1. Generally, in a surgical abdomen, pain precedes nausea/vomiting, while the reverse is true of a medical abdomen.
2. In clinically obvious appendicitis (pain started in umbilicus, moved to RLQ, severe pain, anorexia, rebound, guarding, rigid abdomen, +psoas sign, +Rovsing's sign, elevated WBC, fever) no CT scan is necessary, just go to the OR. Sensitivity of H&P is >95%. Groups where there's a higher false-negative (ie. negative ex-lap) rate: women of childbearing age, elderly people. For them, CT is indicated.
3. In a patient with trauma to both abdomen and pelvis, with an inconclusive FAST exam, do a DPL before you go to the OR.
4. Risk factors for gastric cancer: 
-H.Pylori infection
-History of atrophic gastritis
-Diet: high-salt (damages mucosa), nitrosamines (smoked foods)
-Lifestyle: Obesity, Smoking (NOT alcohol)
-History of gastric cancer (billroth II > billroth I, 2/2 alkaline reflux)
-Genetic: type A blood, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (e-cadherin truncation mutation, also predisposes to lobar breast cancer)
5. Workup/staging for gastric cancer: 
-CT C/A/P with IV and PO contrast-- to look for mets
-EGD to find the exact location, EUS for depth of invasion and nodes.
-Laparoscopy
The first of these will inform you about the role of preoperative chemotherapy, and whether you should operate at all.
6. PET scans have no role in the workup of gastric cancer-- only 2/3 of these cancers are PET sensitive, false negative and positive reactions are common. Cancers for which PET scans are shown to be beneficial in diagnosis: melanoma, RCC, lymphoma. Cancers for which PET is not shown to be beneficial: gastric, pancreatic.
7. Treatment regimens for gastric cancer: 
-Mcdonald's protocol, SW oncology group trial 0116: surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation
-Cunningham trial: chemotherapy first, then surgery, then more chemotherapy
-If you do a total gastrectomy, reconstruct with roux-en-y: more physiologic than billroth II.
8. Surgical management of ulcerative colitis: 
-proctocolectomy with end-ileostomy: pros- one surgery; cons- permanent ostomy
-ileal pouch anal anastomosis: pros- no ostomy; cons- risk of pouchitis (up to 50% incidence), frequent BM ranging from 4-12 times a day, anastomotic leak, may take up to 3 surgeries (end ileostomy, pouch creation and anastomosis with diverting ileostomy, ileostomy takedown)
9. Risk of PSC with UC decreases with colonic resection-- thought to be due to less formation of memory neutrophils. Risk of re-developing PSC in a transplanted liver thought to be up to 50%
10. Diagnosis of UC does not require imaging, it is a clinical diagnosis. However there are imaging modalities that can be used:
-CXR to see toxic megacolon
-CT to see nonspecific wall thickening and fluid
-Barium enema: can see psuedopolyps, lead pipe sign, ulcers
-Colonscopy: full circumferential involvement (no skip lesions)