USMLE QBANK

An elderly woman with a history of multiple oral ulcers presents with flaccid bullae on her scalp, face, and trunk. Manual pressure on the skin produces separation of the upper layer of the epidermis, followed by eventual sloughing of the skin. The patient has been in relatively good health until recently, and denies taking any medications. A biopsy of one of the skin lesions reveals separation of epithelial cells above the basal layer. Autoantibodies to which of the following components would most likely be found in this patient?

A 70-year-old man with a history of atrial fibrillation is started on an oral anticoagulant. His prothrombin time is monitored on a regular basis. A few months into his therapy, he begins treatment for a duodenal ulcer and he develops symptoms of a bleeding diathesis. Which of the following ulcer medications is most likely responsible for this change in his hemostatic status?

A 42-year-old female presents with a recent onset of fatigue, malaise, constipation, and a 12-pound weight gain. On examination, her thyroid is firm and enlarged. What laboratory test is most likely to confirm the expected diagnosis?

A 64-year-old man presents to his doctor with aching, burning pain afte r meals. He had been self-medicating for several months with antacids, but he found this to be increasingly ineffective. His physician decides to take him off the antacids and instead places him on a combination of ranitidine and sucralfate. Why is this combination a bad idea?

A 27-year-old man has been arrested by the police for hitting, cursing at, and verbally berating his wife of 8 years. The wife tells the police he also regularly physically whips his 7-year-old son with a leather belt and often strikes the boy with his hand. When asked why he does this, he responds that this is 'how my father treated me, it's how men should act.' This represents which of the following types of learning?

A liver biopsy from a 54-year-old man shows many Mallory bodies. This finding is most suggestive of which of the following diseases?

A patient who has been exhibiting various endocrine abnormalities has an MRI scan of the head. This scan reveals a small tumor of the pituitary gland. If this tumor expands laterally, which of the following nerves will most likely be affected first?

A 28-year-old female presents to the doctor complaining of syncopal episodes that last a few minutes. She is not taking any medications and has no previous medical history. EEG and EKG studies are performed and are unremarkable. An echocardiogram shows a single ball-shaped mass dangling in the left atrium near the mitral valve. The most likely diagnosis is

Contraction of which of the following muscles contributes most to the backward movement of the lower jaw during the process of mastication?

A pulmonologist is testing a patient's lung volumes and capacities using simple spirometry. Which of the following lung volumes or capacities cannot be measured directly using this technique?