Endocrinology

• Mechanisms of hormone action and importance of
• Receptors and substances involved in control of intracellular metabolism
• Clinically relevant anatomical aspects of the speciality
• 
  
  Thyroid
  - Mechanisms of thyroid disease
  - Clinical presentation and treatment
  Ex:
  ---Thyroid hormone biosynthesis and its control
  ---Important drugs interfering with thyroid function
  ---Indications for use of various types of thyroid function test
  ---Autoimmunity and the thyroid
  ---Clinical features of thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism
  ---Goitre and its management
  ---Thyroid neoplasia
• Hypothalamus/Pituitary
  - Physiology and testing of the control mechanisms of the endocrine system
  Ex:
  ---The physiology and Pathophysiology of control of pituitary hormone secretion
  ---The mechanisms of maintaining plasma osmolality
  ---Tests of pituitary diseases such as acromegaly, prolactinoma and Cushing's syndrome
  ---Drugs used in the treatment of pituitary disease
  ---Pituitary replacement therapy
• Adrenal
  - Clinically relevant mechanisms of steroid biosynthesis
  Ex:
  ---Build-up of precursor compounds when there is defective cortisol biosynthesis in adrenocortical hyperplasia
  ---Tests for adrenocortical function
  ---Endocrine causes of hypertension and their differential diagnosis
  ---Clinical features and management of adrenal hyper- and hypofunction
  ---Complications of steroid therapy
• Ovary
  - Physiology of ovarian functions
  - Conditions presenting to a physician
  Ex:
  ---Hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle
  ---Physiological changes in pregnancy
  ---The differential diagnosis of hirsutism and virilism
  ---Causes of amenorrhoea and anovulation
  ---Endocrine causes of infertility
• Testis
  - Relevant investigations of urological infertility
  - Endocrine aspects of testicular functions
• Growth
  - Factors controlling growth hormone secretion
  - Normal growth patterns
  - General medical and endocrine causes of short stature
  - Control of excessive growth
  - Growth hormone therapy and its complications
• Parathyroid/bone
  - Control of bone turnover and disorders which can result of its failure
  Ex:
  ---Control of calcium metabolism
  ---Laboratory tests of parathyroid function
  ---The causes of hypercalcaemia
  ---Mechanisms of oesteomalacia
  ---Hyperparathyroidism, both primary and secondary
  ---The differentiation of primary, secondary and pseudo-hypoparathyroidism
  ---The differentiation of primary, secondary and pseudo-hypoparathyroidism
  ---The prophylaxis and treatment of osteoporosis
  ---Calcitonin and its role in metabolism
• Diabetes mellitus
  - Detailed knowledge is required.
  Ex:
  ---Control of carbohydrate metabolism
  ---Genetics of diabetes
  ---Aetiology of type I diabetes and type 2 diabetes
  ---Long-term complications of diabetes
  ---Management of diabetic emergencies
  ---Differential diagnosis and treatment of hypoglycaemia
• Disorders of lipid metabolism
  - Importance of this group disorder
  Ex:
  ---Control of cholesterol metabolism
  ---Aetiology of different types of hyperlipidaemia including both cholesterol and triglyceride disorders
  ---Indications for lipid lowering agents and their complications
  ---Types of secondary hyperlipidaemia

Nephrology

• Physiology
  - Discrete functions of Glomerular ultrafiltration and tubular function
  - Proximal and distal parts of the nephron, with particular reference to control of water and electrolyte balance
  - Renal tubular acidosis
  - Cystinuria
  - Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-balance disturbances
• Molecular biology and genetics
  - Genetic defects of common disorders including:
  ---Polycystic kidney
  ---Alport's syndrome
  ---Hypophosphataemic rickets
  - Inflammatory injury of the kidney mediated by various cytokines factors
• Glomerular and tubular disorders
  - Glomerular ultra structure based upon techniques of light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunofluorescence as applied to renal biopsy
  - Primary Glomerular disorders as in idiopathic glomerulonephritis, and nephropathies of systemic diseases
  Ex:
  ---Diabetes mellitus
  ---SLE
  ---Hypertensive nephrosclerosis
  ---Vasculitis
  ---Amyloidosis
  - Interstitial nephritis, in particular vase s with reversible aetiology such as drug, heavy metals and analgesics
  - Metabolic sequelae of acute nephrotic and nephritic syndromes
  - Investigation and assessment of Glomerular and tubular disorders, including ultrasonic studies and nuclear medicine
  - Disturbed renal and metabolic functions in nephritic syndrome from a variety of causes
• Infections of the kidney
  - Management of urinary tract infections including their detention, predisposing factors, prevention, and treatment
  - Anatomical abnormalities leading to repeated urinary tract infection
  Ex:
  ---Reflux nephropathy
  ---Prostatic hypertrophy
  - Other infections that might affect the kidney by direct invasion or by immune-complex deposition
• Calculus formation within the urinary tract
  - Metabolic disorders predisposing to stone formation, their investigation, prevention and treatment
  Ex:
  ---Idiopathic hypercalciuria
  ---Primary Hyperparathyroidism
  ---Cystinuria
  ---Hyperoxaluria · Acute and chronic renal failure
  - Management of acute and chronic renal failure and of disturbed physiology involved
  - Pathophysiological changes and non-dialytic treatment in different stages of progressive renal failure
  - Principle of nutritional requirements and diatery intervention for patients with chronic renal failure
  - Other therapeutic means to slow down the progression of renal failure
• Hypertension and renal problems in pregnancy
  - Renal adaptation to pregnancy
  - Management and profylaxis of renal disease and hypertension in pregnancy
• Drug and the kidney
  - Role of the kidney in the normal elimination of drugs
  - Mechanisms by which drugs cause nephrotoxic damage
  - Principle of dose adjustment according to residual renal function
• Renal replacement therapy
  - Different dialysis modalities and their complications
  - Complications related to immunosuppressive therapy following renal transplantation
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Dermatology

• Basic science
  - Structure and function of the epidermis and dermis
• Clinical dermatology
  - Recognition of cutaneous symptoms and signs of systemic diseases (diseases affecting internal organs and presenting skin signs or symptoms)
  Ex:
  ---Collagen vascular disease such as SLE, systemic sclerosis
  ---Metabolic and endocrine disorders
  ---Infectious diseases
  ---Cancers
  ---Leukaemias
  ---Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
  ---Common inherited diseases such as neurofibromatosis
  - Main dermatological complications of therapeutic immunosuppression (ex: systemic corticosteroid therapy, cyclosporin…) or of diseases such as HIV which cause immunosuppression
  - Differential diagnosis and plan of investigation of patients whom, present with the following cutaneous signs or symptoms which may indicate internal diseases:
  ---Itch
  ---Hyperpigmentation
  ---Generalised erythema
  ---Loss of hair
  ---Increased hair growth
  ---Common patterns of nail dystrophy such as clubbing
  ---Erythema nodosum
  ---Erythema multiform
  ---Purpura
  ---Ulceration
  ---Vasculitis
  - Clinical features of the following skin diseases:
  ---Psoriasis
  ---Eczema
  ---Urticaria
  ---Superficial fungal infections (dermatophytosis, pityriasis versicolor)
  ---Common skin cancers such as melanoma
  ---Vitiligo and alopecia areata
  ---Pemphigus and pemphigold
  ---Cutaneous herpes virus infections (herpes simplex, varicella zoster)
  ---Cutaneous staphylococcal and streptococcal infections
  ---Leprosy · Investigation
  - Principles of dermatological investigation such as patch testing
• Drugs and therapy
  - Drugs which cause life-threatening skin conditions such as
  ---Erythroderma
  ---Stevens-Johnson syndrome,
  ---Angio-oedema
  ---Toxic epidermal necrolysis