AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching of pharmacology is designed to form qualified personnel (gymnastic teachers, athletic trainers, experts of rehabilitation....etc.), capable to dispense physical activity recognizing the most relevant features (indications and contraindications, side effects...etc) of pharmacologic therapies for those pathologies that are most commonly associated with sports activity. To this aim, the first part of the course examines the dinamics of interaction of drugs with human body, and the mechanisms through which drugs induces therapeutic modification of the diseases. The second part of the course is aimed to examine the most important drug cathegories that can be used in sport population, focusing on those that target sports-related pathologies.  The course will detail the pharmacologincal control of inflammation and pain, and the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. Last but not least, the course examines those drugs that, beyond their therapeutic usefulness, are abused in the absence of therapeutic needs, with the purpose of alterate physical performances of athletes. Such unnecessary and often overdosing treatments, expose athletes at high risk to suffer significant side effects or develop late-onset diseases that can severely endanger their health in post-agonistic life.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching of pharmacology will be held at Unige Campus in Savona as front lessons.

During lessons, the comprehension of the addressed topics will be helped by ppt slideshows. Importantly, slideshow content cannot be considered exhaustive of the topics and the presence in the class is mandatory.

Students 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 before class begins, in order to arrange the specific teaching methods and ensure proper achievement of the learning aims and outcomes.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Overview on pharmacology

•  Definition of drug, aims of pharmacological therapy, interactions between drugs and body, clinical trials

Farmacokinetics

• Absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs.
• Parameters of  pharmacokinetics (bioavailability, distribution volume, clearance, half-life)

Farmacodynamics:

• Targets and mechanisms of action of drugs
• Agonism and antagonism
• Side reactions.

Pharmacology for cathegories

• Miorelaxants
• Antinflammatory drugs (non steoidal antinflammatory drugs, antinflammatory steroids)
• Analgesic drugs  (opiates, paracetamol, adiuvants)
• Pharmacology of autonomous nerve system (use of agonists and antagonists of sympathetic and parasympathetic systems)
• Drugs used for pathologies of respiratoty system (Asthma, BCPO, allergic rinithys)
• Drug abuse in sports doping (anabolic hormones, stimulants, narcotics, diuretics, antinflammatory steroids)

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The text which is best recommended to integrate the topics that have been addressed in lectures is the following:

M.A. Clark, R. Finkel, J.A. Rey, K. Whalen - Lippincott's illustrated reviews: Pharmacology. EDS. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

On Unige Aulaweb the slides that have been used for the lessons will be available as PDF files: 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The teaching of pharmacology belongs to the second semester of the third year of course. Lessons will start at University campus of savona in the month of march

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam will consist of an interview. The score will be used to obtain the average with the other sections of the course. 

Students with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs,will be examined according with the rules that has been certified by University of Genova. (extra-time in written tests, or the use of conceptual maps, upon one week approval by the teacher, for interviews.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Student's knowledge of therapeutical indication and side effects of the most common sport-related drugs will be evaluated. Particular importance will be given to over-the-counter drugs whose use must take into consideration athletes physiology-pahtology characters (age, gender, concomitant drug therapies and personal or familiar disease hystory).