46248 - General Pharmacology

Learning outcomes

The student will learn the basic concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. These concepts are preliminary to the study of the main classes of drugs used in clinical practice.

Course contents

1. Introduction to the pharmacology with useful definitions and elements of pharmaceutical legislation.
2. The pharmacokinetics: routes of administration, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs. Control of plasma concentrations of drugs.
3. Pharmacodynamics: drug-receptor interactions and responses to drugs. Concepts of efficacy, potency, therapeutic index. Factors affecting drug response. The individual variability in drug response: the pharmacogenetics.
4. The adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance.
5. Drug development: from the discovery of the molecule to the clinical use.
6. Genral principles on gender pharmacology.

Readings/Bibliography

Karen Whalen, Le basi della Farmacologia. Terza edizione italiana. 2020. Zanichelli Editore

Slides and lecture notes.

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Assessment methods

The evaluation of the knowledge acquired by the student is based on the administration of a written questionnaire (paper or electronic) with multiple choice questions divided as follows: questionnaire A (30 questions on general pathology and immunology and general pharmacology), questionnaire B (30 questions of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Biochemistry). The student will be able to take the two questionnaires in the same exam session or in separate sessions, as long as they complete the exam within the current Academic Year.

Teaching tools

Video-projector

Office hours

See the website of Domenico Motola