Cholinergic/Adrenergic drugs — MCQs

A 60-year-old woman and her son are visited at her home by a health aid. He is her caregiver but has difficulty getting her out of the house. Her son is concerned about continuous and repetitive mouth and tongue movements that started about 2 weeks ago and have become more evident ever since. She is non-verbal at baseline and can complete most activities of daily living. She suffers from an unspecified psychiatric disorder. Her medications include fluphenazine. Today, her heart rate is 90/min, respiratory rate is 17/min, blood pressure is 125/87 mm Hg, and temperature is 37.0°C (98.6°F). On physical exam, she appears gaunt and anxious. She is drooling and her mouth is making a chewing motion that is occasionally disrupted by wagging her tongue back and forth. She seems to be performing these motions absentmindedly. Her heart has a regular rate and rhythm and her lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally. CMP, CBC, and TSH are normal. A urine toxicology test is negative. What is the next best step in her management?

A 40-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 2 week history of anorexia and a feeling of dryness in the mouth; she has had a 5.8-kg (12.8-lb) weight loss during this period. She also complains of fatigue and inability to carry out daily chores. One year ago, she was diagnosed with advanced cervical carcinoma, metastatic to the pancreas, and is being treated with combination chemotherapy. She is 157 cm (5 ft 2 in) tall and weighs 47 kg (103.6 lb); BMI is 19.1 kg/m2. She appears thin and pale. Her temperature is 37.7°C (99.8°F), blood pressure is 110/68 mm Hg, pulse is 105/min, and respirations are 28/min. There is generalized weakness and atrophy of the skeletal muscles. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 38-year-old woman presents to her primary care physician for evaluation of 3 months of increasing fatigue. She states that she feels normal in the morning, but that her fatigue gets worse throughout the day. Specifically, she says that her head drops when trying to perform overhead tasks. She also says that she experiences double vision when watching television or reading a book. On physical exam, there is right-sided ptosis after sustaining upward gaze for a 2 minutes. Which of the following treatments may be effective in treating this patient's diagnosis?

An investigator is developing a drug that selectively inhibits the retrograde axonal transport of rabies virus towards the central nervous system. To achieve this effect, this drug must target which of the following?

A 63-year-old man comes to the physician for blurry vision and increased difficulty walking over the past month. He feels very fatigued after watering his garden but feels better after taking a nap. He has not had any recent illness. He has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 35 years. Examination shows drooping of the upper eyelids bilaterally and diminished motor strength in the upper extremities. Sensation to light touch and deep tendon reflexes are intact. An x-ray of the chest shows low lung volumes bilaterally. A drug with which of the following mechanisms of action is most appropriate for this patient?

A 37-year-old woman presents with a 3-day history of fever. Past medical history is significant for chronic schizophrenia, managed with an antipsychotic medication. The patient has a low-grade fever and is slightly tachycardic. Physical examination is significant for the presence of tonsillar exudates. A CBC shows a markedly decreased WBC count. The patient’s antipsychotic medication is immediately discontinued. Which of the following is the antipsychotic medication that could have caused this problem?

A 75-year-old woman with metastatic colon cancer comes to the physician requesting assistance in ending her life. She states: “I just can't take it anymore; the pain is unbearable. Please help me die.” Current medications include 10 mg oral hydrocodone every 12 hours. Her cancer has progressed despite chemotherapy and she is very frail. She lives alone and has no close family. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial action by the physician?

A 34-year-old woman comes to the physician with fever and malaise. For the past 2 days, she has felt fatigued and weak and has had chills. Last night, she had a temperature of 40.8°C (104.2°F). She has also had difficulty swallowing since this morning. The patient was recently diagnosed with Graves disease and started on methimazole. She appears uncomfortable. Her temperature is 38.3°C (100.9°F), pulse is 95/min, and blood pressure is 134/74 mm Hg. The oropharynx is erythematous without exudate. The lungs are clear to auscultation. Laboratory studies show: Hematocrit 42% Hemoglobin 13.4 g/dL Leukocyte count 3,200/mm3 Segmented neutrophils 9% Basophils < 1% Eosinophils < 1% Lymphocytes 79% Monocytes 11% Platelet count 230,000/mm3 Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 24-year-old man is taken to the emergency department by local law enforcement after they witnessed him physically assaulting a complete stranger. The officers report that they saw his eyes “moving back and forth quickly” and noted that he was very red-faced. The patient has no significant past medical or psychiatric history. His vital signs include: temperature 38.0°C (100.4°F), blood pressure 110/70 mm Hg, pulse 102/min, and respiratory rate 25/min. On physical examination, the patient is belligerent and refuses to cooperate during the examination. Rotary nystagmus is noted. Which of the following drugs would most likely be present in a urine toxicology screen from this patient?

You are called to the bedside of a 75-year-old woman, who is post-op day 4 from a right total hip replacement. The patient appears agitated; she is trying to pull out her IV, and for the past 4 hours she has been accusing the nursing staff of trying to poison her. Her family notes that this behavior is completely different from her baseline; she has not shown any signs of memory loss or behavioral changes at home prior to the surgery. You note that she still has an indwelling catheter. She continues on an opioid-based pain regimen. All of the following are potential contributors to the patient’s presentation EXCEPT: