46248 - General Pharmacology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the general principles of drug administration, the concepts of risk-benefit of drug therapy, the health risk of doping.

Course contents

Classification of drugs.

PHARMACOKINETICS

Routes of administration of drugs. Enteral versus parenteral administration. Drug absorption, transfer of drugs across membranes. Distribution and bioavailability of drugs. Metabolism of drugs. Excretion of drugs: renal excretion, biliary excretion. Pharmacokinetic parameters.

PHARMACODYNAMICS

Mechanisms of drug action. Drug-receptor interaction. Agonists and antagonists. Relationship between the therapeutic effects and the adverse effects of drugs.

Potency and relative efficacy of drugs. Adverse drug reactions and drug toxicity. Allergies and idiosyncrasies.

The safety of dietary supplements for athletes.

Herbal products and phytotherapeutic drugs.

Therapeutic treatment of athletes: the correct use of drugs. Risk/benefit profile of drugs. Pharmacological treatment of inflammations: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids. Drugs acting on the respiratory system: adrenergic agonists, corticosteroids, theophylline. Drugs to treat cough: codeine.

Drugs and sport: exemption for therapeutic purposes; statement of therapeutic use; interactions.

Doping epidemiology. The health risk of doping. Principles of antidoping controls.

Readings/Bibliography

Golan D.E. Principles of Pharmacology. The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2016.

Mottram D.R. Drugs in Sport. Taylor and Francis, 2005.

Teaching methods

Lectures with multimedia support. This course includes classroom exercises.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist in a written test aimed at assessing the student's understanding and knowledge of the topics set out during the course.

The written test of “General Pharmacology” course unit consists of:

-30 multiple choice questions. Each right answer will be awarded with 1 point, while wrong answers will be given -0,25 points.

Students have up to 40 minutes to complete the written test.

Examples and details will be shown during the lessons.  

During the exam, the use of textbooks, notes, computer aids, calculators is not permitted.

The validity of the written text is 12 months.

The student will get a mark for each course unit (General and Applied Hygiene 6 CFU - General Pharmacology 3 CFU). The marks obtained for each exam, in proportion to the number of credits, contribute to the final grade of thirty.

To check exam dates, students can access AlmaEsami. The exam registration list closes one week before the exam date.

Teaching tools

The teaching material presented during the lectures is available on https://virtuale.unibo.it

Access will only be granted to students enrolled at the University of Bologna.

Office hours

See the website of Carmela Fimognari