The Medicine Olympiad
2024 USMDO
The US Medicine & Disease Olympiad
Recommended Textbooks:
Campbell Biology (Urry et al.)
Essential Cell Biology (Alberts et al.)
Textbooks on Human Physiology and Human Disease are recommended but not required.
USMDO Topics
Cell Biology & Genetics
1. Macromolecules
2. The Structures of the Cell
3. Cell Membrane
4. Passive and Active Transport
5. Metabolism and Enzymes
6. Cellular Respiration
7. Cell Signaling
8. Mitosis
9. Meiosis
10. Mendelian Genetics
11. Chromosomes
12. DNA
13. Replication
14. Transcription
15. Translation
16. Gene Regulation
17. Viruses
18. Bacteria
19. Biotechnology
20. Cell Death
21. Cancer
22. Stem Cells
Human Physiology
1. Organization of the Human Body
2. Homeostasis
3. The Digestive System
4. The Circulatory System
5. The Respiratory System
6. The Immune System
7. The Excretory System
8. The Endocrine System
9. The Reproductive System
10. The Nervous System
11. The Muscular System
12. The Skeletal System
13. The Integumentary System
Human Disease
1. Cancer
2. Genetic Diseases
3. Cardiovascular Diseases
4. Blood Diseases
5. Lung Diseases
6. Gastrointestinal Diseases
7. Kidney Diseases
8. Reproductive Diseases
9. Skin Diseases
10. Bone and Joint Diseases
11. Muscle Diseases
12. Nervous System Diseases
13. Endocrine System Diseases
14. Immunologic Diseases
15. Infectious Diseases
Sample USMDO Questions
Cell Biology & Genetics
1. Which of the following macromolecules is not a polymer?
a. starch
b. cellulose
c. protein
d. DNA
e. phospholipid
2. Where are the large and small subunits of ribosomes assembled?
a. rough endoplasmic reticulum
b. cytosol
c. Golgi apparatus
d. nucleolus
e. smooth endoplasmic reticulum
3. What is the motor protein that is associated with microtubules in the flagella?
a. flagellin
b. dynein
c. kinesin
d. actin
e. myosin
4. The uptake of which substance into cells requires receptor-mediated endocytosis?
a. glucose
b. fructose
c. LDL
d. MHC
e. testosterone
5. How many NADH molecules are produced per acetyl-CoA in the citric acid cycle?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 6
6. Which of the following does not function as a second messenger?
a. cAMP
b. inositol triphosphate (IP3)
c. diacylglycerol (DAG)
d. sodium ion (Na+)
e. calcium ion (Ca2+)
7. Which of the following is not a difference between mitosis and meiosis?
a. separation of chromatids
b. formation of tetrads
c. crossing over
d. synapsis
e. formation of chiasmata
8. Which enzyme untwists the double-stranded DNA and separates the two strands?
a. ligase
b. primase
c. topoisomerase
d. DNA Polymerase
e. helicase
9. What is the gel electrophoresis of mRNA followed by labeled-probe hybridization called?
a. Southern blotting
b. Northern blotting
c. Western blotting
d. Eastern blotting
e. in situ hybridization
10. What is one method of gene duplication in sexual organisms?
a. reverse transcription
b. genomic imprinting
c. nondisjunction
d. translocation
e. unequal crossing-over
Human Physiology
1. Which of the following is not a connective tissue?
a. tendon
b. bone
c. blood
d. adipose tissue
e. glia
2. Which water-soluble vitamin is needed by pregnant woman to prevent birth defects?
a. thiamine
b. riboflavin
c. niacin
d. folic acid
e. ascorbic acid
3. Which cell secretes pepsinogen in the stomach?
a. parietal cell
b. chief cell
c. mucous cell
d. goblet cell
e. acinar cell
4. Which organ or tissue synthesizes erythropoietin, the hormone that stimulates red blood cell production?
a. kidney
b. liver
c. bone marrow
d. pancreas
e. heart
5. Which is by far the major mechanism of carbon dioxide transport in the blood?
a. bound to hemoglobin
b. converted to bicarbonate ion and hydrogen ion
c. dissolved in plasma
d. as gas bubbles
e. converted to glucose
6. Which of the following is not a phagocyte?
a. neutrophil
b. mast cell
c. macrophage
d. eosinophil
e. dendritic cell
7. Which of the following hormone or compound has the least effect on blood pressure?
a. cortisol
b. epinephrine
c. angiotensin
d. renin
e. aldosterone
8. In which structure are sperm stored after their maturation in the testes?
a. seminiferous tubules
b. epididymis
c. vas deferens
d. seminal vesicle
e. prostate gland
9. Which of the following structures is or are formed from ectoderm?
a. dermis of skin
b. lining of digestive tract
c. lining of respiratory tracts
d. skeleton
e. teeth
10. What is the neurotransmitter secreted by the motor neurons at the neuromuscular junction?
a. GABA
b. acetylcholine
c. glutamate
d. norepinephrine
e. nitric oxide
Human Disease
1. Which of the following bacterial diseases does not involve a G protein?
a. cholera
b. tetanus
c. pertussis
d. botulism
e. diarrhea caused by E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin
2. Which of the following is not the result of aneuploidy?
a. Down syndrome
b. Klinefelter syndrome
c. William syndrome
d. Turner syndrome
e. Edwards syndrome
3. Which of the following is a proto-oncogene?
a. ras
b. p53
c. p21
d. BRCA1
e. APC
4. Which hormone is involved in diabetes insipidus?
a. insulin
b. glucagon
c. vasopressin
d. thyroxine
e. oxytocin
5. Which compound causes the symptoms of both inflammation and allergy?
a. cytokine
b. histamine
c. pyrogen
d. prostaglandin
e. interferon
Answers:
Cell Biology & Genetics 1 e, 2 d, 3 b, 4 c, 5 c, 6 d, 7 a, 8 e, 9 b, 10 e
Human Physiology 1 e, 2 d, 3 b, 4 a, 5 b, 6 b, 7 a, 8 b, 9 e, 10 b
Human Disease 1 b, 2 c, 3 a, 4 c, 5 b
Additional Information:
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