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Question 1
Incorrect
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A 21-year-old gentleman presents with facial and ankle swelling. This has slowly been developing over the past week. During the review of systems, he describes passing ‘frothy’ urine. A urine dipstick shows protein +++.
What is the most likely cause of this presentation?Your Answer: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
Correct Answer: Minimal change disease
Explanation:Minimal change glomerulonephritis usually presents as nephrotic syndrome wherein the patient (usually a young adult) will present with proteinuria, oedema, and impaired kidney function, which were evident in this patient.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Nephrology
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Question 2
Incorrect
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A 33-year-old electrical technician presents following an overdose. Anticholinergic syndrome is suspected.
Which of the following is true?Your Answer: Tricyclic antidepressants are not a cause
Correct Answer: Mydriasis occurs
Explanation:Anticholinergic syndrome occurs following overdose with drugs that have prominent anticholinergic activity including tricyclic antidepressants, antihistamines and atropine. Features include dry, warm, flushed skin, urinary retention, tachycardia, mydriasis (dilated pupils) and agitation.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Pharmacology
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Question 3
Incorrect
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A 38-year-old musician presented with a two-day history of sudden-onset occipital headache associated with nausea and vomiting. The next day, his right hand became weak for a few hours. On the same day he had an episode of sensory disturbance in his right upper limb consisting of tingling in his hand that spread up the arm, to his shoulder lasting less than two minutes in total. On the day of admission he had a similar episode of sensory disturbance lasting 30 seconds in total. On examination he had bilateral papilledema, no neck stiffness and an otherwise normal neurological examination. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Venous sinus thrombosis
Explanation:Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is associated with headache (>90% of cases), seizures, focal weakness (40%) and papilledema (40%), all seen in this patient.
Risk factors for CVST include genetic or acquired prothrombotic disorders, pregnancy, the oral contraceptive pill, vasculitis, malignancy, dehydration and infection. However, there are multiple other associated factors.
Diagnosis is normally confirmed with magnetic resonance venography (MRV). Treatment is with anticoagulation, initially with heparin and subsequently with warfarin. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Neurology
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Question 4
Incorrect
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Which of the following is most consistent with achondroplasia?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: May be diagnosed radiologically at birth
Explanation:Achondroplasia is the most common type of short-limb disproportionate dwarfism. A single gene mapped to the short arm of chromosome 4 (band 4p16.3) is responsible for achondroplasia and is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait. All people with achondroplasia have a short stature.
Characteristic features of achondroplasia include an average-size trunk, short arms and legs with particularly short upper arms and thighs, limited range of motion at the elbows, and an enlarged head (macrocephaly) with a prominent forehead. Fingers are typically short and the ring finger and middle finger may diverge, giving the hand a three-pronged (trident) appearance. People with achondroplasia are generally of normal intelligence.
Examination of the infant after birth shows increased front-to-back head size. There may be signs of hydrocephalus. It may be diagnosed radiographically at birth, or becomes obvious within the first year with disparity between a large skull, normal trunk length and short limbs. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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Question 5
Incorrect
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A 30-year-old male with a history of premature cardiovascular disease in the family has come for review of his lab investigations.
His fasting cholesterol is 8.4 mmol/l with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of 1.6 mmol/l.
You elect to commence him on atorvastatin 20 mg PO daily.
Which of the following best describes the mechanism of action of the statins?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: They inhibit HMG CoA reductase
Explanation:Statins are a selective, competitive inhibitor of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase, which is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate in the cholesterol synthesis pathway.
Statins are usually well tolerated with myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, hepatotoxicity, and diabetes mellitus being the most common adverse reactions.
This is the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis, that leads to increased hepatic low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors and reduced hepatic VLDL synthesis coupled with increased very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) clearance. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Pharmacology
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Question 6
Incorrect
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A 35 year old patient presented with a cough, wheezing and difficulty in breathing which wakes him up in the night. He also has a itchy, dry and scaly skin rash. Which of the following is the most probable diagnosis?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Eczema
Explanation:The skin lesion is most probably eczema. It is common among atopic people. Asthma is a common association.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Dermatology
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Question 7
Incorrect
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A 24-year-old woman presents as an emergency to her GP with acute vomiting which began some 3–4 hours after attending an afternoon meeting. Cream cakes were served during the coffee break.
Which of the following organisms is the most likely cause of this acute attack of vomiting?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Staphylococcus aureus
Explanation:Staph. aureus is the most likely cause. It is found in foods like dairy products, cold meats, or mayonnaise. It produces a heat-stable ENDOTOXIN (remember this) that causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea 1-6 hours after ingestion of contaminated food. B. cereus is classically associated with fried rice being reheated. Salmonella is typical with raw eggs and undercooked poultry. Campylobacter which is most commonly associated with food poisoning, is seen with poultry 50% of the time. Yersinia enterocolitica is seen with raw or undercooked pork, and may be a case presenting with mesenteric adenitis.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Gastroenterology
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Question 8
Incorrect
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A 4-year-old boy admitted with fever for 2 days had a left sided focal fits, which persisted for 4 minutes. There was no history of head injury. On examination, he was drowsy but there were no focal neurological signs. Urine dipstick was negative. What is the investigation of choice that can be done at this stage to arrive at a diagnosis?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: CSF analysis
Explanation:This presentation could be due to either a meningitis or encephalitis, which are clinically not distinguishable from the given history. Encephalitis is mostly viral and in UK herpes simplex virus is the main cause. Advanced neuro imaging and EEG will help to differentiate them however from the given answers CSF analysis is the most appropriate, provided that intracranial pressure is not raised. CSF analysis will help to differentiate a pyogenic meningitis from other forms of meningitis and encephalitis.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Infectious Diseases
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Question 9
Incorrect
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A 58-year-old gentleman with a long history of gout presents with loin pain. Other past history of note includes an ileostomy after bowel surgery. There is no history of weight loss from malabsorption syndrome after his bowel surgery. Excretion urography reveals evidence of bilateral renal stones.
What is the most likely composition of his renal stones?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Uric acid stones
Explanation:Uric acid stones will most likely be found in this case because of the patient’s long history of gout. Additionally, studies have shown that ileostomy patients have an increased risk for the development of uric acid stones.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Nephrology
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Question 10
Incorrect
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A patient who has mild benign prostatic hyperplasia has been advised to take finasteride.
The mechanism of action of this drug involves inhibition of the production of which of the following androgens?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Dihydrotestosterone
Explanation:Finasteride inhibits the formation of dihydrotestosterone.
Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor and thus, inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).DHT is much more active than testosterone and binds more avidly to cytoplasmic receptors. DHT stimulates prostate growth and may be responsible for benign prostatic hyperplasia in the elderly.
Thus, finasteride can cause a reduction in prostatic volume and help in managing a patient with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Pharmacology
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Question 11
Incorrect
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A 65-year-old man presents to you three weeks after initiating metformin for type 2 diabetes mellitus. His body mass index is 27.5 kg/m^2. At a dose of 500mg TDS the patient has experienced significant diarrhoea. Even on reducing the dose to 500mg BD his symptoms persisted. What is the most appropriate next step in this patient?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Start modified release metformin 500mg od with evening meal
Explanation:Here, the patient seems to be intolerant to standard metformin. In such cases, modified-release preparations is considered as the most appropriate next step.
There is some evidence that these produce fewer gastrointestinal side-effects in patients intolerant of standard-release metformin.Metformin is a biguanide and reduces blood glucose levels by decreasing the production of glucose in the liver, decreasing intestinal absorption and increasing insulin sensitivity.
Metformin decreases both the basal and postprandial blood glucose.
Other uses: In Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Metformin decreases insulin levels, which then decreases luteinizing hormone and androgen levels. Thus acting to normalize the menstruation cycle.Note:
Metformin is contraindicated in patients with severe renal dysfunction, which is defined as a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 30 ml/min/1.732m2.
Metformin overdose has been associated with hypoglycaemia and lactic acidosis, for this reason, it has a black box warning for lactic acidosis. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Pharmacology
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Question 12
Incorrect
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Which is NOT a poor prognostic factor for patients with malignant melanoma?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Diameter of melanoma > 6 mm
Explanation:Features that affect prognosis are tumour thickness in millimetres (Breslow’s depth – the deeper the Breslow thickness the poorer the prognosis.), depth related to skin structures (Clark level – the level of invasion through the dermis), type of melanoma, presence of ulceration, presence of lymphatic/perineural invasion, presence of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (if present, prognosis is better), location of lesion, presence of satellite lesions, and presence of regional or distant metastasis. Malignant melanoma tends to grow radially before entering a vertical growth phase. The diameter it reaches has not been found to be a prognostic factor.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Dermatology
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Question 13
Incorrect
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According to the Ann Arbor staging system for Hodgkin lymphoma, which one of the following would be staged as IIIB?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Nodes on both sides of diaphragm with night sweats
Explanation:Involvement of lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm accompanied by night sweats would be staged as IIIB according to the Ann Arbor staging system for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).
HL is a malignant proliferation of lymphocytes characterised by the presence of distinctive giant cells known as Reed-Sternberg cells. It has a bimodal age distribution being most common in the third and seventh decades of life.
Staging of HL is done according to the Ann Arbor staging system:
Stage
I: Single lymph node region (I) or one extra lymphatic site (IE)II: Two or more lymph node regions on same side of the diaphragm (II) or local extra lymphatic extension plus one or more lymph node regions on same side of the diaphragm (IIE)
III: Lymph node regions on both sides of the diaphragm (III) which may be accompanied by local extra lymphatic extension (IIIE)
IV: Diffuse involvement of one or more extra lymphatic organs or sites
Suffix
A: No B symptomsB: Presence of at least one of the following: unexplained weight loss >10% baseline during 6 months before staging; recurrent unexplained fever >38°C; recurrent night sweats—poor prognosis.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Haematology & Oncology
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Question 14
Incorrect
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A 85 yr. old previously well man was found to have a BP of 155/90 mmHg. His average reading from the monitoring of his ambulatory BP was 147/92 mmHg. His calculated 10 year cardiovascular risk was 15%. Which of the following is the most appropriate management of this patient?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Give lifestyle advice and repeat blood pressure in 6 months
Explanation:According to different guidelines for patients above 80 years, the targeted systolic blood pressure varies from 140-150 mmHg. As this patient’s BP is within that range, he can be kept under observation.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Cardiology
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Question 15
Incorrect
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A 70-year-old male patient presents to the urology clinic with a one-month history of passing frank haematuria. Flexible cystoscopy shows a mass of the bladder wall and biopsy reveals transitional cell carcinoma.
Out of the following, which industry has he most likely worked in?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Dyestuffs and pigment manufacture
Explanation:Exposure to aniline dyes is a risk factor for transitional cell carcinoma. Aniline dyes are used in dyestuffs and pigment manufacturing.
The other aforementioned options are ruled out because:
1. Feed production may expose to aflatoxin (hepatocellular carcinoma).2. Being a military personnel may expose to mustard gas (lung cancer).
3. Rubber industry may expose to nitrosamines (oesophageal and gastric cancer).
4. Refrigerant production before 1974 may expose to vinyl chloride (hepatic angiosarcoma).
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Haematology & Oncology
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Question 16
Incorrect
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A 34-year-old man was brought to the ER following a road-traffic-accident. An X-ray of his left thigh revealed a fractured shaft of the left femur. He has a known history of opioid abuse. You are called to the ward to assess him after he becomes unwell. Which of the following clinical features are NOT compatible with a diagnosis of opioid withdrawal?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Hypothermia
Explanation:Among the options provided, hypothermia is not a symptom of opioid withdrawal.
Symptoms of opioid withdrawal include dysphoric mood, yawning, insomnia, muscle aches, lacrimation/rhinorrhoea, papillary dilatation, piloerection, fever, sweating, nausea/vomiting, diarrhoea.
If the patient is having an opioid withdrawal reaction, then give 10 mg of methadone syrup and wait about 60 min to determine its effect.COWS (Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale) assessment for opioid withdrawal is commonly used to determine the severity of opioid withdrawal.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Pharmacology
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Question 17
Incorrect
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Of the following disorders, which one causes acute tubular damage?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Myoglobinuria
Explanation:Myoglobinuria is the condition when there is degeneration of necrosed muscle that it is excreted in the urine. This condition would then cause acute tubular damage leading to renal failure.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Nephrology
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Question 18
Incorrect
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A 53-year-old woman presents with a painless lump in the left breast associated with nipple discharge. The skin over the lump has an orange peel skin appearance. According to the patient, the lump has increased in size, with time.
Diagnosis of breast cancer is strongly suspected. Which of the following would be most useful in monitoring the prognosis of breast cancer, in this case?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Lymph node metastases
Explanation:The prognosis of breast cancer depends chiefly on the extent of nodal metastases.
The breast cancer TNM staging system is the most common way that doctors use to stage breast cancer. TNM stands for Tumour, Node, Metastasis. The results are combined to determine the stage of cancer for each person. There are five stages: stage 0 (zero), which is non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and stages I through IV (1 through 4), which are used for invasive breast cancer.
Staging can be clinical or pathological. Clinical staging is based on the results of tests done before surgery, which may include physical examinations, mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI scans. Pathologic staging is based on what is found during surgery to remove breast tissue and lymph nodes. In general, pathological staging provides the most information to determine a patient’s prognosis.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Haematology & Oncology
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Question 19
Incorrect
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A 3 month old infant born to HIV positive mother presented with jaundice, epileptic seizures and microcephaly. The most likely cause will be?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer:
Explanation:Congenital cytomegalovirus infection causes; jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, petechia, microcephaly, hearing loss and seizures.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Infectious Diseases
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Question 20
Incorrect
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Which one of the following is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the UK?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Explanation:Hashimoto thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in developed countries. In contrast, worldwide, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is an inadequate dietary intake of iodine. This disease is also known as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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Question 21
Incorrect
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A 25-year-old woman presents to the clinic with nausea, thirst and dehydration. She mentioned that she has an uncle with previous parathyroid gland excision and a cousin who has recently been diagnosed with insulinoma.
On examination, her BP is 135/72 mmHg, her pulse is 70/min and regular, her BMI is 20. Cardiovascular, respiratory and abdominal examinations are unremarkable.
Investigations show:
Hb 12.6 g/dL,
WCC 5.4 x109/L,
PLT 299 x109/L,
Na+ 139 mmol/L,
K+ 4.4 mmol/L,
Creatinine 121 ىmol/L,
Albumin 37 g/l,
Ca++ 2.95 mmol/L,
PTH 18 (normal<10).
Which of the following is the most likely cause of her raised calcium?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Parathyroid hyperplasia
Explanation:The combination of Insulinoma and Parathyroid diseases is suggestive of MEN 1 syndrome.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a rare hereditary tumour syndrome inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and characterized by a predisposition to a multitude of endocrine neoplasms primarily of parathyroid, entero-pancreatic, and anterior pituitary origin, as well as non-endocrine neoplasms.
Other endocrine tumours in MEN1 include foregut carcinoid tumours, adrenocortical tumours, and rarely pheochromocytoma. Nonendocrine manifestations include meningiomas and ependymomas, lipomas, angiofibromas, collagenomas, and leiomyomas.Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), due to parathyroid hyperplasia is the most frequent and usually the earliest expression of MEN-1, with a typical age of onset at 20–25 years.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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Question 22
Incorrect
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A 13 yr. old boy presented with difficulty in breathing on exertion. According to his mother who was also present, his exercise tolerance has been gradually worsening for the past weeks. It has reached the point where he is unable to participate in his weekly soccer match. Cardiac catherization was performed and the results are given below:
(Anatomical site vs Oxygen saturation (%)vs Pressure (mmHg))
Superior vena cava:
73
,–.
Right atrium:
71,
6.
Right ventricle:
72,
–.
Pulmonary artery:
86,
53/13.
PCWP:
–,
15.
Left ventricle:
97,
111/10.
Aorta:
96,
128/61.
Which of the following is the diagnosis?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Patent ductus arteriosus
Explanation:The oxygen saturation in the pulmonary artery is higher than that of the right ventricle. The pressure of the pulmonary artery and of the PCWP are also high. So patent ductus arteriosus is highly suggestive.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Cardiology
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Question 23
Incorrect
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A 35-year-old gentleman presents to the Emergency Department with abdominal pain. This started earlier on in the day and is getting progressively worse. The pain is located on his left flank and radiates down into his groin. He has no history of this pain or any other condition. Examination reveals a gentleman who is flushed and sweaty but is otherwise unremarkable. What is the most suitable initial management?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: IM diclofenac 75 mg
Explanation:Because of the patient’s presentation with flank pain that radiates to the groin, we are suspecting renal colic. We should follow guidelines for acute renal management and prescribe IM diclofenac for immediate relief of pain.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Nephrology
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Question 24
Incorrect
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A 35-year-old woman visits you in the paediatric diabetes clinic with her 2-year-old son who has recently been diagnosed by type-1 diabetes. He has an identical twin brother and she is concerned about his risk of developing diabetes.
What advice would you give regarding his future risk?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: He has a 30–50% future risk of developing type-1 diabetes
Explanation:The frequency of type-1 diabetes is higher in siblings of diabetic parents (e.g., in the UK 6% by age 30) than in the general population (in the U.K. 0.4% by age 30), while disease concordance in monozygotic (identical) twins is about 40% i.e. the risk that the unaffected twin will develop diabetes.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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Question 25
Incorrect
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A 27 year old woman presents with a 4cm bleeding ulcer on her labia minora. The woman admits she is sexually active. Which lymph nodes will the ulcer drain to?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Superficial inguinal
Explanation:The woman seems to have a chancroid, which may or may not drain to the lymph nodes of the groin. These nodes are the superficial inguinal lymph nodes.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Infectious Diseases
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Question 26
Incorrect
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A study is developed to assess a new mandible advancement device designed to reduce snoring. A 10 point scale was used to assess the severity of snoring before and after applying of the device by the respective partner. The number of the people involved in the study was 50. What test would you apply in this particular study?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Wilcoxon signed-rank test
Explanation:Steps required in performing the Wilcoxon signed rank test:
1 State the null hypothesis and, in particular, the hypothesized value for comparison
2 Rank all observations in increasing order of magnitude, ignoring their sign. Ignore any observations that are equal to the hypothesized value. If two observations have the same magnitude, regardless of sign, then they are given an average ranking
3 Allocate a sign (+ or -) to each observation according to whether it is greater or less than the hypothesized value (as in the sign test)
4 Calculate:
R+ = sum of all positive ranks
R- = sum of all negative ranks
R = smaller of R+ and R-
5 Calculate an appropriate P value What makes this test the most appropriate for this study is that the data is non-parametric, paired and comes from the same population. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Clinical Sciences
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Question 27
Incorrect
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A 60 year old man who has been complaining of increasing shortness of breath had a post-bronchodilator spirometry done.
FEV1/FVC 0. 63
FEV1% predicted 63%
What is the best interpretation of these results?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: COPD (stage 2 - moderate)
Explanation:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and progressive chronic lung disease. Typically, COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is characterized by the restriction of airflow into and out of the lungs. The obstruction of airflow makes breathing difficult. The causes of COPD include smoking, long-term exposure to air pollutants and a rare genetic disorder.
The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) developed the GOLD Staging System. In the GOLD System, the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) measurement from a pulmonary function test is used to place COPD into stages. Often, doctors also consider your COPD symptoms.
COPD has four stages. The stages of COPD range from mild to very severe. COPD affects everyone differently. Because COPD is a progressive lung disease, it will worsen over time.
The Stages of COPD:
Mild COPD or Stage 1—Mild COPD with a FEV1 about 80 percent or more of normal.
Moderate COPD or Stage 2—Moderate COPD with a FEV1 between 50 and 80 percent of normal.
Severe COPD or Stage 3—Severe emphysema with a FEV1 between 30 and 50 percent of normal.
Very Severe COPD or Stage 4—Very severe or End-Stage COPD with a lower FEV1 than Stage 3, or people with low blood oxygen levels and a Stage 3 FEV1.This patient has a FEV1 percent of 63 which falls within the stage 2 or moderate COPD.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Respiratory
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Question 28
Incorrect
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A 60-year-old lady has been admitted to the stroke ward following a sudden onset of dizziness and visual disturbances, which started yesterday morning. She initially thought she was just dehydrated, however, later realised she was unable to read her own shopping list. On the ward rounds, the consultant examines her and finds she is indeed unable to read. She is, however, able to write. When she writes a sentence it makes perfect sense, although she is again unable to read it out. She has no problems with her speech and is able to converse normally. She has no motor focal neurological deficit. The consultant asks you where the lesion is likely to be?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Corpus callosum
Explanation:The patient presents with sudden onset of alexia (the inability to read) WITHOUT agraphia (inability to write) which is consistent with lesions of the corpus callosum where there is a disconnect syndrome and the patient’s language and visual centres are actually in tact, but are unable to communicate between hemispheres. In this case, the damage due to the stroke is most likely in the left visual cortex, leaving visual processing to the intact right hemisphere which unfortunately cannot communicate the information to the language centres (Broca and Wernicke’s) in the left hemisphere, hence the alexia. Alternatively, the speech and writing are unaffected as the language centres can still communicate with the primary motor cortex.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Neurology
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Question 29
Incorrect
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All of the following are true regarding carcinoid syndrome, except?
Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Pharmacological blockade is clinically useful in only 10% of patients
Explanation:For medical management of carcinoid syndrome, there are two somatostatin analogues available, Octreotide and Lanreotide. Somatostatin is an amino acid peptide which is an inhibitory hormone, which is synthesized by paracrine cells located ubiquitously throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Both somatostatin analogues provide symptom relief in 50% to 70% of patients and biochemical response in 40% to 60% patients. Many studies have shown that Octreotide and Lanreotide also inhibit the proliferation of tumour cells.
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This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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Question 30
Incorrect
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A 55-year-old man presents to the ED complaining of extreme fatigue. He has a history of Graves disease. On examination, his blood pressure is 103/58 mmHg, pulse 64/min and temperature 36.3ºC.
The following results are obtained:
Na+ 135 mmol/L,
K+ 5.4 mmol/L,
Urea 5.2 mmol/L,
Creatinine 42 umol/L,
TSH 3.5 mu/l,
Free thyroxine (T4) 12 pmol/L.
You arrange for a random cortisol test, however, whilst awaiting the result he becomes unresponsive. In addition to giving intravenous steroids and fluid, what test is urgent to check first given the likely diagnosis?Your Answer:
Correct Answer: Glucose
Explanation:The patient is most likely to have Addison’s disease as he has a history of autoimmune disease, hyperkalaemia and hypotension.
It is important to keep an Addisonian crisis on the differential in cases of shock, especially since adrenal crisis can be the patient’s first presentation of adrenal insufficiency.
Patients with Addison’s disease are prone to developing hypoglycaemia due to loss of the glucogenic effect of glucocorticoids. Given the sudden deterioration, a glucose level must be checked. -
This question is part of the following fields:
- Endocrinology
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