Question Of The Day

A 13-year-old girl is brought to the clinic by her mother who noticed that her daughter's right shoulder appears higher than her left when viewed from behind. The patient denies any back pain or neurological symptoms. Physical examination reveals a right thoracic curve with the right shoulder elevated and a mild rib prominence on the right side when she bends forward (positive Adam's forward bend test).

Her neurological examination is normal, and she has no history of underlying medical conditions. Radiographic evaluation shows a 25-degree right thoracic curve from T6 to T12 with no evidence of vertebral anomalies, tumors, or other underlying pathology. Family history is significant for similar spinal curvature in her maternal aunt.

Which of the following best describes the classification of this patient's condition?

1. Idiopathic scoliosis
2. Congenital scoliosis
3. Neuromuscular scoliosis
4. Degenerative scoliosis
5. Iatrogenic scoliosis

Your Answer (0–5):

A 45-year-old man presents to a provider with recurrent episodes of palpitations over the last three months. The episodes are self-limiting but cause him significant distress and discomfort. After a detailed electrophysiological workup, the provider concludes that the symptoms occur mainly due to the abnormal function of cardiac ion channels that primarily produce the plateau phase of the action potential in cardiac myocytes. Which of the following ion channels is dysfunctional in this man?

1. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels
2. Fast sodium channels
3. L-type voltage-gated calcium channels
4. T-type voltage-gated calcium channels
5. Inward rectifier IK1 channels

Your Answer (0–5):

A 24-year-old man comes to the physician for a routine health maintenance visit. He recently graduated from college and moved to a new city to start his first job as a software engineer. He reports feeling lonely and having difficulty making close friends since moving. He spends most of his free time playing online video games and rarely goes out socially. He mentions that he has never been in a serious romantic relationship and feels anxious about dating. According to Erikson's psychosocial development theory, which of the following developmental tasks is this patient currently struggling with?

1. Trust vs. mistrust
2. Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3. Initiative vs. guilt
4. Industry vs. inferiority
5. Intimacy vs. isolation

Your Answer (0–5):