The Rx Bricks Podcast

As we eat, our gastrointestinal (GI) system releases a host of both local and distant regulators to control the process of digestion. We will begin with the primary hormones, then cover some of the secondary hormones, and lastly discuss how our body senses its intraluminal contents and then subsequently integrates all of the various stimuli it receives. After listening to this AudioBrick, you shou...

Headaches are an unavoidable fact of life and often are nothing more than the result of sitting through one too many lectures. However, they can become debilitating and get in the way of daily life, especially when they become recurrent. Although some headaches have symptoms other than head pain, we typically think of headache pain relative to its location, how intense it is, and how long it lasts...

he ductus arteriosus (DA) is a structure that allows blood pumped from the right side of the heart to bypass the lungs while the fetus is developing in utero. Normally, the DA closes shortly after birth and becomes the ligamentum arteriosum. When the DA fails to close (remains open, or patent) after birth, it is known as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This acyanotic congenital heart defect causes...

In typical reproductive system development, recall that the intermediate mesoderm forms the mesonephric (Wolffian) and paramesonephric (Müllerian) ducts and the indifferent gonads; primitive germ cells migrate into the indifferent gonads. These are the structures that become the internal organs of the reproductive systems. After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to: Describe the nor...

Substance use disorder (SUD) refers to a pattern of substance use—be it nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, or something else—that causes significant impairment or distress to the user. SUD is prevalent and growing in the United States and around the world. People of any age may be at risk for developing a substance use disorder. But exposure to and experimentation with alcohol and drugs usually begins i...

Stimulant medications are drugs that increase alertness and attention. They also elevate heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. Stimulants are used to treat many conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic lethargy, narcolepsy, and obesity. Examples of stimulants include caffeine, amphetamines (such as dextroamphetamine), methylphenidate, and modafinil...

If you’ve studied the hematopoietic system malignancies—all the leukemias, lymphomas, and plasma cell disorders—you probably feel like you’ve been hit with the good old medical school fire hose. Now’s a good time to take a step back from all the details, make sure that you remember the underlying framework, and pull together some information that connects several different diseases. In this brick,...

Substance use disorder (SUD) refers to a pattern of substance use—be it nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, or something else—that causes significant impairment or distress to the user. SUD is prevalent and growing in the United States and around the world. People of any age may be at risk for developing a substance use disorder. But exposure to and experimentation with alcohol and drugs usually begins i...

Megaloblast. Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day. The root -blast (from the Greek  blastos , meaning germ or bud) may be somewhat familiar since we talk about blast cells (very young hematopoietic precursor cells) in hematology. And megalo- (from the Greek  megas , meaning large or great) is also used fairly frequently, as in splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen). So does “megaloblast”...

Blood glucose is proof that you can have too much of a good thing. While glucose serves a critical role as fuel for many of our bodily functions, it must remain in a very tightly controlled range. If the level goes too low, you can fall into a coma. If glucose is too high, damage to tissues throughout the body can occur. When blood glucose is consistently too high and the mechanisms that return it...

Gallstones are the hardened precipitates—“stones”—of the substrates found in bile. The liver makes bile to help digest fats, and the bile is stored in the gallbladder. When there is an excess of a particular substance in the bile (eg, cholesterol or unconjugated bilirubin), gallstones form in the gallbladder. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand, as large as a golf ball, or any size in be...

Normal blood pressure keeps us alive. It’s the force that moves blood throughout our circulatory system, ensuring that oxygen and nutrients reach our organs and tissues and that waste products are eliminated. When we hear the word hypertension—high blood pressure—we know this describes the blood flow exerting too much force against blood vessel walls. Pulmonary hypertension describes high blood pr...

Macroscopic Skin Lesions A thorough skin examination should be performed annually to assess for new or changing macroscopic skin lesions. It is critically important to be able to identify and describe normal and abnormal skin and to note your findings carefully, because a change in an existing skin lesion is the most common sign of skin cancer, including deadly ones like melanoma. In this discussi...

Have you ever cut your finger, bumped your head, or fallen and scraped your knee? While you were cursing your clumsiness or bad luck, your body got straight to work healing the injury, relying on the wondrous process of acute inflammation. Shortly after your injury, you most likely experienced some or all of the cardinal signs of acute inflammation: pain ( dolor ) , redness   ( rubor ), heat   ( c...

Multiple endocrine neoplasias are familial syndromes of endocrine tumors occurring in endocrine organs throughout the body. Despite its acronym, the risk for acquiring MEN is about the same in men and women and also across geographic and racial and ethnic groups. These are rare syndromes, affecting about 1 in 30,000 people. Genetic mutations cause the MEN syndromes, which are then inherited in an...

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle. This muscle is the middle layer of the heart, formally called the myocardium, hence the name myocarditis (the -itis suffix indicates inflammation). Inflammation of the myocardium can be caused by a variety of etiologies, from infection to drugs. If severe enough, inflammation can lead to necrosis and cardiomyocyte death. This is dangerous becaus...

Learning is traditionally defined as acquiring knowledge through study, experience, or being taught. In psychology, it is often defined as a relatively lasting change in behavior that results from experience. Learning is an ongoing process; we continue learning throughout our entire lives. After listening to this AudioBrick, you should be able to: Name and briefly describe the three major theories...

Salmonella  and  Shigella  species   are almost made to be confused—two bacterial infections in the Enterobacteriaceae family that are spread by food and dirty conditions, cause gastroenteritis, and start with S! To make matters more confusing, they look similar on microscopy. While they are more common in developing communities, they are also seen in the United States. Here, we will give you the...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Inflammatory Disorders of the Pharynx, Larynx, and Trachea 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:...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Hyperkalemia 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:  www.facebook.com/usmlerx Blog:  www...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Renal Laboratory Tests and Urinalysis  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:  www.faceb...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Supraventricular Arrhythmias 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:  www.facebook.com/us...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Secondary 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:  www.facebook.com/usmlerx...

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Chest X-Ray 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:  www.facebook.com/usmlerx Blog:  www....

Looking for more information on this topic? Check out the Congenital Disorders of the Urinary 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:  www....