Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine & Health

Hospital Infection Control

Hospital Infection Control refers to measures taken to prevent and control infections within a hospital setting. These measures ensure patient safety, protect healthcare workers, and limit the spread of pathogens.

Key Points:

1. Hand Hygiene:
   Washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rubs is the most effective way to prevent infection.
2. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
   Use of gloves, masks, gowns, and eye protection to prevent transmission of microorganisms.
3. Sterilization and Disinfection:
   Instruments, medical devices, and surfaces are cleaned, disinfected, or sterilized as per protocol.
4. Isolation of Infected Patients:
   Isolation precautions (standard, contact, droplet, and airborne) are implemented to prevent

Understanding Diabetes Insipidus and Renal Calculi

1. What is a Clinical Biomarker? Name Biomarkers Used to Diagnose DI & Renal Calculi.

A clinical biomarker is a measurable indicator of a biological state or condition.

For Diabetes Insipidus (DI):

• Serum sodium
• Osmolality
• ADH levels
• Urine osmolality

For Renal Calculi (Kidney Stones):

• Serum calcium
• Uric acid
• Oxalate levels
• Urine pH

2. What Does a Low Level of ADH Indicate?

A low level of Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH) indicates Diabetes Insipidus (DI) or pituitary gland dysfunction.

3. Explain the Role of Vasopressin in DI.

Vasopressin regulates water reabsorption in the kidneys. In DI, either vasopressin is deficient (central DI) or the kidneys do not respond to it (nephrogenic DI).

4. Explain the Role of Vasopressin

Modal Verbs Exercises

Exercise 1: Rewrite the sentences using modal verbs.

1. It's forbidden to drive without fastening your seatbelt. You mustn't drive without fastening your seatbelt.
2. Perhaps they told John about the party. They might have told John about the party.
3. It isn't necessary for us to book a table. We needn't book a table.
4. It isn't necessary for her to phone me back. She needn't phone me back.
5. It was a mistake to sell the house. I wish I hadn't. I shouldn't have sold the house.
6. I'm sure he didn't lock the door. He couldn't have locked the door.
7. Perhaps John knew about the trip. He could have known about the trip.
8. You cannot smoke in the underground. You mustn't smoke in the underground.
9. I'm sure Ann didn't send that letter. Ann couldn't have

Passive Voice

• Active: The secretary types the letter.
• Passive: The letters are typed by the secretary.

• Future Simple: Will type / Will be typed
• Past Simple: Typed / Were typed
• Modal: Can type / Can be typed
• Present Continuous: Am/is/are being + past participle
• Present Perfect Simple: Have / has been + past participle

Impersonal Voice

1. It is thought/said/believed + that...
2. Subject + is considered/thought/said + to be...

The Causative (get/have + object + verb 3rd form)

Often associated with professions. Changes depending on the verbal tenses.

Ex: The painters painted my house / I had my house painted by the painters.

Wish Clauses

1. Wish + subject + past simple (about the future): Not reality, but you want it to happen. Ej: I wish I were a rich man.
2. Wish + could

Porcelain Laminate Veneers: Indications and Contraindications

Indications:

1. Used on slightly/mildly enlarged teeth
2. Traditionally indicated in aesthetic areas where a single crown composite resin veneer would be used
3. To correct diastemas
4. Masking of discolored/stained teeth
5. Repairing enamel defects

Contraindications:

1. Cannot be waxed on short clinical crowns
2. Not suitable for patients with parafunctional habits (e.g., bruxism)
3. Teeth with insufficient enamel for adequate retention
4. Teeth with large restorations or endodontically treated teeth with little remaining structure
5. Patients with tooth wear due to bruxism

Tooth Remineralization: Techniques, Materials, and Concepts

Techniques:

Hand excavation is preferred to preserve as much tissue as possible for remineralization.... Continue reading "Porcelain Veneers, Tooth Remineralization, and Biocompatibility" »

Respiratory System Basics

Respiratory Key Terms

• Dyspnea: Difficulty breathing
• Orthopnea: Difficulty breathing when lying flat
• Tachypnea: Abnormally fast breathing
• Bradypnea: Abnormally slow breathing
• Hemoptysis: Coughing up blood
• Hypoxia: Tissue oxygen deficiency
• Clubbing: Fingertip rounding due to chronic hypoxia
• Barrel chest: Increased chest diameter often from emphysema
• Cyanosis: Bluish skin or mucous membrane discoloration from low oxygen
• Rales/Crackles: Abnormal lung sounds indicating fluid
• Wheezing: High-pitched whistling from narrowed airways
• Rhonchi: Low-pitched rattling sounds (often due to secretions)
• Productive cough: Cough producing mucus or sputum
• Hypertonia: Increased muscle tone causing stiffness
• Hypotonia: Decreased muscle tone making muscles

Pharmacology Fundamentals

Pharmacokinetics: What the Body Does to the Drug

Phases:

1. Absorption – How a drug enters the bloodstream

2. Distribution – How a drug travels through the body

3. Metabolism – How a drug is broken down (mainly in the liver)

4. Excretion – How a drug leaves the body (mainly through the kidneys)

🧠 Memory Trick: ADME — Absorb, Deliver, Metabolize, Exit

Pharmacodynamics: What the Drug Does to the Body

• Describes how a drug works at the target site

• Involves receptor binding, enzyme interactions, and therapeutic vs. side effects

Examples:

• Beta blockers bind to beta receptors → slow heart rate

• Insulin binds to insulin receptors → lowers blood sugar

Drug Release Types: ER, IR, SR, XL, CR