Autonomic/CV Drugs — MCQs

A 67-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital because of a 2-day history of fever, headache, jaw pain, and decreased vision in the right eye. Her erythrocyte sedimentation rate is 84 mm per hour. Treatment with methylprednisolone is initiated but her symptoms do not improve. The physician recommends the administration of a new drug. Three days after treatment with the new drug is started, visual acuity in the right eye increases. The beneficial effect of this drug is most likely due to inhibition of which of the following molecules?

A 43-year-old woman presents to her primary care provider for follow-up of her glucose levels. At her last visit 3 months ago, her fasting serum glucose was 128 mg/dl. At that time, she was instructed to follow a weight loss regimen consisting of diet and exercise. Her family history is notable for a myocardial infarction in her father and type II diabetes mellitus in her mother. She does not smoke and drinks 2-3 glasses of wine per week. Her temperature is 99°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 131/78 mmHg, pulse is 80/min, and respirations are 17/min. Her BMI is 31 kg/m^2. On exam, she is well-appearing and appropriately interactive. Today, despite attempting to make the appropriate lifestyle changes, a repeat fasting serum glucose is 133 mg/dl. The patient is prescribed the first-line oral pharmacologic agent for her condition. Which of the following is the correct mechanism of action of this medication?

A previously healthy 52-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 4-month history of recurrent abdominal pain, foul-smelling, greasy stools, and a 5-kg (11-lb) weight loss despite no change in appetite. Physical examination shows pain on palpation of the right upper quadrant. His fasting serum glucose concentration is 186 mg/dL. Abdominal ultrasound shows multiple round, echogenic foci within the gallbladder lumen with prominent posterior acoustic shadowing. The serum concentration of which of the following substances is most likely to be increased in this patient?

A 77-year-old woman with congestive heart failure is admitted to the hospital for evaluation prior to cardiac transplantation. During her stay at the hospital, the physician prescribes a drug to improve cardiac contractility. The drug works by selectively inhibiting an isoenzyme that is responsible for the degradation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Which of the following is the most likely adverse effect of this drug?

A 20-year-old girl presents to a physician following unprotected coitus with her boyfriend about 10 hours ago. She tells the doctor that although they usually use a barrier method of contraception, this time they forgot. She does not want to become pregnant. She also mentions that she has major depression and does not want to take an estrogen-containing pill. After necessary counseling, the physician prescribes an enteric-coated pill containing 1.5 mg of levonorgestrel. Which of the following is the primary mechanism of action of this drug?

A 55-year-old man is discharged from the hospital after being treated for a ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The patient became hypotensive to 87/48 mmHg with a pulse of 130/min. He was properly resuscitated, and a cardiac catheterization with stent placement was performed. Upon being discharged, the patient was started on metoprolol, lisinopril, aspirin, atorvastatin, and nitroglycerin. Upon presentation to the patient’s primary care doctor today, his liver enzymes are elevated with an AST of 55 U/L and an ALT of 57 U/L. Which of the following is the most likely etiology of these laboratory abnormalities?

A 45-year-old man undergoes an esophagogastroduodenoscopy for his recurrent episodes of epigastric pain. He also lost a significant amount of weight in the last 6 months. He says that he has been taking a number of dietary supplements "to cope". His past medical history is insignificant, and a physical examination is within normal limits. The endoscopy shows a bleeding ulcer in the proximal duodenum. Lab tests reveal a serum iron level of 130 μg/dL. However, his stool guaiac test is negative for occult blood. Over-ingestion of which of the following substances is the most likely cause for this patient’s lab findings?

A 28-year-old man makes an appointment with his general practitioner for a regular check-up. He has recently been diagnosed with asthma and was given a short-acting β2-agonist to use during acute exacerbations. He said he usually uses the medication 1–2 times per week. Which of the following is the most appropriate treatment in this case?

A 48-year-old woman visits the clinic with unintentional weight loss for the past 3 months. She is also concerned about difficulty swallowing solid food. She also has early satiety and mild abdominal discomfort. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is advised along with a biopsy. The histopathological report reveals gastric adenocarcinoma. She then undergoes a subtotal gastrectomy and is started on an adjuvant chemotherapy regimen with platinum and fluoropyrimidine. 2 weeks later she develops acute respiratory distress and chest pain. A D-dimer test is positive. Her blood pressure is 125/78, heart rate is 110/min, and oxygen saturation is 88%. CT scan of the chest reveals a clot in the anterior segmental artery in the right upper lung. Which of the following therapies should the patient be started on for her acute condition?

A 57-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 4-week history of constipation, episodic bloody stools, progressive fatigue, and a 5-kg (10.2-lb) weight loss. Digital rectal examination shows a hard, 1.5-cm rectal mass. A biopsy confirms the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma. The patient begins treatment with a combination chemotherapy regimen that includes a drug that is also used in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. This drug most likely acts by inhibiting which of the following substances?