Pharmacology
Code
11119
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Department
CFAT
Credits
4
Teacher in charge
Profª Doutora Maria Emília Monteiro
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
GENERAL GOALS
The goal of the Medicine degree is to train professionals capable of taking prophylactic and therapeutic action on the patient. These actions require knowledge of the diseases mechanism and therapeutic options. Drugs, independently of their origin (biotechnology, chemistry, nature, synthesis) are the most important therapeutic tool but they are also iatrogenic agents due to adverse reactions or incorrect prescription. In the subject of Pharmacology the students are given the means to:
- Identify the drugs that are available to them.
- Apply basic analysis criteria to any drug that might become available on the market.
It is the responsibility of the subject of Therapeutics, to select the most adequate drug to each patient whether the purposes are prophylactic or therapeutic.
SPECIFIC GOALS
The learning objectives for Pharmacology students are in the knowledge and attitude domain as in the context of the present curriculum and the infrastructures of the Faculty of Medical Sciences there are no objectives of attaining skills. In the knowledge domain, the students objectives are in areas of increasing difficulty: memorizing, understanding, applying and problem solving.
Regarding knowledge that utilizes memorizing above all, the students are expected to:
- Identify drug classes and within those, the common International and Portuguese denominations (DCI/DCP) of the leader active compounds and those distinguishable by their unique characteristics.
- Describe these drugs from pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and, if applicable, toxicology point of view.
- Correctly utilize the terminology associated with the drug and the medication
Regarding understanding the concepts, the students should be able to:
- Be able to explain the mechanisms of pharmacological action of different types of drugs
- Describe and organize the process that leads to the market introduction of a drug and the drug surveillance system.
- To make and interpret curves and graphs and other parameters of quantity that allow for and evaluation of efficacy, safety, potency and the organism exposure to the drug from a clinical or laboratorial pharmacology point of view.
Regarding the application of the acquired knowledge the students should be able to:
- Identify targets and pharmacological tools of therapeutically interest within a given physiopathlogical scheme.
- Choose the most adequate drug for a specific microorganism and select sources of information about drugs and medicine.
The problem solving skill, the student should be able to:
- Tell between drugs with similar therapeutic recommendations
- Select drugs in accordance with specific populations/situations (Pregnant, children, elderly, co-pathologies, drug interactions)
- Rank and summarize the main characteristics of a drug
- Compare pharmacology against homeopathy and natural therapeutics
- Examine a clinical study with drug interventions
- Justify some of the experimental approaches used in researching new drugs
Regarding attitude, the student is expected to behave professionally and hence should be:
- On time and assiduous
- Participating in the group assignment
- Capable of critical analysis and research oriented
- Able to make inquiries in a timely fashion
- Able to answer unexpected questions
- Clear when communicating with others
- Ethical in his behavior
Prerequisites
Subject matter
General principles:
- Drug origin, development and therapeutic use. Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology
- General principles of Pharmacokinetics
- General principles of Pharmacodynamics and molecular Pharmacology
- Co-medication: interactions and incompatibilities
- Drug and medication safety assessment. The National system for drug surveillance
Pharmacology of the intercellular communication:
- Drugs that modify the cholinergic transmission
- Drugs that modify the adrenergic transmission
- Drugs that modify the serotoninergic transmission
- Drugs that modify the dopaminergic transmission
- Drugs that modify the GABAergic transmission
- Pharmacology of general anaestethics
- Pharmacology of the excitatory amino acid transmitters
- Drugs that modify the opioid transmission
- Drugs that modify the histaminergic transmission
- Pharmacology of eicosanoids and immunopharmacology
- Drugs that interfere with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.
- Pharmacolgy of the Ionic transport
- Pharmacology of sodium channels: Local anaesthetics and Anti-dysrhythmics
- Pharmacology of calcium and potassium channels: Calcium antagonists and potassium channel blockers
- Pharmacology of ionic transport in the kidney: Diuretics
- Pharmacology of gastric acid secretion and anti-acids
- Pharmacology of the metabolism and sexual hormones
- Oral antidiabetics
- Pharmacology of dyslipidemia
- Pharmacology of the bone metabolism
- Oral contraceptives
- Drugs that act on the blood: pharmacological control of haemostasis
- Pharmacology of Cellular Proliferation
- General mechanisms
- Cancer chemotherapy
- Antibacterial drugs
- Antiviral drugs
Bibliography
- BASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Bertram Katzung, 11th edition, McGraw-Hill/Lange, 2009
- RANG AND DALE'S PHARMACOLOGY, Rang et al., 7th edition, Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone, 2011
- PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapy, David E. Golan, Armen H. Tashijan, Ehrin J. Amstrong, April W. Armstrong, 3rd edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011
- TERAPÊUTICA MEDICAMENTOSA E SUAS BASES FARMACOLÓGICAS, Serafim Guimarães, Daniel Moura e Patrício Soares da Silva, 5ª edição, Porto Editora, 2006
- INTEGRATED PHARMACOLOGY, Page, C.P., Hoffman, B.B., Curtis, M.J. and Walker, M.J.A., 3rd Edition, Elsevier Mosby, 2007.
- GOODMAN & GILMANS THE PHARMACOLOGICAL BASIS OF THERAPEUTICS. Laurence L. Brunton, Bruce A. Chabner, Björn C. Knollmann, 12th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011
- PHARMACOTHERAPY: A PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC APPROACH, Joseph DiPiro, Robert Talbert, Gary Yee, Gary Matzke, Barbara Wells, L. Michael Posey, 7th edition, McGraw-Hill, Jul 2008
Research papers
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
http://pcs.isiknowledge.com
Receptors classification
http://iuphar-db.org
Portuguese drug regulatory agency
www.infarmed.pt
Drug information
http://www.emea.europa.eu/htms/human/epar/eparintro.htm
Teaching method
Theoretical classes:
- Lectures
Practical classes:
- Development and presenting group essays
- Writing reports on the contents of practical classes
- Preparation and solving of multiple choice questions
- Problem solving
- Field trips (INFARMED)
Evaluation method
The final grade of the student is obtained as follows:
1. Practical class evaluation.
The grade obtained in the practical classes will account for 30% of the final grade and is achieved by evaluating the students performance, both individual and group, throughout the year. The students attitude is observed and continuously evaluated in every class. The learning objectives are evaluated in specific moments for each group: the presentation of a clinical study protocol; Presentation of the drug monograph and a content integration classes. The practical class grading is made available in the last days of May. Only students with a positive grade can take the final exam.
2. A yearly written and oral exam.
The written exam takes place during the normal and appeal exam periods and consist of a 40 question multiple choice exam. If take during an extraordinary exam season, then it will consist of dissertation and/or short answer questions. The grade obtained in the written exam will account for 70% of the final grade. The final grade will then be confirmed or altered by the oral exam. Whether practical or written, a student must achieve at least 9.5/20.
Grade improvements exams will be written and oral.
Final Examination Schedule:
- 1st opportunity: Written and oral exams in May.
- 2nd opportunity: Written and oral exams in July.
- Exceptional examinations: Written and oral exams in September