AICM USMLE Step 1 Lecture Topics

First of all, Happy New Year people.  It's been a crazy past year for me as the Bonaire to USA transition; on top of that with only three week break after finishing Bonaire I started AICM right away in January 2011 and finished it in April 2011.

I know AICM is on the minds of MD3 and MD4 and so I'm trying to gather a lot of information about it and luckily I stumbled on information about it.  As you scrolled down you will see the topics in detail on what to expect when you attend the USMLE Step 1 lectures in AICM in Chicago.  Also, the following may seem overwhelming, but once you go through it once it's not that bad.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Gene expression: DNA structure, replication, and exchange, transcription, translation, including defects.
• Structure and function of proteins
• Metabolic pathways of small molecules and associated diseases
• Biosynthesis and degradation of other macromolecules and associated abnormalities, complex
• Carbohydrates glycoproteins, and proteoglycans

Human development and Genetics

• Embryogenesis: programmed gene expression, tissue differentiation and morphogenesis, homeotic genes, and developmental regulation of gene expression
• Congenital abnormalities: principles, patterns of anomalies, dysmorphogenesis
• Principles of pedigree analysis, including inheritance patterns, occurrence and recurrence risk determination
• Population genetics: hardy-Weinberg law, founder effects, mutation-selection equilibrium genetic mechanisms: chromosomal abnormalities, mendelian inheritance, multifactorial diseases clinical genetics, including genetic testing, prenatal diagnosis, newborn screening, genetic counseling/ethics, gene therapy

 

Behavioral Sciences, Ethics, Statistics

• Progression through the life cycle, including birth through senescence
• Psychologic and social factors influencing patient behavior
• Patient interviewing, consultation, and interactions with the family
• Medical ethics, jurisprudence, and professional behavior
• Quantitative methods
  
  • Fundamental concepts of measurement
  • Fundamental concepts of study design
  • Fundamental concepts of hypothesis testing and statistical inference

Pharmacology

• General principles of pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic
• General properties of autacoids, including peptides and analogs, biogenic amines, prostanoids and their inhibitors, and smooth muscle/endothelial autacoids
• General principles of autonomic pharmacology
• General properties of antimicrobials, including mechanisms of action and resistance
• General properties of antineoplastic agents and immunosuppressants, including drug effects on rapidly dividing mammalian cells

Microbiology

• Microbial classification and its basis
• Bacteria and bacterial diseases
• Viruses and viral diseases
• Fungi and fungal infections
• Parasites and parasitic diseases

Immunology

• Production and function of granulocytes, natural killer cells, and macrophages
• Production and function of t lymphocytes, t-lymphocyte receptors
• Production and function of b lymphocytes and plasma cells; immunoglobulin and antibodies.
• Antigenicity and immunogenicity; antigen presentation; cell activation and regulation; tolerance and clonal deletion
• Immunologic mediators: chemistry, function, molecular biology, classic and alternative complement pathways, cytokines, chemokines
• Immunogenetics; mhc structure and function, class i, ii molecules; erythrocyte antigens
• Immunizations: vaccines, protective immunity
• Alterations in immunologic function
• Immunologically mediated disorders
• Immunologic principles underlying diagnostic laboratory tests (e.g., ELISA, complement fixation, RIA, agglutination)

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Systems

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical injury
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic and regulatory disorders
  •  vascular and endothelial disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the hematopoietic and lymphoreticular system (e.g., nutritional deficiencies, systemic lupus erythematosus)
  • Idiopathic disorders
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the hematopoietic system
  • Other therapeutic modalities

Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes, including neural tube derivatives, cerebral ventricles, neural crest derivatives
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders, including primary and metastatic
  • Acquired metabolic and regulatory disorders
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the nervous system
  • Idiopathic disorders affecting the nervous system
  • Congenital disorders, including metabolic
  • Degenerative disorders
  • Paroxysmal disorders
  • Disorders of special senses
  • Psychopathologic disorders, processes and their evaluation
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the nervous system
  • Other therapeutic modalities (e.g., radiation, CSF shunting, surgery)

Skin and Related Connective Tissue

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function, including barrier functions, thermal regulation, eccrine function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life or ethnicity
  • Skin defense mechanisms and normal flora
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic, regulatory, and structural disorders
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the skin

• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the skin and connective tissue, including anti-inflammatory agents emollients, sunscreen, retinoids, antimicrobial agents, cytotoxic and immunologic therapy
  • Other therapeutic modalities

Musculoskeletal System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic, regulatory, and structural disorders
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the musculoskeletal system (e.g., diabetes mellitus)
  • Idiopathic disorders
  • Degenerative disorders
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system
  • Other therapeutic modalities (e.g., radiation, surgery, casts, rehabilitation)

Respiratory System

• Normal processes
  
  • embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • organ structure and function
  • cell/tissue structure and function, including surfactant formation, alveolar structure
  • repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
  • pulmonary defense mechanisms and normal flora
• Abnormal processes
  
  • infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • neoplastic disorders
  • metabolic, regulatory, and structural disorders
  • vascular and circulatory disorders
  • systemic disorders affecting the respiratory system
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the respiratory system
  • other therapeutic modalities

Cardiovascular System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • ell/tissue structure and function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic and regulatory disorders
  • vascular disorders
  • Systemic diseases affecting the cardiovascular system
  • Congenital disorders of the heart and central vessels
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the cardiovascular system
  • Other therapeutic modalities

Gastrointestinal System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function, including alimentary canal, liver and biliary system, salivary glands and exocrine pancreas, motility, and digestion and absorption
  • Cell/tissue structure and function
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
  • Gastrointestinal defense mechanisms and normal flora
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders, including benign and malignant
  • Metabolic and regulatory disorders
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the gastrointestinal system

• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal system
  • Other therapeutic modalities (e.g., surgical procedures, stents, feeding tubes)

Renal/Urinary System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function, including renal metabolism and oxygen consumption, hormones produced by or acting on the kidney
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders, including primary  and metastases
  • Metabolic and regulatory disorders
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic diseases affecting the renal system
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the renal and urinary system
  •  other therapeutic modalities (e.g., dialysis, renal transplantation)

Reproductive System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function, including hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, sex steroid and gestational hormones
  • Reproductive system defense mechanisms and normal flora
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic and regulatory processes
  • Systemic disorders affecting reproductive function
  • Disorders relating to pregnancy, the puerperium, and the postpartum period
• Principles of therapeutics
  
  • Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the reproductive system
  • Other therapeutic modalities affecting the reproductive system (e.g., tampons)

Endocrine System

• Normal processes
  
  • Embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes
  • Organ structure and function
  • Cell/tissue structure and function, including hormone synthesis, secretion, action, and metabolism
  • Repair, regeneration, and changes associated with stage of life
• Abnormal processes
  
  • Infectious, inflammatory, and immunologic disorders
  • Traumatic and mechanical disorders
  • Neoplastic disorders
  • Metabolic and regulatory processes
  • Vascular disorders
  • Systemic disorders affecting the endocrine system
  • Idiopathic disorders
• Principles of therapeutics
• Mechanisms of action, use, and adverse effects of drugs for treatment of disorders of the endocrine system

Source: Advancedpreclinical.com