Question Of The Day

According to a recent retrospective review of opioid-associated hearing loss, the majority of cases occurred after exposure to what agent? According to the cited reference, the majority of cases occurred after exposure to heroin (51%, n=22), although ototoxicity occurs across the entire class of opioid…

A recent poison center study of cannabis exposures found that older adults (defined as age > 60) were more likely to display what symptoms? According to the cited reference, older adults were more likely to develop sedation than adults aged 19-59. Older adults were more…

A recent retrospective observational study of 3 Massachusetts hospitals evaluated patients treated for nonfatal opioid overdose in the Emergency Department. What percentage of these patients died from any cause within 1 year? 5.5% (635/11,557) died within 1 year of their ED visit. 130 patients (1.1%)…

Which neuromuscular blockers are most commonly associated with histamine release? Atracurium and succinylcholine are most commonly associated with histamine release. The mechanism is unclear but neuromuscular blockers may elicit dose and injection rate related non IgE mediated histamine release from mast cells. Mertes PM, Laxenaire…

Several case reports have documented successful treatment of asparaginase-induced hepatotoxicity using what two drugs? L-carnitine and Vitamin B complex. The presumed mechanism of asparaginase-induced hepatotoxicity is depletion of the L-asparagine and glutamine pool in the liver, causing decreased protein synthesis. This leads to impaired mitochondrial…

Dose-related toxicity to aspraginase and PEG asparaginase is manifested by what symptoms? hypersensitivity reactions, clotting abnormalities, bone marrow suppression, pancreatitis, hepatotoxicity, and central nervous system toxicities. A severe and protracted form of liver injury can occur in 15-20% of adults and 5% of children. These…

What is the US Pharmacopeia Convention? The USP Convention is a 200+ year-old non-profit entity with a public health mission to promote safety of drugs, foods, and dietary supplements. The USP establishes standards for quality and purity, performs audits of manufacturing facilities and conducts quality…

Intramuscular administration of this drug has recently been shown to reduce mortality in an animal model of cyanide poisoning? Hendry-Hofer TB et al. recently evaluated aqueous dimethyl trisulfide given intramuscularly to cyanide poisoned swine. The DMTS-treated group had 90% survival compraed to 30% in the…

A patient presents with nausea, vomiting, bradycardia and hypotension after ingesting a foraged plant. Vital signs include a heart rate of 42 bpm and blood pressure of 83/42 mmHg. Electrocardiogram reveals sinus bradycardia. Serum potassium was normal. A digoxin level returns at 0.38 ng/mL. What…

What chemical in airbags can lead to alkaline burns in patients involved in motor vehicle accidents? Sodium azide The impact of a motor vehicle crash discharges an electrical charge causes sodium azide to convert into nitrogen gas inside the airbag. Thermal burns are the result…