Risus Sardonicus

Risus sardonicus (sometimes called sardonic smile) is a highly characteristic, abnormal, sustained spasm of the facial muscles that appears to produce grinning.

The name of the condition derives from the appearance of raised eyebrows and an open "grin" - which can appear malevolent to the lay observer - displayed by those suffering from these muscle spasms.

Causes

It is most often observed as a sign of tetanus. Poisoning with strychnine may result in a risus sardonicus.

In 2009 scientists at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy claimed to have identified hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) as the plant responsible for producing the sardonic grin. This plant is the most-likely candidate for the "sardonic herb," which was a neurotoxic plant used for the ritual killing of elderly people in pre-Roman Sardinia.

In popular culture

The condition was the inspiration behind the 1981 track Sardonicus by UB40, on their album, Present Arms. The song has strong political linkages with false smiles.

Arthur Conan Doyle's hero Sherlock Holmes uses the term to describe the facial distortion of the murder victim Bartholomew Sholto in his story The Sign of the Four.

Risus Sardonicus is also known as the Hippocratic Smile

In various Batman comics The Joker often kills his victims with toxins that induce Risus Sardonicus.

Beat The Smoking Habit – Step 1

Step 1 of 4

Know Some Facts  

What’s in a cigarette anyway?

 

There are over 4000 compounds in cigarette smoke that can cause cancer and other diseases. Below are a few of them:

 

Carbon Monoxide (also found in Vehicle exhaust fumes)

Napthalene (also found in Mothballs)

Arsenic (also found in Ant poison)

Cadmium (also found in Car batteries)

Phenol (also found in Vehicle Toilet cleaner)

DDT (also found in Insecticides)

Ammonia (also found in Fertilizer)

 

Cigarettes also contain nicotine. But contrary to popular belief, studies have shown that nicotine does not cause cancer. It is however, what makes cigarettes so addictive. Your body looks for it whenever you attempt to quit smoking.

 

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Beat The Smoking Habit – Step 2

 Step 2  of 4

Know the Health Benefits of Stopping Smoking..  

 

20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse return to normal.

8hours: Carbon monoxide levels in the blood are halved, oxygens levels in the blood return to normal.

24 hours: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body

And the lungs start to clear out the build up of tar.

48 hours: taste and smell are greatly improved.

72 hours: Breathing becomes easier, bronchial tubes begin to relax, energy levels increase.

2-12 weeks: Circulation improves, making walking and running a lot easier.

3-9 months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as the lungs have room for up to 10& more oxygen.

5 years: Risk of heart attack is halved.

10 years: Risk of lung cancer is halved.

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Beat The Smoking Habit – Step 3

 Step 3 of 4

 

Be ready with the challenge!!

Kicking the habit is hard work. Once you stop smoking, you body begins to miss and crave the nicotine that is used to get whenever you puffed on a cigarette. These cravings are strong, so it’s very difficult to just suddenly stop. When you do, you may feel tense, or even depressed.

 

There are also behavioral aspects to consider. Simple actions like holding a cigarette, flicking away the ash and blowing out smoke have already become a habit. Cigarettes have even become a part of your daily rituals, especially after mealtimes, during coffee breaks or while out with your friends.  So, recharge! Be better ready with the challenge!

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Beat The Smoking Habit – Step 4

Step 4  of 4

Get off to a good start  

These four steps will help you strengthen your determination:

Set a date. Decide exactly when you are quitting.   

Tell family and friends. You’ll need their support.

Anticipate challenges. Prepare to overcome them.

 

Remove cigarette-related items from your home.

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Oxygen Delivery Devices

Although I learned about the indications, purposes, advantages/disadvantages, precautions, etc. of these devices when i was still studying, some books did not have enough illustrations of these ones. I searched on the net to give you an idea how they look like. So here they are! :)

Nasal Cannula











Simple Mask








Venturi Mask








Nonrebreathing Mask

Pathognomonic Signs

Addison's disease
Bronze-like skin

Angina pectoris
Levine's sign (hand clutching of chest)

Bulimia Nervosa
Chipmunk facies (parotid gland swelling)

Cholecystitis
Murphy's sign (pain on deep inspiration when inflamed gallbladder is palpated)

Cholera
Rice-watery stool

Chronic hemorrhagic pancreatitis
Grey-Turner's sign (ecchymosis in flank area)

Cushing syndrome
Moon face

Diphtheria
Pseudomembrane on tonsils, pharynx and nasal cavity

Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy
Gowers' sign

Emphysema  
Barrel chest

Hyperthyroidism
Exophthalmos

Hypocalcemia
Trousseau sign and Chvostek sign

Kawasaki Disease
Strawberry tongue

Liver cirrhosis
Spider angioma

Leprosy
Leonine facies (thickened lion-like facial skin)

Measles
Koplik's spots

Meningitis
Kernig's sign and Brudzinski's sign

Pancreatitis
Cullen's sign (bluish discoloration of umbilicus)

Parkinson’s disease
Pill-rolling tremors

Patent ductus arteriosus
Machine-like murmur

Pernicious anemia
Red beefy tongue

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Butterfly rash

Tetanus
Risus sardonicus

Typhoid fever
Rose spots in abdomen

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Mnemonics

ABG ANALYSIS
"ROME"
Respiratory Opposite
Metabolic Equal

BLEEDING (Minor) – signs and symptoms
"BEEP"
B: Bleeding gums
E: Ecchymoses (bruises)
E: Epistaxis (nosebleed)
P: Petechiae (tiny purplish spots)

CANCER – signs and symptoms
"CAUTION"
C: Change in bowel or bladder habits
A: A sore that doesn’t heal
U: Unusual bleeding or discharge
T: Thickening or lump
I: Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
O: Obvious changes in a wart or mole
N: Nagging cough or hoarseness.

CELL INJURY - causes
"TIPD"
To remember the four causes of cell injury, think of how the injury tipped (or TIPD) the scale of homeostasis:
T: Toxin or other lethal (cytotoxic) substance
I: Infection
P: Physical insult or injury
D: Deficit, or lack of water, oxygen, or nutrients.

HYPERKALEMIA - causes
"MACHINE"
M - Medications - ACE inhibitors, NSAIDS
A - Acidosis - Metabolic and respiratory
C - Cellular destruction - Burns, traumatic injury
H - Hypoaldosteronism, hemolysis
I - Intake - Excesssive
N - Nephrons, renal failure
E - Excretion - Impaired

HYPERKALEMIA – signs and symptoms
"MURDER"

• M - Muscle weakness
• U - Urine, oliguria, anuria
• R- Respiratory distress
• D - Decreased cardiac contractility
• E - ECG changes
• R - Reflexes, hyperreflexia, or areflexia (flaccid)

 

HYPERNATREMIA - signs and symptoms
"You Are FRIED"

F - Fever (low grade), flushed skin
R - Restless (irritable)
I - Increased fluid retention and increased BP
E - Edema (peripheral and pitting)
D - Decreased urinary output, dry mouth

Can also use this one:

HYPERNATREMIA - signs and symptoms
"SALT"

S = Skin flushed
A = Agitation
L = Low-grade fever
T = Thirst

HYPERTENSION - Treatment
"ABCD"
ACE inhibitors/ AngII antagonists (sometimes Alpha agonists also)
Beta blockers
Calcium antagonists
Diuretics (sometimes vasoDilators also)

HYPOCALCEMIA signs and symptoms
"CATS"
C - Convulsions
A- Arrhythmias
T - Tetany
S - Spasms and stridor

MOLE'S MALIGNANY POTENTIAL - assessment
"ABCD"

A: Asymmetry--Is the mole irregular in shape?
B: Border--Is the border irregular, notched, or poorly defined?
C: Color--Does the color vary (for example, between shades of brown, red, white, blue, or black)?
D: Diameter--Is the diameter more than 6 mm?

SKIN BIOPSY
"ESP"
Excision
Shave
Punch

To remember which blood types are compatible, visualize the letter “O” as an orb representing the universe, because type O blood is the universal donor blood. Patients with any blood type can receive it. But O also means “odd man out”: Patients with type O blood can receive only type O blood.

Having difficulty distinguishing hypoplasia from hyperplasia? When you see plasia in any word, think of "plastic." Plastic, in turn, means forming or developing. As for hypo and hyper, that’s the easy part. Hypo means under, or below normal. Hyper means excessive, or above normal. Thus, hypoplasia means underdevelopment, and hyperplasia means overdevelopment.

A stand-up comedian who gets no laughs might say his audience has humoral immunity. But humor is the Latin word for “liquid,” and humoral immunity comes from elements in the blood — specifically, antibodies. Contrast this with cellular immunity, which comes about through the actions of T cells.


http://allnurses.com/forums/f205/mnemonics-memory-aids-146408.html

 

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