2027 focus
Digestive, immune, and respiratory systems (Year of the national rotation).
Study plan
Setup (team of 2, ~50 min, Class II calculator, one double-sided 8.5×11 note sheet)
- Build the note sheet around labeled diagrams and pathway summaries for respiratory, digestive, and immune systems — nothing else fits the page budget.
- Respiratory: organs/functions → pulmonary ventilation measures → breathing patterns → reading a spirogram → gas exchange & O₂ dissociation curves → exercise and high-altitude effects.
- Memorize regional respiratory disorders (COPD, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, sleep apnea, cystic fibrosis) only after healthy physiology is solid.
- Digestive: alimentary canal + accessory organs → four wall layers → lining comparisons (esophagus/stomach/SI/LI) → mechanical vs chemical digestion → chemistry of protein/fat/carb digestion → exercise/obesity effects.
- Know regional digestive disorders (ulcers, digestive cancers, diarrhea, lactose intolerance, hepatitis, appendicitis) and how they map cell → organ → person.
- Immune: bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, skin → innate (barriers, complement, TLRs, inflammation, innate cells) vs adaptive → immune response & allergy → listed immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity, and type 1–4 hypersensitivities.
- State & National only: add respiratory extras (TB, pulmonary edema, pleurisy, lung cancers, fibrosis, pneumoconioses; blood chemistry/rhythm control; treatments for all listed diseases); digestive extras (diverticular disease, GERD, PUD, UC, Crohn’s, celiac; liver/pancreas/Kupffer; treatments); immune extras (transplant rejection prevention, cancer immunotherapies, SLE/dermatomyositis/scleroderma/psoriasis; treatments).
- Practice both written and station formats (models, data, diagrams) under a 50-minute clock; quiz each other on blank pathways weekly.
Tips
Build a shared one-pager of pathways and vocabulary. Quiz each other with blank diagrams.