Question Of The Day

Identify the above structure   The above structure is Tetrodotoxin, a potent sodium channel blocker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrodotoxin

Identify the above structure   The above structure is Cantharidin. It is secreted by the blister beetle and sometimes touted as an aphrodesiac. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantharidin

In a retrospective review of 79 pediatric and adolescent patient presenting with caustic ingestion from 1971-1983, what percentage of patients went on to develop esophageal stricture?   According to the cited referecence, the frequency of development of stricture in this group of patients was 4%….

What is the cost impact on employers for patients with opioid use disorder treated with medication assisted therapy?   In a recent analysis of 17 million US workers using a commercial insurance claims database, Henke R et al. found that excess health care costs for…

What is the incidence of mortality following emergency department visits for nonfatal opioid overdose?   A cohort study including over 6,000 patients in Ontario, Canada found 5.3% died within one year and 1.9% died of opioid-related causes. Predictors of mortality included male sex, opioid agonist…

A 72 year old female is being treated for refractory acute promyelocytic anemia and is on day 16 of her chemotherapy regimen. On day 17, she collapsed and was found to be in torsades de pointes. What chemotherapeutic agent is the culprit?   Arsenic trioxide….

This chemical is the newest synthetic opioid to emerge on the illicit drug markets. In vitro data suggests that it has similar potency as fentanyl. It has appeared in both the US and Europe.   NPS Discovery reported that Brorphine has recently been identified in…

What is the overall survival of poisoned patients supported with ECMO?   Cole JB et al. recently reported results of their recent retrospective cohort study of NPDS data from 2000 through 2018 of poisoned patients supported with ECMO. In this cohort, there was a 70%…

What is Lhermitte’s sign, and what toxin induced clinical syndrome is it associated with?   Lhermitte’s sign is a clinical finding associated with flexion of the head resulting in a shower of parasthesia sensation through the upper and lower extremities. It is typically associated with…

What is Rossolimo’s sign, and chronic abuse of which drug is it associated with?   Rossolimo’s sign is a physical examination finding where percussion of the tips of the toes results in exaggerated flexion of the toes. It has been reported in association with nitrous…