A 7-year-old boy is brought to the emergency room because of severe, acute diarrhea. He is drowsy with a dull, lethargic appearance. He has sunken eyes, poor skin turgor, and dry oral mucous membranes and tongue. He has a rapid, thready pulse with a systolic blood pressure of 60 mm Hg and his respirations are 33/min. His capillary refill time is 6 sec. He has had no urine output for the past 24 hours. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in treatment?
AStart IV fluid resuscitation by administering colloid solutions
BProvide oral rehydration therapy to correct dehydration
CGive initial IV bolus of 2 L of Ringer’s lactate, followed by packed red cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets in a ratio of 1:1:1
DStart IV fluid resuscitation with normal saline or Ringer’s lactate, along with monitoring of vitals and urine output
EGive antidiarrheal drugs
A 47-year-old woman presents to a local medical shelter while on a mission trip with her church to help rebuild homes after a hurricane. She has been experiencing severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea for the last 2 days and was feeling too fatigued to walk this morning. On presentation, her temperature is 99.2°F (37.3°C), blood pressure is 95/62 mmHg, pulse is 121/min, and respirations are 17/min. Physical exam reveals decreased skin turgor, and a stool sample reveals off-white watery stools. Gram stain reveals a gram-negative, comma-shaped organism that produces a toxin. Which of the following is consistent with the action of the toxin most likely involved in the development of this patient's symptoms?
ADecreased ribosomal activity
BIncreased membrane permeability
CCleavage of junctional proteins
DIncreased adenylyl cyclase activity
EActivation of receptor tyrosine kinase
A 25-year-old man presents to the physician with 2 days of profuse, watery diarrhea. He denies seeing blood or mucus in the stools. On further questioning, he reveals that he eats a well-balanced diet and generally prepares his meals at home. He remembers having some shellfish from a street vendor 3 days ago. He takes no medications. His past medical history is unremarkable. Which of the following mechanisms most likely accounts for this patient’s illness?
ATyrosine kinase phosphorylation
BADP-ribosylation of Gs protein
CTyrosine kinase dephosphorylation
DOsmotic effect of intestinal contents
EInflammation of the gastrointestinal wall
+ 7 more in the PDF
Browse all chapters