Question of the Day – Friday February 19, 2021
Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) changes have recently been described in a small subset of patients with poisoning from what? Organophosphates. In a recent study of 16 patients with organophosphate poisoning, RPE changes were the most commonly observed changes. The RPE is known to have α7…
Question of the Day – Thursday February 18, 2021
What is a potentially life threatening effect of fetal salicylate poisoning? Intracerebral hemorrhage. Salicylate metabolites accumulate in the fetal brain and because of this, there have been cases of fatal intracerebral hemorrhage. Farid H et al. A 19 year old at 37 weeks gestation with…
Question of the Day – Wednesday February 17, 2021
A 35 year old woman at 35 weeks gestation intentionally overdoses on aspirin 325 mg tablets. Maternal aspirin level is 60 mg/dL. How are fetal versus maternal salicylate levels different? Though limited case reports, there are a few case reports of acute salicylate poisoning in…
Question of the Day – Tuesday February 16, 2021
What percentage of postpartum deaths are due to suicide? Lindahl V et al. reported that while suicide deaths and attempts are lower during pregnancy and in the postpartum period than in the general population of women, when deaths do occur, suicides account for 20% of…
Question of the Day – Monday February 15, 2021
According to a 2019 retrospective study, what is the most common emergency department presentation of methamphetamine intoxication? In a study of 378 emergency department presentations, acute behavioral disturbance was the manifestation of methamphetamine toxicity in 78% of cases. As part of usual clinical care, the…
Question of the Day – Friday February 12, 2021
In a recent retrospective analysis aimed to assist in the differentiation of toxic alcohol ingestion versus alcoholic ketoacidosis, the odds of diagnosing alcohol ketoacidosis compared to toxic alcohol ingestion increased as this increased? Ethanol level. In univariate analysis, increasing ethanol concentration, increasing anion gap, and…
Question of the Day – Thursday February 11, 2021
In a recent animal model of diethylene glycol poisoning, neurologic injury and accumulation of diglycolic acid occurred in rats that concurrently had this finding? Acute kidney injury. Jamison et al. showed that after diethylene glycol poisoning, diglycolic acid (DGA) accumulated in the brain only in…
Question of the Day – Wednesday February 10, 2021
Routine testing in an elderly female with previous thyroid ablation therapy and appearing clinically euthyroid results with a dramatically elevated TSH along with elevated free T4 and free T3. She has been on a stable dose of levothyroxine for years and feels well. What dietary…
Question of the Day – Tuesday February 9, 2021
A recent study reported an association between the use of anti-oxidants and what outcomes in individuals receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer? As part of a larger study, patients randomly assigned to one of several treatment schedules of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel were queried on their…
Question of the Day – Monday February 8, 2021
In a review of the English literature of fatalities from serotonin syndrome from 1981-2020, which diagnostic criteria, Sternbach’s or the Hunter criteria, were met the most frequently? Sternbach’s (38/56, 68%) vs Hunter (14/56, 25%) only 8/56 (14%) had clonus documented. Rigidity and spasticity were noted…