Liver and Let Die
This type of Viral Hepatitis is typically spread via the fecal-oral route, often through contaminated food or water.
What is Hepatitis A? (Remember: "A" for "Acquired at the Cafe")
This is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection in the hospital.
What is hand hygiene (handwashing)?
This term describes a "new growth" that can be either benign or malignant.
What is a Neoplasm?
HIV is classified as this type of virus, which uses reverse transcriptase to turn its RNA into the host's DNA.
What is a Retrovirus?
This spiral-shaped bacterium is the leading infectious cause of peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.
What is H. Pylori?
When the liver can no longer conjugate or excrete this byproduct of RBC breakdown, the patient develops jaundice.
What is Bilirubin?
Penicillins and cephalosporins are grouped together because they share this circular structure.
What is the beta-lactam ring / What are beta-lactam antibiotics?
Unlike their malignant counterparts, these tumors are typically encapsulated, slow-growing, and do not spread to distant sites.
What is Benign?
An HIV-positive patient's diagnosis officially changes to AIDS when this specific cell count drops below 200.
What are CD4+ T-cells (or T-helper cells)?
This anatomic condition, where part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm, worsens reflux.
What is a hiatal hernia?
This chronic complication of Hepatitis involves the replacement of healthy liver tissue with diffuse fibrosis and regenerative nodules.
What is Cirrhosis?
This is the #1 nursing action to perform BEFORE hanging the first dose of an antibiotic in a septic patient.
What is obtaining blood cultures (and other cultures)?
Cancer cells exhibit this "lack of differentiation," meaning they lose the specialized features of their parent cells and look disorganized.
What is Anaplasia?
This infection is the most common AIDS-defining illness worldwide and must be ruled out with cough, night sweats, and weight loss.
What is tuberculosis?
Long-standing GERD can cause this premalignant change of the esophageal lining, where squamous cells are replaced by columnar cells.
What is Barrett's esophagus?
In a patient with Hepatic Encephalopathy, this medication is given to "trap" ammonia in the gut and expel it via 2-3 soft stools per day.
What is Lactulose?
This parasitic STI is treated with metronidazole, and patients must be told to avoid alcohol.
What is trichomoniasis?
To sustain rapid growth, tumors secrete factors to "recruit" new blood vessels, a process known by this name.
What is Angiogenesis?
This laboratory test measures the amount of HIV RNA in the blood and is the best indicator of how well ART is working.
What is Viral Load?
This 5-ASA drug class (e.g., mesalamine, sulfasalazine) is first-line for inducing and maintaining remission in mild-to-moderate UC.
What are aminosalicylates?
Before starting any DAA (Mavyret) for Hep C, every patient must be screened for this other virus because of the risk of reactivation.
What is hepatitis B?
This lab value rises when tissues are not getting enough oxygen and is measured in every suspected sepsis patient.
What is lactate?
These "cellular brakes" (like the p53 gene) normally prevent uncontrolled growth, but cancer occurs when they are inactivated.
What are Tumor Suppressor Genes?
Drugs ending in "-gravir," like dolutegravir and bictegravir, belong to this preferred first-line class.
What are integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs)?
H. pylori survives stomach acid by producing this enzyme, which splits urea into ammonia and neutralizes surrounding acid — and is also the basis of a common diagnostic test.
What is urease?