General pharmacology

Question 1

Regulation allowing paramedics to hold medications

Answer 1

Human Medicines Regulations 2012 section 17 and 19

Question 2

Law preventing carrying of medications

Answer 2

Medicines Act 1968

Question 3

What is Patient Group Direction?

Answer 3

The use of medicine for a group with the same pathology relying on adequate knowledge

Question 4

Pharmacokinetics

Answer 4

What the body does to drugs

Question 5

Pharmacodynamics

Answer 5

What the drugs do to the body

Question 6

What determines the activity of a drug

Answer 6

Number of receptors bound to drug
Concentration of drug at tisues
Pharmaodynamics
Dose, elimination and route of administration

Question 7

Therapeutic index calculation

Answer 7

Toxic dose/ therapeutic dose
Lower value means more dangerous
Response on x axis
Plasma concentration on y axis

Question 8

Emax

Answer 8

Dose for max response

Question 9

ED50

Answer 9

Therapeutic dose for 50% of sample

Question 10

LD50

Answer 10

Dose that is lethal to 50% of sample

Question 11

4 ways the body reacts to drugs

Answer 11

Absorption
Distribution
Metabolisis
Elimination

Question 12

Organs involved in clearing drugs from the body

Answer 12

Liver through cytochrome oxidase 450 which breaks down into excretable molecles which may or may not be active
Kidneys which filters into urine

Question 13

Drug halflife (t1/2)

Answer 13

Time taken for plasma concentration to half

Question 14

First pass metabolism

Answer 14

Drugs go straight to liver via hepatic portal vein to be metabolised

Question 15

What determines drug absorption

Answer 15

Is it water or fat soluble
How polarised
Can it cross blood brain barrier
Size and surface area of particles
If drug needs to metabolise
Blood flow to site and contact time at site

Question 16

What determines drug distribution

Answer 16

Is it water or fat soluble
how acidic/ alkaline
Can it cross blood brain barrier
Route of administration

Question 17

Agonist

Answer 17

Drug binds and creates reaction

Question 18

Antagonist

Answer 18

Drug binds blocking receptor

Question 19

Competitive

Answer 19

Binds reversibly and competes with other molecules to bind to site

Question 20

Non competitive

Answer 20

Binds permanently amking the receptor inactive

Question 21

Inverse agonist

Answer 21

Binds and produces opposite reaction

Question 22

Allosteric site

Answer 22

Site seperate to main that may active/inactive enzyme or increase/reduce reaction

Question 23

Affinity

Answer 23

How easily molecule bonds and how strong bond is

Question 24

Efficacy

Answer 24

How effectively molecule activates receptor

Question 25

Potency

Answer 25

Strength of a reaction at a certain dosage

Question 26

Specificity

Answer 26

How effective a drug is at only producing desired therapeutic effect

Question 27

How does GPCR reaction work

Answer 27

Drug binds to receptor site which induces confirmational change. This then releases alpha sub unit which can either affect an enzyme which continues on as messenger cascade or may bind to a channel to allow the passage of a molecule that otherwise would not be able to pass the membrane in the same way.

Question 28

Examples of GPCR

Answer 28

Adrenaline binds at beta 2 receptors which increases messenger cAMP causes bronchodilation and relaxation of smooth muscle

Question 29

Actions of adrenoreceptors

Answer 29

Alpha 1 - Vasoconstriction (increases BP).
Beta 1 - Increases heart rate and force of contraction. Reduces refractory time of heart
Beta 2 - Bronchodilation, skeletal muscle tremor. Increases blood sugar

Question 30

Other receptor type

Answer 30

Nuclear receptor site used by steroids as these can pass through cell membrane