Question Of The Day

Historical QOD 4/29/09: Congenital cutis laxa is a condition manifested by a lack of elasticity in connective tissue resulting in sagging skin. This condition has also been reported to be associated with birth defects in infants whose mothers took which chelating agent during pregnancy? Penicillamine….

Very Fast Death Factor has been implicated in the deaths of domestic animals and wildlife worldwide. What is Very Fast Death Factor? Very Fast Death Factor, more formally known as anatoxin-a, is a bicyclic secondary amine that acts as a potent agonist at nicotinic receptors…

For patients aged 65 and older receiving isoflurane or sevoflurane, what was the difference in minimum alveolar concentrations (MAC) used in those with established cannabis use vs. those without? Cannabis users had a higher average MAC than nonusers (mean ± SD, 0.58±0.23 vs. 0.54±0.22), for…

Which prescription medication has been known to interact with dantrolene and lead to marked hyperkalemia and cardiovascular collapse? Verapamil Saltzman LS, Kates RA, Corke BC, Norfleet EA, Heath KR. Hyperkalemia and cardiovascular collapse after verapamil and dantrolene administration in swine. Anesth Analg. 1984 May;63(5):473-8. PMID:…

Which biomarker can be used to determine the amount of neutron radiation a person was exposed to after a criticality event? A ratio of Sodium (Na) 24 to Na 23 can be measured from blood plasma. The ratio can then be used to determine a…

Historical QOD 4/28/09: A number of unfortunate deaths have resulted from the ill- advised use of the chelation agent edetate disodium administered intravenously. What potentially fatal electrolyte abnormality related to chelation with this agent has been associated with these deaths? Hypocalcemia. Baxter A, Krenzelok E….

Semiglutide has the potential to reduce alcohol intake in rats. What was the difference between rats given sweetened alcohol and unsweetened alcohol when administered semaglutide? Semaglutide reduced sweet alcohol self-administration in rats in a dose dependent fashion. However, it only reduced intake of unsweetened alcohol…

In the US, the number of emergency department (ED) visits for suicide attempts and intentional self-harm increased from 1.43 million (0.6% of total ED visits) in 2011–2012 to 5.37 million (2.1% of total ED visits) in 2019–2020. In 2011-2012, what percentage of visits for suicide…

In a pediatric patient, what are the risk factors for vomiting after administration of activated charcoal? According to the cited study, vomiting prior to the administration of charcoal (relative risk: 3.41; 95% CI: 1.48–7.85) and administration by nasogastric tube (relative risk: 2.40; 95% CI: 1.13–5.09)…

From January 2012 to December 2021, what were the 3 leading causes of pediatric deaths reported by the National Poison Data System? Opioids accounted for 26% of pediatric poisoning deaths, followed by fire related smoke inhalation (21%) and button battery ingestion (7%). Among all opioid…