OVERVIEW

The Course of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy is given in the first semester of the fourth year of the Master's Degree in Pharmacy and is part of the main subjects of the course of study. The course is worth 11 CFU.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with fundamental and in-depth knowledge on the different classes of drugs with regard to their cellular and molecular mechanism(s) of action, and  to other aspects relating to their administration, metabolism, therapeutic actions, side effects and toxicity.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

With the course of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, the students of the Master's Degree in Pharmacy will acquire the knowledge regarding the pharmacological effects of the different categories of drugs used in therapy and their application in human pathologies.

This goal will be achieved through updated teaching regarding the mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects of the various classes of drugs, as well as aspects related to their use in the clinic, their adverse effects and contraindications to their use.

The lessons will deal with the various classes of drugs used in clinical practice, organized according to their therapeutic use based on the different pathologies, organs or systems that are the target of their effects. The course program includes medicines for pathologies of the peripheral and central nervous system, and of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive and renal systems,  as well as medicines for the treatment of glaucoma, pain, inflammatory states and metabolic dysfunctions .

Topics of increasing relevance will also be addressed, including biotechnological drugs and their use, pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics and their impact on the use of drugs in therapy.

PREREQUISITES

The courses of Elements of Mathematics, Physics, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Anatomy, Animal Biology, General Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Applied Biochemistry, General Pharmacology and Toxicology, General Pathology are preparatory to the course of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy.

TEACHING METHODS

Face-to face teaching engaging students with scientific questions and reasonings. Use of the Wooclap platform for interactive student engagement. All the course topics will be illustrated in detail during the lectures. The teaching materials used during the lectures will be available for students on the AulaWeb portal.

In case face-to-face teaching is not possible due to emergency events (e.g., hydrogeological emergency), lessons will be given via videoconference using the online Microsoft Teams platform. The teacher will promptly inform students of any change by AulaWeb posts.

Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, shall reach out to the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department ( Prof. Luca Raiteri, Luca.Raiteri@unige.it ) before class begins, in order to liaise and arrange the specific learning methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes. VERY IMPORTANT: any request for compensatory tools and adaptations in the exam MUST be done within 10 working days before the date of the exam according to the instructions that can be found at https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/comunicazioni

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Drugs for the treatment of peripheral nervous system diseases

• Peripheral nervous system (autonomic and motor: anatomical and functional organization)
• Acetylcholine (peripheral and central synapse)
• Pharmacology of the cholinergic autonomic system
• Noradrenaline (peripheral and central synapse)
• Pharmacology of the noradrenergic autonomic system

Drugs for the treatment of glaucoma

Drugs for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system

• Central nervous system (anatomical and functional organization)
• Excitatory and inhibitory transmission (GABA, glutamic acid, glycine, serotonin, dopamine, noradreanlina, peptides, opioids, cannabinoids)
• Drugs for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia
• Drugs for the treatment of epilepsies
• Drugs to treat affective disorders (major depression and bipolar disorder)
• Drugs to treat psychosis (schizophrenia, manias)
• Drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington's Core, Multiple Sclerosis)​​

Anesthetic drugs​

• General anesthetics
• Local anesthetics

Drugs for the treatment of pain and inflammation

• Opioid and non-opioid analgesic drugs
• Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain
• Drugs for the treatment of migraine and headache

Drugs for the treatment of respiratory system diseases

• Drugs for the treatment of bronchial asthma
• Drugs for the treatment of cough

Drugs for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases

• Drugs for the treatment of peptic ulcer
• Drugs for the treatment of emesis
• Drugs for the treatment of constipation
• Drugs for the treatment of diarrhea

Drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular and renal system diseases

• Drugs for the treatment of ischemic heart disease
• Drugs for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
• Drugs for the treatment of heart failure
• Antiplatelet / fibrinolytic, anticoagulant, thrombolytic drugs
• Drugs for the treatment of anemia
• Drugs for the treatment of bleeding
• Diuretic drugs
• Drugs for the treatment of hypertension

Drugs for the therapy of metabolic dysfunctions

• Drugs for the treatment of diabetes
• Drugs for the treatment of dyslipidemia
• Drugs for the treatment of obesity

Pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics​ for precision medicine

Biotechnological drugs 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Recommended textbooks

Laurence L. Brunton, Randa Hilal-Dandan, Bjorn C. Knollmann.
Goodmann & Gilman. The pharmacological basis of therapy
Editor: McGraw-Hill Education

Bertram G. Katzung, Todd W. Vanderah
Basic & Clinical Pharmacology
McGraw Hill

Derek G. Waller, Andrew G. Renwick, Keith Hillier
Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Editor: Elsevier

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ERNESTO FEDELE (President)

ANNA MARIA PITTALUGA

TIZIANA BONIFACINO (Substitute)

CHIARA CERVETTO (Substitute)

MASSIMO GRILLI (Substitute)

MARCO MILANESE (Substitute)

GUENDALINA OLIVERO (Substitute)

LUCA RAITERI (Substitute)

CAROLA TORAZZA (Substitute)

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The course of  Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy involves an oral examination of a duration of approximately 30 min. 

To take the exam, students must have passed the exam of the following disciplines: Mathematics, Physics, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Anatomy, Vegetal and Animal Biology, General Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Applied Biochemistry, General Pharmacology and Toxicology.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment of learning outcomes will be carried out during the oral examination by evaluating the student's competence on the different topics of the course program, the use of appropriate scientific terminology and capabilities of scientific reasoning.

Exam schedule