AAMC #10 question 122

[Vikas03]

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The question asks what would be the best way to prevent the re-occurrence of ulcers in the stomach and the passage mentions the best way is to neutralize or reduce H-Cl production in the stomach along with using an antibiotic. In the answer choices, i ended up choosing the choice which only said use of an antibiotic because the answer choice which mentioned both antibiotic and H-Cl production said to use a drug which INHIBITED H-Cl production. However, that was the correct answer. Isn't that answer too extreme, because we want to reduce h-cl production, not inhibit it completely like stated in the passage?

 

[shaboobly]

The question asks what would be the best way to prevent the re-occurrence of ulcers in the stomach and the passage mentions the best way is to neutralize or reduce H-Cl production in the stomach along with using an antibiotic. In the answer choices, i ended up choosing the choice which only said use of an antibiotic because the answer choice which mentioned both antibiotic and H-Cl production said to use a drug which INHIBITED H-Cl production. However, that was the correct answer. Isn't that answer too extreme, because we want to reduce h-cl production, not inhibit it completely like stated in the passage?

this question is too vague and i noticed there was a passage associated with it, which i dont have. just because an answer is extreme doesnt make it wrong; for all you know all the answers could be somewhat right, but the directions of each section clearly state to choose the best answer.

anyway you dont even need to know much to answer the question. why do peple get ulcers? too much acid in the stomach eats through the mucosa and through the stomach lining. how do you prevent ulcers? reduce the amount of acid, or inhibit hcl production. both are the same in this sense because you cant just destroy the acid already there, which means you cant go in and filter all the stomach contents or whatever, you need to get the source: hcl production.

 

[Saint Fu]

I don't think inhibition necessarily means outright prevention/stopping of production of HCl. In general, I'd equate "inhibition" to "reduction". IIRC, there was a sentence in the passage that also specifically mentioned a successful drug treatment that involved both HCl inhibition and antibiotics.

 

[dlquan]

Besides, how would you know what effect only the antibiotic would have? Inhibition is not absolute, given the many factors to consider (substrate concentration, type of inhibition [competitive/noncompetitive], etc).

 

[Bacchus]

Think of it as inhibited vs. prohibited. The former tones it down, the latter bans it. Beyond the MCAT, but this sounds like an association to Helicobacter pylori which is treated with triple therapy: PPI, amoxicillin, clarithromycin.