| Unit name | Pharmacology of Body Systems |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHPH20012 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Alex Conibear |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
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.
1.Function and pharmacology of known receptor subtypes;
2.Composition and pharmacology of cell signalling pathways;
3.Drug use in exemplar disease states;
4.Modern electrophysiological, biochemical and molecular biological techniques;
5.Drug Toxicology;
6.How drugs are handled by the body (pharmacokinetics);
7.Synthesise information from a variety of sources (textbooks, lectures and tutorials, practical classes, original and review scientific papers, databases);
8.Understand and interpret experimental practice and design;
9.Analyse and interpret experimental data, and draw logical conclusions from the results;
10.Plan and design projects.
11.Communicate clearly both orally and in writing;
12.Work effectively as part of a team, demonstrating organisation, leadership, decision-making and time management;
13.Retrieve and manage information, making appropriate use of library and web-based facilities;
14.Utilise appropriate computer / keyboard skills;
Attendance and engagement
If you fail to attend and/or engage with components of a unit, the matter may be referred to the Faculty Board of Examiners. If the Faculty Board decides that your attendance or engagement has not been sufficient to satisfy the unit’s Intended Learning Outcomes, they may decide that you are unable to progress to the next year of study. If this is the case, you will be required to complete reassessment work to a satisfactory standard. This may include additional written work (to be completed during the summer) or a requirement to repeat part or all of the unit in a supplementary year.
Coursework 30%
End of unit assessment 70%
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHPH20012).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
