D1. Knowledge and understanding. The student will have to show mastery of the knowledge relating to the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and toxicology, acquiring the ability to use the specific language of the discipline.
D2. Applying knowledge and understanding. The student will have to demonstrate that they have acquired skills and demonstrate an understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs and their actions on the human body.
D3. Making judgments. The student must demonstrate that he is able to use the skills acquired with independent judgment. You will need to be able to interpret the pharmacological data.
D4. Communication skills. At the end of the course the student must be able to clearly explain the concepts acquired, and will be able to
cooperate with the care team in their own professional dress
D5 Learning skills The student must be able to autonomously investigate the topics covered in the course, through the consultation of scientific journals and specialized texts in their professional field.

Knowledge of anatomy and physiology

Introduction to Pharmacology.
Mechanisms of drug passage across biological membranes.
Pharmacokinetics: drug absorption and routes of administration, distribution, biotransformation, renal excretion.
Pharmacodynamics: proteins as targets for drug binding.
Individual variability and drug interactions.
Harmful effects of drugs.
Drug addiction and substances of abuse.

F Rossi, V Cuomo, C Riccardi, Pharmacology: basic principles and applications, Ed. Minerva Medica

General pharmacology: drug sources, chemical vs biological drug
Mechanisms of drug passage across biological membranes: passive processes and active transport.
Pharmacokinetics: drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; distribution volume, renal clearance, elimination half-time. Bioavailability and Bioequivalence.
Pharmacodynamics: protein targets for drug action and drug-receptor interaction; agonists-antagonists and allosteric modulation; quantification of drug action (dose-effect relationship and dose-response curves); affinity and intrinsic efficacy.
Individual variation, pharmagogenomics and personalised medicine: genetic variation in drug responsiveness; non-genetic factors and inter-individual variation of drug response; drug interactions.
Harmful effects of drugs: classification of adverse drug reactions.
Drug addiction: definitions and diagnostic criteria.
Substances of abuse: opioids, benzodiazepines.

Frontal lectures with the help and support of images and short explanatory texts regarding the essential aspects of the topics covered.
Any changes to the indications described here, which may become necessary to ensure the application of safety protocols related to the COVID-19 emergency, will be communicated on the Department's and Degree Course websites and Lecture course Moodle page.

Lecture’s slides and any other additional material are available on MS-Teams.
For any other information contact the course teacher at the email address: mlucafo@units.it
Any changes to the methods described here, which become necessary to ensure the application of the safety protocols related to the COVID-19 emergency, will be communicated on the Department, Study Course and teaching website.

The learning assessment includes an oral exam designed to assess the level of knowledge of the topics covered in the program, the level of mastery and precision of the specialized language, and the ability to develop an argument by applying the knowledge acquired in teaching course and integrating it with the other disciplines already covered in the study course. The exam lasts between 20 and 30 minutes and covers all topics in the program. The result of the exam will be evaluated with a score of thirty points based on the following criteria:
-Excellent (30-30 cum laude): excellent knowledge of the topics, excellent language skills, excellent analytical skills; the student is able to brilliantly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Very good (27-29): good knowledge of the topics, remarkable language skills, good analytical skills; the student is able to correctly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Good (24-26): good knowledge of the main topics, good language skills; the student shows adequate ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
- Satisfactory (21-23): The student does not fully master the main topics of teaching, but has the basic knowledge; however, he/she demonstrates satisfactory language skills and an adequate ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Sufficient (18-20): minimal knowledge of the main topics of teaching and technical language, limited ability to adequately apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
- Insufficient (<18): The student does not have acceptable knowledge of the content of the various topics of the teaching course.

Any changes to the methods described here, which become necessary to ensure the application of the safety protocols related to the COVID-19 emergency, will be communicated on the Department, Study Course and teaching website.

This course addresses issues closely related to one or more of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals.