Environmental stress responses — MCQs

A 6-year-old boy is presented to a pediatric clinic by his mother with complaints of fever, malaise, and cough for the past 2 days. He frequently complains of a sore throat and has difficulty eating solid foods. The mother mentions that, initially, the boy’s fever was low-grade and intermittent but later became high grade and continuous. The boy was born at 39 weeks gestation via spontaneous vaginal delivery. He is up to date on all vaccines and is meeting all developmental milestones. The past medical history is noncontributory. The boy takes a multivitamin every day. The mother reports that he does well in school and is helpful around the house. The boy’s vital signs include blood pressure 110/65 mm Hg, heart rate 110/min, respiratory rate 32/min, and temperature 38.3°C (101.0°F). On physical examination, the boy appears uncomfortable and has difficulty breathing. His heart is mildly tachycardic with a regular rhythm and his lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally. Oropharyngeal examination shows that his palatine tonsils are covered with pus and that there is erythema of the surrounding mucosa. Which of the following mediators is responsible for this patient’s elevated temperature?

Two-hours into recovery from general anesthesia for an orthopedic fracture, a 34-year-old woman develops fever and masseter muscle rigidity with lockjaw. She has no history of a similar episode. She has no history of serious illness and takes no medications. She appears confused. In the recovery room, her blood pressure is 78/50 mm Hg, the pulse is 128/min, the respirations are 42/min, and the temperature is 40.3°C (104.5°F). Cardiopulmonary examination shows no abnormalities. Laboratory studies show: Serum Na+ 145 mEq/L K+ 6.5 mEq/L Arterial blood gas on room air pH 7.01 PCO2 78 mm Hg HCO3− 14 mEq/L PO2 55 mm Hg The patient is reintubated. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in pharmacotherapy?

An infant boy of unknown age and medical history is dropped off in the emergency department. The infant appears lethargic and has a large protruding tongue. Although the infant exhibits signs of neglect, he is in no apparent distress. The heart rate is 70/min, the respiratory rate is 30/min, and the temperature is 35.7°C (96.2°F). Which of the following is the most likely cause of the patient’s physical exam findings?

An 11-year-old boy presents with a 2-day history of uncontrollable shivering. During admission, the patient’s vital signs are within normal limits, except for a fluctuating body temperature registering as low as 35.0°C (95.0°F) and as high as 40.0°C (104.0°F), requiring alternating use of cooling and warming blankets. A complete blood count (CBC) is normal, and a chest radiograph is negative for consolidations and infiltrates. An MRI of the brain reveals a space-occupying lesion infiltrating the posterior hypothalamus and extending laterally. Which of the following additional findings are most likely, based on this patient’s physical examination?

A group of investigators is studying thermoregulatory adaptations of the human body. A subject is seated in a thermally insulated isolation chamber with an internal temperature of 48°C (118°F), a pressure of 1 atmosphere, and a relative humidity of 10%. Which of the following is the primary mechanism of heat loss in this subject?

A 16-year-old girl is brought to the emergency department unresponsive. A witness reports that she became anxious, lightheaded, and began sweating and trembling a few minutes before she lost consciousness. Her vitals are as follows: blood pressure 95/60 mm Hg, heart rate 110/min, respiratory rate 21/min, and temperature 35.5°C (95.5°F). She becomes responsive but is still somnolent. She complains of dizziness and weakness. A more detailed history reveals that she has drastically restricted her diet to lose weight for the past 18 hours, and has not eaten today. Her skin is pale, wet, and cold. The rest of the physical examination is unremarkable. Blood testing shows a plasma glucose level of 2.8 mmol/L (50.5 mg/dL). Which of the following statements is true?

A previously healthy 44-year-old man is brought by his coworkers to the emergency department 45 minutes after he became light-headed and collapsed while working in the boiler room of a factory. He did not lose consciousness. His coworkers report that 30 minutes prior to collapsing, he told them he was nauseous and had a headache. The patient appears sweaty and lethargic. He is not oriented to time, place, or person. The patient’s vital signs are as follows: temperature 41°C (105.8°F); heart rate 133/min; respiratory rate 22/min; and blood pressure 90/52 mm Hg. Examination shows equal and reactive pupils. Deep tendon reflexes are 2+ bilaterally. His neck is supple. A 0.9% saline infusion is administered. A urinary catheter is inserted and dark brown urine is collected. The patient’s laboratory test results are as follows: Laboratory test Blood Hemoglobin 15 g/dL Leukocyte count 18,000/mm3 Platelet count 51,000/mm3 Serum Na+ 149 mEq/L K+ 5.0 mEq/L Cl- 98 mEq/L Urea nitrogen 42 mg/dL Glucose 88 mg/dL Creatinine 1.8 mg/dL Aspartate aminotransferase (AST, GOT) 210 Alanine aminotransferase (ALT, GPT) 250 Creatine kinase 86,000 U/mL Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in patient management?

You have been asked to deliver a lecture to medical students about the effects of various body hormones and neurotransmitters on the metabolism of glucose. Which of the following statements best describes the effects of sympathetic stimulation on glucose metabolism?

A 28-year-old patient comes to the physician’s office with complaints of headaches and difficulty seeing out of the corner of her eye. She gave birth to her son 1 year ago. Further visual testing reveals the patient has bitemporal hemianopsia. The patient undergoes brain MRI which shows an anterior pituitary mass, likely adenoma. The patient has her blood tested to see if the adenoma is secreting extra hormone. The patient is found to have a slight excess of a hormone that uptakes a basophilic stain. Which of the following is most likely to be the hormone detected in her blood?

A 42-year-old man undergoes therapeutic hypothermia (target temperature 33°C/91.4°F) following cardiac arrest with return of spontaneous circulation. During the cooling phase, he develops shivering, which increases oxygen consumption and interferes with target temperature achievement. He is already on sedation and neuromuscular blockade is being considered. Evaluate the most appropriate management strategy considering both efficacy and safety.