Chapter 4 | Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology Flashcards
Anatomy
The study of the basic structures of the body
Physiology
The study of how those body structures function
Clinical pharmacology
The study of the effects and movement of drugs in the human body
More than 3 billion prescriptions are dispensed each year in the U.S.
True
About one half of all Americans take 1 prescription drug regularly and one out of six persons takes at least 3 prescription drugs
True
The Babylonians recorded the earliest surviving prescriptions on clay tablets in 3000 b.c.; Chinese recorded the Pen Tsao (Great Herbal), a 40 volume compendium of plant remedies dating to 2700 b.c.; the Egyptians followed in 1500 b.c. by archiving their remedies on a document known as the Eber’s Papyrus
True
The first recorded reference to the word pharmacology was found in a text entitled “Pharmacology sen Manudictio and Material Medicum” by Samuel Dale, in 1693; before this date, the study of herbal remedies was called “Materia Medica”
True
Friedrich Serturner
first isolated morphine from opium in 1805
Pharmacology as a distinct discipline was officially recognized when the first department of pharmacology was established in Estonia in 1847
True
John Jacob Abel
the father of American pharmacology, founded the first pharmacology department in the US at the University of Michigan in 1890
Pharmacodynamics
The study of the biochemical and physiological effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action. Drug dynamics described their therapeutic effects of drugs, their side effects, their sites of actions.
A drug’s effects on the body may be influenced by many factors, such as:
a person’s age and genetic makeup and disorders the person has other than the one being treated
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics: Study of how a drug is processed by the body, with emphasis on the time required for absorption, duration of action, distribution, and method of excretion, i.e. the study of how the body affects drugs.
Drug distribution and elimination
Drug delivery systems, route of administration, modes of excretion.
Every drug has at least three names
-chemical name
-generic (nonproprietary or official) name
-trade (proprietary or brand) name
Chemical name
describes the atomic or molecular structure of the drug.
Generic name
usually have the same ending
Trade name
is chosen by the pharmaceutical company that manufactures or distributes the drug
Drugs are classified by:
therapeutic group; by what disorder or symptom they are used to treat.
(drugs to treat high blood pressure are called antihypertensives; drugs used to treat nausea are called antiemetic drugs (emesis is the technical term for vomiting)
Primary role of a pharma sale rep is to educate and detail physicians so that prescribed medications are delivered in a safe manner and their responsibilities include knowledge and understanding of the following:
- Why your drug should be ordered
- Name (generic and trade) and drug classification
- Intended or proposed use of your drugs
- Effects on the body of your pharmacology product
- Contraindications
- Special considerations (how age, weight, body fat distribution, and individual pathophysiological state affect pharmacotherapeutic response
- Potential side effects
- Why the medication has been prescribed for a particular patient
How the medication is to be administered, including dosage ranges
Anaphylaxis
a severe type of allergic reaction that involves the massive, systemic release of histamine and other chemical mediators of inflammation that can lead to life threatening shock
Allergic and anaphylactic reactions are particularly serious side effects that must be carefully monitored and prevented.
True
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic concerns including:
adverse drug reactions, contraindications, drug-food interactions, and drug-drug interaction issues
A drug is any substance that produces a physical or psychological change in the body. This definition includes products that are considered medicines (aspirin/antibiotics), products contained in foods (caffeine), and products delivered through other means (nicotine/fluoride)
True
Under the FFDCA (Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act), a drug is defined as any substance “intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease” or a substance other than food “intended to affect the structure or function of the body.”
True
Therapeutics is the branch of medicine concerned with the prevention of disease and treatment of suffering.
True
Pharmacotherapy or pharmacotherapeutics is:
the application of drugs for the purpose of disease prevention and the treatment of suffering.
Substances applied for therapeutic purposes fall into one of the following categories:
-Drugs or medications
-Biologics
-Complementary and alternative medicine therapies
Drugs or medications
A drug is a chemical agent capable of producing biologic responses within the body; desirable (therapeutic) or undesirable (adverse). After a drug is administered, it is called a medication.
Biologics
Agents naturally produced in animal cells, by microorganisms, or by the body itself (hormones, monoclonal antibodies, natural blood products and components, interferons, and vaccines)
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies:
These involve natural plant extracts, herbs, vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements; herbal and alternative therapies.
Definition of the cell
The basic structural and functional units of the body and all living organisms
Parts of the cell
-cell membrane
-cell membrane receptors
-nucleus
-cytoplasm/protoplasm
-extracellular fluid
-tissues
-organs
-muscle tissues
-plasma
The Body’s Major Systems:
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Gastrointestinal
Nervous
Musculoskeletal
Reproductive
Immune
Classes of Nutrients:
proteins
fats
carbohydrates
vitamins
minerals
Cell membrane
All cells are wrapped in semi-permeable membrane that protects them from outside elements and distinguishes them from their surroundings
The nucleus
The brain of the cell that regulates all activities
Muscle tissues:
Skeletal
Smooth
Cardiac
Plasma
the liquid portion of the blood that carries proteins and other substances
Proteins
made up of chains of amino acids
Fats
Stored in special body tissues as a great source of reserve energy
Carbohydrates
The body’s immediate source of energy. It is broken down into glucose and used for immediate metabolic reactions
Vitamins
Substances necessary for growth, development, and normal regulation of metabolic processes. Must be taken in from outside of the body
Minerals
Substances necessary for bodily processes such as the balance of body fluids, the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, and the proper functioning of muscles.
The main minerals:
Calcium
Potassium
Iron
Sodium
Phosphorous
Iodine
Water
Not a nutrient, but necessary for all body functions (fluids, mostly water, make up at least 60% of the body’s weight)
Cardiovascular System
heart
blood vessels
blood
Respiratory System
nasal passages
trachea
diaphragm
lungs
Gastrointestinal System
mouth
esophagus
stomach
liver
pancreas
gallbladder
small & large intestines
Nervous System
central nervous system: brain/spinal cord
peripheral nervous system: electrical signals
Musculoskeletal System
muscles
bones
other minor systems