Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Narcolepsy is a nervous system disorder. The exact cause is known.

In some patients, narcolepsy is linked to reduced amounts of a protein called hypocretin, which is made in the brain. What causes the brain to produce less of this protein is unclear.

There is a possibility that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder is when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

Narcolepsy tends to run in families. Certain genes are linked to narcolepsy.
Symptoms

Narcolepsy systems usually first occur during ages 15 to 30.

The most common symptoms are:

Periods of extreme drowsiness during the day. You may feel a strong urge to sleep, often followed by a short nap (sleep attack).

These periods last for about 15 minutes each, although they can be longer.

They may happen after eating, while driving, talking to someone, or during other situations.

Most often, you wake up feeling refreshed.

Dream-like hallucinations between sleep and wakefulness. They involve seeing or hearing, and possibly other senses.

Sleep paralysis. This is when you cannot move as you start falling asleep or when you first wake up. It may last up to 15 minutes.

Cataplexy. This is a sudden loss of muscle tone while awake that makes you unable to move. Strong emotions, such as laughter or anger, can trigger this.

Most attacks last for less than 30 seconds and can be missed.

Your head will suddenly fall forward, your jaw will become slack, and your knees will buckle.

In severe cases, a person may fall and stay paralyzed for as long as several minutes.

Signs and tests

The doctor will perform a physical exam and order blood work to rule out conditions that can cause similar symptoms. Conditions that can cause excessive sleepiness include:

Insomnia and other sleep disorders

Restless leg syndrome

Seizures

Sleep apnea

Other medical, psychiatric, or nervous system diseases

Other tests may include:

ECG (measures the heart's electrical activity)

EEG (measures the brain's electrical activity)

Genetic testing to look for narcolepsy gene

Sleep study (polysomnogram)

Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) to see how long it takes you to fall asleep during a daytime nap. Patients with narcolepsy fall asleep much faster than people without the condition.

Treatment

There is no known cure for narcolepsy. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms.

Lifestyle changes and emotional counseling may help you do better in work and social activities. This involves:

Eating light or vegetarian meals during the day and avoiding heavy meals before important activities

Planning naps to control daytime sleep and reduce the number of unplanned, sudden sleep attacks

Scheduling a brief nap (10 to 15 minutes) after meals, if possible

Telling teachers and supervisors about the condition so you are not punished for being "lazy" at school or work

You may need to take prescription medications to help you stay awake. The stimulant drug armodafinil is usually tried first. It is much less likely to be abused than other stimulants. Other stimulants include dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, DextroStat) and methylphenidate (Ritalin).

Antidepressant medications can help reduce episodes of cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations. Antidepressants include:

Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, or citalopram

Tricyclic antidepressants such as protriptyline or imipramine

Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) is prescribed to some patients for use at night.

If you have narcolepsy, you may have driving restrictions. Restrictions vary from state to state.
Expectations (prognosis)

Narcolepsy is lifelong (chronic) condition.

It is not deadly, but it may be dangerous if episodes occur during driving, operating machinery, or similar activities.

Narcolepsy can usually be controlled with treatment. Treating other underlying sleep disorders can improve symptoms of narcolepsy.
Complications

Difficulty functioning at work

Difficulty with social activities

Injuries and accidents, if attacks occur during activities

Side effects of medications used to treat the disorder

Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if:

You have symptoms of narcolepsy

Narcolepsy does not respond to treatment, or you develop other symptoms

Prevention

There is no known way to prevent narcolepsy. Treatment may reduce the number of attacks. Avoid situations that aggravate the condition if you are prone to attacks of narcolepsy.

Mnemonics for EYE

I.                   Bones of the Orbit

Roof: “Front-less”

            à frontal, lesser wing of sphenoid bone

Lateral Wall: “Great-Z”

                        à greater wing of sphenoid, zygomatic bone

            Medial Wall: “Smel(l)”

                        à sphenoid, maxillary, ethmoid, lacrimal bones

            Floor: “Zip My Pants”

                        à zygomatic, maxillary, palatine bones

II.                Eye Innervation

CN III - superior division = LPS, SR; inferior division = MR, IR, IO

CN IV – SO

CN VI – LR     

III.             Nerves in Relation to CTR (common tendinous ring)

• Nerves outside CTR: “Little Fairy Tots”

L = lacrimal    (V1)

F = frontal       (V1)

T = trochlear   (CN VI)

• Nerves within CTR: “Sits Naked In Anticipation”

S = sup. division of CN III

N = nasociliary    (V1)

I = inf. division of CN III

A = abducent     (CN VI)

[NOTE: optic nerve (CN II) runs with ophthalmic artery thru optic canal]

Head & Neck Mnemonics

Head Mnemonics

NERVES

¨ Cranial Nerves

I-optic, II-olfactory, III-oculomotor, IV-trochlear, V-trigeminal, VI-abducens, VII-facial, VIII-acoustic (vestibulocochlear), IX-glossophrayngeal, X-vagus, XI-spinal accessory, XII-hypoglossal

On Old Olympus Towering Tops, A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops

 You have I nose. You have II eyes. (I – Olfactory; II – Optic)

Motor and Sensory nerves

Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Bras Matter More

¨ Innervation of Extraocularmotor Muscles

LR6 (SO4) 3

LR6--Lateral rectus--> VI abductens

SO4--Superior Oblique--> IV Trochlear

3--The remaining 4 eyeball movers = III

¨ Branches of Facial Nerve after Stylomastoid foramen

From superior to inferior:
Ten Zebras Bought My Car

To Zanzibar By Motor Car

Temporal, Zygomatic, Buccal, Masseteric, Cervical

PAssing Through Zanzibar By Motor Car (PA for Posterior Auricular).
Ten Zulus Buggered My Cat (PAinfully)
Temporal branch
Zygomatic branch
Buccal branch
Mandibular branch
Cervical branch
(Posterior auricular nerve)

¨ Cervical Spinal Nerves

C3-4-5 keeps the phrenic alive (innervation of phrenic nerve)

C3-4-5 keep the diaphragm alive (innervation of diaphragm)

C5-6-7 raise your arms to heaven (nerve roots of long thoracic nerve innervate serratus anterior)

¨ V3 innervated muscles

My A$$ Meets The Toilet

Mylohyoid                 Anterior digastric       Muscles of Mastication
Tensor veli palatini     Tensor tympani

¨V3: sensory branches

"Buccaneers Are Inferior Linguists"
Buccal                        Auriculotemporal      
Inferior alveolar                     Lingual

¨ Lacrimal nerve course

Lacrimal's story of 8 L's
Lacrimal nerve runs on Lateral wall of orbit above Lateral rectus, then Lets communicating branch join in, then supplies Lacrimal gland, then Leaves it and supplies Lateral upper eye Lid!

¨ CN VII innervated muscles (branchial arch 2 derivatives)

"Imagine someone making the facial expression to say 'PSS...'
Facial expression muscles:
Posterior belly of digastric
Stapedius
Stylohyoid

¨ Scalp: nerve supply

GLASS
Greater occipital/ Greater auricular
Lesser occipital
Auriculotemporal
Supratrochlear
Supraorbital

Bones/Spaces

¨ Cranial bones PEST OF 6 Parietal            Ethmoid          Sphenoid        Temporal         Occipital         Frontal The 6 just reminds that there's 6 of them to remember. Old Pygmies From Thailand Eat Skulls Old People From Texas Eat Spiders Occipital         Parietal            Frontal                        Temporal         Ethmoid          Sphenoid Prostitutes Offer Free Sex To Everyone Parietal            Occipital         Frontal                        Sphenoid        Temporal         Ethmoid          ¨ Orbit: bones of medial wall My Little Eye Sits in the orbit Maxilla (frontal process) Lacrimal Ethmoid Sphenoid (body) ¨ Foramen spinosum  location on base of skull Foramen spinosum is adjacent to the spine of sphenoid. ¨ Cavernous sinus contents O TOM CAT O TOM are lateral wall components, in order from superior to inferior. CA are the components within the sinus, from medial to lateral. CA ends at the level of T from O TOM. · See diagram.  Occulomotor nerve (III) Trochlear nerve (IV) Ophthalmic nerve (V1) Maxillary nerve (V2) Carotid artery Abducent nerve (VI) T: When written, connects to the T of OTOM. ¨ Cartilage derivatives of 1st pharyngeal arch (mandibular) I'M A Super Sexy Guy       (or Girl) Incus Malleus Anterior ligament of malleus Spine of sphenoid Sphenomandibular ligament Genial tubercle of mandible Muscles ¨ Face muscles groups cranial innervation Mandibular nerve: Mastication. Facial nerve: Facial expression. ¨ Pterygoid muscles Function of lateral vs. medial "Look at how your jaw ends up when saying first syllable of 'Lateral' or 'Medial' ": "La": your jaw is now open, so Lateral pterygoid opens mouth. "Me": your jaw is still closed, so Medial pterygoid closes the mandible. ¨ Eye rotation by oblique muscles I Love S&M Inferior oblique: Lateral eye rotation Superior oblique: Medial eye rotation Extrinsic muscles of tongue [for pro soccer fans] "Paris St. Germain's Hour": Palatoglossus Styloglossus Genioglossus Hyoglossus · PSG is a French soccer team (foreign), hence extrinsic comes to mind. Vessels Maxillary artery branches "DAM I AM Piss Drunk But Stupid Drunk I Prefer, Must Phone Alcoholics Anonymous": Deep auricular Anterior tympanic Middle meningeal Inferior alveolar Accessory meningeal Masseteric Pterygoid Deep temporal Buccal Sphenopalatine Descending palatine Infraorbital Posterior superior alveolar Middle superior alveolar Pharyngeal Anterior superior alveolar Artery of the pterygoid canal Neck Mnemonics Vessels ¨ Subclavian artery branches Very Tired Individuals Sip Strong Coffee Served Daily Vertebral artery Thyrocervical trunk ---Inferior thyroid ---Superficial cervical ---Suprascapular Costocervical ---Superior intercostal ---Deep cervical ¨ External carotid artery branches Some Aggressive Lovers Find Odd Positions More Stimulating Superior thyroid Ascending pharyngeal Lingual Facial Occiptal Posterior auricular Maxillary Superficial temporal Sister Lucy's Powdered Face Often Attracts Silly Medicos So Long For Acting Old Parenting Means Stability Sally Ate Lots Of Fresh Produce March Through September   Nerves ¨ Cervical plexus arrangement of the important nerves "GLAST" 4 compass points: clockwise from north on the right side of neck: Great auricular (North)  à  Lesser occipital  (East) à Accessory nerve (pops out between L and S) à Supraclavicular (South) à Transverse cervical (West) Other ¨ Thoracic Duct Location The duck is between two gooses (duck = thoracic duct) 2 gooses = azyGOUS and esophaGOUS ¨ Carotid sheath contents               "I See 10 CC's in the IV": I See (I.C.) = Internal Carotid artery 10 = CN 10 (Vagus nerve) CC = Common Carotid artery IV = Internal Jugular Vein Muscles Hyoid bone: muscle attachments Christ, He Didn't Screw Girls Much. That's Obvious, Stupid The first sentence is for 6 muscles attaching superiorly, the second sentence is for 3 muscles attaching inferiorly.   Both sentences are in order from lateral to medial: Constricter (middle) Hyoglossus Digastric Stylohyoid Geniohyoid Myloyoid Thyrohyoid Omohyoid Sternohyoid

Mnemonics on basic physiology

Alimentary and Digestion

Ape Oil

The 5 sphincters found in the Alimentary Canal spell APE OIL: Anal, Pyloric, Lower Esophageal, Oddi, and Ileocecum. Also, try An Odd Pile Lowers the Ileocecum.

Cars, Piles, and the Bay of Fundy

"The CAR is FUN `til the BODY PILES" I remember the 5 layers of the GI stomach: Cardiac, Fundus, Body, and Pylorus. The fundus looks like the Bay of Fundy (to me, anyway), and the pylorus is where the food piles waiting for the sphincter to open.

Some are Ugly

The 4 lobes of the liver -- quadrate, left & right, caudate -- bring to mind the newspaper headline of the wheelchair-bound fellow who left a party right after his ugly girlfriend departed: QUAD LEFT RIGHT after Cow Date.

Dow Jones and the Cannibal

We are supposed to remember the lengths of the first 3 parts of the digestive system after the stomach, so I came up with the story of a cannibal who consumes a dozen people, including an ailing stock market analyst. It goes: One Ate 12, including an Ill Dow Jones referring of course to 1, 8, 12-feet lengths for the Ileum, Duodenum, Jejunum.
A really good device for recalling the bowels is to remember the market news: Dow Jones Industrial Averages Closing Stock Report whose initial letters also identify the Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum, Appendix, Colon, Sigmoid, and Rectum. It misses the cecum but is otherwise unforgettable.

Quick Peritoneum Facts

The idea is to relate key letters of related parts. E.g., stomach and omentum (which lays over the stomach) share the letters OM.

• The bacterium E. coli is found in Everybody's Colon
• The Omentum covers the stomach
• The Lesser Omentum holds the Liver and stomach
• The Mesentery holds the small intestine
• The mesoCOLON attaches the large intestine (colon) to the posterior abdominal wall
• The PERITONEUM, holds PERson's Intestines To Nearest wall.

Oh! Curling turns my Stomach Inside Out

This is what a housewife might say in reaction to her husband's sports selection, but it is a student's way of knowing the 3 layers of muscle around the stomach. The layers are: Oblique, Circular, Longitudinal from inside to outside.

PPL's Tonsils

People (PPL for short) have 3 tonsils: Pharyngeal, Palatine, and Lingual.

Digestive Juices

Bile Breaks fat into Blobs.
Chief stomach enzyme is Pepsin ... remember Geronimo drinking Pepsi to help his digestion.
Parietal cells Produce Acid, Release Intrinsic factor, ET AL.

Causes of blood in the urine:

Given to me a few years back when I was in paramedic school, the six causes of blood in the urine: pooh poohTT -- Stones, Hematological Disorder, Infection, Tumor, Tuberculosis, Trauma.

Cell Biology

Charlie Foster and the Hot Blooded Whore

I learned the 8 functions of blood by the acrostic Old Charlie Foster Hates Women Having Dull Clothes for Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Food, Heat, Waste, Hormones, Disease, and Clotting but I thought it would be easier to recall if I used the first few letters of each word to make a new sentence. Thus: Waste Ox Cart Food Disease makes Clot in Heated Whore. Of course, I related the hormones to "the whore moans".

Quick Blood / Cardio facts

• Tricuspid valve is in The Right Inside part of the heart.
• Mitral is on Left side.
• B Cells Bite virus, T Cells Torpedo sick cells.
• You need more white blood cells after an immemorable weekend right? Then remember Lying Nude in Basement Early Monday has every white blood cell mentioned: Lymphocytes, Neutrophils, Basophils, Eosinophils, and Monocytes.

Centrioles

Centrioles are useful organelles which play a key role in cell division, namely pulling the chromosomes apart. Centrioles are ropes made of 9 groups of 3 fibres, a 9+3 arrangement. How to remember this? Count the number of letters in "centriole", then count the syllables. You should get 9 and 3.

Into Insulin

Insulin gets sugar Into cells. Without insulin, a person can die from lack of sugar. Romans noticed bees attracted to the urine of diabetics and coined the term "diabetes" to describe the overflow of sugar. There are actually two forms of diabetes: insipidus and mellitus, and are not related. D. insipidus is characterized by excessive and watery urine production and is due to low anti-diuretic hormone level, often caused by a tumor at the hypothalamus. D. mellitus is characterized by high volumes of sugary urine caused by low levels of insulin due to faulty pancreas. Physicians used to tell the difference between the two types of diabetes by dipping a finger into the patient's urine and tasting it -- if it was sweet, he had mellitus.

Tubules & Filaments

Eukaryotic cells are held together by microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments. I find it easy to remember what each does by matching key letters in each term with their respective duties. For example, Microfilaments are made of Actin, Move Food into MICROvilli, are responsible for Amoebal Movement, Cytoplasmic Streaming, and Muscular Contraction, and they Move Fast. Microtubules on the other hand, are made of TUBulin, Move Slowly, and make the Chromosome fibres.

La Jeune Fils & cell junctions

A Frenchman gawking at a young lady dressed in form-fitting jeans might say Des Tight Gaps and REALLY be thinking about the three types of cell junctions: Desmosome, Tight, and Gap. Desmosome junctions, like good blue jeans, will stretch and are found in the lungs amongst other sites. Tight junctions are useful for containing liquids and make up much of the GI tract. Gap junctions allow cytoplasm exchange between cells and help smooth muscle fibres contract in sequence.

Meiosis Explained

"Meiosis" comes from the Greek "to reduce". Meiosis is the process of reducing the number of chromosomes by half. Without this crucial step in the formation of gametes, our cells would burst with DNA. The goal of meiosis is to make egg and sperm cells with half the number of chromosomes (23 instead of 46) so the egg and sperm can produce a zygote with 46 chromosomes instead of 92. Meiosis appears to be mitosis happening twice without the G1, S1, G2 phases, thereby splitting the chromosomes in half before they replicate. The reduced number of chromosomes is called the haploid state.
In human sperm and egg manufacture, meiosis occurs much as mitosis, but instead of entering interphase after the cell splits, it swings back into prophase and runs through the process again and ends with two daughter cells, each holding 23 chromosomes (the haploid state). Ovum production is slightly different, producing only one ovum, whereas spermatogenesis makes four sperm cells. The difference occurs in telophase I, where the ovum shoves 23 chromosomes into a bud and gets rid of it (women, they hate competition!).

Skin and Tissues

I made up a mnemonic for the layers of the epidermis that worked for me. I started on the outside and worked my way in. This one uses the first 3 letters method: Cora Lucille's Granny Spins Baseballs are Corneum, Lucidum, Granulosum, Spinosum, Basele. Of course, you have to know that "Stratum" goes before each of the words. That part is easy.
Using the 3 first letter method for cranial bones: Ethel, the Parakeet, is Temporarily Occupied in Front of the Sphinx. Ethmoid, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital, Frontal, Sphenoid.
Another 3 first letter method for the cranial sutures: Saggy Lambs Squash the Coroner. Sagittal, Lambdoid, Squamous and Coronal.
Keep up the good work and the great page!

Reproduction

Anna has Large Breasts

I recall the mitotic phases of a cell easily by reciting "I Proposed Marriage to Anna by Telephone before I Sighted her Cleavage". That of course indicates the mitotic phases: Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase, and includes Cytokinesis (sighted) and cell Cleavage.

Understanding DNA/RNA

Although DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids, they do different jobs in the cell. Just remember that DNA Delivers the blueprint, RNA Reads it. Also, transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule is shaped like the letter T.

Mitosis & Meiosis

Easy way to tell the difference between the two types of reproduction at the cell level: mitosis makes Identical Twins, meiosis makes Egg and Sperm.

Brain Physiology

Memories of Girls' Bodily Parts

If you remember girls by their limbs, hip & the anus, hip & kitty, and ass, then you have the four memory centres: limbic, hypothalamus, hippocampus, association areas. BTW, memories are encoded at the neural synapses, usually by acetylcholine. The three key neurotransmitters of the limbic system are dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin ... remembered as Limb Donors.

Proprioception

Proprioception, the ability to discern feedback from exertion, is located in the Post-Parietal Sensory cortex. (see how the sounds of proprioception are in post-parietal sensory?)

Brain is a Mystery

The six parts of the brain are a mystery -- murder mystery -- with clues hidden all over, some backwards, some misspelt. We have murder spelt backwards (cerebrum) and skeletons in the celler (CEREbeLLum controls skeletal coordination). There's a detective PONdering M.O. (pons, medulla oblonga), poisoned mulleb wine (in cerebellum), and someone will die before long (Diencephalon), probably some dyslexic dim-brain (mid-brain). Furthermore, forensics have discovered "brain stem" is made up of letters from midBRAIN, pons, and Medulla oblonga. As well, C+D+E=F because Cerebrum + Diencephalon = Forebrain.
In reality, the 6 parts of the brain are: cerebrum, diencephalon, midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, cerebellum. The major groups are forebrain (the most visible part), the brain stem (three parts piled atop the spinal cord and within the centre of the brain), and the cerebellum hanging off the back.

Maybe Cleopatra had No Brain?

Brain Cells Defended by ASP means the six valiant defenders of the cephalon are Blood-brain barrier, Cerebral spinal fluid, Dura mater, Arachnoid layer, Skull, and Pia mater.

Miscellaneous Brain Facts

• Groups of nerve cell bodies are nuclei if they're in the CNS, and ganglia if in the peripheral nervous system. I remember the nuclei are in the CNS because they both have the letter C.
• Grey matter is central to white matter in the spinal cord, because the white stuff is fat wrapped around and protecting the grey nerves.
• What's the significance of glial cells? They nourish neurons, keep them from falling down, and provide tunnels for axons to route. In another perspective: Albert Einstein's brain had 30% more glial cells than average.
• Four types of glial cells are ependymal, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. The mnemonic phrase is Every place to exchange gas Owes Money.

Muscles

Horny Office Temps

Six factors triggering smooth muscle contraction are oxygen, temperature, ions, hormones, stretch, and acid level (pH). The acronym is "SHIP TO" but the mnemonic phrase is much better: Office Temp's Eye On Whore Stretching Ass. Notice ion is encoded as eye on in this example.

Crossbridge Cycle

The most basic part of the functional muscle is the cross bridge site where muscular contractions occur. The process of myosin heads attaching to actin, bending, then releasing takes four steps: ready, coupling, bending, letting go. A different chemical triggers each step thusly: hydrolysis makes Ready; Calcium ions cause the Coupling; ADP bends the myosin head; ATP lets go. Sounds like a new dance to me.

Calico Cats' Calm Milk

"Calico Cats' Calm Milk" is the pathway of smooth muscle contraction: Calcium Cation attaches to Calmodulin, which binds to Myosin Light Kinase.

Eye and Vision

Eyeball parts

• The sclera, choroid layer, retina and vitreous humor (SCRV) + eyeballs + outer layer add up to: SCREW your eyes out
• The lens, iris, pupil, cornea, aqueous humor, and ciliary body can be summed up in Len and Iris Acquire Puppies in the Corn Silk ... which is an old-fashioned way of saying they're screwing like dogs in the cornfield.
• Fovea, the part of the retina most densely packed with cones, is almost an acronym FOr Very Acute vision
• The cells of the retina -- rods, cones, ganglion, polar bodies -- are illustrated by Rods protected by a Gang of Lions and Polar Bears

Quick Auditory Senses

• The four outer ear parts -- pinna, lobe, helix, meatus -- are easily expressed by a phrase of a lover turning on his girl He licks her helix like a lover pining for meaning
• Middle ear parts -- tympanic membrane, ossicles, eustachian tube, oval and round windows -- are best compiled as Tim Observed Eunice's Tube from two Windows
• Inner ear pieces -- cochlea, sacculus, utriculus, semi-circular canals, 8th cranial nerve -- are summed up in the phrase 8th Nervember, I dropped my cock, my sack, and uterus into the semi-circular canal
• Cochlea sections -- vestibular, tympanic & cochlear canals, basilar membrane, organ of Corti -- might be remembered by thinking of Organ of Corti plays Bass Notes on CTV channel if you admit that channel is another word for canal ... CTV (Canadian Television) are the cochlea, tympanic and vestibular canals, bass notes is basilar membrane, and the organ is the organ of Corti of course.

Hormones

• 8 major hormones from the pituitary gland spell GOAT-FLAP: gonadotropic, oxytocin, anti-diuretic, thyroid stimulating, follicle stimulating, leuteinizing, adrenocorticotropic, prolactin.
• The pituitary gland has two lobes: anterior and posterior. 6 of the preceding hormones come from the anterior lobe; oxytocin and anti-diuretic are secreted from the posterior one.
• The adrenal CORTex produces CORTisol, as well as androgens and aldosterone.
• The adrenal Medulla secretes stress hormones Epinephrine and Norepinephrine and, as all women know, men are a source of stress, so it is no surprise that medulla-epinephrine-norepinephrine make the acronym MEN.
• Adrenal Cortex hormones start with either of letters A, C -- just like adrenal cortex. They are: androgen, aldosterone, cortisol.
• Ovaries are RIPE with hormones: relaxin, inhibin, progesterone, estrogen make the acronym RIPE.
• Testes make TIM strong: "t.i.m." is acronym for the 3 hormones secreted by testes: testosterone, inhibin, and Mullerian-inhibiting hormones.
• Pancreas makes PIGS: Pancreatic polypeptide, Insulin, Glucagon, and Somatostatin hormones.
• Some secret gasses choke gipsy represent the 5 hormones of the (where do you think gas comes from?) gastrointestinal tract: somatostatin, secretin, gastrin, cholecystokinin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP).
• Melatonin makes penis pineal? Melatonin secreted from pineal gland represses sex drive.
• A Hypocritical Gun-Running Hero goes to Pit to release Long Hard Fish, but is turned off the the smell of Estrogen. That was the story of the hypothalamus secreting GnRH (Gun-running hero) to stimulate the Pituitary gland into releasing LH and FSH. This process is regulated by the levels of estrogen.
• Products of the adrenal cortex, from outer to inner layer: "Salt, sugar, sex; the deeper you go, the sweeter it gets." (Salt=aldosterone, sugar=glucocorticoids, sex=sex hormones)
• To remember how osmosis works, remember that "Particles suck." Thus, tonicity (hypertonic, hypotonic) refers to concentration of particles, and water always goes toward the area of more particles. (thanks to Hallie Ray, Science Department, Rappahannock Community College Warsaw, VA)

Metabolic Rates

I came up with a rhyming verse that helps me remember how our bodies get warm.When we feel cold, the hypothalamus reacts by sending TRH to the pituitary gland, which sends TSH to the thyroid, which secretes T3Tr to reach the mitochondria, wherein the glycolytic pathway consumes more energy and consequently the Electron Transport System consumes more oxygen ... and we get warmer. A more easy way to remember:

O Cold Hippo in the Pit
Thy Sugar Eats
Makes Carbon and Heats

Keywords: Hippo (hypothalamus), Pit (pituitary), Thy (thyroid), Sugar (glycolytic pathway), Eats (ETS), Carbon (carbon dioxide).

Organs

Better than Murder …

While working to uncover a hidden acrostic in the list of bodily organ systems, I strung out the first letters of the 10 and immediately picked out MURDER, but had the letters N, I, C, I left over and did not want to suggest MURDER NICI . Then, I wrote out the first three letter of each and managed to create two phrases which are easy to recall and make remembering the ten systems a cinch! Ergo:

Sir: I'm nervous about reproducing with the rest. Uri must dig into the end.

The organ system names buried within the phrases are (in order): circulatory, immune, nervous, reproduction, respiratory, urinary, muscle, digestive, integumentary, and endocrine. Easy now?

Taxonomy

Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) named and classified the various forms of life as a way of seeking order in diversity. He created taxonomy to do this, thus giving headaches to many generations of students. His system of kingdom (plant or animal), phylum (backbone?), class (mammal?), order (carnivore?), family (cat, dog, ape), genus (orangutan or human), species and variety is still used today, only slightly modified from the original. One easy sentence used is King Philip Conquers Our Fifty Grateful States. Two others: King Phillip's Class Of Family Geniuses Specializes in Variety and Kind Phillip's Class Orders Family-sized Gino's Special.
Finally, Z.L. offers this hockey mnemonic: Kings Play Calgary On Friday. Gretzky Scores! Take your pick.
The 5 kingdoms (used to be only 2 or 3) are protoctista, plantae, fungi, monera, animalia. I embedded them into neurons by: Protecting Plants is Fun, Mon Ami, which sounds like a slogan for a French environmental activist group.

Cancers

College Food

Students reciting College Lunch is Best or College boys Love Breasts know that 50% of cancers arise in three organs: Colon, Lungs, Breast.

4 Cancer Types

An easy way to relate four types of cancer to their cells of origin:

• Sarcoma means cancer of the muscle, and is found in Connective and Muscle tissues. (C, M are letters in sarCoMa)
• Carcinoma is cancer of epithelial tissue, and found in stomach and Intestines
• Lymphoma & Leukemia are cancers of blood Leukocytes and Lymphocytes