Question Of The Day

Holiday Tox: In the beloved Dr. Seuss story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, the song unforgettably sung by Thurl Ravenscroft compares him to sandwich with two toxic substances. 1. If one were to eat the Grinch sandwich, what effects might follow? 2. What antidotes may…

Historical QOD 10/24/08: Name medications implicated in drug-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome. This list is quite extensive, but can include ticlopidine, clopidogrel, ciprofloxacin, cephalexin, piperacillin, metronidazole, penicillin, famotidine, cimetidine, certain statins, antineoplastic agents, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, interferon, and quinidine. Dlott JS et al. Drug-induced thrombotic…

In which industrial/occupational settings has Dinitrophenol has been used? DNP has been used in munitions manufacturing, it has also been used as a dye, wood preservation, herbicide and photographic developer Grundlingh J, Dargan PI, El-Zanfaly M, Wood DM. 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP): a weight loss agent with…

In a study evaluating the performance of urine drug screening (UDS) in trauma patients using LC-MS confirmatory testing, what were the most common false negative results? The most common substances identified with LC-MS that screening negative on UDS were gabapentin, opioids (fentanyl, buprenorphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone,…

In a recent retrospective study, what did amlodipine poisoned patients treated with high dose insulin require more of? Cole J et al. performed a retrospective review of calcium channel blocker poisonings from a single poison center over a two year time frame. The authors found…

In a recent phase II clinical trial evaluating psilocybin in the management of treatment resistant major depression, what were the severe adverse events reported? Goodwin GM et al. performed a double-blind trial to compare the change from baseline to week 3 of the total score…

What is the IARC classification for benzene and which malignancies has it been associated with? “There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of benzene. Benzene causes acute myeloid leukaemia/acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia. Also, a positive association has been observed between exposure to benzene and…

Historical QOD 10/22/08: Describe signs and symptoms of camphor intoxication. Camphor intoxication can involve nausea/vomiting, burning of the mouth/throat, and cyanosis of the lips in severe cases. Neurologic symptoms predominate, and include irritability, hyper-reflexia, tonic muscular contraction, myoclonic jerks, confusion, coma, and apnea. Seizures are…

A recent recall on dry-shampoo was based on the potential presence of elevated levels of which chemical? Benzene. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/unilever-issues-voluntary-us-recall-select-dry-shampoos-due-potential-presence-benzene

A worker in a chemical dye manufacturing facility develops urothelial cell bladder cancer. This facility likely produces which of the following colors/dyes? A. Basic Magenta. Basic Magenta (CAS: 632-99-5, IUPAC – 4-[(4-aminophenyl)-(4-imino-3-methylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)methyl]aniline;hydrochloride) is a component of Magenta dye. Production of Magenta may involve exposure to…