67022 - Pharmacology

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Rimini
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Sciences and Techniques of Preventive and Adapted Physical Activities (cod. 9263)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the pharmacotherapy of degenerative diseases, ageing diseases, and metabolic diseases. The student knows the integrated approaches between life style and drug therapy. The student knows the health risk linked to drug abuse and doping.

Course contents

Principles and methods of drug administration.

Factors that affect therapeutic outcomes: age, gender, physiological status, diseases.

Drug development: preclinical research, clinical trials.

Integrated approaches: life-style and pharmacotheraty

Modulation of cardiovascular function

Hypertension: Diuretics. Beta adrenergic receptors antagonists. ACE-inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Calcium channel antagonists. Alpha adrenergic receptor antagonists.

Angina pectoris: Organic nitrates. Beta adrenergic receptors antagonists. Calcium channel antagonists.

Pharmacotherapy of diabetes: Insulin therapy. Oral hypoglycemic agents: sulfonylureas, meglitinide, biguanides, thiazolidinediones, alfa-gluconidase inhibitors.

Drug therapy of dislipidemia: statins, niacin, bile-acid sequestrants, inhibitors of cholesterol uptake.

Pharmacotherapy for obesity: Anorexic drugs. Inhibitors of gastric lipase.

Bone mineral homeostasis: Bisphosphonates, Hormonnes.

 

Pharmacotherapy of neoplastic disease - General principles in the pharmacotherapy of cancer. Cancer therapy and common adverse events. Basic pharmacology of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Antimetabolites - Methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil: mechanism of action and adverse effects. Antitumur Antibiotic - Bleomycin: mechanism of action and adverse effects. Alkylating agents: mechanism of action and adverse effects. Natural product cancer chemotherapy drugs: Vinblastine, Vincristine. Physical activity in cancer prevention. Physical exercise in patients with cancer.

Pain management: Opioids. Inflammation: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Drugs that act in the Central Nervous System: Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs. Antidepressant agents.

Pharmacologic management of Parkinsonism.

Pharmacologic management of Alzheimer’s disease.

Therapeutic treatment of athletes: correct use of drug. Risk/benefit of drug. Therapeutic Use Exemption. Drug abuse and sport: health risk assessment.

Readings/Bibliography

Goodman and Gilman's The pharmacological basic of Therapeutics. McGraw-Hill Medial Publishing Division

Teaching methods

Lectures with multimedia aids.

Assessment methods

The final test of the integrated course “Epidemiology and Pharmacology” consists of an oral exam for both course units.

The student can take the test of both course units on the same exam date or take the two tests on separate dates of the same exam session.

Exam session: there are at least 7 exam dates a year.

1st session (January-February 2022): 3 exam dates

2nd session (June-July 2022): 2 exam dates

3rd session (September 2022): 2 exam dates

To check exam dates students can access AlmaEsami

The student will have to present two main topics of the program. The first topic is chosen by the student, the second  is a question asked by the examining commission. Others specific questions can be asked for evaluating the student's preparation. Will be evaluated: the ability to expose topics correctly and critically; the clarity to expose and the ability to use the specific language of the discipline

The student will get a mark, for each course unit, on the basis of her/his capacity to answer questions. The two partial marks, in proportion to the number of credits (Epidemiology, 3CFU; Pharmacology, 6CFU), contribute to the final mark. The student passes the exam if he/she takes at least 18/30 in both course units.

 

Teaching tools

Teaching aids: The teaching material presented at the lectures is available on "Virtuale" plarform of the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Maffei

SDGs

Good health and well-being

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.