Question Of The Day

Envenomation from which animal leads to a collection of hypercatecholaminergic symptoms known as Irukandji syndrome?   Irukandji syndrome develops from envenomation from the small box jellyfishCarukia barnesi in the coastal waters of tropical Australia that is thought to produce a massive catecholamine release. Criteria needed…

What is the culprit toxin causing the effects seen from ingestion of “mad honey”? Grayanotoxin. Honey produced from Rhododendrons (Ericaceae family) is known to contain grayanotoxins, the main isomer being grayanotoxin III. These neurotoxins block sodium channels, thereby interfering with the action potential in cell…

What is the direct translation of “Konzo”?   Konzo means “tied legs” in the Yaka language of SW DR Kongo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konzo

In addition to CYP 2E1 inhibititoin, what additional mechanism of fomepizole has been implicated in its utility in APAP toxicity?   – JNK inhibition Akakpo JY et al. Delayed Treatment with 4-methylpyrazole protects against acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in mice by inhibition of c-Jun n-Terminal Kinase. Toxicologic…

What is the most common cause of idiosyncratic drug induced liver injury in the US Drug Induced Liver Injury Network registry?   Amoxicillin-Clavulanate deLemos AS, Ghabril M, Rockey DC, et al. Amoxicillin-Clavulanate-Induced Liver Injury. Dig Dis Sci. 2016;61(8):2406-2416. doi:10.1007/s10620-016-4121-6

Available as an over-the-counter diuretic, what product can result in the following urine discoloration?   Magnesium salicylate, available as “diurex” Viswanathan, Stalin. “Urine Bag as a Modern Day Matula.” ISRN Nephrology, vol. 2013, 2013, pp. 1–8., doi:10.5402/2013/215690.

Name 3 xenobiotics associated with black urine.   According to the cited referecene, the following xenobiotics have been associated with black urine: Alpha-methyldopa, cresol, iron, cascara, senna, L-dopa, methocarbamol, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin, sorbitol. Aycock RD, Kass DA. Abnormal urine color. South Med J. 2012;105(1):43-47. doi:10.1097/SMJ.0b013e31823c413e

What factors were associated with repeated emergency department encounters for opioid usage?   A retrospective study of four Indiana hospital systems from 2012-2017 evaluated patients with opioid-related ED visits. Factors associated with higher odds of repeat opioid-related encounters included number of previous opioid-related ED encounters,…

What abnormalities were identified on thromboelastography (TEG) for patients with copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) envenomation?   None. A retrospective study of 16 patients with copperhead envenomation reported no abnormalities in coagulation parameters identified on laboratory evaluation. There were four patients that also received TEG, all with…

What was the most common clinical outcome for pediatric exploratory ingestions of lithium reported to US poison centers?   No effect was reported in 88% of 1863 single-substance exposures in children < 6 years of age. Moderate or major effects were reported in approximately 2%…