Systemic Pathology — MCQs

A 43-year-old man presents to the emergency department following a work-related accident in which both arms were amputated. The patient lost a substantial amount of blood prior to arrival, and his bleeding is difficult to control due to arterial damage and wound contamination with debris. His complete blood count (CBC) is significant for a hemoglobin (Hgb) level of 5.3 g/dL. The trauma surgery resident initiates the massive transfusion protocol and orders whole blood, O negative, which she explains is the universal donor. The patient receives 6 units of O negative blood prior to admission. He subsequently develops fever, chills, hematuria, and pulmonary edema. Several hours later, the patient goes into hemodynamic shock requiring the emergent administration of vasopressors. Of the following options, which hypersensitivity reaction occurred?

A 37-year-old man presents to an urgent care clinic with complaints of speech problems and yellowing of his eyes for a week. He admits to using illicit intravenous drugs. His vital signs include: blood pressure 110/60 mm Hg, pulse rate 78/min, and respiratory rate 22/min. On examination, the patient appears jaundiced, and his speech is slurred. His liver enzymes and viral markers are as follows: Aspartate aminotransferase 6,700 IU/L Alanine aminotransferase 5,000 IU/L HBsAg Negative Anti-HBs Negative Anti-HCV Ab Positive HCV RNA Positive If this patient develops chronic hepatitis C infection, he is at risk of developing a secondary dermatological condition. A biopsy of this skin condition would most likely show which of the following findings?

A 36-year-old man comes to the physician for a 4-week history of swollen legs. He has difficulty putting on socks because of the swelling. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He takes no medications. He emigrated from Guatemala with his family when he was a child. He is 171 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall and weighs 115 kg (253 lb); BMI is 39 kg/m2. His pulse is 91/min and blood pressure is 135/82 mm Hg. Examination shows periorbital and bilateral lower extremity edema. Serum Albumin 3.1 g/dL Total cholesterol 312 mg/dL Urine Blood negative Protein +4 RBC 1-2/hpf RBC cast negative Fatty casts numerous A renal biopsy is obtained. Which of the following is most likely to be seen under light microscopy of the patient's renal biopsy specimen?

A 15-year-old African American boy presents to a pediatrician with complaints of yellow discoloration of the sclerae for the last 3 days. His mother informs the pediatrician that the boy developed prolonged jaundice during the neonatal period. On physical examination, vital signs are stable and general examination shows mild icterus and pallor. Examination of the abdomen suggests mild splenomegaly. Laboratory results are as follows: Hemoglobin 9.9 g/dL Total leukocyte count 7,500/mm3 Platelet count 320,000/mm3 Reticulocyte count 5% Mean corpuscular hemoglobin 27.7 pg/cell Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration 32% g/dL Mean corpuscular volume 84 μm3 Serum total bilirubin 4.2 mg/dL Serum direct bilirubin 0.3 mg/dL Coombs test Negative Peripheral smear shows polychromasia, blister cells, and Heinz bodies. An abdominal ultrasonogram shows the presence of gallstones. Which of the following tests is most likely to be useful in diagnosing this patient?

A 38-year-old woman presents to a physician’s office for progressive weakness and pallor during the last few weeks. She also complains of shortness of breath during her yoga class. She denies fevers, cough, rhinorrhea, or changes in appetite or bowel and bladder habits. She is generally healthy except for an occasional migraine, which is relieved by acetaminophen. For the last month, she has been having more frequent migraine attacks and was started on prophylactic aspirin. The vital signs include: pulse 102/min, respirations 18/min, and blood pressure 130/84 mm Hg. Her blood pressure on previous visits has been 110/76 mm Hg, 120/78 mm Hg, and 114/80 mm Hg. The physical examination is otherwise unremarkable. Stool for occult blood is positive. In addition to a low hemoglobin concentration, which other laboratory finding is expected in this patient?

A 72-year-old nursing home resident is complaining of pruritis. She is noted to have multiple, tense blisters on her trunk as well as the flexor surfaces of her extremities. The blisters have an erythematous base. You are unable to extend the blisters when you apply lateral traction. You suspect an autoimmune bullous dermatosis. Which of the following is the cause of the likely condition?

A 53-year-old woman presents to the emergency room with severe chest pain radiating to the back. She was diagnosed with acute aortic dissection. A few hours into the resuscitation, she was having oliguria. Laboratory findings show a serum creatinine level of 5.3 mg/dL. Which of the following casts are most likely to be seen on urinalysis?

A 9-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department by his parents with a 2-day history of weakness and joint pain. He was adopted 3 weeks ago from an international adoption agency and this is his first week in the United States. He says that he has been healthy and that he had an episode of sore throat shortly before his adoption. Physical exam reveals an ill-appearing boy with a fever, widespread flat red rash, and multiple subcutaneous nodules. The type of hypersensitivity seen in this patient's disease is also characteristic of which of the following diseases?

A 73-year-old man presents to his primary care doctor with his son who reports that his father has been acting strangely. He has started staring into space throughout the day and has a limited attention span. He has been found talking to people who are not present and has gotten lost while driving twice. He has occasional urinary incontinence. His past medical history is notable for a stroke 5 years ago with residual right arm weakness, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. He takes aspirin, glyburide, metformin, lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide, and atorvastatin. On examination, he is oriented to person and place but thinks the year is 1989. He is inattentive throughout the exam. He takes short steps while walking. His movements are grossly slowed. A brain biopsy in this patient would most likely reveal which of the following?

A 4-year-old girl is brought to the physician because of increasing swelling around her eyes and over both her feet for the past 4 days. During this period, she has had frothy light yellow urine. Her vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows periorbital edema and 2+ pitting edema of the lower legs and ankles. A urinalysis of this patient is most likely to show which of the following findings?