00351 - Pharmacology

Learning outcomes

The student acquires the elementary notions of pharmacokinetics and toxicology; acquires the rational foundations of therapeutic drug monitoring; is able to define terms such as narcotic drug, doping, analytical interference of a drug or its metabolites. Knows the major drugs used in Radiodiagnostics and Radiotherapy.

Course contents

The course is divided into six main topics: distinction between drug and medicinal product: regulatory and scientific aspects (evaluation of the therapeutic index and risk/benefit ratio of a medicinal product); basic concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (with practical examples) in order to understand the peculiarities of the different routes of drug administration, of the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination in relation to their mechanism of action; factors influencing response to drugs; classes of drugs of interest to the biomedical laboratory technician and the medical radiology technician, with particular reference to drugs subject to monitoring of plasma concentrations (e.g. antimicrobials, antiepileptics, immunosuppressants) and to drugs used in radiodiagnostics and radiotherapy; notes on drugs used in emergencies.

Readings/Bibliography

It is not necessary to purchase specific texts. The teaching material provided on the specific platform and the notes taken in class are essential for preparing for the exam. Up-to-date teaching material useful for preparing for the exam will be provided in class. As a reference, the student can delve deeper into the topics in the following texts: 1) Furlanut M, General and clinical pharmacology for healthcare degrees, III Edition, Piccin, 2013 2) Waller D.G., Renwick A.G., Hillier K. MEDICAL PHARMACOLOGY AND ELEMENTS OF THERAPY. (Italian edition) Elsevier, Milan, 2011

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. Lesson attendance plays an important role in the learning process because the lesson guides the critical reading of the teaching material made available online. To make it easier for the student to follow the lesson, the teaching material presented in class is made available to the student in electronic format via the institutional platform before the lesson. This material should be printed (or in any case kept available in electronic format) and brought to the lesson, which is interactive.

Assessment methods

The learning assessment method will be carried out at the end of the course through a written exam. The exam will be organized into 31 multiple choice questions aimed at ascertaining the student's knowledge of the scheduled topics. The teacher verifies the achievement of the educational objectives of the course and assigns, based on the number of correct answers, a grade out of thirty which contributes, in proportion to the credits of the integrated course, to the final grade out of thirty. Alternatively, individual students can opt for the oral exam, which will focus on two questions relating to the topics on the programme. The teacher verifies the achievement of the educational objectives of the course and assigns, based on the clarity and completeness of the presentation, a grade out of thirty which contributes, in proportion to the credits of the integrated course, to the final grade out of thirty.

Teaching tools

Frontal lessons. Lesson attendance plays an important role in the learning process because the lesson guides the critical reading of the teaching material made available online. To make it easier for the student to follow the lesson, the teaching material presented in class is made available to the student in electronic format via the institutional platform before the lesson. This material should be printed (or in any case kept available in electronic format) and brought to the lesson, which is interactive.

Office hours

See the website of Milo Gatti