Question 1

A 6-year-old child is brought to the pediatric clinic with an eye problem. The child is diagnosed with viral conjunctivitis. What is important information to discuss with the parents and child?

Accepted Answer

Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious, and it is important to emphasize the importance of hand washing to prevent the spread of the infection.

Question 2

A nurse cares for an elderly patient with moderate hearing loss. The nurse should teach the patient's family to use which of the following approaches when speaking to the patient?

Accepted Answer

Facing the patient and speaking slowly with a slightly lowered voice helps improve communication by making it easier for the patient to read lips and understand speech, as higher frequencies are often harder for those with hearing loss to hear.

Question 3

The modulation of pain by small and large fibers to specialized cells is a description of:

Accepted Answer

The gate theory proposes that the modulation of pain by small and large fibers to specialized cells occurs in the spinal cord.

Question 4

In which part of the spinal cord is the place where first-order neurons, second-order neurons, and interneurons converge?

Accepted Answer

The dorsal horn of the spinal cord is where first-order neurons, second-order neurons, and interneurons converge. It is primarily involved in processing sensory information.

Question 5

__________ reduce and block nociceptive input.

Accepted Answer

Aβ fibers (beta fibers) are involved in the modulation of pain and can reduce and block nociceptive input by activating inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord.

Question 6

Dextromethorphan is a common ingredient in several over-the-counter cough medicines. Dextromethorphan in high doses can create a "high" with feelings of euphoria and hallucinations and has been abused. The reason for this effect is that dextromethorphan:

Accepted Answer

Dextromethorphan is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, which can lead to dissociative effects and euphoria at high doses.

Question 7

The phenomenon in which less provocation is needed to cause pain or perceived pain increases with the same level of stimuli occurs as a result of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The phenomenon in which less provocation is...

Question 8

A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus is complaining of numbness, tingling, and occasional burning in his feet. This is a description of __________ pain.

Accepted Answer

The symptoms described are characteristic of neuropathic pain, which is common in patients with diabetes due to nerve damage.

Question 9

When flying, people can sense a "popping" in their ears. This occurs because the:

Accepted Answer

The "popping" sensation occurs when the eustachian tubes open to equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the external environment, relieving pressure differences.

Question 10

A patient sustained a traumatic amputation below his knee due to a motor vehicle accident. He is experiencing phantom pain and wants to know how this could be happening if his leg is gone. You explain that phantom pain occurs because:

Accepted Answer

Phantom pain occurs because the nerves that were severed during the amputation can still send signals to the brain, and the brain interprets these signals as pain from the missing limb.

Question 11

A 45-year-old man started having difficulty with reading things. He states, "I guess it's my time for reading glasses because I am getting older." He wants to know why this happens. You explain that with aging the:

Accepted Answer

With aging, the lens of the eye becomes less flexible, making it harder to focus on close objects, a condition known as presbyopia.

Question 12

A 35-year-old woman is complaining of itchy, red, and watery eyes and sneezing with clear nasal discharge. She denies a cough, fever, sore throat, or facial pain. She has a history of type 1 diabetes mellitus, and she had asthma when she was a child. The cause of this conjunctivitis is:

Accepted Answer

The symptoms of itchy, red, and watery eyes along with sneezing and clear nasal discharge are characteristic of allergic conjunctivitis, which is caused by allergies.

Question 13

A 30-year-old is complaining of her left eye being red, with watery discharge, and it feels like she has something in it. She also states her eye hurts and she has photophobia. She said it started 1 day ago. She denies a cough, fever, sore throat, or facial pain. She wears daily disposable contacts and sometimes she falls asleep with them on. She has no significant past medical history and denies history of allergies. On examination, her eye is red around the cornea, the pupil reacts briskly, and the lens has a slight opacity. A likely diagnosis is:

Accepted Answer

The symptoms and history suggest keratitis, likely due to contact lens use, which can cause corneal inflammation and lead to pain, photophobia, and a sensation of a foreign body in the eye.

Question 14

A mother brings in her infant because she noticed that she has tearing in her left eye that comes and goes, and she noticed discharge that accumulates in the inner aspect of her eye. On examination, conjunctival erythema is absent, and on palpation of the lacrimal sac, tears and mucoid discharge is noted. The infant is diagnosed with dacryocystitis. Strategies to teach the mom to care for this include:

Accepted Answer

Applying warm compresses and gentle massaging of the lacrimal sac can help relieve the obstruction in the nasolacrimal duct, which is often the cause of dacryocystitis in infants.

Question 15

A common organism causing acute otitis media in children is:

Accepted Answer

Haemophilus influenzae is one of the most common bacteria causing acute otitis media in children, along with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

Question 16

Complications of acute otitis media include:

Accepted Answer

Conductive hearing loss and ruptured tympanic membrane are both complications of acute otitis media.

Quiz 14: Sensory Function