation marks or something…
PT
Extrinsic
Warfarin
VII is the only factor exclusive to extrinsic
and the "21’s"
5q21 = apc
15q21= marfans
17q21= BRCA1
18q21= DCC
Xq21= duchenes
Diagnosis:
D - Diabetes ( Sugar > 250 mg%)
K - Ketonemia , Ketonuria
A - Acidosis (pH<7.2, Bicarb < 15) ; Anion Gap High
Features:
D - Delirium, Dehydration
K - Kussmaul Breathing, Ketotic Breath
A - Abd.Pain
Precipitors:
S - Sepsis
S - Skipped Insulin
S - Start of Diabetes
S - Surgery
S - Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Cocaine)
S - Stress
for important translocations
1. the letter T= is associated with number 14
3.F is written like T so =14
4.M = 11 (if you put the two 1’s very close it will look like an "M")
5.W=means double of everything (double of 1:11, double of 11:22)
6.K= 9(remember the dog :K-9)
7.B=8 (they are written very simmilarly)
8.14th cromosome has the heavy chain of Ig
according to those:
-Burkiitt(8urkitt) : t(8 14) c-myc /IgH
=as you know burkitt makes very big masses (big man) but is associated with c-myc think of myc as micro form of smt..n
(big burkitt X micro) ***
-T cell ALL : is also has t(8 14) like (burkitt Big TALL man)
-KML (K-9ML):t(9 22) abl/bcr
=remember the alphabet :"abc……klm…" but m and l changes places so this is an odd alphabet..the oncogens abl and bcr reminds me the alphabet too.. so KML is abl/bcr…m is supposed to be 11 but here is an exceptionm means 22 because kml is odd
-Ewing: it has w!double of everything t(11 22)
-MANTLE : m is 11 and t is 14 t(11 14) cyclin d (think of a recycled mantle)
-AML: (A is written like and 4 M is 11) so it is t(4 11) (but not for ALL!!!)
-Follicular B cell lymhhoma: f=14 B=8 t(14 
IgH/bcl-2
for myc
N-myc and L-myc not translocation!!! amplification
N:Neuroblastome
L:small cell Lung ca
Acute ischemia: signs [especially limbs]
6 P’s:
Pain
Pallor
Pulselessness
Paralysis
Paraesthesia
Perishingly cold
——————————————–
Hypertension: secondary hypertension causes
CHAPS:
Cushing’s syndrome
Hyperaldosteronism [aka Conn's syndrome]
Aorta coarctation
Phaeochromocytoma
Stenosis of renal arteries
� Note: only 5% of hypertension cases are secondary, rest are primary.
———————————-
MI: sequence of elevated enzymes after MI
"C-AST-Le" (castle):
CK-MB first
AST second
LDH third
� Also: can use the last ‘E’ for ESR.
—————————–
Atherosclerosis risk factors
"You’re a SAD BET with these risk factors":
Sex: male
Age: middle-aged, elderly
Diabetes mellitus
BP high: hypertension
Elevated cholesterol
Tobacco
———————————
Blood disorders: commoner sex
HE (male) gets:
HEmophilia (X-linked)
HEinz bodies (G6PD deficiency, causing HEmolytic anemia: X-linked)
HEmochromatosis (male predominance)
HEart attacks (male predominance)
HEnoch-Schonlein purpura (male predominance)
SHE (female) gets:
SHEehan’s syndrome
Normocytic Anemia with LOW Reticulocyte count—ALARM
A—APLASTIC ANEMIA
L—LEUKEMIA/METASTASIS
A—ANEMIA OF CHRONIC DISESE
R—RENAL FAILURE
M–MARROW FAILURE/MYELO FIBROSIS
Normocytic Anemia with HIGH Reticulocyte count—-GASP
G—G6PD DEFICIENCY
A—AIHA
S—SICKLE CELL ANEMIA,SPHEROCYTOSIS
P—PNH
Kawasaki:
H - hot kid
O - oral ulcers
N - Nodes (lymphadenopathy)
D - Defective Coronaries
A - Acute (febrile), Aspirin (Tx), Aneurysm
Lesch Nyham:
HGPRT Deficiency
H - He’s
G - Got
P - Purine
R - Recovery
T - Trouble
