Knowledge and understanding skills. The student should demonstrate knowledge of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles, the side effects, and the directions for use of drugs.

Ability to apply knowledge. The student must demonstrate that they have acquired skills and demonstrate understanding of the mechanism of action of drugs and their actions on the human body.

Judgment autonomy. The student must demonstrate the ability to use the skills acquired with judgment autonomy. He will have to be able to locate the drugs of choice in different clinical situations, based on their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics.

Communication skills. At the end of the course the student must be able to clearly explain the concepts acquired. A good ability to communicate one's knowledge greatly facilitates the relationship with the patient and colleagues.

Learning ability. The student must be able to autonomously investigate the topics covered in the course, through the consultation of scientific journals and specialist texts, also for an adequate professional updating.

To take the exam it is necessary that the student has passed the physiology, general pathology and microbiology exams.

Introduction to pharmacology
Pharmacokinetics
Mechanisms of action of drugs at cellular and molecular level
Interaction between drugs
Toxicology and pharmacovigilance
Pharmacogenetics
Drugs of cholinergic transmission
Drugs of adrenergic transmission

Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs
Drugs that act on the heart
Drugs that act on the circulatory system
Drugs that act on the respiratory system
Renal pharmacology
Drugs that act on the gastrointestinal tract
Main drugs acting on the central nervous system
Drug addiction and abuse
General principles of chemotherapy
Main antibiotics and chemotherapeutics

Recommended texts: BG Katzung, SB Masters, AJ Trevor: General and clinical pharmacology, XII ed 2012 Reference text: Goodman & Gilman’s the pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 12th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011.

Introduction to Pharmacology
Pharmacokinetics
The movement of drugs across cell membranes
Absorption of drugs (routes of administration, bioavailability and bioequivalence )
Drug distribution (volume of distribution, protein binding, drug distribution in special districts)
Biotransformation of drugs (phase 1 reactions, phase 2 reactions, enzyme inhibitors, enzyme inducers)
Biliary excretion and enterohepatic circulation
Renal excretion of drugs and their metabolites
Elimination rate constant and half-life
Clearance

Drug interactions
Toxicology
Mechanisms of cell injury induced by toxins
Mutagenesis and carcinogenesis
Teratogenesis
Allergic reactions to drugs
Tolerance and dependence
Pharmacogenetics

Mechanisms of drug action at the cellular and molecular level
Receptors (drug-receptor interactions and quantitative response to medication, modulation of receptor responses )
Classes of receptors
intracellular receptors
membrane receptors
receptor channels
G -protein coupled receptors
Ion channels as drug targets

The intercellular communication
Cholinergic transmission
Drugs acting on nicotinic receptors
Drugs acting on muscarinic receptors
Cholinesterase inhibitors

Adrenergic transmission
Agonists
Antagonists

Serotoninergic transmission

Histaminergic transmission
Drugs acting on histamine receptors

Anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants
NSAIDs and coxibs
glucocorticoids
immunosuppressants

Drugs that affect the major organ systems

The heart
Antiarrhythmic drugs
Drugs that affect myocardial contractility
Antianginal drugs

The circulatory system
Vasodilators
Inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme
Angiotensin II receptor antagonists
Atherosclerosis and lipoprotein metabolism
Statins, drugs that inhibit the absorption of cholesterol, inhibitors of PCSK9
Hemostasis and thrombosis
Oral anticoagulants
Heparin and low molecular weight heparins
Antiplatelets

The respiratory system
Asthma medications ( β2 adrenergic receptor agonists , glucocorticoids, other drugs )

The kidney
Diuretics

The gastrointestinal tract
Antacids, histamine H2 receptor inhibitors , proton pump inhibitors

The central nervous system
Chemical transmission and drug action in the central nervous system neurodegenerative diseases
Therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer's disease
Drug treatment of Parkinson's disease
Anxiolytic and hypnotic
Antipsychotics
Antidepressants
Antiepileptics
Central analgesic drugs
Addiction and drug abuse

Chemotherapy
General principles
Cotrimoxazole and fluorochinolones, beta- lactams, aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, macrolides, streptogramins, linezolid, tetracyclines, antimycobacterial drugs

Theoretical lectures concerning the topics included in the study program. In order to improve the learning, the teacher will request the collaboration of the students trying to stimulate questions and discussion on the topics developed.

Any changes these indications, which may become necessary to ensure the application of safety protocols related to the COVID19 emergency, will be communicated on the Department’s and Degree Course websites and Lecture course Moodle page.

The power point slides used during the lectures will be provided to the students.
In any case, the teacher is available for further explanations and explanations after e mail contact.

The examination of the achievement of the objectives of the course involves an oral examination. Questions about the content of the course will verify if the student has achieved the objective of knowledge and understanding of the content.
The exam involves the discussion of 2/3 topics with the course teachers, at least one of which is about General pharmacology.

Specifically, the evaluation will be:
-Excellent (30 -30 cum laude): excellent knowledge of topics, remarkable language property, good analytical ability; the student/ess is able to brilliantly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Very good (27 -29): good knowledge of topics, remarkable language property, good analytical ability; the student/ess is able to correctly apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Good (24-26): good knowledge of main topics, fair language property; the student/ess shows adequate ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Satisfactory (21-23): the student/ess does not show full mastery of the topics
main topics of the teaching, although he/she possesses the fundamental knowledge; however, he/she shows satisfactory ownership of language and sufficient ability to apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Sufficient (18-20): minimal knowledge of the main topics of the teaching and of the
technical language, limited ability to adequately apply theoretical knowledge to concrete cases.
-Insufficient (<18): the student(s) does not possess acceptable content knowledge of the various program topics.

This course explores topics closely related to one or more objectives of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development of United Nations.