WPC Week 4 Winner: Danielle Theis!

Every Wednesday, the Student Success Center holds a
Weekly Physiology Challenge (WPC).

This week's winner is: 

Danielle Theis!

Congratulations on winning this week's WPC!

This challenge series will be held weekly throughout the semester to give students a chance to showcase their knowledge for a chance to win a free t-shirt!

Mystery Case Monday: A Sick & Tired College Student

Welcome back to Mystery Case Monday! We will be posting a hypothetical case every week to get our pre-health students thinking about various clinical issues and the anatomical/physiological causes that underlie them. Join us in the comments section to share your insights and tentative diagnoses, then check back on Friday to read about the diagnosis and recommended treatments of these cases.

This week's hypothetical patient is a 22-year-old college student. She scheduled an appointment at her university's health center because she has been experiencing what she thought was just a cold for a whole week and a half and she hasn't started feeling any better despite taking over-the-counter cough medicine. She has a persistent headache that has become increasingly painful in the last few days. She has had a runny, stuffy nose and a cough for about a week. She is experiencing intense sinus pressure behind her cheeks and eyes and has felt tired and drained from being sick. She is also dealing with postnasal drip that appears green when she is able to cough it up. She finally decided to see her physician when she developed a fever. Following an examination, her doctor prescribes a decongestant and fluticasone. He tells her to get lots of fluids and rest and that she can take Tylenol as needed to help relieve her pain. He also recommends that she use a humidifier in her dorm room.

Thought Questions:

What is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?

What are the various underlying causes that can lead to this condition? 

Given the prescription of a decongestant and fluticasone, which of the underlying causes did her physician suspect?

Leave your comments below and check back on Friday to see how our hypothetical patient was diagnosed!

WPC Week 3 Winner: It's a Tie!

Every Wednesday, the Student Success Center holds a
Weekly Physiology Challenge (WPC).

This week's winners are: 

Danielle Theis & Kate Dickinson!

Congratulations to you both on winning this week's WPC!

This challenge series will be held weekly throughout the semester to give students a chance to showcase their knowledge for a chance to win a free t-shirt!

Closed Case Friday: The Long-term Impacts of War

Earlier this week, we gave you a hypothetical patient with the following case:

This week's hypothetical patient is a Vietnam War veteran who was admitted to the hospital after experiencing abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and episodes of vomiting. His urine is a dark color and his stools are light, almost white, in color. He reports that he has been losing weight unintentionally lately and that he has been experiencing itching sensations. He appears to be jaundiced upon admittance. His physician had seen a similar case with a Vietnam veteran a few years ago when she worked in a different hospital. She asked her patient if he had ever eaten raw or under-cooked fish from rivers in Vietnam while he had served during the war. He stated that he had. She then ordered a few blood tests to check liver function and for antibodies to a suspected type of pathogen. She also ordered a CT scan, an MRI, and a MRCP. After getting the results back, the physician talked with her patient about options for treating a cholangiocarcinoma that had formed.

Today, we reveal that our hypothetical patient was diagnosed as having: 

Bile Duct Cancer Caused by a
Previous Liver Fluke Infection

In our hypothetical situation, the patient contracted an infection with a liver fluke after eating raw or under-cooked fish while serving in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The parasite infection was likely asymptomatic, but over time the infection caused the development of a cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which is a rare tumor that forms in the bile ducts. These may manifest long after initial parasite infections and we are seeing a rise in cases among US Vietnam Veterans five decades after the end of the war. The physician ordered blood tests to check liver function and to look for immunological markers that could indicate previous infection with a liver fluke (typically either Opisthorchis viverrini or Clonorchis sinensis). She ordered the CT, MRI, and MRCP to look for evidence of a cholangiocarcinoma. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been used to examine bile ducts in the past, but more health care professionals are moving to magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to look at this area because it is less invasive and offers 3-D images without needing dyes to enhance the images. There are many different approaches to treating bile duct tumors. The treatment plan is guided by the results of imaging tests and may include surgery, liver transplantation, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, and/or biliary drainage.

Thanks for joining us for this week's Mystery Case and we hope to see you next week!

WPC Week 2 Winner: Danielle Theis!

Every Wednesday, the Student Success Center holds a
Weekly Physiology Challenge (WPC).

This week's winner is: 

Danielle Theis!

Congratulations on winning this week's WPC!

This challenge series will be held weekly throughout the semester to give students a chance to showcase their knowledge for a chance to win a free t-shirt!

Pre-Health Prep Series: Reviewing Social Media & Internet Search Results

We've all been told to be careful of the things that we post to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but not all of us are great about taking that advice. As you prepare for applying to professional programs in the coming months, it is important that you take a little time to see yourself in the way that others, particularly admissions committees, may see you.

Why would admissions committees care about my social media presence?
While not all professional programs will take the time to look you up, some will...and those that do are looking for any public commentary, discourse, or images that can tell them more about your opinions, biases, social behaviors, and decision-making.

What else are committees looking for when they search for me online?
Sometimes, committees will use online resources to verify or follow-up on things that were stated in your personal essay or on your interview. Whatever they find can be considered during the application process as a type of informal background check.

Okay, so should I just take down everything about myself that I can find?
Absolutely not. If you have done some really great things that make you a strong candidate, you want those kinds of things to be readily accessible to anyone who looks you up online. Never pass on an opportunity to showcase your volunteering, accolades, or campus involvement through articles or other news media features that paint you in a positive light. You can also use more professional social media sites, such as LinkedIn, to highlight your achievements. If you use non-professional social media, be sure to use privacy settings to limit what the general public has access to...don't ever be caught doing anything that is illegal, shows poor judgement, or is highly controversial as that can hurt your candidacy.

What should I do to find out what others are seeing?
Do web searches of your name and see what you find. It is helpful to know what others are seeing so that you can speak to anything that might come up in an interview. If there are things that really worry you, look into having them removed or limiting visibility. Ultimately, being prepared for a conversation, just in case, is a good way to be.

What are some things I can do to maintain a good online presence/image?

• Set personal, social accounts to private and make sure that you can approve of all requests, tags, & check-ins.
• Keep images, statuses, & comments clean.
• Delete anything that you think could be misconstrued by someone who might see it.
• Always sign out of public or shared devices and never share your passwords.
• Periodically do a web search of yourself or ask others to search you and give you feedback.
• Don't be afraid to do a little "professional bragging". Allow media sources to interview you or write up articles about you when you do interesting projects or win awards. If you have a blog or other forum, write about your achievements and the things that interest you. Be the face of things that you are passionate about. It is uncomfortable for many of us to tout our accomplishments, but if you aren't doing it, no one else is going to do it for you. (*Disclaimer* This is not a license to be arrogant...just a push for you to showcase how you would be a great addition to a professional program.)

Mystery Case Monday: The Long-term Impacts of War

Welcome back to Mystery Case Monday! We will be posting a hypothetical case every week to get our pre-health students thinking about various clinical issues and the anatomical/physiological causes that underlie them. Join us in the comments section to share your insights and tentative diagnoses, then check back on Friday to read about the diagnosis and recommended treatments of these cases.

This week's hypothetical patient is a Vietnam War veteran who was admitted to the hospital after experiencing abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and episodes of vomiting. His urine is a dark color and his stools are light, almost white, in color. He reports that he has been losing weight unintentionally lately and that he has been experiencing itching sensations. He appears to be jaundiced upon admittance. His physician had seen a similar case with a Vietnam veteran a few years ago when she worked in a different hospital. She asked her patient if he had ever eaten raw or under-cooked fish from rivers in Vietnam while he had served during the war. He stated that he had. She then ordered a few blood tests to check liver function and for antibodies to a suspected type of pathogen. She also ordered a CT scan, an MRI, and a MRCP. After getting the results back, the physician talked with her patient about options for treating a cholangiocarcinoma that had formed.


Thought Questions:

What is the most likely underlying cause for the development of the patient's cholangiocarcinoma?

What was the physician looking for when she ordered the tests that she ordered for her patient?

Why are MRCPs being used more frequently than ERCPs for these kinds of cases?

What are the treatment options for patients with this condition?

Leave your comments below and check back on Friday to see how our hypothetical patient was diagnosed!

Case Closed Friday: Disease from the Day Care

Earlier this week, we gave you a hypothetical patient with the following case:

This week's hypothetical patient is a 7-month-old girl whose mother brings her to a day care at her

high school, where the mother is a senior student planning to graduate in a few months. The baby has been coughing, has a runny nose, red eyes, and is running a fever. Upon examination, the pediatrician finds small, red spots with blue-white centers inside the infant's mouth. The pediatrician orders a blood test for the infant and asks the mother where she takes her child for day care. After the pediatrician's suspicions are confirmed by the results of the blood test, the pediatrician calls the day care to issue a quarantine recommendation. She administers an injection of immune serum globulin to the child and tells the mother to keep the baby on fluids, use acetaminophen and cool compresses to help control the fever, and to keep the baby away from others for a week. She also tells the mother that the baby will likely develop a rash and may take several weeks to get better. They had a lengthy discussion about how to care for the infant over the next few weeks, then scheduled a follow-up appointment.

Today, we reveal that our hypothetical patient was diagnosed as having: 

Measles

In our hypothetical situation, the 7-month-old girl had not had her MMR vaccine either because she was too young (most infants in the U.S. are not vaccinated for MMR until 12 months, but infants may be vaccinated at 6 months if traveling out of the country or in measles-prone regions) or because her mother had chosen not to vaccinate her child. We are not given enough information to know which case is the most correct for the situation. Measles is preventable with vaccination, but those who are unable to get the vaccine (due to age or immune status) rely on heard immunity to protect them. Measles is extremely contagious and there is no known cure. Administration of a post-exposure vaccine can help non-immunized individuals if given within 72 hours of exposure to measles. This may stop the illness from manifesting, or make the symptoms milder and last for a shorter time if the disease does manifest. Infants exposed to the virus can be given immune serum globulin within 6 days of exposure to help prevent full-blown measles or lessen the severity of the symptoms. Patients can take acetaminophen to help control fevers, but should not take aspirin, which is linked to the development of Reye's syndrome. There is no cure for measles, so patients are told to get plenty of fluids and to control their fevers as best they can until the disease passes.

Thanks for joining us for this week's Mystery Case and we hope to see you next week!

Defining Hope Movie Screening Set for January 15th

SD Mines is excited to be hosting the first of what we hope to be many film screenings this semester. We will be showing a documentary, Defining Hope, that examines end-of-life care. The movie will be followed by a discussion with a panel of local health care professionals. The topic of palliative care is becoming more important as the Baby Boomer generation ages and more of the American population faces serious illness. The "quality of life" question is important for both patients and their families and for health care providers in discussions about how to help people in terminal stages of their lives.

You can catch the trailer for Defining Hope by going here: https://hope.film/ 

We will be hosting the film screening and panel discussion on Tuesday, January 15th at 5:30PM in Christensen Hall of the King Center. The event will be free and open to anyone interested in this increasingly important topic in American health care.

We hope you can join us!

WPC Week 1 Winner: Keaton Gray!

Every Wednesday, the Student Success Center holds a
Weekly Physiology Challenge (WPC).

This week's winner is: 

Keaton Gray!

Congratulations on winning this first week's WPC!

This challenge series will be held weekly throughout the semester to give students a chance to showcase their knowledge for a chance to win a free t-shirt!

The Weekly Physiology Challenge Kicks Off Today!

Today is the first of many Wednesdays that offer students the chance to take part in our Weekly Physiology Challenge (WPC). Students are now able to pop by on Wednesday mornings to collect points by answering questions related to physiology. We are excited to get this new challenge going and to watch students climb the leaderboard over the course of this semester!

Here are the rules to play:

• There are 5 categories of questions: Homeostasis, Information Flow, Metabolism, Pathophysiology, & Structure-Function Relationships.
• Each category has 5 questions, each with an increasing level of difficulty.
• Participants fill in their information on a scorecard that is kept in my office.
• Participants my select one question each week from any category and at any difficulty, but may only answer that question once this semester.
• A correct answer earns the participant points and a stamp on their scorecard.
• An incorrect answer earns the participant nothing but sadness (and an “X” on their scorecard).
• Participants can play every week between now and the end of the semester.
• Participants do not need to have had physiology (or to be taking physiology) to play. This is open to anyone who wants to give it a try!

Mystery Case Monday: Disease from the Day Care

Welcome back to Mystery Case Monday! We will be posting a hypothetical case every week to get our pre-health students thinking about various clinical issues and the anatomical/physiological causes that underlie them. Join us in the comments section to share your insights and tentative diagnoses, then check back on Friday to read about the diagnosis and recommended treatments of these cases.

This week's hypothetical patient is a 7-month-old girl whose mother brings her to a day care at her

high school, where the mother is a senior student planning to graduate in a few months. The baby has been coughing, has a runny nose, red eyes, and is running a fever. Upon examination, the pediatrician finds small, red spots with blue-white centers inside the infant's mouth. The pediatrician orders a blood test for the infant and asks the mother where she takes her child for day care. After the pediatrician's suspicions are confirmed by the results of the blood test, the pediatrician calls the day care to issue a quarantine recommendation. She administers an injection of immune serum globulin to the child and tells the mother to keep the baby on fluids, use acetaminophen and cool compresses to help control the fever, and to keep the baby away from others for a week. She also tells the mother that the baby will likely develop a rash and may take several weeks to get better. They had a lengthy discussion about how to care for the infant over the next few weeks, then scheduled a follow-up appointment.

Thought Questions:

What is the most likely diagnosis for this patient?

What causes this condition? How is it prevented?

Why did the pediatrician issue a quarantine recommendation? How is this condition spread to others?

How is this condition typically treated?

Leave your comments below and check back on Friday to see how our hypothetical patient was diagnosed!