BASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: INTRODUCTION – NERVOUS SYSTEMCOURSE CODE | BE1101 |
| COURSE INSTRUCTOR | Dimas Konstantinos, Professor |
| CO-INSTRUCTORS | A. Vasilaki, E. Begas PhD, teaching assistants, invited speakers. |
| ECTS: | 6.00 |
| COURSE TYPE | CC | Scientific Area |
| TEACHING SEMESTER | 5st SEMESTER |
| WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS: | 8 HOURS |
| Total Time (Teaching Hours + Student Workload) | 194 HOURS |
| PREREQUIRED COURSES: | NO |
| LANGUAGE OF TEACHING AND EXAMS | GREEK |
| AVAILABLE TO ERASMUS STUDENTS | YES |
| SEMESTER LECTURES: | DETAILS/LECTURES |
| TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS : | Face to Face & Online (in case of need) Use of ICT in teaching: Distribution of lectures visual materials Use of Microsoft Teams online application for conducting lectures in case of problem (e.g. pandemic). Use of Microsoft Teams online application for communication with students (sending written messages/video calls and sending assignments). Use of the online Interactive Clinical Pharmacology application (http://www.icp.org.nz) for students to practice pharmacokinetics during online lectures, as well as offline at their convenience. Use of ICT in Laboratory Education: Training in the use of an automated analysis system for the determination of drug levels in biological samples of patients in the context of the laboratory exercise “Clinical Application of Pharmacokinetics”. The exercise is conducted in the Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory of the University Hospital of Larissa. Use of the program OBSim: Organ Bath Simulation (http://spider.science.strath.ac.uk/sipbs/software_sims.htm) and spreadsheet software (Excel) for the implementation of the laboratory exercise “Pharmacodynamics & Autonomic Nervous System Drugs: Actions of Acetylcholine & Atropine on the Isolated Ileum (in silico experiment).” The exercise takes place in the Computer Science Laboratory (30 workstations) and the use of the programs is carried out individually by each student. Use of ICT in communication with students: Posting of lecture materials on the e-class platform of the Faculty of Medicine. Posting of weekly schedules for lectures and laboratory exercises on e-class. Posting of all announcements on electronic platforms of the Faculty of Medicine. Completion of an electronic evaluation form by each student. Electronic communication with students regarding scientific or administrative issues that arise during the semester. |
| STUDENT EVALUATION | The language of assessment is English. Assessment of the course: written exams with multiple choice questions, short answer questions, problem solving, or a combination of these. Assessment of laboratory exercises: written exam after each exercise with multiple choice questions and/or submission of a report. The final grade is calculated based on the grades of the course exam and the laboratory exercises. |
| Objective Objectives/Desired Results: | The course is designed to bridge basic science and clinical practice and to emphasize the fundamental importance of drugs as one of the primary means of preventing and alleviating disease. Students will first be introduced to the principles of pharmacology and the concepts that underlie the field of pharmacology at a practical (clinical) level: receptor, molecular mechanism of drug action, pharmacokinetics and dosing regimens, pharmacogenetics, and personalized therapy/dosage and generic drugs. You will also be introduced to the concept of gene therapy, its promise, and problems, and to a new group of therapeutic agents known as biopharmaceuticals, their main differences from “conventional” drugs and the way they have already influenced the treatment of diseases. In addition to introducing students to the basic concepts, the learning objectives of the course include the pharmacology of the autonomic and central nervous systems. Teaching the pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system helps to understand the mechanisms by which drugs affect the function of many other systems of the human body and will be discussed in the following semester, such as the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, etc. (BASIC AND CLINICAL SYSTEMS PHARMACOLOGY – CHEMOTHERAPY). In this sense, the course is the foundation upon which the student will build to understand the rationale for administering certain drugs versus others to patients during their clinical practice in their senior years. Central Nervous System Pharmacology analyzes drugs used to treat a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as drugs used for analgesia and anesthesia. In addition, many drugs that act on the CNS are used without a prescription to enhance wellbeing, leading to addiction. Finally, as part of a comprehensive picture of the student’s understanding of the treatment of everyday morbid conditions that affect the quality of life of the population, drugs with anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic properties, as well as allergies, are included and discussed. Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to: • Understand the basic principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenetics, bioequivalence, as well as the basic molecular and cellular mechanisms of action of drugs, and particularly those used to affect the autonomic and central nervous system. • Understand the meaning of drug potency, efficacy, indications, side effects, safety, and toxicity. • Know the value of individualized pharmacotherapy before he is exposed to clinical practice. General Abilities Since prescribing drugs to patients is tantamount to obtaining a medical degree, the student must be scientifically qualified to assume this responsibility. The objective of this course is to train the student to search, analyze, and then synthesize all the pharmacological data that must be considered in order to make the optimal decision in prescribing the appropriate drug for each patient. |
| Course URL : | http://eclass.uth.gr/eclass/courses/SEYA121/ |
| Course Description: | Section 1: General Principles of Pharmacology 1. Introduction 2. Drug Receptors & Pharmacodynamics 3. Pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion of drugs) 4. Bioequivalence studies 5. Biopharmaceuticals and Gene Therapy 6. Pharmacogenetics 7. Safety of Drugs – Pharmacovigilance Section 2: Pharmacology of the Nervous System 8. Neuropharmacology – Pharmacology of the Autonomic Nervous System 9. Cholinomimetics & Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors 10. Anticholinergic/Parasympathetic Drugs 11. Adrenergic Receptor Agonist and Other Sympathomimetics 12. Drugs Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists 13. Central Nervous System (CNS) Pharmacology – Neurotransmission & Drug Action in the CNS 14. Pharmacological Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders/Dementia 15. Pharmacotherapy for Parkinson’s and Huntington ‘s Diseases 16. Pharmacological Treatment of Other Neurodegenerative Disorders – Ischemic Stroke, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ( ALS), Spinal Muscular Atrophy ( SMA ), Multiple Sclerosis (MS) 17. Pharmacological Treatment of Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder 18. Pharmacological Treatment of Depression 19. Pharmacological Treatment of Anxiety 20. Sedatives – Hypnotics 21. Antiepileptic drugs 22. Local and General Anesthetics 23. Muscle relaxants 24. Opioid Analgesics & Antagonists 25. Addictive drugs 26. Pharmacological Treatment of Migraine Section 3: Pain, Allergy an Inflammation 27. Autocoids, Histamine, Serotonin and Bradykinin 28. Pharmacological Treatment of Headache & Migraine 29. Anti-inflammatory, Antipyretic & Analgesic Agents Section 4: Special Topics in Pharmacology 30. Pharmacological Treatment and Management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 31. Introduction to Toxicology: Common poisons and antidotes 32. Vitamins 33. Drugs to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder (ethanol and other alcohols) SEMINAR 1. Drug Prescription LABORATORY CLASSES 1. Clinical Application of Pharmacokinetics: Determination of drug levels in biological samples from patients. 2. Drug Metabolism: Chromatographic determination of caffeine metabolic ratios in urine samples from volunteers, and determination of hepatic enzyme phenotype 3. Pharmacodynamics & ANS Drugs: Effect of acetylcholine and atropine on ileus preparation (in silico experiment) 4. CNS drugs: Study of the effect of different doses of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine on rat psychomotor activity (in vivo experiment) | | Recommended reading: | Textbooks: • Goodman and Gilman’s: Goodman & Gilman’s: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th edition, McGraw Hill / Medical, 2022 • Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology 8th Edition, Wolters Kluwer Health, 2022 • Brody’s Human Pharmacology 7th Edition, Elsevier, 2024 • Rang & Dale’s Pharmacology, International Edition, 10th Edition, Elsevier, 2024 • Bertram G. Katzung, Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 15th Edition, McGraw Hill / Medical, 2020 Relevant Scientific Journals: • Pharmacological Reviews • Nature Reviews Drug Discovery • Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology • Trends in Pharmacological Sciences • E. Asprodine : Notes on Practical Pharmacology Exercises, University Publications of Thessaly, Volos, 2009 • Brody’s Human Pharmacology Mechanism-based Therapeutics, 6 th Edition, Elsevier 2019 • Rang & Dale’s Pharmacology 9th Edition, Elsevier 2019 • Bertram G. Katzung, Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 15th Edition, 2021 Related scientific journals: • Pharmacological Reviews • Nature Reviews Drug Discovery • Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology • Trends in Pharmacological Sciences | |
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