A 72-year-old female presents to the emergency department complaining of severe abdominal pain and several days of bloody diarrhea. Her symptoms began with intermittent bloody diarrhea five days ago and have worsened steadily. For the last 24 hours, she has complained of fevers, chills, and abdominal pain. She has a history of ulcerative colitis, idiopathic hypertension, and hypothyroidism. Her medications include hydrochlorothiazide, levothyroxine, and sulfasalazine. In the ED, her temperature is 39.1°C (102.4°F), pulse is 120/min, blood pressure is 90/60 mmHg, and respirations are 20/min. On exam, the patient is alert and oriented to person and place, but does not know the day. Her mucus membranes are dry. Heart and lung exam are not revealing. Her abdomen is distended with marked rebound tenderness. Bowel sounds are hyperactive. Serum: Na+: 142 mEq/L Cl-: 107 mEq/L K+: 3.3 mEq/L HCO3-: 20 mEq/L BUN: 15 mg/dL Glucose: 92 mg/dL Creatinine: 1.2 mg/dL Calcium: 10.1 mg/dL Hemoglobin: 11.2 g/dL Hematocrit: 30% Leukocyte count: 14,600/mm^3 with normal differential Platelet count: 405,000/mm^3 What is the next best step in management?
AEmergent colonoscopy
BContrast enema
CColectomy
DPlain abdominal radiograph
EAbdominal CT with IV contrast
A 81-year-old man presents to his cardiologist for ongoing management of mild heart failure. He has not had any changes in his cardiac function status and says that he is tolerating lisinopril without any major side effects. During the course of the visit, the patient says that he is unhappy with his urologist because he has been experiencing episodes of dizziness after starting prazosin for benign prostatic hyperplasia. He says that he feels these episodes were caused by malpractice on his urologist's behalf and is considering a lawsuit against his urologist. Which of the following is the most appropriate course of action for the cardiologist?
ACall the urologist and warn him of an impending lawsuit
BEncourage the patient to speak with his urologist directly
CCall the urologist to convey the patient's dissatisfaction
DContact his insurance agent to discuss possible risks
ESympathize with the patient's desire for a lawsuit
A drug research team has synthesized a novel oral drug that acts as an agonist at multiple adrenergic receptors. When administered in animals, it has been shown to produce urinary retention at therapeutic doses with the absence of other manifestations of adrenergic stimulation. The researchers are interested in understanding signal transduction and molecular mechanisms behind the action of the novel drug. Which of the following receptors would most likely transduce signals across the plasma membrane following the administration of this novel drug?
AGoPCRs (Go protein-coupled receptors)
BGsPCRs (Gs protein-coupled receptors)
CGqPCRs (Gq protein-coupled receptors)
DGtPCRs (Gt protein-coupled receptors)
EGiPCRs (Gi protein-coupled receptors)
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