New Podcast Episode – BUN, Creatinine & Renal Disease
Check out the latest Medical Minded Podcast episode that covers BUN, Creatinine & Renal Disease! This episode is focused on understanding BUN and creatinine lab values, as well as how they can be used to diagnose renal disease.
Also, please share any comments, suggestions, etc. for the podcast and reviews in the iTunes store would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
New Podcast Episode – Introduction to Heart Sounds
Check out the latest episode of the Medical Minded Podcast that provides an introduction to heart sounds!
Also, please leave a review and/or submit any suggestions for future episodes. Thanks!
Stop Highlighting That Textbook!
Have you ever read through your textbook, highlighted “important” information, and then reviewed your highlights to study for an exam?
Stop!!
Some studies show as many as 80% of students use this method as their primary mode of studying and it also happens to be one of the most ineffective ways to study!
For a while now I’ve had an interest in memory techniques and the efficiency of learning. Lately, I’ve become somewhat obsessed! If I were to recommend one book to everyone, it would be Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A McDaniel. The book has some phenomenal information regarding learning and is helpful to people of all ages. It was the source of the introductory information regarding highlighting as well. Apparently, highlighting is not only time-consuming and ineffective, it also creates a false sense of knowing the material since you familiarize yourself with the words. Instead, you should force yourself to recall the information without reading it again (flashcards, creating outlines from memory, etc.). Obviously, you can’t always remember everything and will need to go back to review certain material. However, the stuff you do remember will “stick” better if more effort is required to recall it. This is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to helpful information in the above book, so like I said, you should definitely check it out.
Most of the books I’ve been reading lately deal with the science behind effective learning, speed reading, memory palaces, mnemonics, etc. and I honestly can’t get enough. In the coming weeks I should definitely have some update recommendations. I’m currently even enrolled in an online course that teaches speed reading, and I have high hopes for it. I generally read at about 300 WPM with 80% retention and have a goal of 500 WPM within the next couple months while keeping retention at 80-90%. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated and recommend the course if it works out!
However, it’s the last few weeks of the semester for medical school as well, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with everything!
Childbirth vs Getting Kicked in the Balls
This video is awesome! Great explanation of the reason we experience pain, as well as the associated symptoms of childbirth and taking a shot to the groin. I’m by no means promoting that one is worse than the other. In fact, I gladly would give women the upper hand and say childbirth wins based on the duration alone. Regardless of your opinion, this is a pretty great video!
Poor Sleep Means More Than Feeling Tired – Association with Brain Atrophy
A new study published on September 3 in Neurology and reported on Medscape shows that poor sleep quality may actually lead to brain atrophy. Using 147 people ranging from 20 to 84 years in age, researchers submitted participants to MRI scanning over several years. Sleep quality was measured by a self-administered exam. Additional testing parameters included physical activity, BMI and blood pressure. The results were as follows:
- 35% of participants met the criteria for “poor sleep”.
- Poor sleep quality correlated to decreased brain volume in an area located within the right superior frontal cortex
- Correlated to shorter sleep duration, lower efficiency, and increased latency
- Poor sleep was associated with atrophy of the frontal, temporal and parietalcortices.
- Such traits are linked with reduced memory and cognitive functioning
- More significant in older adults, but association present in participants under 60 years of age as well
- Differences in physical activity, BMI and blood pressure could not account for any of the changes
Further research will need to determine whether poor sleep is the cause of brain atrophy or a result of brain atrophy. However, such research could also shed light onto various diseases of cognitive decline.
7 Factors to Improve Blood Pressure Readings
A recent AMA Wire article discussed seven ways to improve blood pressure readings. Although the factors may seem arbitrary at first glance, they have been shown to significantly impact results.
Check out the article through the link above or at least give the following image a quick glance.
Studying is Damaging Your Vision!
Recent research indicates that studying may actually make your nearsighted! An article on the New York Times website provides the details, but ultimately, the more years of education a person completes, the greater their likelihood of developing myopia. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t list any ways to reduce risks of nearsightedness, so I guess all of us lifelong learners will just have to take our chances for now! 
Cytokine Cartoons for Immunology
Here are a couple cytokines cartoons that I created during my immunology/microbiology course. I’ll include them in the resources page as well for future reference. I understand you may find some variability in the functions of the shown cytokines, but I primarily used First Aid and BRS as my reference materials. These cartoons definitely helped make things stick for me so hopefully they help others as well!
Medical Minded is “New & Noteworthy” on iTunes!
Medical Minded is now listed in the “New & Noteworthy” section of the Medical Podcasts page on iTunes. I know I’ve been slacking in uploading new podcasts, so I’ll try to publish new episodes soon. In my defense, it is my summer break so I’ve been trying to spend extra time with my wife and baby girl whenever possible. So cut me a little slack 😉
Please share the podcast with friends and I would love some feedback and/or reviews through the blog or on iTunes! The more reviews I get on iTunes, the more people will see the podcast.
Also, please let me know of any topics you’d like to be covered.
Thanks for everyone who has listened to the first couple episodes!
New Podcast Episode & Artwork
A new podcast episode has been posted that covers tetanus and botulism. Also, I reworked the podcast artwork and came up with the image shown above. Please check out the podcast and let me know what you think!
Medical Minded 