Cholinergic/Adrenergic drugs — MCQs

A 23-year-old man presents to his primary care physician for a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing that has persisted for a few months. He denies feeling weak or tired, but states that his symptoms have disrupted his every day life. The patient has no significant past medical history. He drinks alcohol occasionally on the weekends. His temperature is 98.6°F (37.0°C), blood pressure is 124/88 mmHg, pulse is 80/min, respirations are 13/min, and oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. Physical exam reveals a healthy young man who is repetitively blowing his nose. Percussion of his sinuses elicits no symptoms. Inspection of the patient's oropharynx is unremarkable. Which of the following is the best next step in management?

A 45-year-old woman presents with recent onset movement abnormalities. She says that she noticeably blinks, which is out of her control. She also has spasms of her neck muscles and frequent leg cramps. Past medical history is significant for ovarian cancer, currently being treated with an antineoplastic agent that disrupts microtubule function and an alkylating agent, as well as metoclopramide for nausea. Her blood pressure is 110/65 mm Hg, the respiratory rate is 17/min, the heart rate is 78/min, and the temperature is 36.7°C (98.1°F). Physical examination is within normal limits. Which of the following drugs would be the best treatment for this patient?

A 25-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her mother because she refuses to get out of bed and spends most days crying or staring at the wall. Her symptoms started 3 months ago. The patient states that she is very sad most of the time and that none of the activities that used to interest her are interesting now. She sleeps more than 10 hours every night and naps during the day for several hours as well. Her mother, who cooks for her, says that she has been eating much larger portions than she did prior to the onset of her symptoms. The patient moved in with her mother after splitting up with her boyfriend and being expelled from her doctoral program at the local university, and she feels guilty for not being able to support herself. Two months ago, the patient was diagnosed with atypical depression and prescribed fluoxetine, which she has taken regularly since that time. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Mental status examination shows a depressed mood and flat affect. There is no evidence of suicidal ideation. Which of the following would be contraindicated as the next step in management?

A 35-year-old woman seeks evaluation at a clinic with a complaint of right upper abdominal pain for greater than 1 month. She says that the sensation is more of discomfort than pain. She denies any history of weight loss, changes in bowel habit, or nausea. Her medical history is unremarkable. She takes oral contraceptive pills and multivitamins every day. Her physical examination reveals a palpable liver mass that is 2 cm in diameter just below the right costal margin in the midclavicular line. An abdominal CT scan reveals 2 hypervascular lesions in the right hepatic lobe. The serum α-fetoprotein level is within normal limits. What is the next best step in the management of this patient’s condition?

A 27-year-old man comes to the emergency department because of abdominal pain, diarrhea, flushing, and generalized pruritus that began after playing soccer. He also has a 2-month history of fatigue. Physical examination shows pallor and dry mucous membranes. Bone marrow biopsy shows a dense infiltration of atypical leukocytes with basophilic granules; genetic analysis of these cells shows a mutation in the KIT gene. The patient is at greatest risk for which of the following complications?

A 27-year-old male arrives to your walk-in clinic complaining of neck pain. He reports that the discomfort began two hours ago, and now he feels like he can’t move his neck. He also thinks he is having hot flashes, but he denies dyspnea or trouble swallowing. The patient’s temperature is 99°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 124/76 mmHg, pulse is 112/min, and respirations are 14/min with an oxygen saturation of 99% O2 on room air. You perform a physical exam of the patient's neck, and you note that his neck is rigid and flexed to the left. You are unable to passively flex or rotate the patient's neck to the right. There is no airway compromise. The patient's past medical history is significant for asthma, and he was also recently diagnosed with schizophrenia. The patient denies current auditory or visual hallucinations. He appears anxious, but his speech is organized and appropriate. Which of the following is the best initial step in management?

A 5-year-old is brought into the emergency department for trouble breathing. He was at a family picnic playing when his symptoms began. The patient is currently struggling to breathe and has red, warm extremities. The patient has an unknown medical history and his only medications include herbs that his parents give him. His temperature is 99.5°F (37.5°C), pulse is 112/min, blood pressure is 70/40 mmHg, respirations are 18/min, and oxygen saturation is 82% on 100% O2. Which of the following is the best initial step in management?

A 58-year-old man comes to the physician because of depressed mood for 6 months. He works as a store manager and cannot concentrate at work anymore. He experiences daytime sleepiness and fatigue because he repeatedly wakes up at night and has difficulties falling asleep again after 4 a.m. He reports no longer taking pleasure in activities he used to enjoy, such as going fishing with his son. He has decreased appetite and has had a weight-loss of 5 kg (11 lb) over the past 6 months. He does not have suicidal ideation. He has no history of serious illness and takes no medication. He is divorced and lives with his girlfriend. He drinks several alcoholic beverages on the weekends. He does not take any medications. He is diagnosed with major depressive disorder and a trial of sertraline is suggested. The patient is at greatest risk for which of the following adverse effects?

A researcher is currently working on developing new cholinergic receptor agonist drugs. He has formulated 2 new drugs: drug A, which is a selective muscarinic receptor agonist and has equal affinity for M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 muscarinic receptors, and drug B, which is a selective nicotinic receptor agonist and has equal affinity for NN and NM receptors. The chemical structure and mechanisms of action of both drugs mimic acetylcholine. However, drug A does not have any nicotinic receptor activity and drug B does not have any muscarinic receptor activity. Which of the following statements is most likely correct regarding these new drugs?

A 72-year-old woman comes to the physician because she is seeing things that she knows are not there. Sometimes she sees a dog in her kitchen and at other times she sees a stranger in her garden, both of which no one else can see. She also reports a lack of motivation to do daily tasks for the past week. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with Parkinson disease and was started on levodopa and carbidopa. Her younger brother has schizophrenia. The patient also takes levothyroxine for hypothyroidism. She used to drink a bottle of wine every day, but she stopped drinking alcohol 2 months ago. Neurologic examination shows a mild resting tremor of the hands and bradykinesia. Her thought process is organized and logical. Which of the following is the most likely underlying cause of this patient's symptoms?