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Unit information: Principles of Pharmacology 2B in 2012/13

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Principles of Pharmacology 2B
Unit code PHPH20006
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Professor. Sitsapesan
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None

Co-requisites

None

School/department School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience
Faculty Faculty of Life Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This unit addresses how drugs are handled by the body at the molecular, cellular and systems level. Major topics include: administration of drugs and their fate in the body; cellular signal transduction mechanisms; systematic pharmacology.

Aims:

At the end of this unit students should be able to explain the basic principles of pharmacokinetics (how the body handles drugs), describe a wide range of signaling processes and how they operate, understand the processes involved in inflammation and allergy and the drug treatment for inflammatory diseases, describe the rationale for pharmacological treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, nausea and vomiting, understand the mechanisms of action, clinical uses and adverse effects of drugs affecting the renal and cardiovascular systems.

Assessment Information

The final mark for each Pharmacology Level 2 unit is made up as follows:

  • Written papers 75%
  • Practicals 15%
  • Tutorial work 10%

Please note also that the final marks from your level 2 Pharmacology Units together with the final marks from your other level 2 units will contribute 25% of the total marks for your Final Pharmacology Honours degree mark at the end of Year 3.

Reading and References

The recommended textbook for this course is :

Pharmacology, (Seventh Edition) including Student Consult Online Access H.P. Rang, M.M. Dale, J. Ritter & P.K. Moore Churchill Livingstone.

Other books you may wish to consult are :

Instant Pharmacology, K Saeb-Parsy, RG Assomull, FZ Khan, K Saeb-Parsy & E Kelly. A textbook partly written by Eamonn Kelly, containing concise descriptions of the different drug classes as well as an extensive dictionary of drugs which you may find useful.

The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (Ninth Edition). L.S. Goodman & A. Gilman. Pergamon. You can consult this book in the library.

Basic & Clinical Pharmacology (Seventh Edition) B.G. Katzung. Appleton & Lange. (has a lot of clinically-orientated material).

Integrated Pharmacology, CP Page, MJ Curtis, MC Sutter, MJA Walker & BB Hoffman. (has a lot of clinically-orientated material).

Medical Pharmacology at a Glance (Third edition) M. Neal, Blackwell Scientific Press (a revision aide, not a complete textbook).

Multiple copies of most of the above are present in the Medical library. You may come across other textbooks in the library or bookshops - ask one of the staff for their opinion about these, since not all books are good books.

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