USMLE-Rx Review Flashcards
What side-effects are associated with Digoxin?
What is its MOA?
What is the biggest concern when this drug becomes toxic?
Nausea, dizziness and blurry vision with a yellowish hue. There is a very narrow therapeutic index.
Inhibition of the Na+/K+ pump, which leads to increased intracellular [Na+] and increased extracellular [K+]. The increased [Na+] inhibits the Na+/Ca++ pump, which increases intracellular [Ca++]. This increases contractility.
The induced hyperkalemia can cause fatal arrhythmias.
What is Phenoxybenzamine used for?
What is its MOA?
First-line therapy of in a patient with a Pheochromocytoma. Without adequate alpha-receptor blockade, patients are at a risk for intraoperative hypertensive crisis.
Irreversible antagonism of a-1 and a-2 receptors.
In terms of treating a Pheochromocytoma, when should Propanolol be given? Why?
What is its MOA?
It should be given after administration of an alpha-receptor antagonist. This must be done secondly, because if it is done first, it can result in a further spike in BP due to blockade of the beta2-receptor-mediated vasodilation.
Non-selectively blocks beta-receptors.
What is the MOA of Labetalol?
It blocks both alpha and beta receptors.
What is the MOA of Octreotide?
What is its indication?
It is a synthetic analog of somatostatin.
Used to manage symptoms of carcinoid tumors.
What is the confidence interval?
What is the variance?
What is the standard deviation?
Confidence interval: a range of values where the mean is expected to fall.
Variance: helps describe the variability within a population, but does not draw any conclusions regarding the range within the mean can be found.
Standard deviation: shows the variability existing among a range values typically centered around the mean.
What is the MOA of Lidocaine?
When should it be given?
It is a class-1B anti-arrhythmic and blocks inactivated Na+ channels.
It is used to treat ventricular arrhythmias after an MI.
What causes an SVT?
What are the 2 general mechanisms by which they arise?
Either the atria or AV node causes an abnormally fast HR.
Increased automaticity - AV node re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT).
Re-entry - AV re-entry tachycardia (AVRT).
In addition to conservative measures (carotid massage, etc.), what is the first-line pharmacological therapy used to treat SVTs?
How does it cause effects?
What are side-effects?
IV adenosine.
It has a short half-life and acts by slowing the conduction velocity and increasing the refractory period at the AV node.
Flushing, hypotension and chest pain.
What are the indications for the following:
Amiodarone
Amlodipine
Procainamide
Amiodarone: VT and Afib.
Amlodipine: to reduce SVR and arterial pressure. It is a CCB and does not effect the myocardium.
Procainamide: atrial and ventricular arrhythmias.
What is the classic sign of an SVT on an ECG?
Narrowed QRS complexes
What are the treatment options for Digoxin toxicity?
Normalization of electrolytes
Lidocaine
Digoxin immune Fab
Mg++
Which types of diuretics may cause hypercalcemia?
Thiazide diuretics
Which bacteria is associated with Guillan-Barre syndrome?
C. jejuni
What kind of bug is C. jejuni?
How is it transmitted?
What are symptoms of an infection?
What is the progression of the infection?
G- motile rod.
Consumption of unpasteurized milk, untreated water or under-cooked poultry. It is also a zoonotic that can be transmitted by animals (dogs, cats, pigs, etc.)
Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, emesis.
Typically is self-limiting.
What food is B. cereus associated with?
Reheated rice
What is a case-control study?
What are they used for?
Compares people with a disease to a gruop of people without the disease to determine the odds of prior exposure or risk factors.
They are cheap and are used in a preliminary fashion, due to the fact that they are observational in nature and are low in the hierarchy of evidence.
What is a randomized control study?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this study?
A study where one group gets a medicine and the other gets a placebo, and neither the patients nor the researchers know which is which.
Advantages: most reliable form of scientific evidence, as they reduce spurious causality and bias.
Disadvantages: expensive, requires a lot of time, conflicts of interest and ethical concerns.
What is a cohort study?
They compare a group with a given exposure or risk factor to a group without it.
What is a case-series?
A type of clinical research study where subjects with known exposure are tracked and their outcomes are measured and compared.
What is an open-label trial?
A study where participants and researchers are aware of the study arm in which participants are allocated. There is no blinding or masking of participants or researchers.
Which IBD is associated with acute cholecystitis?
Crohn disease
What is a classic feature of Crohn disease?
What part of the GI does it usually affect? What is the consequence of this?
Transmural skip lesions, which may lead to strictures.
Terminal ileum. This leads to decreased bile acid reabsorption, which causes formation of cholesterol stones (acute cholecystitis).
What kind of stones are caused by hemolysis of RBCs?
Pigment stones, which can obstruct the Gb.