pharmacology terminology learning activity Flashcards
define: frequency distribution curve
graphical representation of the number of patients responding to a drug action at different doses
define: median effective dose
the dose required to produce a specific therapeutic response in 50% of a group of patients
define: median lethal dose
the dose of a drug that will be lethal in 50% of a group of animals
define: median toxicity dose
the dose that will give a given toxicity in 50% of a group of patients
define: graded dose-response
by observing and measuring the patients response obtained at different doses of the drug one can explain several important clinical responses
define: potency
a drug that has more of this will produce therapeutic effect at a lower dose, compared with other drugs in the same class
define: efficacy
the magnitude of a maximal response that can be produced from a particular drug. a drug is considered to have more efficacy when it produces a higher maximal response
define: receptor
a cellular macromolecule to which a medication binds in order to initiate its effects
define: agonist
a drug that produce the same type of response as the endogenous substance
define: antagonist
a drug that occupies a receptor and prevents the endogenous chemical from acting
define: pharmacogenetics
an area of pharmacology that examines the role of genetics in drug response
define: pharmacodynamics
the study of the biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs and their mechanism of action
define: liver function test
blood tests used to assess the general state of the liver or biliary system
define: albumin
a major protein formed by the liver
define: ALT
alanine aminotransferase
define: bilirubin
main bile pigment in humans which, when elevated causes the yellow discolouration of the skin called juandice
define: biotransformation
the process of inactivating drugs and accelerating their excretion
define: mechanism of action
the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect. usually includes mention of the specific molecular targets to which the drug binds, such as an enzyme or receptor
define: onset
time it takes for the drug to create a response
infants and elderly both have decreased…?
hepatic metabolic activity, which may alter the action of certain drugs
infants and elderly require a _______ in the dosage
reduction
primary site of excretion is the?
kidneys, also bowel and liver
concentration of drug in blood is determined by
kidneys ability to excrete
patients with renal failure require..
decreased dosages so their blood does not become toxic