My MCAT study blog

[medschooltutors]

Some Med School Interview Tips to Really Reel Them In

Wondering what medical school admission officers are really looking for in a good applicant? Find out from someone who knows.

We know you’re a great catch, but follow these tips to help you hook’em.

[studyblr]

never stop going.

[studiescape-blog]

Took some notes on the cranium today 👩🏼‍⚕️

[whatisthisthedarkages]

[whatisthisthedarkages]

[whatisthisthedarkages]

[whatisthisthedarkages]

sorry for my terrible handwritting... I’m going to try to switch for printing in the future!

[whatisthisthedarkages]

[archaeologicalnews]

Why our ancestors drilled holes in each other's skulls

For a large part of human prehistory, people around the world practised trepanation: a crude surgical procedure that involves forming a hole in the skull of a living person by either drilling, cutting or scraping away layers of bone with a sharp implement.

To date, thousands of skulls bearing signs of trepanation have been unearthed at archaeological sites across the world.

But despite its apparent importance, scientists are still not completely agreed on why our ancestors performed trepanation.

Anthropological accounts of 20th-Century trepanations in Africa and Polynesia suggest that, in these cases at least, trepanation was performed to treat pain – for instance, the pain caused by skull trauma or neurological disease. Read more.

[lookingoutofwindowswhilestu-blog]

Moya Moya Vessels

- occurs with sickle cell disease - Hypoplasia or stenosis in bilateral distal ICAs (Internal Carotid Arteries) - abnormally dilated collaterals - cause hemorrhage or ischemia

Explanation: in sickle cell disease, the shape of the RBCs cause damage to blood vessels, especially at branch points. This can occur with the major arteries of the brain (internal carotids). So the body makes many smaller collateral vessels to bypass damage. These new vessels are weaker, smaller, and fragile. They provide insufficient blood supply to brain and may burst causing hemorrhage (bleeding) or ischemia (lack of blood supply).

[medicowesome]

Medicowesome: Different types of skin lesions (as in rashes)

Papule, plaque, wut?

Here’s a nice dermatology chart :)

[of-a-toast-and-tea]

looks like my week is booked solid

[whatisthisthedarkages]

If you were wondering what i do with my time off...

[oupacademic]

Are we preparing correctly for exams?

When it comes to taking exams, many take the approach of studying hard, and perusing exam material for long periods of time. But is there more to exam preparation and ensuring a high score? Perhaps if it is treated as any other challenge in life, which requires certain changes, prioritization, and focus, then the likelihood of success may increase. 

Image Credit: Phone by DariuszSankowski. CC0 Public Domain via Pixabay. 

[asianstudent]

Ten years from now, make sure you can say you chose your life, you didn’t settle for it.

(via asianstudent)

[whatisthisthedarkages]

Just found your blog! It's great!

Thanks! I've been a bit slow on updating, but I'm hoping to do better this summe.

[lady-medic]

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[ucresearch]

How to use stem cells to fix a broken heart

While stem cells can be turned into heart cells, then used for transplantation, that’s far from the end of the story on how to mend a diseased heart.

Newly minted heart cells don’t beat as they should and are not strong enough to pump blood throughout the body. So Ashley Fong, a graduate student at @ucirvine, is studying ways to mature new heart cells so that they can be safe and effective to use for transplantation and drug screening.

Her research focuses on using the heart’s extracellular matrix. This is the heart’s natural scaffold that provides structural support for growing tissues and sends important signals to immature cells on how to develop.

Fong was the winner of last year’s UC-wide Grad Slam competition, in which graduate students had to explain their research (without jargon!) in three minutes. You can watch her talk below:

For more bite-sized research, check out this year’s UC Grad Slam (tomorrow!)