VPHM 50 Laboratory: Drugs and Remedies

Introduction

• Cherry R.Alvarez, DVM, PhD is an Associate Professor at Cavite State University
• She specializes in Animal Nutrition with a focus on Human Nutrition in her PhD
• She has a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine as well as a Master's in Animal Science

Course Information

• Course is VPHM 50 Laboratory
• Grading is based on:
  • Long Examinations (75%)
  • Quizzes (15%)
  • Class participation (5%)
  • Collaborative Output (Class/Group Project) (5%)
• Passing grade is 70%
• Pre-final grade constitutes 70% of the final grade, with Final Exam making up the remaining 30%
• A pre-final grade of 73% and no scores below 60% in long exams exempts students from the final exam

Drugs, Poisons, and Remedies

• Drugs are chemical agents affecting living organisms
• Drugs are clinically used for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases in living organisms
• Drugs also alter body functions for purposes like sedation, anesthesia, and estrus synchronization in farm animals
• Drugs can be poison, with the difference being the dose
• Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus), a 16th century physician, is credited with the quote, "Drugs can be poison; what differentiate a poison from a remedy is the dose."

Learning Pharmacology

• It is impossible to learn about every drug
• Organizing the material is crucial
• Focus on remembering rather than memorizing
• Develop a framework for drug information
• Learning drugs by their class is a good approach

Pharmacology: Defining the Field

• The science of drugs and their interactions with living organisms
• Uses both chemistry and biology
• Defined as any chemical agent other than food that affects the structure and functions of living organisms (Broad definition)
• Legally defined as any substance, food or nonfood, used to treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent diseases. This includes substances that intend to affect the structure or function of an individual (Legal or regulatory definition)
• Food is anything eaten or drunk that provides taste, aroma, or nutritive value
• Nutraceutical refers to nutrients used as drugs

Subfields of Pharmacology

• Pharmacodynamics:
  • How drugs produce effects on living organisms
  • Includes the site (where a drug acts) and the mechanism of action (how drugs act)
  • Pharmacokinetics: A subdivision of pharmacodynamics that deals with the factors determining the amount of drug at its site of action at different times (application to elimination)
• Toxicology:
  • Study of the harmful effects of drugs and their conditions of occurrence
• Pharmacotherapeutics (Therapeutics):
  • The practical application of drugs for diagnosis, prevention, cure, mitigation, and purposeful alteration of body structure/function
• Pharmacy:
  • The art and science of developing, preparing, compounding, and dispensing drugs
  • Pharmacognosy: A subdivision of pharmacy that studies the sources of drugs (plants, animals, minerals, or synthetic)
  • Metrology: A subdivision of pharmacy that deals with weights and measures in drugs
  • Posology: A subdivision of pharmacy that deals with formulating drug dosages

Essential Subfields of Pharmacology

• Molecular Pharmacology:
  • Study of the basic mechanisms of drug action on biological systems
  • Aims to determine and interpret the relationship between biological activity and structures of molecules or groups of molecules
• Clinical Pharmacology:
  • Rational development, effective use, and proper evaluation of drugs in diagnosis, prevention, and cure of diseases
  • Focuses on the safe use of drugs in both humans and animals
  • Applicable to both veterinary and human medicine

Veterinary Pharmacology vs. Medical Pharmacology

• Veterinary Pharmacology focuses on drugs used to diagnose, prevent, and treat animal diseases, as well as alter animal physiology intentionally
• While many drugs are shared between animal and human medicine, there are differences in dosages, effects and usefulness between individual species
• Veterinary pharmacology applies to a wide variety of species

This quiz covers the fundamentals of drugs, poisons, and remedies in the context of animal health. It explores their roles in diagnosis, treatment, and altering bodily functions in living organisms. Students are encouraged to understand the clinical applications and implications of these chemical agents.