Question Of The Day

What clinical effects are more common in Type 2 pyrethroid poisoning cases rather than type 1 pyrethroid cases? In a recent study of 59 patients (16 had been exposed to type 1 pyrethroids and 43 had been exposed to type 2 pyrethroids) by Jacob et…

What is the current blood lead reference value? Released in the CDC’s MMWR on October 28, 2021, the blood lead reference value has been updated from 5 mcg/dL to 3.5 mcg/dL. Ruckart PZ, Jones RL, Courtney JG, et al. Update of the Blood Lead Reference…

Aprepitant is currently being investigated as a potential treatment for chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. What is the mechanism of action of aprepitant? Aprepitant is a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist and selectively blocks the binding of substance P at the neurokinin 1 receptor in the central…

Luster dusts are used for cake decorating and are generally considered ‘nontoxic’. Recently, they were found to have elevated levels of? On October 29, 2021, the MMWR reported that between 2018-2019, Rhode Island Department of Health and Missouri Department of Health investigated cases of metal…

What is CIR? Formed in 1976, CIR is a joint effort by government, industry, and consumer groups. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review program thoroughly reviews and assesses the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner, and publishes the results in…

what is npsdiscovery.org? NPS discovery is an open access drug early warning system run by the Center for Forensic Research and Education partnering with law enforcement, public health and public safety agencies. Novel Psychoactive Substance trend reports, monographs as well as an interactive dashboard are…

n-hexane and methyl n-butyl ketone are peripheral neurotoxins due to this common metabolic intermediate? The common metabolite that cause peripheral neurotoxicity from n-hexane and methyl n-butyl ketone is 2,5-hexanedione. Spencer PS, Chen X. The Role of Protein Adduction in Toxic Neuropathies of Exogenous and Endogenous…

Which long-acting, oral B2 agonist is commonly abused by athletes, bodybuilders, and people seeking to lose weight? Clenbuterol. Like albuterol, clenbuterol is a B2 agonist originally proposed for treatment of reactive airway disease but is nearly 100 times more potent. In non-clinical settings, this compound…

What toxin is produced by the pufferfish and what is the mechanism of toxicity? a. Tetrodotoxin; Tetrodotoxin is a heat-stable, sodium channel blocker that depresses action potential generation by fast-type sodium channels in neurons and skeletal muscles. This results in a range of symptoms from…

What is an alternative measure that could be utilized to identify retained snake fangs other than radiography? Ultrasound; literature suggests this may be a viable option for identification of retained foreign bodies such as snake fangs or teeth. It’s availability at the beside and lack…