Pharmacology I

Code:

MI073229

Acronym:

FCOL1

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Health Sciences

Instance: 2010/2011 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=2356
Responsible unit:	Pharmacology Laboratory
Course/CS Responsible:	MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MICF	186	Official Curriculum	3	-	6,5	65	175,5

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY
Understand the scientific methods that support Pharmacology and distinguish it from pseudocience. Understand the general mechanisms of drug action, their cycle in the organism, and the factors affecting individual and interindividual variability in drug response.

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
Apply neuronal communication concepts in the definition of experimental and therapeutic pharmacological interventions. Know the main groups of drugs used in peripheral and central nervous system modulation; understand their mechanims of action and adverse reactions; understand the models and experimental techniques underlying the development and validation of such drugs.

LABORATORIAL COMPONENT
Plan, conduct and analyse different types of pharmacological experiments; Interpret specific pharmacological-literature


EXPECTED OUTCOME
Prepare individuals that:
1) Know the general principles of Pharmacology;
2) Are capable of expressing critical and scientific opinions on the validity and risk/benefit of using drugs belonging to the studied therapeutic groups;
3) Are capable of applying the general principles to new pharmacological contexts.

Program

Theoretical Program

1. General Pharmacology
1.1. Basic & Clinical Evaluation of New Drugs
1.2. Pharmacodynamics
1.3. Pharmacokinetics

2. Neuropharmacology

2.1. Autonomic Nervous System Pharmacology
2.1.1. Cholinergic transmission
2.1.2. Adrenergic transmission

2.2. Central Nervous System Pharmacology
2.2.1. Anxiolytics and hypnotics
2.2.2. Antidepressants
2.2.3. Antipsychotics and mood stabilizers
2.2.4. Pharmacology of addiction
2.2.5. Antiparkinsonian and other drugs with utility in neurodegenerative diseases
2.2.6. Antiepileptics


Laboratory Program

1. General considerations in assessing drug efficacy in humans vs. non-human models. Simulation tests with randomization and blinding techniques, and the study of placebo effect.
2. Introduction to good practice in laboratory animal science. Noninvasive behavioral tests in Mus musculus.
3. Alternatives to animal testing. Less complex organisms (Drosophyla melanogaster, Danio rerio). In vitro assays. Tests on isolated organs.
4. Characterization of agonists. Concentration response curves, calculation of EC50 and other associated parameters.
5. Characterization of antagonists. Antagonism: physiological, pharmacological, competitive, noncompetitive, reversible and irreversible. Schild regression. Calculation of pA2 and PKB.
6. Mechanisms of neurotransmitter inactivation. Desensitization and spare receptors. Characterization of receptors. Order of potency of agonists and antagonists.
7. Practical applications with software for plotting and analysing pharmacological data.

Mandatory literature

Gilman Alfred Goodman ed.; Goodman and Gilman.s: the pharmacological basis of therapeutics. ISBN: 0-02-344710-9
Guimarães Serafim; Terapêutica medicamentosa e suas bases farmacológicas. ISBN: 972-0-06029-8
Rang H. P.; Pharmacology. ISBN: 0-443-05974-8
Katzung Bertram G. ed.; Basic & clinical pharmacology. ISBN: 0-07-117968-2

Teaching methods and learning activities

Integration of theorethical lectures, tutorial and experimental classes, mostly in person but also complemented with an e-learning platform.

THEORETHICAL CLASSES
Exposition of the syllabus, proceeding to the systematization of the most relevant and current subjects. Whenever appropriate, priority will be the interactive discussion with students of the subjects under study, namely via debate classes.

LABORATORIAL CLASSES
The laboratory classes will include the planning, execution and interpretation of pharmacological experiments, focusing on the creation of group dynamics and problem-based learning.

E-LEARNING
Foruns: Sharing of experimental data obtained in laboratorial classes + theme discussions
Glossary: Serach and organization of relevant information for the study of pharmacology
Answers to students' questions and distribution of study-support material

PERIODS OF PEDAGOCICAL SUPPORT
Monday 18-19h; Wednesday 18-19h; or other schedules depending on students' and teachers' availability
Tutorial teaching to support the progression of the group work taking place in laboratory classes, and answer to theorethical doubts.

keywords

Health sciences > Pharmacological sciences > Clinical pharmacology
Health sciences > Neuroscience > Neurophysiology
Health sciences > Pharmacological sciences > Pharmacy

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	65,00
	Trabalho laboratorial	14,00		2011-03-30
	Trabalho laboratorial	14,00		2011-05-18
	Total:	-	0,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Description	Type	Time (hours)	End date
Preparação Exame Final	Estudo autónomo	82,5	2011-06-24
	Total:	82,50

Eligibility for exams

To obtain frequency, compliance with attendance at laboratory classes is mandatory, according to the evaluation standards in operation at FFUP

Calculation formula of final grade

FINAL MARK (0-20) = distributed assessment (0-5) + final exam (0-15) + (Max 0,5: vd. *** below)

No minimal score in the distributed assessment is required for access to the final exam.
Enrolling in distributed assessment is not mandatory, students with valid laboratorial attendance may access the final exam. However, if the distribution assessmnt = 0, the maximal final mark = 15 from the final exam.

Students will be considered approved if the FINAL MARK mathematically rounds up to 10.
There will be no Oral Examinations

DISTRIBUTED ASSESSMENT
5 out of 20 values of the total score;
Primarily related to laboratorial classes;
2 main events (2,5 values each), each comprising an oral presentation concerning laboratorial data.
Only students actively envolved in the main events will receive marks. (others = 0)
Assessments are attributed individually and, whenever justifiable, may be different within the same Lab group.

FINAL EXAM:
A multiple choice quiz, comprising all subjects (up to 15 out of the total 20 score)
Sample exams are available in the e-learning plattform.

***FINAL MARK
Contributions (with verifiable quality) to activities in the e-learning plattform may be considered up to 0,5 values for the purpose of rounding up the final

Students will be provided with the correction of their exams in order to be able to calculate their final mark without rounding up.
Requests to consider contributions in the e-learning plattform must be made in written and will be available to all students via the e-learning plattform.

Examinations or Special Assignments

In acccordance with the evaluation standards in operation at FFUP

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

According to the FFUP evaluation rules.

Classification improvement

Students may apply for improvement of classification according to the evaluation standards in operation at FFUP. This improvement applies only to the Final Exam. The final score after improvement corresponds to the highest rank obtained in the two final exams completed, added the note of the Distributed Evaluation previously obtained (the latter, given its specificity, is not subject to improvement).

Students repeating the discipline, with a laboratory score from previous years, may repeat the ongoing evaluation of this school year, but must give up on the previous score.

Observations

At the beginning of this subject, students should have knowledge of the Physiology necessary to understand the fundamental functions of the principal organs and systems together with mechanisms of cellular communication.
Teaching Language:
Portuguese and, whenever required, English or Spanish