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Questions and Answers
What type of publication is the New and Non-Official Remedies (N.N.R)?
What is one of the primary contents found in the N.N.R?
Which of the following is NOT included in the N.N.R?
Who publishes the New and Non-Official Remedies?
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What type of drugs does the N.N.R provide monographs for?
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What is the focus of immunopharmacology?
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What kind of information do standard books provide regarding drugs?
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Which of the following best describes the term 'official drugs'?
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Which aspect is NOT typically covered by immunopharmacology?
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Why is the study of immunopharmacology important?
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Study Notes
General Pharmacology
- Pharmacology is the science of drugs.
- Derived from the Greek word "pharmacon."
- Studies drug actions (beneficial and harmful) on tissues, organs, and organisms.
- A "drug" is any substance used for diagnosis, prevention, or cure of disease in humans or animals (derived from the French word "drogue," meaning dry herb).
Branches of Pharmacology
- Pharmacodynamics (PD): Study of drug actions and mechanisms on living organisms.
- Pharmacokinetics (PK): Study of drug absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion. (Often abbreviated to ADME)
- Pharmacognosy: Study of identifying drugs, including their sources, physical, and chemical characteristics.
- Pharmacy: Study concerning drug selection, standardization, compounding, dispensing, identification, and preservation of medical substances.
Additional Branches
- Pharmacogenomics (PG): Use of drugs in gene therapy.
- Clinical Pharmacology: Study of drug effects in clinical settings, including drug kinetics.
- Pharmacotherapeutics (Chemotherapy): Deals with the therapeutic uses and effects of drugs.
- Toxicology: The branch of pharmacology dealing with adverse effects of drugs and poisonous substances, including sources, diagnosis, and treatment of xenobiotics.
- Immunopharmacology: Examines the effect of drugs on the immune system.
Official Books
- Standard books provide information on drugs, including a list of official drugs.
- An "official drug" is any drug listed in one of the official pharmacopoeias.
Pharmacopeia
- Selected list of widely used drugs.
- Physical and chemical properties of drugs.
- Tests for drug identity, purity, potency, and medicinal preparations.
- List of added drugs (newly available) and deleted drugs (due to toxicity).
- Examples: British Pharmacopeia (B.P), United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P), Egyptian Pharmacopeia (E.P), and International Pharmacopeia (published by WHO).
National Formulary (N.F)
- Published by the American Pharmaceutical Association (APA).
- Selection of drugs based on therapeutic effect rather than use.
- Contains formulas for common pharmacy preparations (e.g., pills, powders, solutions).
British Pharmaceutical Codex (B.P.C)
- Published by the British Pharmaceutical Association (BPA).
- From the pharmaceutical society of Great Britain.
- British counterpart of N.F.
British Veterinary Codex (B.V.C)
- From pharmaceutical society of Royal College.
- Published by the British Veterinary Association (BVA).
- Includes medical substances and their preparations used in veterinary practice.
New and Non-Official Remedies (N.N.R)
- Annual publication of the council of pharmacy and chemistry of the American Medical Association.
- Contains descriptions of drugs marketed in an acceptable manner.
- Contains monographs for all new and individually available drugs.
Sources of Drugs
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Organic Sources:
- Plants: Active principles extracted from leaves, seeds, or roots (e.g., atropine, morphine, strychnine). Used in pure form or in preparations.
- Animals: Hormones (e.g., insulin, heparin, thyroid extract, gonadotrophins), anti-sera (e.g., anti-tetanic sera). Animal tissues/organs for replacement therapy.
- Synthetics: Hormones, aspirin, procaine, cortisone, adrenaline, and sulfonamides.
- Microorganisms: Bacteria and fungi; Important source of antibacterial substances (e.g., penicillin, vaccines, toxoids, bacitracin).
- Inorganic Sources: MgSO4 (for constipation), NaHCO3 (for gastric acidity), ZnSO4 (for zinc deficiency), and liquid paraffin.
Routes of Drug Administration
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Enteral Routes:
- Oral (swallowed): Safe and economic, but can be slow, irregular, or unsuitable for various situations, and certain drugs are destroyed by gastric acid or enzymes.
- Sublingual: Rapid absorption, used in emergencies like heart attacks.
- Rectal: Suitable for vomiting, certain strong odors/tastes, and hepatic/inactivation.
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Parenteral Routes:
- Inhalation: Quick absorption and onset, rapid effective concentration; potential for local irritation or cardiac toxicity.
- Injection:
- Intravenous (IV): Very rapid action, useful for large volumes, emergencies; local irritation potentially causing thrombosis, and rapid dosage may cause cardiac arrest.
- Intraperitoneal: Useful for lab animals, rapid absorption.
- Intramuscular (IM): Rapid action, suitable for suspension/colloids; may cause pain or abscesses.
- Subcutaneous (SC): Slow, prolonged action, suitable for non-irritant drugs; absorption can be enhanced or slowed.
- Intradermal: Small doses between skin layers, vaccination/sensitivity tests.
- Intra-articular: For joints (osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis).
- Intracardiac: Cardiac resuscitation.
- Intraspinal/subarachnoid: Spinal anesthesia.
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Local Application (Topical):
- Applied directly to skin or mucous membranes (e.g., ointments, lotions, tinctures, eye drops).
- Implantation: Small pellets for slow absorption, used in hormonal therapy and estrus synchronization.
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Description
This quiz covers the fundamental aspects of pharmacology, including its definition, branches, and key concepts such as pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacognosy. Test your knowledge of how drugs interact with living organisms and the various fields within pharmacology.