Medical Licensing Exam Scores Out Tomorrow

If you were curious, I did take my United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 exam this past June 5, 2008 in Manila,Philippines. I’m here in the USA now, waiting for my results. According to the announcement posted April 22, 2008 by USMLE.org,

The target date for reporting Step 1 scores for most examinees testing from May 15 through late June will be Wednesday, July 16, 2008….[read all the latest USMLE announcements]

Today is July 15, 2008.

This is an exciting time in my life and career, and tomorrows result will have a significant effect on the future of my life as an IMG Physician.I’ve been very nonchalant about the exam ever since I took it in June. Experience has taught me that what is done, is done. No amount of regret or guilty is going to change my score. In effect, I’ve totally forgotten about the exam. But when I realized todays date this morning, I felt that sick to my stomach feeling again. It’s make or break time folks. What’s your prediction?

My wife has always been my greatest supporter, she says at least an 86 (75 is the cutoff). How little faith she has! Well, I actually predicted my self to get 87, hahaha. I probably just jinxed my score. Although, I feel that my preparation has been worthwhile and this blog has actually been a testament to the uphill journey of reviewing, I feel like I did well enough to pass. Well, with my luck, I’ll probably end up with 74.

Just give it a shot, pick a random number between 67 (I’m almost positive I did better than 67!) and 99+. What’s your score prediction for me?

Origins of Original Filipino Tapado

Recently there has been a growing interest in the little known art of TAPADO. Numerous Tapado clips have been posted on YouTube in an attempt to create a global awareness of the art. As with most “new” discoveries, many questions about the origin and history of such finds are brought up. These questions are best answered by those who are not only practitioners of Tapado, but in close association with the inheritor and Grand Master of Original Filipino Long Stick Tapado, GM Benefredo Mamar Lobrido. It was handed down to him by the late Founder Grandmaster Romeo “Nono” Carmona Mamar. Read more about the history and origin of this unique stick fighting art on the ORIGINAL FILIPINO TAPADO LONG STICK FIGHTING ASSOCIATION Blog

(on right) Grandmaster Bebing Mamar Lobrido

Flood and Grief in Iloilo, Asclepians Appeal for Help

This past week, most of the Philippines, especially Iloilo City was hit hard by tropical storm Fengsheng/Frank. Massive flooding leave tens of thousands of people and families homeless and in dire conditions. In the name of service and humanity, it is the responsibility of civic groups to organize and do what needs to be done to help the people in time of need. The Order of Asclepius, although challenged with the difficulty of being victims themselves, rise to the occasion and fulfill their commitment to service. The following is a letter sent to me from Senior Master Asclepian, John Dolorfino addressed to the greater alumni of the Order.

Bros and sis,

The city of Iloilo was recently battered by tropical storm Frank/Fengsheng, and many people were greatly affected. The Order of Asclepius, in coordination with the Medicine Student Council and the Archdiocese of Jaro, is asking for donations like clothing and canned foods to be distributed to the affected citizens of Iloilo city.

Many students of the WVSU-COM were greatly affected by the storm, and in this connection we are appealing to all kind-hearted Asclepians to please donate essential medical books (old or new editions) to the College of Medicine through OA. Books of some medical students, including some of our brothers and sisters, were submerged under water, carried away by flood, or destroyed.

Thanks a lot and God bless to all!!! Once an Asclepian, always an Asclepian.

SMA Prince

Wat up in da club? Stay up TillLate.com

Are you still into the Club scene? If you are, but your town is just dead, don’t worry. Didn’t make it to the once a year live set of your favorite world famous dj? You can still catch him, LIVE! Yeah? Sounds good? Well, there is such a place where you can always get the quality sound and atmosphere of the world best clubs. It’s the next best thing to actually being there. With awesome club photos, info, and live DJ sets, TillLate.com is the best place to be for the latest in the club scene.

Tilllate.com - The worldwide nightlife channel. Connect with clubbers from around the world, get the latest event and clubbing info. See the beautiful clubbers of the world.

Also a part of TillLate.com, NightLife Radio, the sound of Europe’s clubbing community. NightLife Radio provides club music for the clubbing community. DJ’s and promoters can add their own mixes and have their sets played next to the industry big boys. They also feature 3 kick ass channels where you can catch the big name DJ’s LIVE! Check them out now!

• The famous Vonyc Sessions - featuring trance. check out the show schedule. Yesterday, Friday, May 30th 2008, PVD started his set at 8pm CET (2AM 05/31/08 RP time) , followed by Oakenfold at 10 (4AM). It was worth waking up for.
• House/Electro Channel - badass house mixes. true house music.
• Urban Channel - if your into hip-hop beats, and urban style mixes.

Set these channels up in your favorite media player and sound system and taste the club flavor.

Change Your Friendster Background

Wanna change your boring background?

Seems that a lot of people want to know how to change their Friendster background. There are lots of good 3rd party CSS editors out there. But if you wanna learn how to do it manually, OK, I’ll show you the simple way. All it takes is just a simple edit on your Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) file.
Here is the background part of the default style sheet provided by Friendster.

/*page background*/
body {
  background-image: url(http://images.friendster.com/
images/homebg.gif);
  background-position: ;
  background-repeat: ;
  background-attachment: ;
  background-color: ;
}

Before we start editing, we should already have a plan. If you’re so hot to change your background, do you know what you want your background to be? A photo on a black background? A nice colorful abstract pattern? Figure that out first. For this tutorial we are going to create the above profile background.

—-
1. If you want an image or photo, do you know it’s “URL” -> “http://whatever.com/yourpic.jpg”. We’re gonna need it. If you have a photo but don’t have it hosted or stored online, check out Imageshack. Just create an account there and upload you photos. If you have a huge photo,the bigger the better , but you may need to resize resize it to fit a 17″ screen. In our case don’t.

2. find the “Direct” URL.

3. Then pick a color and get your 6 alphanumeric color code at html-color-codes.info We will use #3B0B24.

4.Time to edit some code. So now open up your text editor (use windows Notepad) and copy/paste the Friendster default background code from above. Now lets break down the code so we understand what we’re doing.

background-image: url(http://images.friendster.com/images/homebg.gif);

• This line tells us where to look for the picture/photo. Change the URL within the brackets to your photo. Like this:

background-image: url(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/3956
/abackgroundyf4.png);

• The following line of code asks where do we want to position our photo on the screen. The usual options are “Top, Bottom, Middle, Left and Right” We’ll choose Top.

background-position: Top;

• Next line asks if we want to repeat our image. Repeat is good if we have a simple pattern that we want all over the screen, but if we have a single photo to display , repeat might show 1 2/3 of our photo. To prevent repeat, add “no-repeat” to the code.

background-repeat: no-repeat;

• Next line of code asks how we would like our image to stick when we scroll. Meaning, do we want it to stay put at the very top of the Friendster page when we scroll down our page (fixed) or do we want it to follow us and stay at the top of the screen when we scroll down (scroll). I like it to be visible where ever we scroll, so type in “scroll”

background-attachment:scroll ;

• Last we enter in our chosen color. We picked a dark maroon/purple to match our photo - #3B0B24.

background-color:#3B0B24 ;

• So our completed code should look like this:

/*page background*/
body {
  background-image: url(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/3956/
abackgroundyf4.png);
  background-position:Top ;
  background-repeat:no-repeat ;
  background-attachment: scroll;
  background-color:#3B0B24 ;
}

5. Copy/Paste our new code into the Custom CSS box and save it.

6. Don’t forget to save! This is what we get:

Here is what it looks like with my custom Transparent Friendster Profile. Get it HERE. Just plug in the background values we just created into the CSS and save the whole CSS in the custom CSS box.

So actually, the effectiveness of your design is only limited by the photo and colors you choose. So make it a good one. Thanks to SilentJJJ for the awesome background.

NBME Self Assesment Exam (CBSSA)

What does NBME and CBSSA stand for?

NBME stands for National Board of Medical Examiners.

CBSSA is the Comprehensive Basic Science Self Assesment exam provided by the NBME for medical students and graduates. It is meant to resemble the United States Medical Licensure

Exam (USMLE) Step 1 in content and format. Similar to Step 1, the CBSSA will test students on information typically covered during basic science medical education courses. Many medical graduates and students find this exam useful in their preparation for Step 1. Participants receive a performance profile and equivalent score for the Step 1 immediately after completing the exam.

For me, I used it as a pre-test to my actual Step 1 exam in 2 weeks. If I pass with a convincing score,
I’ll go ahead with my exam. If I don’t pass, apparently my preparation is insufficient and I’ll be forced to forfeit my test reservation and reschedule at a later time. For an IMG like me, it’s crucial to get a satisfactory score in order to get the best chance of landing a residency position.

I formally started reviewing since the 2nd week of March. I’m not working at this time just so I can review. I haven’t had a much of a social life in the past 3 month, I don’t even leave my house unless necessary. I’ve pretty much dropped off the face of the Earth. Honestly speaking though, I don’t spend every waking minute in a book. I don’t plan on losing my sanity any time soon. Although I don’t get out much, I still find time to goof off on the computer, chatting with friends, playing games, and surfing the web. I started this blog during my review, and maintain it in between study sessions. You might hear other IMG’s say they spend 12 hours a day studying, doing 150 q-bank questions a night, blah blah blah. Well that’s great. Get a 99+. They’re gonna need it to compensate for their stale personality and bad English. Program directors , American program directors, are just that, American. So good luck to you.

To get to the point of this post, I took my CBSSA exam last night and I will be taking my step 1 on June 5.

Register to take your CBSSA exam here.

Visit the NBME Website

Color Codes, like for your Friendster Background

When working with HTML, especially with CSS, you need color. That means we need color codes. To show you an example, let’s use our transparent Friendster Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). (get it –> here)

To change the background color:

1. Paste a copy of the style sheet in your Friendster CSS Box. (from your home page, click edit profile>customize> enter code into “Customize CSS” box.)

2. find this code—> background-color:#ffffff; (’#ffffff’ is the code for white)
Assuming you already found you color, replace #ffffff with whatever code corresponds to the color you want.

What?! You don’t know what the code is for hot pink?!

In that case, you need a quick color code for your Friendster background, pick your color at HTML-Color-Codes.info. They got a nifty chart and custom color picker for your custom color.

3. Just replace the default #ffffff with your new color code and don’t forget to click SAVE!

Easy. What else did you want to know?

Alkalinizers Gather to Alkalinize the Urine

“Your weak acids’ ’bout to get eliminated! Its time for you to get ionized!”

Alkalinization of urine increases ionization of weak acids in turn increases renal elimination. This must be a picture of NaHCO3 or acetazolamide. Like what is done in the treatment of aspirin overdose, these angry people are about to alkalinize the urine.

*Note:

• After filtration, Ionization forms of drugs are “trapped” in the renal filtrate (cannot be reabsorbed).
• The opposite also goes for weak bases. Acidify the urine (vit. c, cranberry juice) to ionize weak bases, facilitating their elimination.

Vincristine, Lymphoma, and the Periwinkle

So I’m doing some Q-Bank questions for pharmacology and I come across a question regrading chemotherapy and the cell cycle.

A patient with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma is treated with systemic chemotherapy. He subsequently develops tingling of his hands and feet, symptoms which are suspected to be a drug side effect. because of this drug, cells stop proliferating during which cell cycle stage?

The choices were G1, G0, G2, S, or M.

First of all, what drug are we talking about? I didn’t really know. I picked M because I figured chemotherapy would be most effective while the cell is either synthesizing DNA or dividing, which is what we call an educated guess. I check the answer and it turns out that many drugs work in the S and M phase, but methotrexate and other nucleotide analogs also inhibit nucleotide synthesis in the G1 phase. Fortunately the answer was M and the question was referring to Vinca alkaloids.

So what about this drug vinca alkaloid , aka Vincristine? It comes from the plant, Catharanthus roseus or Madagascar periwinkle. It’s very common in flower beds around here. We got a whole bunch of them in the front of the house. So after I answered the question, I dropped everything,went outside, and took this photo. Vincristine or trade name, Oncovin®, is a chemotherapy drug that is given as a treatment for some types of cancer including leukaemia, lymphoma, breast and lung cancer. At SaveRxCanada.com, they sell a 1mg/ml injection for just $150USD minus shipping. So what do we do with all this free chemotherapy drug sources in our garden? Why don’t we cut them up with tomatoes and onions and make soup or dry them out and smoking them? They’re free, aren’t they? I guess you could if you’re a NHL sufferer with no money or insurance , but that’s not sound medical advice. What would happen though if you did?

Side Effects

• nausea and vomiting
• stomach pain and cramps
• constipation
• diarrhea
• jaw pain, headache, or other aches
• thinned or brittle hair

And like the question stated, the main dose-limiting side effect, neurotoxicity, manifested as peripheral neuropathy.

For IMG’s and USMLE purposes, vinca alkaloids are cell cycle specific agents that prevent proper separation of chromosomes into daughter cells during the M phase of the cell cycle by inhibiting microtuble formation. I’m just trying to make a learning experience out of time spent on the computer instead of in the books. I hope this way I won’t forget this topic. It would be great if this came out on my test. We’ll see on June 5, 2008.

Clean Transparent Friendster Style Sheet

A friend of mine wanted a theme that would feature his photography as the background. So he asked me to fix up an almost completely transparent Friendster theme so that his photo would come right through.. Ok, so I did and I’m posting it for him. Just copy and paste it in your CSS box (edit profile>customize> enter code into “Customize CSS” box.) Unless you’re familiar with the Friendster tags, forget trying to edit it. I consolidated most of the tags under one style. You will only need to replace the URL for your photo and maybe the background color. (Just upload your background photo to imageshack or any image host) I applied Urban Scrawl PS brushes from InvisibleSnow to the blank theme to get the drawing paper look. My Profile

If you don’t have a wide screen, check out the full image —> HERE

Here’s a sample profile with the CSS code: –> here

Link to Imageshack –> here

If you need more help or have a customizing question, just leave a comment.

____________________________________________________________________________________

/* Transparent CSS for FRIENDSTER { by jZ } */

body {
/*like it says: background color*/
background-color:#ffffff;
/*change this URL to any image you want*/
background-image:url (http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/8158/friendsterbg01os7.jpg);
background-position:Top Center;
background-attachment:fixed;
background-repeat:no-repeat;
border-width:0px;
border-style:Solid;
scrollbar-face-color:Transparent;
scrollbar-highlight-color:Transparent;
scrollbar-3dlight-color:Transparent;
scrollbar-shadow-color:Transparent;
scrollbar-darkshadow-color:Transparent;
scrollbar-arrow-color:000000;
scrollbar-track-color:000000;
}

.usercontent {
color:000000;
}

.usercontent a, .usercontent a:link, .usercontent a:visited, .usercontent a:hover, .usercontent a:active, .data a, a.more, #controlPanelButtons a, #controlPanelButtons a:link, #controlPanelButtons a:visited, .commonbox .dr {
font-family: Comic Sans MS, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #000000;
border-color: transparent;
background-color: transparent;
text-decoration: ;
}

.usercontent a:hover, #controlPanelButtons a:hover {
font-family: Comic Sans MS, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color: #000000;
border-color: transparent;
background-color: transparent;
text-decoration: ;
font-style:italic;
}

.commonbox, .ir,
.controlpanel, .photos, .friends, .blogsreviews, .videos, .testimonialscomments,
.moreabout, .fanof, .groups, .testimonials, .scrapbook, .myfans, .reviews, .blogs, {
background-color:Transparent;
border-style:Solid;
border-width:0px;
}

.commonbox h1, .commonbox h2, .data, .controlpanel .q {
color:000000;
background-color:transparent;
}

.commonbox .evenrow {
background-color:Transparent;
}