Pharmacology and Toxicology Basics

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What is pharmacology primarily concerned with?

Studying the environmental effects on drug interactions

Studying the chemical structure of nutrients and essential dietary ingredients

Studying substances that interact with specific molecules in the body (correct)

Studying the genetic influences on responses to drugs

What is the definition of a drug?

Any chemical obtained from plants or animals, excluding nutrients and essential dietary ingredients

Any chemical substance used to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease

A medicine containing multiple substances for therapeutic effect

A chemical substance of known structure that produces a biological effect when administered to a living organism (correct)

What does toxicology primarily focus on?

Enhancing the therapeutic effects of medicines

Dealing with the undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems (correct)

Investigating environmental factors affecting drug interactions

Studying genetic influences on responses to drugs

What is the primary intention of administering medicines?

Producing a therapeutic effect Signup and view all the answers

What is pharmacogenetics primarily focused on?

Genetic influences on responses to drugs Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between medical pharmacology and toxicology?

Medical pharmacology is the science of substances used to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease, while toxicology is the branch of pharmacology that deals with the undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems. Signup and view all the answers

How can drugs be obtained and what is their defining characteristic?

Drugs may be synthetic chemicals, chemicals obtained from plants or animals, or products of genetic engineering. They are defined as chemical substances of known structure, other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between a drug and a medicine?

A drug is a chemical substance of known structure that produces a biological effect when administered, while a medicine is a chemical preparation, usually containing one or more drugs, administered with the intention of producing a therapeutic effect and may contain other substances besides the active drug. Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of pharmacogenetics?

Pharmacogenetics is the study of genetic influences on responses to drugs, originally focused on familial idiosyncratic drug reactions where affected individuals show abnormal – usually adverse – responses to a class of drug. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of a receptor in the context of pharmacology?

Pharmacology can be defined as the study of substances that interact with a specific molecule in the biologic system called a receptor, activating or inhibiting normal body processes to produce beneficial or toxic effects. Signup and view all the answers