Ed's Basic Science Trivia Quiz

Note: These are testable items from the medical school basic sciences curriculum. At a workshop, I challenged faculty to divide these into four groups. They had to decide what groups to use. One team divided them into "molecules, cells, organs, and whole people". Another team divided them into "must-know, should-know, nice-to-know, need-not know." Everybody seemed to have fun. How would you divide them?

Gross Anatomy: What fascia reflects off the psoas muscle to surround the kidney? (Gross, transversalis)

Gross Anatomy: What do we mean by a "marginal artery" in the abdomen? (Gross, // gut)

Gross Anatomy: Each renal artery divides into how many lobar segmental arteries? (5)

Gross Anatomy: The uncinate process of the pancreas represents what embryonic structure? (ventral bud)

Gross Anatomy: What's the eponym for the adductor or subsartorial canal? (Hunter's)

Gross Anatomy: What is a metarteriole? (just before precapillary sphincter)

Gross Anatomy: What is the anterior scalene syndrome? (compresses B plexus)

Gross Anatomy: Where can you find a unipinnate muscle? (palmar interossei)

Gross Anatomy: What are Vernet's and Villaret's syndromes? (IX-XII)

Gross Anatomy: What is the embryonic origin of Reichert's cartilage? (pouch II)

Histology: How many passes does a G-protein-linked receptor make through a cell membrane (7)

Histology: What's a name for a platelet's lysosomes? (lambda granules)

Histology: How many cells in a taste bud? (60-80)

Histology: What's the name for the white thing in the proximal nailbed? (lunule)

Histology: What is produced by the peg cells of the oviduct? (mucus)

Histology: The internal portion of a microtubule is how many nanometers across? (14)

Histology: How long can a primary spermatic remain in meiosis I? (22 days)

Histology: What is the name for the array of microtubules which flatten and elongate a sperm's nucleus? (manchette)

Histology: What does a pancreatic F cell produce? (pancreatic peptide)

Histology: What eponym is applied to the plicae circulares of the small intestine? (valves of Kerckering)

Neuroanatomy: What percentage of fibers symapsing on layers III-IV of the cortex derive from the thalamus? (1%)

Neuroanatomy: Who first reported the strong relationship between posterior head trauma and anosmia? (William Ogle)

Neuroanatomy: What is the principal efferent tract from the hippocampus? (fornix)

Neuroanatomy: What division of the trigemnal pathways produces abnormal discharges in tic doloureux? (subnucleus caudalis)

Neuroanatomy: What tract is formed by the descending fibers of the primary neurons of the posterior columns in the sacral region? (fasciculus triangularis)

Neuroanatomy: The vein of Rosenthal drains into what structure? (Vein of Galen)

Neuroanatomy: What is Meckel's cave? (arachnoid space around proximal V)

Neuroanatomy: What is Mllard-Gubler syndrome? (vascular syndrome loss of facial syndrome)

Neuroanatomy: What percent of left-handed people are left-hemisphere dominant? (65%)

Neuroanatomy: What parts of the cerebellum comprise the archicerebellum? (flocculonodular lobe + fastigii)

Physiology: What is the average concentration of sulfate anion in adult urine? (30-45 mEq/L)

Physiology: What is the base electrical activity (contractions per minute) of the stomach? (3)

Physiology: What protein brings calcium into smooth muscle to bind to myosin lightchain ATPase? (calmodulin)

Physiology: What do the intercalated cells of the distal tubule do for us? (K for H)

Physiology: The neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid operates by opening what channels? (cl)

Physiology: Stimulation of which portion of the amygdala produces rage? (septal)

Physiology: How many G's of force were applied in the classic three-stage rockets? (9, 8, 3 respectively)

Physiology: In scuba diving, helium has what percent of nitrogen's ability to induce narcosis? (20%)

Physiology: What is the normal volume of oxygen consumed per minute by a resting adult? (250 mL)

Physiology: How many mL of oxygen will dissolve in 1 mL of plasma per torr of oxygen pressure? (0.0003)

Physiology: Which group of neurons in the respiratory center (A B or C) receives input from stretch receptors? (B)

Physiology: What is the Bainbridge reflex? (stretch atrium --> nerves --> speed SA node)

Physiology: How many nephrons in each kidney? (one million)

Physiology: What is the maximum tonicity achieved in the renal medulla? (1200 mOsm)

Biochemistry: What is the name for the gene of the lambda phage repressor which resides between the two operator sites? (cI)

Biochemistry: What is a jumping gene? (deep stuff)

Biochemistry: How many hydrogen bonds are there between an adenine and a thymine? (2)

Biochemistry: What is the recommended RDA for vitamin A for men and women (men 5000 IU women 4000 IU)

Biochemistry: What is the difference between a type I and a type II topoisomerase? (# strands cut)

Biochemistry: How many microns long is a polyoma virus DNA molecule? (1.7)

Biochemistry: What is the intermediate that transfers reducing power from NADPH for reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides? (thioredoxin)

Biochemistry: Which amino acids are ketogenic and not glucogenic? (leucine and lysine)

Biochemistry: Which defect of the urea cycle is inherited on the X chromosome? (ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency)

Biochemistry: How many ATP's get consumed for each molecule of urea produced? (3)

Biochemistry: What enzyme turns 2-phosphoglycerate into phosphoenolpyruvate? (enolase)

Biochemistry: Alpha-1(V) trimer type collagen is a minor component of what tissue? (cartilage)

Biochemistry: How do you treat type I orotic aciduria? (oral uridine)

Biochemistry: What is an Okizaki fragment? (DNA)

Pathology: What country recently suffered an epidemic of neuropathy and blindness due to malnutrition and tobacco use? (Cuba)

Pathology: What microscopic features distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other dementias? (neurofibrillary tangles, senile plaques, granulovacuolar degeneration, amyloid angiopathy, Hirano bodies)

Pathology: How would you recognize thalassemia minor on a peripheral blood smear? (small reds, but appear larger than in other microcytic anemias of same MCV; basophilic stippling)

Pathology: Deficiency in what vitamin in the poor nations renders childhood measles far more serious? (vitamin A)

Pathology: A fungal toxin in drinking water in communist central Asia caused an epidemic of what crippling disease? (Kaski-Beck osteoarthritis)

Pathology: Why does a rotten tooth or an intrauterine device place a person at special risk for actinomycosis? (clings to a surface for protection from neutrophils, eventually the masses become self-sustaining)

Pathology: What would you see on lymph node biopsy from a case of cat-scratch fever? (granulomas with pus in the center)

Pathology: How does a pathologist decide whether a smooth-muscle fibroid of the uterus is cancer? (counts mitotic figures)

Pathology: What does the T3 resin uptake actually measure? (inversely proportional to the number of unbound sites on the thyroid binding proteins)

Pathology: How can a pathologist tell whether a body found in a burned building was alive at the time of the fire? (look for soot in the airway; not 100%>

Pathology: How does hereditary hypertrophy of the cardiac septum cause sudden death in athletes? (added hypertrophy of fitness and shortened diastole during exertion renders coronary filling ineffective)

Pathology: How can a pathologist estimate the range from which a bullet was fired? (if not close-contact, measure soot fouling and powder tattooing)

Pathology: What eponym is given for the flareup of psoriasis at sites of minor skin injury? (Koebner)

Pathology: The gene for what well-known receptor is a newly-identified major locus for osteoporosis risk? (vitamin D receptor)

Pharmacology: What is the average length of time required for castor oil to produce a bowel movement? (3 hr)

Pharmacology: Neurontin simulates the effects of what neurotransmitter? ( GABA)

Pharmacology: What percentage of halothane is metabolized by the liver? (15-20)

Pharmacology: Mention two NJM blockers that undergo spontaneous Hoffman elimination with a metabolite? (atracurium and cisatricurium)

Pharmacology: List four drugs that increase hepatic metabolism of thyroid hormones? (phenobarb, phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampin)

Pharmacology: Mention two drugs that inhibit peripheral conversion of thyroxine to tri-iodothyronine? (dexamethasone, iodinated contrast media)

Pharmacology: What is the effect of aldosterone of 1,25-D3 action? (inhibits)

Pharmacology: What is the preferred NSAID for Bartter's syndrome (indocin)

Pharmacology: Rank according to progestational activity: levonorgestrel morgestril desorgestrel morgestinate ethynodiol norethindrone (that's descending)

Pharmacology: What effect does a hypnotic dose of barbiturate have on the force and frequency of uterine contractions? (none)

Pharmacology: What sedative causes flatulence? (chloral hydrate)

Pharmacology: Which antipsychotic causes retrograde ejaculation? (thioridazine)

Pharmacology: What dose of prednisone is equivalent to 300 mg of hydrocortisone? (75)

Pharmacology: What is the antidote for mercury poisoning? ()

Microbiology: What surface protein on neutrohpils binds to gonococci? (leukocyte association factor)

Microbiology: What is the oxidase reaction of Hemophilus ducreyi? (positive)

Microbiology: In what year was trichinosis identified and explained? (1860)

Microbiology: What is the incubation period of diarrheal Bacillus cereus food poisoning from fried rice? (4-16 hr)

Microbiology: How many days following a yellow fever immunization are myalgias likely to occur? (5-10)

Microbiology: What disease is caused by the newly-discovered sabia virus? (Brazilian hemorrhagic fever)

Microbiology: How did Haverhill fever come to be? (rat urinated in the milk at the dairy)

Microbiology: Where would you go to find sennetsu ehrlichiosis? (southwest Japan)

Microbiology: How would you distinguish type A and type B tularemia bacteria? (A ferments glycerol & makes citrulline ureidase)

Microbiology: What is Monod's sign in aspergillosis? (air-lucency crescent in cavity with fungus ball)

Immunology: What enzyme is deficient in X-linked agammaglobulinemia? (Bruton's tyrosine kinase)

Immunology: CD25 on an activated T-cell is a receptor for what cytokine? (IL2)

Immunology: What protein joined to the Class I protein forms the MHC I complex? (beta two microglobulin)

Immunology: What is the source and function of interleukin 7? (mphg, lymphoid blastogenesis)

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