Describe the principal mechanisms by which drugs act in the body and differentiate between therapeutic effects and unwanted effects of drugs.

General Principles 1. Describe the principal mechanisms by which drugs act in the body and differentiate between therapeutic effects and unwanted effects of drugs.
2. Describe the pharmacokinetic factors which affect the amount of drug and its duration of action in the body.
3. Outline the evolution of pharmacology as a discipline, discovery of key drugs, contributions of leading pharmacologists. List some leading Nobel prize winners and their discoveries.
4. Define: Drug, pharmacopeia, iatrogenic effect, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics.

Pharmacodynamics 1. Describe the origin of the word ‘Pharmacology’ Pharmacodynamics.
2. Define receptor, spare receptors, agonist, antagonist, partial agonist, inverse agonist, affinity, intrinsic activity, efficacy, potency, therapeutic index, therapeutic window, EC50, Kd.
3. Describe one example of the clinical utility of a partial agonist.
4. Describe allosteric interaction with one example.
5. Describe 4 pharmacological signal transduction mechanisms.
6. Describe receptor downregulation and upregulation with example Pharmacokinetics
1. Define pKa, bioavailability, clearance, volume of distribution, and half-life.
2. List factors affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
3. Describe the effect of pH on acidic and basic drugs, ion trapping, and its clinical significance with one example. 3. Describe the cheese-wine reaction.
4. Describe the impact of plasma protein of drugs on drug-drug interactions.
5. Give examples of two organs with differences in capillary permeability.
6. Describe the characteristics of the blood: brain barrier and its clinical significance with one example8. Recite the significance of Vd values (low and high values).
7. Give one example of the clinical significance of the phenomenon of drug redistribution.
8. Describe the phases of drug metabolism and the main chemical reactions in each phase.
9. List the characteristics of cytochrome P450 enzymes and conjugating enzymes.

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