Question of the Day – Monday, July 25, 2022
Dermal exposure to tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) can lead to rapid respiratory failure and death. What factors associated with dermal exposure increase this risk? Cases in which patients are exposed to higher concentration products (25% TMAH), when larger body surface areas are exposed, or when patients…
Question of the Day – Friday, July 22, 2022
This substance has been blamed for the harmful effects of absinthe? Wormwood. Wormwood oil’s toxicity relates to the active ingredient, thujone. It is speculated the Vincent Van Gogh suffered distorted perceptions and behavioral abnormalities due to chronic absinthe-drinking. Woolf A. Essential Oil Poisoning. Clin Tox…
Question of the Day – Thursday, July 21, 2022
Menthofuran is one metabolite of this substance? Pennyroyal oil. The active chemical in pennyroyal oil is pulegone which undergoes bioactivation to menthofurane as well as other reactive intermediates. Pulegone and menthofuran deplete cellular glutathione levels and cause centrilobular necrosis. Woolf A. Essential Oil Poisoning. Clin…
Question of the Day – Wednesday, July 20, 2022
How do the pharmacokinetics differ for sublingual atropine compared to intravenous atropine? Schwartz MD et al. performed a randomized phase 1 crossover trial in healthy volunteers to assess the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of atropine given sublingually. Compared to IV atropine, the…
Question of the Day – Tuesday, July 19, 2022
What is the significance of 2-benzylbenzimidazole (“nitazenes”) compared to other synthetic opioids? 2-Benzylbenzimidazole opioids, also termed “nitazenes” are structurally dissimilar to other opioids. These agents are more potent than fentanyl likely yielding signfiicant negative outcomes in patients. 1.Vandeputte MM, Uytfanghe KV, Layle NK, et al….
Question of the Day – Monday, July 18, 2022
What role does temperature play in antimuscarinic toxicity? In a recent case control analysis by Comstock G et al., peak temperature did not differ in patients with and without severe outcomes in the setting of antimuscarinic toxicity. Comstock G et al. Signficance of temperature in…
Question of the Day – Friday, July 15, 2022
What is a potential intervention that can be done intra-operatively to halt the progression of injury in the setting of pediatric button battery ingestion retained in the esophagus? Immediate esophageal irrigation in the operating room with sterile 0.25% acetic acid after button battery removal. This…
Question of the Day – Thursday, July 14, 2022
How do phenothiazine antipsychotic medications prolong the QRS? Phenothiazines are a class of antipsychotics with chemical structures that include three rings that closely resemble the structure of tricyclic antidepressants (TCA). Phenothiazines bind to the inactivated sodium channels and are associated with a use dependent sodium…
Question of the Day – Wednesday, July 13, 2022
How does clozapine toxicity differ mechanistically and clinically from that of other atypical antipsychotics? Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic. Mechanistically, clozapine works by antagonizing the dopamine (D1, D2, and D4,), alpha (α1 and α2), serotonin (5-HT1A, 5HT2A, and 5HT1C), muscarinic (M1, M2-5), and GABA (GABAA)…
Question of the Day – Tuesday, July 12, 2022
What is one proposed mechanism for fomepizole adjunct therapy in acetaminophen toxicity? Fomepizole is primarily recognized for its inhibition of alcohol dehydrogenase; however, its inhibition of CYP2E1 makes it a promising adjunct agent in the treatment of acetaminophen toxicity cases with high likelihood of developing…
