University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Toxicology.

Pharmacology Course for the Students of Medicine and Dentistry

Contact: Professor Metka V. Budihna, or Assistant professor Mojca Kržan, Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Toxicology, Fuculty opf Medicine, Univeristy of Ljubljana, Korytkova 2, 1000-Ljubljana, Solvenia. Tel +386-61-1403042; fax +386-61-446082

PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL TOXICOLOGY
This programme is intended for students of dentistry 3rd year out of 6 year curriculum and 3rd year (summer term) and 4th year (winter term) for medical students out of 6 year curriculum. The programme takes two semesters. Each semester terminates with a written test of general pharmacology (summer); and of prescription writing (winter).

Requirements to enter the course: finished courses of the 2nd year (anatomy, histology, biochemistry II, physiology).

Requirements for final examination of pharmacology, which consists of a written essay and oral exam:  courses of microbiology and patophysiology; passed written tests of general pharmacology and prescription writing and test from seminars.

1. Summer term
The programme is composed of lectures, seminars, pratical classes and terminates with a written test on general pharmacology.

1.1. Lectures:

  1. General instructions. Introduction to pharmacology
  2. Drug effects. Mechanisms of drug actions. Dose-response relationship
  3. Absorption and distribution
  4. Metabolism of drugs
  5. Receptor and non-receptor drug binding
  6. Elimination of drugs
  7. Pharmacokinetic parameters and their interactions
  8. Practical use of pharmacokinetic principles
  9. Toxicology
  10. Insecticides
  11. Diuretics
  12. Drugs used for the treament of cardiac ischaemia and heart failure
  13. Antiarrhytmic drugs
  14. The principles of chemotherapy: ₯-lactam antibiotics
  15. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, some other chemotherapeutics.

1.2. Summer  term seminars  for medical students (groups of 15 students):

  1. General mechanisms of drug action
  2. Drug dependance
  3. Pharmacology of the respiratory system
  4. Cytostatics
  5. Drug interactions
  6. Pharmacology of anaesthesia
  7. Pharmacology of pain
  8. Ca channel blockers
  9. Pharmacology of hypertension
  10. Antiviral drugs

1.3. Practical work:

    1. Isolated organ study,  acetylcholine-induced contraction of isolated guinea pig ileum

    2. Behaviour study – comparison of mouse behaviour after antipscychotic or hypnotic drug

    3. Placebo effect – drug testing

1.4. Test of general pharmacology and seminars

2. Winter term

There are lectures, seminars on prescription writing seminars for dentistry students, elective studies and written test on prescription writing in this semester.

2.1. Lectures

  1. Introduction to course.
  2. Pharmacogenetics.
  3. Pharmacology of peripheral nervous system
  4. Cholinergic nervous system
  5. Pharmacology of histamine and serotonin
  6. Autacoids
  7. Adrenergic nervous system: agonists and drugs increasing sympathetic activity
  8. Adrenergic nervous system: agonists and drugs diminishing cholinergic activity
  9. Introduction to the pharmacology of CNS
  10. Hypnotics and anxiolytics
  11. Antipsychotic and antidepressive drugs
  12. Antiepileptic and antiParkinsonic drugs
  13. Pharmacology of pain: NSAIDs
  14. Narcotic analgesics
  15. Pharmacology of endocrine system
  16. Pharmacology of neoplastic diseases

2.2. 1. Seminars on prescription writing

2.2.2. Seminars for dentistry students (groups of 5 students):

  1. Basic mechanisms of drug action
  2. Locally acting antibiotics
  3. Drug dependance
  4. Broad spectrum antibiotics
  5. Antiseptics
  6. NSAIDs
  7. Local anaesthetics
  8. Pharmacology of general anaesthesia
  9. Pharmacology of the respiratory system
  10. Drug interactions

2.3. Electives (max. 5 students per group)

  1. The actions of drugs in the cardiovascular system
  2. Molecular pharmacology of neurotransmitter receptors
  3. The determination of the concentration-response parameters
  4. Biogenic amines
  5. Factors that influence drug actions
  6. Cotherapy of general anaesthesia – pre-clinical and clinical approach
  7. Analgesia
  8. Antiviral therapy – pre-clinical and clinical approach

Final exam: written essay and oral exam.

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