Biyernes, Setyembre 18, 2015

Dermatomes Memory Aid (Cervical and Thoracic)

I don't have a good mnemonic to remember every dermatome, but I have some memory tips to approximate the possible dermatomal level of some parts of the body. If you know the dermatomal level before and after the dermatome which is being asked, you will have a good guess of its level.

Here are my visual memory aids for some of the dermatomes.

C2 - base of the skull
T4 - nipple



C5 - tip of the shoulder
C6 - thumb
T10 - umbilicus


So if we are asked what the dermatomal level of xiphoid process is, we can deduce that it's between T4-T10 because we know that it's below the nipple (T4) and above the umbilicus T10. You can count from the nipple using two fingerbreadths to narrow down the approximation.
C6 - thumb

Using this hand position, count from the thumb to the little finger (C6--> C7 --> C8)

Miyerkules, Setyembre 16, 2015

Tricycle Panning


Sinubukang i-edit.

Sa ikalawang araw ng aking paglalakad-lakad kahapon, sinubukan kong mag-aral ng panning. Bale ang panning ay kukuha ka ng litrato ng gumagalaw na bagay. Magfofocus do'n sa bagay na gumagalaw, tapos maiiwan yung background as blur.

Karamihan sa mga kinunan ko ng picture ay tricycle, kasi.. wala lang. Haha. Para dumami ang tricycle pictures sa internet. Hahaha.

Nasa loob lang ako ng village kaya hindi masyadong mabibilis ang mga sasakyan. Pero ang shutter speed ko kapag mga kotse ay 1/60. Kapag tricycle, nasa 1/40.

Ginawa ko nang tirik na tirik ang araw kaya napakainit. XD.

Ang hirap lang talaga mag-street photography dahil ang awkward. Haha. Nakakahiya na nakatingin ang mga tao na pinipicturan. Wala naman silang consent na pipicturan ko sila, kaya ang laking dilemma pa rin. Pero 'pag may mga nasasama na tao sa mga pictures natin sa public areas, hindi rin naman natin hinihingi ang consent nila hindi ba? @_@.. Sa balita, kapag may navivideo na mga tao, hindi na rin nila pinapaalam na nakasali sila sa maipapalabas sa TV. Dahil nasa public area, kaya public din ang litrato nila? Ethical ba 'yon? Ah, ewan. >_< Ang safe na lang siguro na p'wede kong gawin ay gamitin sa maayos na paraan ang mga letratong nakukuha ko. 'Wag pagkakitaan at 'wag pagkatuwaan ang mga tao.


AwkwardDahil prime lens ang gamit ko, kung gaano kalayo sa paningin ko ang subject,
halos gano'n din kalayo ang nakikita ko sa camera. :S

Kaya ayun, medyo problema dahil walang zoom in ang camera ko. Pero kung may zoom in ka, kaunting distansya lang at okey na. Mahirap lang kung sakaling medyo mahaba ang lente dahil pansinin sa kalsada. Ingat-ingat sa holdap. XD.
______

Steps kung paano ko ginawa ang panning (Nikon):
1. I-set sa Auto-focus continuous (AF-C) - dahil gumagalaw ang mga sasakyan! :D
2. Shutter speed priority
3. Kapag dumaan ang gumagalaw na bagay.. Sundan! XD.
4. Check ang image and adjust to taste ang shutter speed.

Ito ang pinanood ko bago 'ko sinubukan ang panning. Malinaw at basic pagpapaliwanag ni Gavin Hoey.



Narito pa ang mga panning pesyurs na nakuha ko. Wala na munang edit-edit. Ahehehe. (Kaya dapat talaga, kung paano natin kinukuha 'yong litrato, 'yon na halos yung mismong gusto nating itsura. Para wala nang edit! At para lagi tayong nagsastrive for perfection, haha. Charot.)
























Axillary Artery Memory Aid (HelpHippo)

I highly recommend the mnemonic by HelpHippo in remembering the branches of the axillary artery. I used this mnemonic when I was cramming for anatomy. Hope this helps. :)



There are other memory aids from HelpHippo that you may find useful. Check their channel. :)


Martes, Setyembre 15, 2015

Naked RNA Memory Aid (Tagalog)

Sa PLE August 2015, hindi high-yield ang tanong na "which of the following is a single stranded chorlaNA, which one is naked chukchakNA? which one is enveloped?" et cetera, et cetera. Pero may mnemonic ako para matandaan ang naked RNA at mga dapat matandaan sa mga naked RNA. 

Nakapaskil sa pintuan ng kuwarto ko habang naghahanda sa boards


Naked = Hubad. 

"Hubad ang PUTS"

P - wet: Diarrhea. Most common cause of viral diarrhea in adults and in children - Norvo and Rota
U - tak: Aseptic meningitis. Three groups causing aseptic meningitis. Think of hand, foot and echo (Ang random ng echo, haha. Basta, echo!) 
  • Coxsackie - HAND, foot and mouth disease
  • Polio - FOOT (madalas nating makita sa lower extremity)
  • Echo - ))))))
T - AE: Hep A and E are orofecal transmission, hence, TAE.
S - ipon. Rhinovirus. 


Medyo sabaw, pero maraming must-know ang nasasama sa mnemonic na 'to. Madaling lumabas sa boards ang mga diarrhea, aseptic meningitis, orofecally na transmission ng Hep. 

No'ng August 2015 na PLE, parang may naalala akong may nadaanan about aseptic meningitis. Sa boards kasi hindi nila directly tinatanong ang mga facts. Pamigay na 'yon kapag masyadong straight to the point. Ang style nila, dapat alam mo na 'yong mga facts. Tapos assuming na alam mo nga, magbibigay sila ng mga tanong -- p'wedeng situational, p'wedeng theoretical. Gusto nilang nag-iisip ang mga kumukuha ng boards. More of analysis ang exam kaysa recall. Pero hindi ibig sabihin walang recall. Mapapa-recall ka na lang habang nag-aanalyze, haha. Kailangang INTINDIHING mabuti ang mga konsepto. 

Kung may mali, comment na lang. Sana makatulong.




Scarred Brachial Plexus Dog: Brachial Plexus Memory Aid

This is the easiest way for me to draw the brachial plexus. :o3


I made this diagram to easily remember the brachial plexus. It's also good in remembering some of the conditions due to brachial plexus lesions. The brachial plexus dog is based in First Aid from the USMLE Step 1 2014 (Le, Vikas & Sochat, 2014).


You will notice that brachial plexus in 2D is quite symmetrical, except for the part in the anterior division where it converges to lateral cord. So I got the idea of a scarred dog to easily remember that part. (The scar is drawn using a red pen.)

Here is how the brachial plexus dog works:

Click the image to enlarge

Compare your own brachial plexus dog with Netter's Illustration


Other details:

In naming the root, trunk, division, cord and branches, just be guided by the change in the number of the group nerves. Just count the nerve groups from top to down.

  • It starts with 5 roots (ear part). (C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1)
  • On the eye part, the 5 group of nerves changed to 3 groups (eye part). trunk (superior, middle, inferior)
    • right eye - Waiter's tip - superior
    • middle
    • left eye - Claw hand - inferior
  • After 3 groups, it changed to 6 groups (scar part). division (3 anterior, 3 posterior)
    • The nerves converging to the nose is the posterior division.  
  • From 6 groups, it went back to 3 groups (nose part). cord 
    • nose = posterior cord
    • scar above = lateral cord (latigo, lateral ;) )
    • medial cord
  • This will not work for the branches part anymore. Anyway, it's a must-know that the axillary nerve, the radial nerve, the musculocutaneous nerve, the median nerve and the ulnar nerve are the five terminal branches. 


Some use mnemonics to remember the group of nerves. First Aid suggests "Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beer". You can make your own. Hmn.. like "Red Tadpoles Decay Corpse Brutally", haha or "Rotten Trees Dead Corpse Bulate", hahaha. What I use is just thinking that the brachial plexus starts with roots because... because... brachial plexus will start from.. the nerve roots! Where else?! Then like a tree, it starts from the roots then the trunk. At the end of the tree, there are the branches. DC separated the branch from the trunk.. DC = disconnected, hahaha. Lol. Just use whatever works for you. :D 


This is the poster I made which I put in my room to keep myself familiarized with the brachial plexus.

Leave a comment if you see any mistakes. Thanks. :D



---------

One of the most scarring part of my medical school is when I was asked to discuss Brachial Plexus in front of consultants, residents, medical interns and clerks. I was chosen by my groupmates to do the job because they thought that I am good with making powerpoint presentations. I do powerpoints, but I rarely present it so it was a bit scary. I tried to study it well, made a very simple powerpoint and prepared a 3D program so I can explain brachial plexus clearly.

But when I started speaking, a consultant told me to stop using Tagalog words OR I should just choose on whether speaking straight Tagalog or straight English. Of course, there is no direct translation for very specific anatomical parts in Tagalog, I had no choice but to speak in English. I told the consultant that I stutter when I speak in English and that I can't express my thoughts clearly in English. And then consultant said, "How will you present your research paper in the international setting if you can't speak English?"

It was very embarrassing. I felt so humiliated. I felt somewhat harassed. I felt that my knowledge on the topic was measured by my ability to speak in English... which I couldn't do well.

PFff. Being in the University of the Philippines, I was disappointed with the consultant. We were not in a communication class. Everyone understands my Taglish. I prepared to do a report which will make everyone understand and remember brachial plexus, not to practice my English-speaking skills. I was not presenting a research paper. I was trying to teach a concept! The university has always promoted the use of the mother tongue to teach, so what's the problem?!?! Aah!! Pff. It's the culture of the medical people -_-. Old skOOl-hierarchy-based-I'm-superior-you're-stupid. And yes, I'm being irrational now. xD.

Anyway, it ended as a mess. I forgot many things. I was asked questions that I couldn't answer. I wasn't able to use the 3D anatomy program. I was stuttering. I was mispronouncing words. I didn't know what to say. Hahahaha. At least the entire report is now over, that is what's important. XD. I told myself that I should be able to publish a Tagalog research paper internationally someday. (I also myself that I should be good in speaking English to avoid that situation again next time. Hahaha.)

Sighs. Medschool. :P

I hope that my brachial plexus dog will save you from that kind of situation, lol. Enjoy.


Lunes, Setyembre 14, 2015

BANGAW Photography

Big Langaw = Bangaw

Dahil matagal na rin akong may DSLR pero hindi ko pa rin alam gamitin, naisipan kong gawing morning exercise ang pagkuha ng letrato sa daan. Nikon D90 50 mm prime lens ang gamit ko. Mahusay daw itong pang-street photography, napanood ko sa YouTube [lingk]. Ang kaso, di ko yata kayang ma-micture na lang ng mga tao. Haha. Baka masapak ako ng de-oras. So medyo naging specialized na uri ng street photography ang nangyar, naging street-plants and street-bangaw photography. Haha.

Hangga't maaari ayoko nang magphotoshop. Gusto matuto sanang mag-commit na kapag nakuha na ang letrato. Period-no-erase, kain-lock, walang goma. (dahil hindi ako masyadong masipag) xD.

Pero di pa rin ako magaling, kaya may ilang letrato pa rin akong phinotoshop. Hahay. Kaunting exposure lang naman at crop.

Hapi Bangaw Viewing! :D

Magsa-slide na ako, weee!
Ang confusing ng daan ng life, huhu-bells.

Aaah... Self-actualization.

Exposure edited sa Photoshop.

Ano'ng meron sa baba?

Bangaw Loverz. 


Uma-angle

Every step you take, I'll be watching you.

Top of the world

Iba pang mga pictures sa paglalakad-lakad dito sa Teachers Village.


Bauhenia! Alibangbang :D

Sitsiritsit _______.

Permanent Dungaw sa Bintana

Green Balahibo

Gapang

Uh..

Kidlat-charot

Bilog Leaf

Bangaw-Haws

Wishrum

Star!

Kembot

Ulasimang Kongrektong Bato

Pagbabadya

Hide but Seek

Kabilang