The Rx Bricks Podcast

Question Lab: Neuro for Step 1 Think you can spot a subarachnoid hemorrhage from the clues alone? What about localizing a stroke to the exact arterial distribution? In this episode of Question Lab, Dr. Abraham Titus walks through 4 board-style neurology questions, breaking down the clinical clues, teaching the underlying pathophysiology, and walking through the answers step by step. Pause the epis...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Shock brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.com/usmlerx Blog: usmle-rx.com/blo...

Tackle High-Yield Concepts for USMLE Step 2 CK Cardiology This interactive session, led by Dr. Abraham Titus (Hematology/Oncology Fellow, University of South Alabama) and ScholarRx’s Jeff Downing, focuses on challenging USMLE Step 2 CK cardiology questions that will sharpen your clinical decision-making skills and deepen your understanding of cardiovascular medicine. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Physiology of the Renal Tubular System brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.c...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.com/usmle...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Thrombotic Disorders: Foundations and Frameworks  brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook:...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Physiology of Diuretics brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.com/usmlerx Blog...

Join us for this special edition of the Rx Bricks Podcast, featuring a complete Rx Question Lab session designed to help medical students master high-yield neurological concepts for USMLE Step 1. In this interactive session, we work through four challenging board-style questions that cover essential neurology topics, including speech disorders, genetic syndromes affecting the nervous system, strok...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Emergent Hypertension  brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.com/usmlerx Blog:...

Glucose is the main source of energy for all forms of life, but it isn’t usually stored as individual C6H12O6 molecules. Animals use glycogen to do that job. Glycogen is a large branched polymer of glucose molecules, linked together by α-1,4 and α-1,6 glycosidic bonds. The liver and muscles break down the stored glycogen whenever the body needs an extra boost of glucose. Glycogen storage diseases...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Acid-Base Disorders: Putting it all Together brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: face...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Adrenal Insufficiency brick. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love for you to leave a review on  Apple Podcasts .  It helps with our visibility, and the more med students (or future med students) listen to the podcast, the more we can provide to the future physicians of the world. Follow  USMLE-Rx  at: Facebook: facebook.com/usmlerx Blog:...

Early in fetal development, the precursors of the major systems in the body are outlined. The three germ layers (endoderm, mesoderm, ectoderm) are formed during the third week of development. We’ll focus on the ectoderm, from which the entire nervous system (central and peripheral) forms. But first, let’s back up to review the anatomy of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous syst...

Differences in ion concentrations inside and outside a cell cause a difference in the charge of the intracellular and extracellular environments. This electrical polarization of a cell relative to its environment is referred to as cellular membrane potential. This potential serves as an energy source for a variety of cellular functions and as a way for excitable cells like muscle cells and neurons...

What are bullous skin disorders? Bullae are fluid-filled blisters >1 cm in diameter. They can be caused by infection, mechanical stress, or a malfunctioning immune system. In this discussion, we tackle the latter, focusing on the most common autoimmune bullous (blistering) disorders: pemphigus vulgaris, bullous pemphigoid, and dermatitis herpetiformis. Distinctly, the blisters in each of these...

A macrovascular complication of diabetes, diabetic nephropathy is progressive, chronic kidney disease seen in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, usually after at least 10 years of hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels). The three main lesions that are seen in the kidney in patients with diabetes are glomerular lesions, vascular lesions, and pyelonephritis. This brick will f...

It might not be the flashiest anatomical structure, but if you want to stand upright, and keep your retroperitoneal organs (like your kidneys) in place, the posterior abdominal wall is pretty important. Located at the back of the body, bounded by the lateral abdominal walls and the posterior parietal peritoneum, the posterior abdominal wall is a complex combination of muscles, bones, nerves, and v...

Epithelium is one of the four basic tissue types (the other three are muscle tissue, nerve tissue, and connective tissue). It is found throughout the body—covering it; lining organs, vessels, and cavities; and forming glands. It absorbs nutrients, transports electrolytes, secretes hormones, and regulates body temperature by producing sweat. We begin with some general principles of how epithelial t...

What do you know about prokaryote structure and the gram stain? Bacteria are members of a unique taxonomic kingdom consisting of prokaryotic unicellular organisms. Prokaryote is a term from ancient Greek meaning “before the kernel.” The kernel in this case is a nucleus, which prokaryotes lack. Prokaryotes also do not have any membrane-bound organelles. In fact, many of the organelles found in euka...

What Is Global Health? In our increasingly interconnected world, health challenges transcend national boundaries and demand global solutions. Global health is an interdisciplinary field of study and practice that seeks to improve the health and well-being of populations worldwide, focusing on the health challenges that require global and national action in every country. It encompasses epidemiolog...

How do we survive in a complex environment filled with harmful organisms that thrive on colonizing us? Our heroic defender is the immune system, a network of organs and cell lines that exist with the mission of protecting the body from harm. While we often recognize the pathogen-fighting capabilities of the system, we can sometimes forget that the immune system is also crucial in ensuring the body...

In the fed state, glucose is used by almost all the cells in the body to generate energy. But even when we are not fueling it with food, our bodies still run well, such as during sleep. Gluconeogenesis is the process of synthesizing glucose from noncarbohydrate precursors. The major substrates (substances that enzymes act on) are the glucogenic amino acids, lactate, glycerol, and propionate. The l...

When you hear the word blood, what do you picture in your mind? Most likely, your brain conjures up an image of thick, red liquid. But what would blood look like if you removed all the red cells? You’d be left with a murky yellowish liquid that would clear up once you removed the white cells and platelets. This lovely, clear, straw-yellow, liquid portion of blood is known as plasma.  So let’...

Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder resulting from defects in factors of the coagulation cascade. There are two primary types of hemophilia: A and B. Both types of hemophilia are rare, with only a combined frequency of about 1 in 5000 live births. Of the two types, hemophilia A is about four times more common. In the intrinsic arm of the coagulation cascade, factor VIII serves as a cofactor for fact...

Pain is a sensation that warns of potential injury and alerts the person to avoid or treat it. For example, if you touch a hot object, you will feel pain and immediately remove your hand from that object, protecting your hand from further damage. As much as pain can burden and torment, ultimately it is an essential part of our bodies’ mechanisms of self-preservation. Pain can be mild or severe, co...