General Principles 1. Describe the principal mechanisms by which drugs act in th

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, and 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, the volume of distribution, and half-life.2. List factors affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs3. 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.
10. List two examples of prodrugs.
11. Describe the characteristics and clinical significance of p-glycoprotein.
12. Describe the effect of enterohepatic recirculation of half-life and give one example of the clinical
significance of enterohepatic recirculation.
13. Describe the usefulness of clearance values and Vd values in calculating drug doses.
14. List the benefits of creatinine clearance.
15. List the processes which determine the net removal of a drug by the kidney.
16. Define first-order and zero-order kinetics of elimination.
17. Recite what happens to metabolize enzymes in each case.
18. Describe the relationship between half-life and steady-state concentration or drug elimination.
19. Recite the relation between half-life, clearance, and volume of distribution.