A 54-Year-Old Man Comes to the Emergency Department Due to Fevers

question 235

Multiple Choice

A 54-year-old man comes to the emergency department due to fevers, shaking chills, and cough productive of copious sputum.  He began having fever, cough, and sharp chest pains 10 days ago and was prescribed oral antibiotics by his primary care physician after a chest x-ray revealed a right lower lobe infiltrate.  The patient has not been taking the medication as advised, and his symptoms have progressively worsened.  Temperature is 39 C (102.2 F) , blood pressure is 114/62 mm Hg, and pulse is 116/min.  Physical examination reveals crackles in the right lower lung.  Repeat chest x-ray reveals a round density with an air-fluid level in the lower lobe of the right lung.  Which of the following is the most important contributor to the observed lung lesion in this patient?

• A)Interferon-gamma production by CD4 lymphocytes
• B)Interleukin-12 secretion by dendritic cells
• C)Lysosomal content release by neutrophils
• D)Major basic protein release by eosinophils
• E)Transforming growth factor-beta secretion by macrophages

---

Definitions:

Price Elasticity of Demand

A measure of how much the quantity demanded of a good responds to a change in the price of that good.

Willingness-To-Pay

The maximum amount an individual is ready to spend to purchase a good or service or to avoid something undesirable.

Marginal Cost

The price required to create another unit of a good or service.

Advertising Elasticity of Demand

The responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in the amount of advertising for that good.