Clubbing

The causes of clubbing (hypertrophic osteoarthropathy) are CLUBBING:

1. Cyanotic heart disease
2. Lung diseases (hypoxia, cancer, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis)
3. Ulcerative colitis
4. Biliary cirrhosis
5. Birth defect
6. Infective endocarditis
7. Neoplasms (e.g. Hodgkin's)
8. GI malabsorption

Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial Infarction is definitely a topic you're bound to run into on the USMLE step 1 exam. Here are 2 mnemonics that may help you out.

Sequence of Elevated Enzymes in Myocardial Infarction:  Time to CALL 911

 Troponin, CK-MB, AST, and LDH1-2

Complications of an MI:  ACT RAPID

1. Arrhythmia
2. CHF
3. Thromboembolism (from a ventricular aneurysm)
4. Rupture (of ventricular wall, papillary muscle, or IV septum)
5. Aneurysm (of ventricle) 
6. Pericarditis
7. Infarction (a second one)
8. Dressler syndrome

Hypoxemia Algorithm

This algorithm is important. The information it contains is not found in First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, so you should definitely copy it in there.
*FIO2 stands for fraction of inspired oxygen.

Hyperbilirubinemia

This table is based on the one in Rapid Review Pathology. I've just added some of the extra information about the different types of jaundice to make it more complete.

Splenomegaly

Intestinal Obstruction mnemonic

Here is a mnemonic I made up for the Causes of Intestinal Obstruction:

CHAGAS is Very Important in Hispanic Municipalities


Chagas disease can lead to Hirschprung's disease because the tryponosomas can destroy the ganglion cells in the rectum. Hirschsprung's is itself a cause of intestinal obstruction.
C= Crohn's disease
H= Hirschsprung's disease
A= Adhesions
G= Gallstone ileus
A= Atresia (duodenal)
S= pSeudoobstruction (neurogenic)

is Very= Volvulus

Important= Intussusception

in Hispanic= Hernia (Indirect)

Municipalities= Meconium ileus

My Greatest Fear

Imagine waking up one morning only to discover that you're trapped in your body! You open your eyes to frantically discover that you're still alive. You role your eyes down to look towards your legs and they're still there, but unable to move. You're completely paralyzed, can't speak, can't yell for help...all you can do is move your eyes up and down. The only movement you have left in your body consists of vertical movements of the eyes because the only 2 nerves spared in this state are the oculomotor and trochlear nerves. You can hear yourself think, you can hear people around you speak, you can even understand what they're saying, but you're trapped! A prisoner of your own body. You can't express to anyone around you that you're scared to death or want to cry.

This is what is experienced by thousands of unlucky people with "Locked in syndrome" or cerebromedullospinal disconnection. It is caused by a lesion at the base of the pons such as an infarct of the basilar artery.

Corticospinal tracts are lost, meaning you have no movement in your body.
Corticobulbar tracts are lost, meaning that you have no movement in your face and can't speak. All you have are the up and down movements that you can perform using the oculomotor nerve.

This is the scariest disease to me. I would probably prefer to have any other disease than this.

Cushing Ulcers and Curling Ulcers

These are peptic ulcers caused by CNS injury and burns respectively.

One possible explanation for the development of Cushing ulcers is the stimulation of vagal nuclei due to the increased intracranial pressure which leads to increased secretion of gastric acid.

Curling ulcers may be explained by a reduced plasma volume, which leads to sloughing of the gastric mucosa or secretion of burn toxins (necrotic and carbonaceous materials released from burned cells) by the stomach.