I'm an M1 right now, and I was advised to use First Aid in my med school classes to help prep for boards. I have the 2007 version of First Aid but I'm taking the exam in 2008. How much does the book change from year to year. Should I buy the '08 version eventually?
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Step I First Aid '07 and '08
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You're fine with the '07 version. You're probably fine with the '06 version too (since that was the first year I think they split it up by systems).
The only thing that changes much is the format with which it is presented. Anything that you feel is missing (and theres always something) is what you'll be annotating in yourself.
The only thing that changes much is the format with which it is presented. Anything that you feel is missing (and theres always something) is what you'll be annotating in yourself.
try not to use the '06 first aid.........its riddled with errors..........in fact, I would suggest using the '05 first aid for your classes since its broken up by subject and not systems (like the '06/'07/'08 first aids)............and annotate the crap out of it as your classes go along...........I did this for the past 2 yr and its helped me immensely with shelfs/miniboards and hopefully for my upcoming step 1
Then, as you come closer to the spring of your 2nd yr when u are prepping for step 1, get a copy of '08 first aid, pray they corrected the huge list of errors and see what new info is in there thats missing from your '05 first aid
Cheers,
Knight
P.S. here's a list of KNOWN errors in '06 FA........I am sure there are more -
Page#--correction
72--it should read "Kubler-Ross Dying Stages" (not grief stages)
161--Micro - Most common cause of bacterial meningitis in adults 18-60 is Strep pneumo. N meningitidis is still the most common for 6 - 18 yr olds (from uptodate)
187--the complement cascade show C4b2*b* as classic C3 convertase and C4b2*b as classic C5 convertase. It should be C4b2_*a*_ = classic C3 convertase and C4b2_*a*_3b = classic C5 convertase
208--St. John's Wort is an inducer of CYP (3A4), not an inhibitor. (checked JAMA)
221--EDV and ESV are swapped in the pressure-volume relationship in the cardiovascular section
221--the PV-curve shows what happens with an increase in afterload AND contractility. So put a little "[up-arrow] contractility" next to "[up-arrow] afterload"
259--In "Other hypothalamic/pituitary drugs" GH is somatoTROPIN. Octreotide is the analogue of somatostatin.
274--Barrett's esophagus is replacement of nonkeratinized squamous epithelium with INTESTINAL columnar epithelium in the distal esophagus (not gastric)
275--"Usually squamous cell carcinoma" Actually, squamous cell CA and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus currently have almost equal incidence due to a rapid rise in adenocarcinoma rates in recent decades (from UpToDate, Qbank)
283--Pirenzepine causes TACHYcardia, not bradycardia as a toxicity (from micromedex)
295--Wilm's tumor is a mutation on 11p (not 11q) (according to BRS and emedicine and Miglet) (for both WT1 and WT2)
310--Imatinib (Gleevec) is NOT an antibody or myclonal. But it is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
322--Pemphigus vulgaris = intraEPIDERMAL bullae
344--cavernous sinus syndrome should include opthalmoplegia, opthalmic and MAXILLARY sensory loss
345--swap SR with IO at the top, and IR with SO at the bottom
346--pupillary light reflex sends signal via CN2 not CN3
353--Syringomyelia is from damage to crossing SPINOTHALAMIC TRACT FIBERS in the anterior white commissure.
368--the mechanism of ethosuxamide blocks thalamic Ca+2 channels, NOT thalamic Ca+1
385--#5) SLE - in DIFFUSE PROLIFERATIVE form you get wire-loop abnormality with subendothelial immune complex deposits
Color img 48B--is actually a pilocytic astrocytoma, not a glioblastoma (those are Rosenthal fibers)
Color img 104--Sarcoidosis does NOT have caseation
they're the
area immediately posterior to the central sulcus.
pg 346: Pupillary light reflex -> light in either retina sends a signal
via
CN II (NOT III). the pupils contract bilaterally (consensual reflex)
via CN
III (= solid lines)
pg352- diagram on left: F, which is supposed to be pilocytic
astroctoma, is
usually in the posterior fossa but they drew it in the frontal lobe.
pg353- the spinal cord section diagram for syringomelia- corticospinal
should be spinothalamic
pg 357- herniation syndromes- the uncus is mislabelled.
Differences In the definition of cleft lip on page 117 and 124. What
it
says on page 124 is correct and page 117 should read "failure of fusion
of
the maxillary and medial nasal processes leading to cleft lip."
pg 149 it states that Loa Loa (nematode) is transmitted by the deerfly.
this is incorrect. it is transmitted by the bite of a mango fly,
Chrysops.
Pg 63 – Second chart should be disease vs. exposure, not disease vs. test [Annie Garment]
Pg 87 – Pyruvate Kinase is shown as reversible in the diagram. It's
irreversible. [From Mike Su and Christian Song]
Pg 97 – Liver, Fasting State: Amino acids can indeed enter the TCA cycle directly (after deamination) but this is not true for glycerol or lactate. Glycerol enters the glycolytic pathway by being metabolized to Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate (DHAP) while lactate enters the pathway by being metabolized to pyruvate. Therefore, the arrows should be changed accordingly.
Pg 118 – Under the heading "Embryologic Derivatives", surface ectoderm is said
to give rise to the "epithelial linings". This is mostly incorrect. The ectodermal germ layer gives rise to the *sensory* epithelium of the ear, nose, and eye. Epithelial linings of the gut, UG tract, and respiratory tract are derived from the *endodermal* germ layer. [DT Jacobs]
Pg 140 – "Salmonella has an animal reservoir." Not true of Salmonella Typhi, the strain the causes Typhoid fever! (i.e. it's only in humans).
Pg 141 – E. Coli O157:H7 is a subtype of EHEC, not EIEC.
Pg 154 – The process explained is called "Phenotypic Masking" not "Phenotypic Mixing", which is a different process. I verified this with a research paper which describes the process in the journal of Evolution. [from James Toussaint]
Pg 166 (Chart) – Amoxicillin/Ampicillin can be used for E. Coli, as it says on the very next page.
Pg 302 – Follicular Lymphoma: "bcl-2 is involved in apoptosis." Okay, technically this isn't an actual mistake, but at the very least it's HIGHLY misleading. It should really say "bcl-2 is involved in INHIBITION of apoptosis." It's important to realize that this isn't a matter of underexpression of a pro-apoptotic gene, but rather overexpression of an anti-apoptotic gene.
Pg 319 – Osteomalacia/rickets. Vitamin D deficiency causes a DECREASE in serum phosphate (due to increased renal excretion, which, in turn, is due to increased PTH).
Pg 324 – Temporal Arteritis affects medium and LARGE arteries
Pg 325 – Cox-2 inhibitors: the IMPORTANT toxicity is an increased risk of thrombosis (stroke or MI).
Pg 326 – Etanercept: Mechanism – inhibits BOTH TNF-ά AND TNF-β
Pg 404, Testicular non-germ cell tumors, Leydig cell: "androgen producing leads to gynecomastia in men, precocious puberty in boys." While it is true that Leydig cell tumors are androgen-secreting (at least initially) and it is also true that later in life
they can lead to gynecomastia, it is incorrect to say that these two facts are
related to each other. Not only does this not make any sense, but it turns out
that adults with leydig cell tumors actually have DECREASED levels of androgens.
Pg 485 – ALL is Acute LymphoBLASTIC Leukemia, not "lymphocytic" leukemia
Then, as you come closer to the spring of your 2nd yr when u are prepping for step 1, get a copy of '08 first aid, pray they corrected the huge list of errors and see what new info is in there thats missing from your '05 first aid
Cheers,
Knight
P.S. here's a list of KNOWN errors in '06 FA........I am sure there are more -
Page#--correction
72--it should read "Kubler-Ross Dying Stages" (not grief stages)
161--Micro - Most common cause of bacterial meningitis in adults 18-60 is Strep pneumo. N meningitidis is still the most common for 6 - 18 yr olds (from uptodate)
187--the complement cascade show C4b2*b* as classic C3 convertase and C4b2*b as classic C5 convertase. It should be C4b2_*a*_ = classic C3 convertase and C4b2_*a*_3b = classic C5 convertase
208--St. John's Wort is an inducer of CYP (3A4), not an inhibitor. (checked JAMA)
221--EDV and ESV are swapped in the pressure-volume relationship in the cardiovascular section
221--the PV-curve shows what happens with an increase in afterload AND contractility. So put a little "[up-arrow] contractility" next to "[up-arrow] afterload"
259--In "Other hypothalamic/pituitary drugs" GH is somatoTROPIN. Octreotide is the analogue of somatostatin.
274--Barrett's esophagus is replacement of nonkeratinized squamous epithelium with INTESTINAL columnar epithelium in the distal esophagus (not gastric)
275--"Usually squamous cell carcinoma" Actually, squamous cell CA and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus currently have almost equal incidence due to a rapid rise in adenocarcinoma rates in recent decades (from UpToDate, Qbank)
283--Pirenzepine causes TACHYcardia, not bradycardia as a toxicity (from micromedex)
295--Wilm's tumor is a mutation on 11p (not 11q) (according to BRS and emedicine and Miglet) (for both WT1 and WT2)
310--Imatinib (Gleevec) is NOT an antibody or myclonal. But it is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
322--Pemphigus vulgaris = intraEPIDERMAL bullae
344--cavernous sinus syndrome should include opthalmoplegia, opthalmic and MAXILLARY sensory loss
345--swap SR with IO at the top, and IR with SO at the bottom
346--pupillary light reflex sends signal via CN2 not CN3
353--Syringomyelia is from damage to crossing SPINOTHALAMIC TRACT FIBERS in the anterior white commissure.
368--the mechanism of ethosuxamide blocks thalamic Ca+2 channels, NOT thalamic Ca+1
385--#5) SLE - in DIFFUSE PROLIFERATIVE form you get wire-loop abnormality with subendothelial immune complex deposits
Color img 48B--is actually a pilocytic astrocytoma, not a glioblastoma (those are Rosenthal fibers)
Color img 104--Sarcoidosis does NOT have caseation
they're the
area immediately posterior to the central sulcus.
pg 346: Pupillary light reflex -> light in either retina sends a signal
via
CN II (NOT III). the pupils contract bilaterally (consensual reflex)
via CN
III (= solid lines)
pg352- diagram on left: F, which is supposed to be pilocytic
astroctoma, is
usually in the posterior fossa but they drew it in the frontal lobe.
pg353- the spinal cord section diagram for syringomelia- corticospinal
should be spinothalamic
pg 357- herniation syndromes- the uncus is mislabelled.
Differences In the definition of cleft lip on page 117 and 124. What
it
says on page 124 is correct and page 117 should read "failure of fusion
of
the maxillary and medial nasal processes leading to cleft lip."
pg 149 it states that Loa Loa (nematode) is transmitted by the deerfly.
this is incorrect. it is transmitted by the bite of a mango fly,
Chrysops.
Pg 63 – Second chart should be disease vs. exposure, not disease vs. test [Annie Garment]
Pg 87 – Pyruvate Kinase is shown as reversible in the diagram. It's
irreversible. [From Mike Su and Christian Song]
Pg 97 – Liver, Fasting State: Amino acids can indeed enter the TCA cycle directly (after deamination) but this is not true for glycerol or lactate. Glycerol enters the glycolytic pathway by being metabolized to Dihydroxyacetone Phosphate (DHAP) while lactate enters the pathway by being metabolized to pyruvate. Therefore, the arrows should be changed accordingly.
Pg 118 – Under the heading "Embryologic Derivatives", surface ectoderm is said
to give rise to the "epithelial linings". This is mostly incorrect. The ectodermal germ layer gives rise to the *sensory* epithelium of the ear, nose, and eye. Epithelial linings of the gut, UG tract, and respiratory tract are derived from the *endodermal* germ layer. [DT Jacobs]
Pg 140 – "Salmonella has an animal reservoir." Not true of Salmonella Typhi, the strain the causes Typhoid fever! (i.e. it's only in humans).
Pg 141 – E. Coli O157:H7 is a subtype of EHEC, not EIEC.
Pg 154 – The process explained is called "Phenotypic Masking" not "Phenotypic Mixing", which is a different process. I verified this with a research paper which describes the process in the journal of Evolution. [from James Toussaint]
Pg 166 (Chart) – Amoxicillin/Ampicillin can be used for E. Coli, as it says on the very next page.
Pg 302 – Follicular Lymphoma: "bcl-2 is involved in apoptosis." Okay, technically this isn't an actual mistake, but at the very least it's HIGHLY misleading. It should really say "bcl-2 is involved in INHIBITION of apoptosis." It's important to realize that this isn't a matter of underexpression of a pro-apoptotic gene, but rather overexpression of an anti-apoptotic gene.
Pg 319 – Osteomalacia/rickets. Vitamin D deficiency causes a DECREASE in serum phosphate (due to increased renal excretion, which, in turn, is due to increased PTH).
Pg 324 – Temporal Arteritis affects medium and LARGE arteries
Pg 325 – Cox-2 inhibitors: the IMPORTANT toxicity is an increased risk of thrombosis (stroke or MI).
Pg 326 – Etanercept: Mechanism – inhibits BOTH TNF-ά AND TNF-β
Pg 404, Testicular non-germ cell tumors, Leydig cell: "androgen producing leads to gynecomastia in men, precocious puberty in boys." While it is true that Leydig cell tumors are androgen-secreting (at least initially) and it is also true that later in life
they can lead to gynecomastia, it is incorrect to say that these two facts are
related to each other. Not only does this not make any sense, but it turns out
that adults with leydig cell tumors actually have DECREASED levels of androgens.
Pg 485 – ALL is Acute LymphoBLASTIC Leukemia, not "lymphocytic" leukemia
wow thats a ton of mistakes....thanks for posting
Yeah, very surprising too, just ordered the latest and greatest version- fortunetly I also own a 2005- looking down the line I wouldn't say that they are really very nitpicky, just seems like its the kind of issues you run into with first editions.
The boards hardly change from year to year, and consequently, neither does First Aid.
The only reason they release annual editions is that they've found that med students are paranoid enough to want the newest one instead of a cheaper used one.
The only reason they release annual editions is that they've found that med students are paranoid enough to want the newest one instead of a cheaper used one.
Wasn't planning to get the new version, but maybe I should reconsider...
Has anyone compared '06 and '07 versions to see if major changes/corrections were made? I noticed that in '07 they broke out Immunology and Pathology but it looks like the same info as '06. Were the mistakes in '06 fixed in '07?
FA got it all wrong..even on USMLERX
Polyarteritis nodosa is definitely P-ANCA.Take note.
Polyarteritis nodosa is definitely P-ANCA.Take note.
Excellent. I've never wanted to 'study' so badly...
No, PAN is generally not associated with either ANCA. A minority of cases will have p-anca, and a smaller minority will have c-anca.
On Step 1, jumping on a p-ANCA-PAN association will probably lead you to the wrong answer.
You're taking shelfs before step 1?
bump for 2005
The first edition of a book usually has significantly more errors. So I think investment in the newer version of First Aid would be worthwhile. I was so anal, I actually got both the 2002 and 2003 versions.
Stark
Stark
You can download FA 2006 edition:
http://4usmle.net/forum/step-1-downloads/1133-first-aid-usmle-step-1-a.html
and try to compare it with the one you have
http://4usmle.net/forum/step-1-downloads/1133-first-aid-usmle-step-1-a.html
and try to compare it with the one you have
Yep, sign up for prep-4-uslme (www.prep4usmle.com) and your inbox is flooded daily by jmentor to buy Goljan lectures and other materials. If you use prep4usmle, make sure you designate that you do not want to receive emails.
If you've got the cash, why not.
I have both 2006 and 2007, but I already finished highlighting 2006 and I don't plan to do it for 2007. I'll use 2007 as a cross-reference check. I plan to sell it later to recoup my investment.
Have you compared the 2006 and 2007 versions to see if many of the errors were corrected?
Thanks.
I did a quick check and here are the results:
72--it should read "Kubler-Ross Dying Stages" (not grief stages)
UNCHANGED
161--Micro - Most common cause of bacterial meningitis in adults 18-60 is Strep pneumo. N meningitidis is still the most common for 6 - 18 yr olds (from uptodate)
UNCHANGED
187--the complement cascade show C4b2*b* as classic C3 convertase and C4b2*b as classic C5 convertase. It should be C4b2_*a*_ = classic C3 convertase and C4b2_*a*_3b = classic C5 convertase
UNCHANGED. (I think it is because they took image from another source with permission)
208--St. John's Wort is an inducer of CYP (3A4), not an inhibitor. (checked JAMA)
CORRECTED
221--EDV and ESV are swapped in the pressure-volume relationship in the cardiovascular section
DIAGRAM REMOVED
221--the PV-curve shows what happens with an increase in afterload AND contractility. So put a little "[up-arrow] contractility" next to "[up-arrow] afterload"
DIAGRAM REMOVED
259--In "Other hypothalamic/pituitary drugs" GH is somatoTROPIN. Octreotide is the analogue of somatostatin.
CORRECTED. NOW SAYS "Somatostatin (octreotide)"
274--Barrett's esophagus is replacement of nonkeratinized squamous epithelium with INTESTINAL columnar epithelium in the distal esophagus (not gastric)
CORRECTED.
275--"Usually squamous cell carcinoma" Actually, squamous cell CA and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus currently have almost equal incidence due to a rapid rise in adenocarcinoma rates in recent decades (from UpToDate, Qbank)
CORRECTED. Now says, "Worldwide, squamous cell is most common. In US, squamous and adenocarcinoma are equal in incidence"
283--Pirenzepine causes TACHYcardia, not bradycardia as a toxicity (from micromedex)
CORRECTED.
295--Wilm's tumor is a mutation on 11p (not 11q) (according to BRS and emedicine and Miglet) (for both WT1 and WT2)
SECTION REMOVED.
310--Imatinib (Gleevec) is NOT an antibody or myclonal. But it is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
CORRECTED.
If I have time, I'll post some more. You can make up your own mind, but I think 2007 is worth it. Some people will stick with 2005, but I also heard that has errors too. So, there's no perfect edition of FA. At least with 2006, you have list of known errors.
nice work...maybe repost this and any additional findings(by anyone) in a new/separate thread?
http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/medical/firstaidfortheboards/errata.php
You have to register and then it lets you download them in .pdf format.
Still not sure why people dog on '06 specifically... there's an '05 errata thread, too. There will never be an error-free version.
You have to register and then it lets you download them in .pdf format.
Still not sure why people dog on '06 specifically... there's an '05 errata thread, too. There will never be an error-free version.
Also, some of these "errors" are not truly wrong. For instance the complement nomenclature is not incorrect and has been used both ways in the literature. Another example of over-obsession with terminology is the Kubler-Ross example. Who cares if Kubler-Ross called them stages of "dying" vs "grief." Do you think you'll see a boards question on that difference? A true list of significant errors for any year is not that long and on par with any review text.
A great way to use FA is to search for errors on your own. In order to do this you have to know a lot of important info with a lot of confidence.
A great way to use FA is to search for errors on your own. In order to do this you have to know a lot of important info with a lot of confidence.
doesn't shelf = miniboard? at my school, at the end of each subject, we are made to take a miniboard in that subject.......my annotated FA saves me time and effort
