Question of the Day – Wednesday December 2, 2020
What were the most commonly reported symptoms in case reports of fatal serotonin syndrome? Fever (61%), seizure (36%), and tremors (30%). A systematic review of published cases reporting fatalities from serotonin syndrome identified 56 patients. Temperature was reported in 25 patients with an average…
Question of the Day – Tuesday December 1, 2020
How are infants most commonly exposed to ethanol? Mixing of alcohol into formula (38.6%) and breast milk (18.9%). A retrospective review of ethanol exposures in infants (< 12 months) identified 70 cases reported to two US poison centers over a period of 10 years….
Question of the Day – Monday November 30, 2020
What is the mechanism of action of the toxin extracted from the seeds of this plant? Ricin inhibits protein synthesis by catalyzing the cleavage of a specific adenine residue of 28S ribosomal RNA. Lord JM, Roberts LM, Robertus JD. Ricin: structure, mode of action,…
Question of the Day – Friday November 27, 2020
Name the structure, its primary metabolite in humans, and the plant source Cocaine, benzoylecogonine, erythroxylum coca Pubchem.org
Happy Thanksgiving from Dr. Kirk Cumpston, AACT’s President
November 25, 2020 November is a month to be grateful and thankful. If you can read this message, you are already better off than many. The year of 2020 has been a unique challenge to us in healthcare, but we are no strangers to adversity….
Question of the Day – Wednesday November 25, 2020
For which rodenticide has nicotinamide been a suggested antidote, and by which mechanism? Pyriminil, Pyrinuron, PNU, Vacor. Vacor metabolism in sensitive cells results in Vacor adenine dinucleotide (VAD). VAD is an NAD analog that impairs NAD production resulting in cell death. Buonvicino D, Mazzola…
Question of the Day – Tuesday November 24, 2020
Ingestion of the roots, leaves, and fruits of hyoscyamus niger can lead to what typical poisoning syndrome? Atropine poisoning. The roots, leaves, and fruit of hyoscyamus niger contain alkaloids such as atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine, leading to a syndrome similar to atropine poisoning with symptoms…
Question of the Day – Monday November 23, 2020
For which rodenticide has ethanol been a suggested antidote, and by which mechanism? Sodium mono-fluoroacetate (SMFA) (1080). Ethanol is metabolized Acetaldehyde and then to acetyl CoA which is thought to compete with SMFA for citrate synthase, the site of toxicicity of suicide inhibition by…
Question of the Day – Friday November 20, 2020
Name this structure, and what plant was it first isolated from? Biguanide. The identification of guanidine and related compounds in the French Lilac plant (Galega officinalis L. ) led to the development of biguanides, such as metformin. Perla V et al. Biguanide related compounds…
Question of the Day – Thursday November 19, 2020
Which neurotoxin caused an outbreak poisoning in Canada in 1987 via the consumption of contaminated shellfish? Domoic Acid. Domoic acid is a potent neurotoxin that is naturally produced by several diatom species and occurs via the consumption of contaminated shellfish that have accumulated the…