Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Medicine and health sciences

Personal Pronouns: Tonic and Toneless Forms

Tonic (Stressed) Pronouns

• 1st Person Subject: I, we (including forms like nosotros/as)
• 1st Person Complement/Object: me, us
• 2nd Person Subject: you (singular), you/ye (plural, including vosotros)
• 2nd Person Complement/Object: you (singular), you/yourselves (plural)
• 3rd Person Subject: he, she, it, they
• 3rd Person Complement/Object: him, her, it, them (including various clitic interpretations)

Toneless (Unstressed) Pronouns

These forms often function as clitics:

• 1st Person Complement: me, us (nos)
• 2nd Person Complement: te, you (os/ye)
• 3rd Person Complement: lo, la, lo, los, las, se, le, les (including various combinations)

Adverbs and Their Functions

• Place: here, there, yonder, near, far, up, down, in front, behind,

Key Epidemiology and Biostatistics Terms

This document defines core epidemiology and biostatistics concepts used in clinical research and public health.

Diagnostic Test Measures

• Sensitivity: The probability that an individual with the disease tests positive. High sensitivity is useful to rule out disease when the test is negative.
• Specificity: The probability that a healthy individual tests negative. High specificity is useful to confirm disease when the test is positive.

Population Prevalence and Incidence

• Prevalence: The total number of existing cases in the population divided by the total population at a given time.
• Incidence: The occurrence of new cases of a disease in a population over a specified period.
• Cumulative incidence (individual risk)

Fetal Development: The Journey to Birth

First Trimester Milestones (Weeks 8–11)

By 8 weeks, the embryo transitions into a fetus.

Week 9: Nervous System and Movement

• The nervous system generates neurons.
• The fetus begins to tremble, strengthening muscles through involuntary spasms.
• The brain does not yet control the heartbeat.

Week 11: Reflexes and Growth Spurt

• The kicking reflex begins (the fetus starts experimenting with its feet).
• The period from Week 6 to 11 shows the most notable growth.

Second Trimester Development (Up to Week 18)

The fetus develops strong muscles and bones, connecting all organs of the nervous system. It gains total control of the brain and becomes sensitive to touch. The fetus is aware of its space and performs countless movements....

Vitamins and Minerals

Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin C: Protects, regulates, and facilitates chemical processes of other enzymes. Its main function is the formation of collagen, facilitates the absorption of iron, protects vitamin A and E from oxidation, and regulates cholesterol metabolism. Sources: green vegetables, citrus fruits, tomatoes. Deficiency: scurvy, irritability, bone pain, easy bleeding, poor healing. Toxicity: gastric irritation, kidney stones, false positive tests for fecal occult blood or glucosuria.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Important coenzyme in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Sources: meat, grains, legumes. Deficiency causes: alcoholism, dialysis, diet high in carbohydrates. Beriberi, Wernicke's encephalopathy.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Defining the Normal Newborn

A normal newborn is a child born of healthy parents after a pregnancy without complications, lasting between 37 and 42 weeks, with weight and size appropriate for their gestational age.

Classification by Gestational Age

• Term: Born between 37 and 42 weeks.
• Preterm: Born before 37 weeks.
• Post-term: Born after 42 weeks.

Anatomical Characteristics and Measurements

Body Measurements

• Weight: Typically 2,700–3,800 kg. The newborn experiences physiological weight loss during the first 5 days, recovering the lost weight around the 10th day.
• Size (Length): Approximately 49–54 cm.
• Cranial Perimeter (Head Circumference): 35–36 cm. This measurement provides important information regarding brain development and possible morphological

Platelet Organelles and Their Functions

Platelets are composed of various elements and organelles, including mitochondria, lysosomes, dense granules, alpha granules, and glycogen bodies.

• Mitochondria: These are not abundant but contribute to platelet deposition and the storage of calcium and ATP.
• Lysosomes: These contain essential hydrolytic enzymes involved in cellular lysis.
• Dense granules: These are few in number and contain metals, serving a specific secretory function.
• Alpha granules: Synthesized by the Golgi apparatus, these are the most numerous organelles. They include specific proteins, such as the von Willebrand factor, and empty their contents to the outside when platelets are activated.
• Glycogen: These bodies provide energy reserves for

Language and Communication

• Accent, cognate, comment on, idiom (frase hecha), mother tongue, proverb (refrán), slang.
• Isolated, cut off, get through (comunicarse), lose signal, on speakerphone, plug in (enchufar), run out of battery, swipe (arrastrar), tag sb (etiquetar), suffer (resentirse).

Sports and Wellbeing

• Cheer (animar), drop out (of a race) (abandonar), get through (to the final) (llegar), sign up, sporty (aficionado al deporte), substitute (suplente), wellbeing (bienestar).
• Come up with (ocurrírsele), end up (acabar), go ahead (seguir), keep track of (controlar), take over (tomar el relevo), work out (calcular).
• Be mindful (ser consciente), cut out (eliminar), enrol (in a class) (apuntarse), gain perspective (lograr perspectiva), get in

Reading 1: The Biology of Sleep and Night Owls

Many teenagers, like Brian, struggle to wake up for school. While teachers might perceive them as lazy, science suggests a different reason. Every human has an internal body clock, or chronotype, controlled by "clock genes." In teenagers, the body releases melatonin (the sleep hormone) much later than in adults. This means their brains are not ready to sleep until 11:00 p.m. or later. When they must wake up at 7:00 a.m., they suffer from social jet lag and feel exhausted. Scientists suggest that starting school later could make students more focused and productive.

Comprehension Questions

• True or False? Teenagers are tired in the morning because they are irresponsible.
  Answer: False. Quote: "Science

Flabby Etiology and Treatment

Etiology of Flabby Tissue:

1. Old, loose dentures.
2. Anterior interference determining Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (VDO).
3. Rapid ridge resorption leading to a knife-edge ridge.
4. Complete maxillary denture opposing natural mandibular teeth.
5. Loose, ill-fitting dentures.
6. Dentures with anterior porcelain teeth and posterior resin teeth.
7. Over-eruption of opposing natural teeth.
8. Failure to remove dentures at night.
9. Overextended denture border causing epulis fissuratum.

Treatment for Flabby Tissue:

A) Removal of Cause:

• Remove pressure areas.
• Relining old dentures with soft tissue conditioning.
• Correction of occlusal disharmonies.
• Restoration of lost VDO.

B) Remove Denture: (For acute inflammation).

C) Recovery Program:

1. Massage soft tissues.

Understanding Medical Prescriptions

A prescription is a written order from a registered medical practitioner to a pharmacist to compound and dispense specific medicaments for a patient. While generally written in English, Latin terms and abbreviations are frequently used to save time.

Parts of a Prescription

• Date
• Patient details (Name, Age, Sex, Address)
• Superscription
• Inscription
• Subscription
• Signature/Transcription
• Renewal instructions
• Prescriber details (Signature, Address, Registration Number)

1. Date

The date is a critical component. It helps the pharmacist verify when the medication was prescribed and is essential for tracking narcotic and habit-forming drugs to prevent misuse.

2. Patient Details

The name and address assist in patient identification,...