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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Define Chemistry.
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Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes that matter undergoes.
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To what level of precision can scientists today analyze matter?
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p.p.t. (parts per trillion)
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Curare was discovered where by which British explorer in which year?
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Discovered in 1595 in the jungles of South America by Sir Walter Raleigh.
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"Three Tree Poison," was actually which substance?
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Curare.
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Boiling down the vine 'Chondodendron tomentosum' yields which substance?
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Curare
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Sir Charles Waterton, an English physician, found what?
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That Curare could cause muscle relaxation without causing death in small doses.
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The brain and spinal cord make up what?
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The Central Nervous System
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In 1844, which French guy discovered that Curare worked by blocking nerve impulses between the CNS and the muscles?
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Claude Bernard
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What are the symptoms of Strychnine poisoning? What is an antidote?
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Strychnine poisoning causes death by exhaustion/asphyxia due to sever muscular contractions. Curare is an antidote.
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Who was the first doctor to use Curare in abdominal surgery in 1942 in Montreal?
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Dr. Harold Griffith
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Name the synthetic form of Curare.
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Pancuronium bromide.
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Executions by lethal injection are carried out by which three drugs?
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Sodium thiopentol: barbituate, induces sleep
Pavulon (pancuronium): stops breathing. Potassium chloride: stops the heart |
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What compound preceded penicillin as an antibiotic and was used to treat gonorrhea and strep throat?
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Sulfanilamide, 1937.
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London is to New York as Pills were to _____.
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Elixirs. Pills were preferred in Europe, but Americans preferred to drink their medicine in Elixir form.
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In 1937, Harold Watkins used which solvent to dissolve Sulfanilamide?
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Diethylene glycol
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What are the symptoms of diethylene glycol poisoning?
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Abdominal pain, vomiting, blindness, and eventual death.
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Diethylene glycol is converted to which toxic substance in the body?
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Oxalic acid.
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The catastrophe of sulfanilamide led to which Act under which president?
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In 1938, President Roosevelt brought in the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
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Who is considered the father of modern toxicology?
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Paracelsus (1493-1541)
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Who used Mercury sulfide around 1500 to treat syphilis, even though high doses could kill the patient?
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Paracelsus (1493-1541)
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What does one call the study of substances at very low doses?
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Hormesis.
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Is the dose-response relationship linear?
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Generally not. Hormesis curves show this.
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Vitamin D: The more, the better?
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No.
Vitamin D is beneficial at low levels, but is toxic at high levels. |
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Rats exposed to traces of DDT and a carcinogen develop more or less tumours?
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Less tumours. Traces of DDT are actually beneficial in preventing cancer.
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Lima beans, apple seeds, and Cassava contain which "poison?" Which of these foods may kill you?
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Cyanide. Cassava may kill you if you prepare it incorrectly.
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Japanese chef are specially trained for years to serve which maritime delicacy?
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Puffer Fish, called 'Fugu' in Japan.
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The lethal doses of cyanide and tetrodotoxine (TTX) are what?
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10 000 mcg and 10 mcg, respectively.
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Clostridium botulinum is a bacteria known to cause what? What is the lethal dose of their poison?
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Botulism poisoning by Botulin toxin. The lethal dose is 0.03 mcg.
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What are added to processed meats to prevent botulism poisoning?
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Nitrites
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Name some medical uses for Botulin toxin.
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-Used to prevent tremors
-Botox -Ease migraine pain by relaxing head muscles -Treatment of chronic anal fissures |
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Snake venom will have the same effect, whether eaten or injected into the bloodstream, right?
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No. If one ingests the snake venom, it is a protein that is digested in the stomach, thus rendered harmless.
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What is 'biochemical individuality?'
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The difference in toxicological responses in different individuals to the same amount of the same substance.
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Generally, which demographic reacts most seriously to a poison?
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Children
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Bisphenol A: where does it come from? Is it dangerous in low, chronic doses, or acute doses?
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Bisphenol A is used in the fabrication of polycarbonate plastics. There are no acute effects, but a low chronic dose can be a major health problem over time.
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Define "teratogenic effect."
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The substance is harmless to a pregnant woman, but seriously fucks up the fetus.
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What is toxin recognition?
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The analysis of an impure, toxic substance to determine which component is the toxic component.
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What is theobromine?
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It is the substance found in chocolate that dogs cannot digest. It guns pooches down.
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Explain "The Placebo Effect."
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30-50% of the time, a person will respond positively to a medication that actually contains no active ingredient, simply because they believe it is doing them good.
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Explain "The Nocebo Effect."
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If told that a particular (benign) substance will do harm to a person, the person may actually get sick if exposed to it.
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Does aspartame cause MS or other sicknesses?
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No, there is no proof of this.
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Who was the founder of the "Poison Squad" of 1903?
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Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, chief of the bureau of Chemistry of the department of Agriculture.
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Who was the chef for the Poison Squad?
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Chef William R. Carter
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Through what medium did members of the Poison Squad (1903) take their 'poison?'
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Gelatin capsules
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Which human organs are mostly responsible for the elimination of toxins from the body?
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The liver and kidneys.
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The detoxification process is largely an _______ process.
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Enzymatic.
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Explain Phase 1 enzymes.
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Phase 1 enzymes attach to toxic molecules and increase the solubility of the toxic molecule, as well as provide a site of attachment for a phase 2 molecule.
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Explain Phase 2 enzymes.
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Phase 2 enzymes bond to the Phase 1 enzyme attached to the toxic molecule, and signal for its expulsion from the body.
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Cytochrome P450 belongs to which group of enzymes?
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Phase 1 enzymes.
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Benzopyrenes: what is their origin? Are they dangerous?
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Benzopyrenes are compounds or multiple aromatic rings, hence, they are not soluble. While not particularly dangerous, they provide a good example of a toxin worked on by Phase 1 enzymes.
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What is a rare but serious complication of Phase-1 enzymes?
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The bonding site they provide for Phase-2 enzymes may be used accidentally by DNA molecules, mutating them. (=carcinogens)
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How does tea work as an anti-oxidant / anti-carcinogen?
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The body perceives substances in the tea to be dangerous, and releases detoxication enzymes. These enzymes remove other harmful, but undetected substances.
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Which compound, found in broccoli, does the body perceive to be toxic?
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Sulforaphane
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St. John's Wort, a mild antidepressant, stimulates the production of what?
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Phase-1 enzymes, namely Cytochrome-P450
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What is the name of the anti-rejection transplant drug that Cytochrome-P450 removes from the body?
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Cyclosporine.
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Name some drugs that are metabolized and removed from the body by cytochrome-P450,
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Tetracyclines, tamoxifen, MAO inhibitors, protease inhibitors, corticosteroids, antidepressants, anesthetics, contraceptives, anti-anxieties, dextrometorphan.
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Explain the mechanisms at play in an acetaminophen overdose.
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Acetaminophen dissolves readily and is acted on by Glucuronyl Transferase (Phase 2 enzyme), which attaches a glucuronic acid molecule to the acetaminophen. If there is not enough glucuronic acid, then cytochrome-P450 goes to work, but makes the acetaminophen into a toxic substance which can damage the liver. Once this toxic substance is created, it can be neutralized by Glutathione-S-Transferase, but is there is not enough Glutathione available, liver damage occurs!
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Alcohol stimulates the production of which enzyme?
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Cytochrome P-450.
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Is glutathione supplementation effective? Why/why not?
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No, because it is a tripeptide which is broken down to methionine in the stomach.
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Which amino acid is required to synthesize glutathione?
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Cysteine
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What amino acid can be supplemented to reduce liver damage by acetaminophen overdose?
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N-Acetylcysteine
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Heme is broken down by Heme oxygenase to yield what?
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Biliverdin, which is then converted to Bilirubin, to which a glucuronic acid molecule is attached (for solubility reasons), and then it is all excreted.
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Jaundice is caused by what?
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A shortage of Glucuronyl transferase; glucuronic acid cannot be attached to bilirubin without it, and the yellowish waste builds up below the skin, and eventually in the brain, which can cause death.
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Explain "Bili Lights"
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Bili lights are blue lights that are used to prevent jaundice in babies. Blue light changes the shape of the bilirubin molecule, making it more soluble, and easier to excrete.
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Allegra is the metabolically active form of which former allergy medication?
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Seldane.
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Felodipine is used for what?
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Felodipine is an antihypertensive.
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Furanocoumarins, which inhibit the formation of Cytochrome-P450, are found in which fruit juice? Which type of treatments can be seriously comprimised by this?
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Furanocoumarins come from grapefruit juice. The inhibition of cytochrome-P450 can seriously complicate antihypertensive treatments.
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Which antibiotic can cause irregular heartbeats at high doses and is broken down by cytochromes?
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Erythromycin
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MAOIs are used to treat what?
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Depression
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Which foods, (and which specific compound) should one avoid while on MAOIs ?
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Aged cheese, red wine, salami all contain tyramine. Tyramine is a natural vasopressin (raises blood pressure). MAO breaks down Tyramine. MAOIs inhibit MAO.
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What is the use of auxin?
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It is a growth hormone in plants. Introduced to plants too quickly, it will lead to the death of the plant (grow itself to death).
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What was operation ranch hand?
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Was a move by the US military to spray the Vietnamese forests with Agent Orange to make the trees and dense foliage die.
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What is LD50?
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The dose in mg/kg of body weight required to kill 50% of test subjects.
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Diethylstilbestrol: Qu'es-ce que c'est?
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A synthetic hormone that was used to prevent miscarriage in women. It caused an increase in vaginal cancer in female offspring.
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