Course overview
The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the principles of drug action, the pathophysiology of selected disorders and the modification of these processes through manipulation of pharmacological pathways. Principles of pharmacology including: types of drug molecules, receptors, agonists and antagonists, mechanisms of toxicity; the autonomic and somatic nervous systems.
The pathophysiology and pharmacology of pain including; analgesics and anaesthesia (including local anaesthetics, general anaesthetics and neuromuscular blocking drugs).
Principles of inflammation and the immune system: Mediators/pathways of inflammation and their modulation by NSAIDS, corticosteroids, and drugs acting at histamine receptors.
The pathophysiology and pharmacology relevant to: osteoarthritis, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, urinary tract disorders, and glaucoma.
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the mechanisms of drug action (types of drug molecules, drug targets, receptors, dose response, toxicity, tolerance and dependence)
- Explain the principles of the activity of the autonomic nervous system and the action of drugs on these systems
- Explain the mechanisms of pain and the action of drugs to treat pain.
- Explain how the immune system mediates inflammation and allergy and the action of drugs to modulate these processes.
- Explain the pathophysiology, mechanism of drug action and resultant adverse effects for the following conditions: osteoarthritis, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, urinary tract disorders, and glaucoma.
- Describe the consequences of and explain the mechanism of drug-drug interactions for specific drug classes