EMS

Question 1

Warfarin:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?

Answer 1

a) anticoagulant
b) DVT, PE
c) Vitamin K antagonist. By inhibiting the production of vitamin K, it reduces the production of clotting factors II, VII, IX and X and proteins C and S.

Question 2

Tamoxifen:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?

Answer 2

a) chemo drug - hormonal therapy
b) breast cancer
c) Binds to oestrogen receptors on breast cancer cell (ER-positive). Oestrogen promotes the growth and spread of cancer cells.

Question 3

Herceptin:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?

Answer 3

a) chemo drug
b) breast cancer (and stomach cancer)
c) Used for cancer that is HER2 receptor positive. HER2 is a growth-promoting factor protein on the outside of breast cells. It binds to the HER2 receptor and slows down cell duplication.

Question 4

Azathioprine:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?
d) what enzyme is it inactivated by?

Answer 4

a) immunosuppressant
b) Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, suppression of transplant rejection etc
c) Inhibits synthesis of purines which are needed to produce DNA and RNA, reducing production of WBCs
d) inactivated by thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT)

Question 5

Mercaptopurine:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?

Answer 5

a) chemo drug
b) Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
c) Inhibits purine synthesis, inhibiting the synthesis and function of RNA and DNA.

Question 6

Succinylcholine:

a) what?
b) action?

Answer 6

a) muscle relaxant used in anaesthetics

b) Facilitates tracheal intubation and provides skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation

Question 7

Aminoglycoside:

a) what?
b) used to treat?
c) mechanism?
d) danger?

Answer 7

a) Gram-negative antibiotic
b) Severe infections of the urinary tract and abdomen, bacteraemia, endocarditis.
c) Inhibits bacteria protein synthesis by binding to the ribosome of the bacteria.
d) Aminoglycoside induced hearing loss in those with the MT-RNR1 variant