Download module description - University of Brighton

Title
Code
Level
Credit rating
Pre-requisites
Type of module
Aims
Learning
outcomes/objectives
Pharmacology and Therapeutics
QPM21
7
20
Normal entry requirements to the course
Distance learning with associated residential week
 To gain an understanding of anatomy and physiology and to
appreciate the pathology of exemplar common diseases.
 To understand the principles of drug action.
 To appreciate aspects of drug absorption, distribution,
metabolism and excretion and to understand to mathematical
principles of pharmacokinetics.
 To gain a knowledge of the mechanisms of action and adverse
effects of drug treatments used to control exemplar disorders.
 To appreciate the phenomenon of drug interactions.
 To understand the principles of drug discovery, drug testing and
clinical trials.
 On completion of this module the student should be able to:
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Content
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discuss the processes involved in normal cellular metabolism
and replication with relation to drug actions.
describe the normal physiological processes involved in the
control of exemplar systems such as the autonomic nervous
system, the cardiopulmonary system, the endocrine system and
the central nervous system and explain related disease
processes.
discuss mechanisms of drug action and structure-activity
relationship.
evaluate factors influencing drug absorption, distribution,
metabolism and excretion.
give reasoned explanations of mechanisms of drug action in the
treatment of common diseases.
explain mechanisms of adverse drug reactions and drug
interactions.
demonstrate an understanding of, and evaluate, the processes
of drug discovery within the pharmaceutical industry.
Principles of drug actions and effects: the dose-response
relationship; mechanisms of drug action; the nature of receptors;
variations in receptor distribution and population.
Drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system: the anatomy of
the peripheral nervous system; drugs affecting the nerve
impulse; neuromuscular blockers; drugs acting on the
sympathetic nervous system; drugs acting on the
parasympathetic nervous system.
The central nervous system and drugs used in psychiatry:
general anaesthetics; narcotic analgesics; anticonvulsant
agents; drugs used in the treatment of anxiety; drugs used to
induce sleep; drugs used to treat mania; drugs used in the
treatment of psychoses; antidepressant agents; drugs used in
the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders; Parkinson’s
disease; Huntington’s Chorea; Alzheimer’s disease; drug
dependence and substance abuse.
Content
(continued)
Teaching and learning
strategies
Learning support
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The treatment of cardiovascular disorders: essential physiology
of the cardiovascular system; disorders of cardiac rhythm and
their treatment; heart failure and its treatment; hypotension and
its treatment; hypertension and its treatment.
 Drugs affecting the blood and its composition: drugs acting on
blood cell formation and activity; drugs affecting haemostasis;
drugs affecting plasma composition.
 The treatment of respiratory disorders: the physiological control
of respiration; disorders of the respiratory system; drugs
affecting the respiratory system.
 Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal tract, bladder and uterus:
drugs acting on the gastrointestinal tract; the treatment of
vomiting; the treatment of diarrhoea; agents used for the
treatment of constipation; drugs acting on the bladder; drugs
acting on the uterus.
 Pharmacological manipulation of the endocrine system: the
treatment of thyroid disorders and therapeutic use of thyroid
hormones; disorders of the endocrine control of calcium balance
and their treatment; disorders of the endocrine pancreas and
their treatment; disorders of the adrenal gland and the use of
adrenal hormones and their analogues; therapeutic uses of male
sex hormones and the pharmacological treatment of male
reproductive disorders; therapeutic uses of female sex hormones
and the pharmacological treatment of female reproductive
disorders; therapeutic uses of Pituitary hormones and their
analogues; disorders of prolactin secretion and their treatment;
disorders of growth hormone secretion and their treatment.
 The treatment of allergies and inflammation: the physiology of
inflammation and the immune response; characteristics of
inflammatory mediators; anti-inflammatory drugs; other drugs for
the relief of inflammatory conditions.
 Applied pharmacology: basic pharmacokinetics; individual
variation in drug effects; drug interactions; the placebo response.
The content of this module will be delivered by way of distance
learning material (80 hours) and supported by guided study (85
hours) and a residential week (35 hours).
Distance learning material and accompanying provided textbooks,
published reader material and reader material prepared in-house.
All students have an in-house supervisor, access to company and
local university libraries as well as being able to draw upon
University of Brighton facilities.
Examples of provided textbooks (current editions):
Assessment tasks
Anatomy and Physiology, Thibodeau and Patton, Mosby
Human Pharmacology, Gard, Taylor and Francis
Pharmacology, Rang, Dale, Ritter and Moore, Churchill Livingstone
Pocket Medical Dictionary, Churchill Livingstone, Ed. Chris Brooker
Written coursework (75%) and oral presentation (25%).
Brief description of
module content and/or
aims (maximum 80
words)
Area examination board
to which module relates
Module team/authors/
coordinator
Semester offered, where
appropriate
Date of first approval
Date of last revision
Date of approval of this
version
Version number
Replacement for previous
module
Course(s) for which
module is acceptable and
status in course
School home
External examiners
This module aims to provide the anatomy and physiology necessary
for an appreciation of the mechanisms of drug action and
pharmacokinetics. The mechanisms of action and the rationale for
the use of named drugs in the treatment of exemplar common
diseases such as hypertension, asthma and depression is covered,
and the concept of adverse drug reactions and drug interactions
explained. The module also provides an introduction to the process
of drug discovery, drug testing and clinical trials.
n/a
Prof P R Gard, Dr M Yeoman, Dr C Chatterjee, Dr A Jackson
n/a
February 2004
May 2003
February 2004
1
QPM03 (part), QPM04, QPM05, QPM06
PGDip/MSc Industrial Pharmaceutical Studies: compulsory
Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
Dr S Gaisford