A.  Pharmacology I (4^th semester)

1. Principles of drug actions; molecular mechanisms of drug action including:

   receptor theory and targets of drug action
   cellular basis of quantitative pharmacology
   principles of structure-activity and dose-response relationships
   mechanism by which drugs modulate signal transduction pathways
   interactions between drugs and ion channels
   modulation of gene expression by drugs
   receptor-independent mechanisms of drug action e.g. inactivation of enzymes, interactions with

structural components of the cell
   active and passive mechanisms by which drugs cross cell membranes
   molecular basis of inadequate or excessive drug actions including drug interactions
   mechanisms of termination of drug actions (e.g. uptake into cells; degradation)
   Practical demonstration illustrating mechanisms of drug action: Bioassay and competitive

antagonism - actions of acetylcholine +/- atropine on guinea pig ileum

2.   Effective drug use

   choice of therapy
   when not to prescribe
   identification of therapeutic problem lists
   preparation of planned therapeutic regimes
   drug use in multiple illnesses
   combination therapies, tailored therapy
   reading and understanding prescriptions
   instruction in prescribing techniques
   awareness of iatrogenic disease
   principles of using approved names vs. brand names
   non-Textbook information sources needed for effective use of drugs e.g. National prescribing guide

(Ethniko Syntagologio, EOF)
   assessment of compliance problems and methods of enhancing compliance
   relationship between compliance and understanding
 

3.   Drugs and the autonomic nervous system,

   Introduction
   directly and indirectly acting cholinomimetics
   muscarinic and nicotinic receptor blockers
   a/b-adrenoceptor agonists/antagonists
   indirectly acting sympathomimetics
   practical demonstrations:
   investigation of drug response in man - the action of beta-blockade in volunteers
   the actions of nitrates and nicotine in man
   drugs acting on the human eye - anticholinergic, cholinergic, sympathomimetic
 

4.  Special subject areas

 (i) Autacoids and anti-inflammatory drugs
   aspirin, cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
   eicosanoids: prostaglandins, thromboxane, leukotrienes and antagonists
   corticosteroids
   cytokines and anti-cytokines
   histamine serotonin, kinins, platelet activating factor and antagonists

(ii) Management of pain
   principles of pain relief
   analgesics - opioid and non-opioid
   techniques of analgesic administration

(iii) Drugs used in surgery
    pre-anaesthetic medication
   general anaesthetics; local anaesthetics
   skeletal muscle relaxants
   preparation for surgery in special cases - e.g. diabetes, hypertension, phaeochromocytoma, steroid

dependence

A.  Pharmacology II (5^th semester)

4.  Drugs acting primarily on the central nervous system

   Introduction
   antidepressants
   anti-Parkinsonian agents
   anxiolytics
   sedatives/hypnotics
   anti-convulsants
   anti-spastics
   CNS stimulants
   appetite suppressants
   drugs of dependence, alcohol
   analgesics and pain control
   drugs for migraine
   neuroleptics
   drugs in affective disorders
   practical demonstration:
 

(5) Drugs and the cardiovascular system:
   anti-hypertensives
   anti-anginals
   drugs used in heart failure and shock
   anti-dysrhythmics
   diuretics
   anti-coagulants*
   drugs affecting platelets*
   fibrinolysins*
   anti-anaemic drugs*
   lipid lowering drugs
   practical demonstrations:
   Drugs and cardiac tissue - computer simulation with monitored animal preparation.
   Practical demonstrations: Autonomic pharmacology and cardiovascular function, video PC interactive practical

(6) Drugs acting on the kidney:
   diuretics
   anti-diuretics
   drugs affecting urine pH
   uricosuric
 

(7) Drugs acting on the respiratory system:
   bronchodilators
   inhibitors of mast cell mediator release
   anti-inflammatory steroids

(8) Drugs for infection
   antibacterial
   antiviral - including principles of vaccination
   antimalarial
   antifungal
   antiprotazoal and antihelminthic
 

(9) Cancer chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs
   neoplastic cell burden and principles of therapy
   cell cycle specific and non-specific agents
   alkylating agents, antimetabolites, plant alkaloids, antibiotics, cisplatin, nitrosoureas, hormonal agents
 

(10) Drugs affecting the gastrointestinal tract
   autacoids
   ulcer healing drugs
   anti-spasmodics
   anti-diarrhoeal drugs
   laxatives
   motility stimulants
   anti-inflammatory
   anti-emetic
 

(11) Drugs and the blood
   drugs for anaemias
   anti-platelet agents
   anticoagulants and fibrinolytic agents
 

(12) Drugs and endocrine systems (diabetes, thyroid disease, adrenal disorders, hypothalamic and pituitary disorders, bone metabolism)
   adrenocortical steroids, their analogues and drugs affecting their release
   thyroid and anti-thyroid drugs
   growth hormone and drugs affecting its release
   drugs affecting blood sugar
   drugs affecting Ca++ homeostasis
   vasopressin and its analogues