Final Thoughts: Climate Change and Mental Health
Key takeaways The core message Climate change impacts mental health through multiple pathways—from acute trauma after disasters to chronic anxiety about the future. These impacts are not equally distributed; marginalized communities bear the greatest burden. As physicians, you have roles at multiple levels: Clinical care, community resilience building, and advocacy for climate action and health […]
Host-pathogen interactions
High-yield summary Core concept Host-pathogen interactions determine infection outcomes: clearance, persistence, latency, or disease. Immune responses are tailored to pathogen type Pathogens evolve mechanisms to evade immunity.  Extracellular bacteria Innate Response Complement activation (Alternative and lectin pathways) Phagocytosis via PRRs, Fc receptors, complement receptors Inflammatory cytokines: IL-1, TNF, IL-6 Adaptive Response Antibodies: Opsonization, toxin neutralization CD4+ […]
Storms, Hurricanes, and Floods
An aerial view of extreme flooding: New Orleans inundated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (2005). Such catastrophic floods illustrate how powerful storms can devastate entire regions, endanger lives, and incapacitate critical infrastructure. Heavy precipitation One of the clearest signals of climate change is a marked increase in heavy precipitation and flooding events. A warmer […]
Introduction to Extreme Weather Hazards
Even as far back as ancient times, people understood that weather could influence health—Hippocrates wrote 2,400 years ago that anyone practicing medicine must consider seasonal weather changes and their effects on disease. Today, our climate is changing at an unprecedented rate, and this is driving more extreme weather events that pose serious risks to human […]
Mini-literature review
Requirements Minimum 1,000 words. Minimum 10 citations Mini-reviews are essential when you Are writing a review paper. Draft the intro or discussion sections of research/scholarly work. Venture into a new research/scholarly field. Prepare a research/scholarly proposal. A mini-literature review should Summarize key findings in your topic area Evaluate the quality and impact of studies Show […]
The PICO process
Patient or population Intervention and treatment Comparison of one intervention to another Outcome you anticipate
4. Limbic neurotransmitters and relevant neuroanatomyÂ
Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline) Primary location Concentrated in the hypothalamus, medial limbic system, locus ceruleus (rostral pons), and medulla. Functions Modulates alertness, attentiveness, and arousal. Clinical relevance Degeneration of noradrenergic projections from the rostral pons is implicated in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Current research explores its role in cognitive and behavioral changes (e.g., Holland et al., 2021). […]
3. Long-term potentiation and memory consolidationÂ
Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) is a form of synaptic plasticity where repeated stimulation of a synapse increases its strength, enhancing the likelihood of future activation and contributing to memory formation. LTP mechanisms Glutamate release NMDA receptor activation Calcium influx Retrograde signaling via nitric oxide Leading to increased neurotransmitter release and synaptic responsiveness The LTP process Image […]
2. Memory function and the neuroanatomyÂ
Key definitions Learning is a neural mechanism by which the organism’s behavior changes because of an experience or stimulus. Memory is the storage mechanism for what is learned. Normally, once memory information is encoded, it is no longer dependent on the hippocampus for retrieval. Memory involves distinct brain regions Hippocampus Critical for encoding and consolidating […]
1. Neuroanatomy and limbic system functionsÂ
Functions regulated by the limbic system Mnemonic Use the acronym HOME. H Homeostasis: Maintains internal physiological balance via hypothalamic connections. O Olfaction: Processes smell through olfactory pathways. M Memory: Especially episodic and spatial memory via the medial temporal lobe. E Emotion: Modulates emotional responses through the Papez circuit and amygdala. Medial temporal lobe: Central to […]