We Do It Periodically On The Table

Chuck Norris destroyed the Periodic Table because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

Here's another short post to start off the week, this time celebrating chemical pathology, which I unfortunately know nothing about! I guess pure elements seem more oriented towards radiology sometimes, and remember, iodine and gadolinium contrasts agents can be bad for you! Anyway, chemical pathology exists, according to the AAMC.

This post is also a tribute to my love of chemistry, but too bad I've forgotten everything!

Cocciodiomycosis: San Joaquin Valley Fever

Dream of Californication

California: the Golden State, my old stomping ground, my home. I grew up in LA, yet despite my close proximity to both Hollywood and the beach, I grew up to become a social hermit who really dislikes sunbathing and sunlight. But man do I love California...

Today's post is all about microbiology and I've decided to celebrate California with Cocciodiomycosis!

The San Joaquin Valley is a lovely area in California. I would say it's most famous for being associated with the systemic fungal infection, Coccidiomycosis, but SJV natives would say that there's more to it than just fungal diseases. Other systemic fungal diseases include Blastomycosis and Histoplasmosis. These are found more towards the Mississippi River, which too is a nice place.

Systemic fungal diseases are usually acquired through the inhalation of spores. The presentation may include acute lung disease that may resemble tuberculosis. It may also spread systematically and lead to cutaneous lesions.

All the systemic fungal diseases display dimorphism - they come in two shapes. For Coccidiomycosis, it is shaped as a spherule with endospores within human tissue. In culture one may see some barrel shaped anthrospores.

Graft Vs Host Disease

Mike Tyson bites ears and was brilliant in The Hangover.

Nothing much to say about GVHD for now except that things would work out better if host and graft cells just got along after transplantation. Happy Saturday!

Caesar Says: This Post Makes No Sense

Carpe Diem

I don't know where I was going when I drew Julius Caesar (yes, the resemblance is a little questionable I suppose), but I still felt the need to share him with the world. As I'm currently cramming all the information I can about cardiology, I've decided to fill this post with a cardiology fact of the day!

The difference between eccentric and concentric hypertrophy:

Eccentric hypertrophy: increased preload, hypertrophic sarcomeres added in series.

Associated causes: mitral/aortic regurgitation, left to right shunt

Associated cardiomyopathy: dilated cardiomyopathy

Concentric hypertrophy: increased afterload, hypertrophic sarcomeres added in parallel.

Associated causes: Hypertension, aortic stenosis

Associated cardiomyopathies: hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies

-----

The difference between systolic and diastolic dysfunction:

Systolic dysfunction: volume overload, decreased ventricular contraction and decreased ejection fraction.

Associated causes: ischemia, myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy

Diastolic dysfunction: resistance to filling and normal ejection fraction.

Associated causes: hypertension, aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathies

Atherosclerosis: Foam Cell Macrophages

Rubber Ducky, you're the one. 

Pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: when monocytes differentiate into macrophages in the subendothelial wall of arteries, exogenous cholesterol from abnormal lipoproteins enter the cell via surface molecules called scavenger receptors.  

These scavenger receptors may include the molecules CD36 and SRA. 

Once the cholesterol is in the macrophage and stored as droplets, the cell is considered a foam cell.