The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning outcomes

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MM: GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY
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Provide to the student the fundamentals of the discipline and the knowledge tools needed to carry out the role of a laboratory technician in the control of drug therapies.
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MM: PHARMACO-TOXICOLOGY
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Introduction to Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of all the major classes of drugs. Toxicity of metals and solvents.
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MM: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES IN PHARMACY LABORATORY
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The student at the end of the course should know: • the fundamental principles on screening tests for the detection of various drugs of abuse in the urine (immunoassays and analytical procedures in HPLC) • the techniques used in the laboratories for monitoring of immunosuppressive drugs and the monitoring of the most used drugs • Overview of anticancer drugs and laboratory management .

Program

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MM: GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY
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General pharmacology Pharmacodynamics Drug receptor interaction, potency and efficacy, clinical effectiveness, competition and antagonism. Receptor: definition, mechanisms of action, receptor adaptation. Pharmacokinetics Absorption and the different routes of drug administration. Distribution and plasma levels. Metabolism, especially liver: induction, inhibition, drug interactions. Elimination. Concepts and pharmacokinetic parameters: dosage, maximum dose, daily dose, dosage, clearance, half-life, plasmatic peak, therapeutic range, toxic concentrations. Pharmacotherapy Definitions of drug, placebo, medicinal product, packaging, pharmaceutical formulations. The process of research and drug development. Critical issues related to the use of drugs: tolerance, interactions, compliance, self prescription. SPECIAL PHARMACOLOGY Fundamentals on drugs and drug addiction.
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MM: PHARMACO-TOXICOLOGY
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Pharmacokinetics: absorption and administration routes. Bioavailability, kinetic differences related to the administration route. Distribution. Metabolism. Elimination and variability factors Pharmacodynamics: receptors, agonist and antagonistic drugs, dose-response curve. Drug safety. Therapeutic Index. Drugs adverse reactions: classification Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Interpretation of measurement of serum levels Antibiotics: brief description of the major classes of antibiotics: antibiotics submitted to TDM. Antifungal drugs. Antiviral drugs Antiepileptic drugs: mechanism of action, toxicity and interactions. Phenytoin, carbamazepine, barbiturates, etosuccimmide, valproic acid, benzodiazepines and lithium. Antiasthmatic drugs: mechanism of action, toxicity and interactions of beta2 receptor antagonists, theophylline and xanthine Immunosuppressant drugs: mechanism of action, toxicity and interactions. Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Tacrolimus, Sirolimus, Mycophenolic acid Coagulation Cascade and coagulation drugs: Coumarin, Heparin. Coagulation parameters during anticoagulant therapy. Digoxin: mechanism of action, toxicity and interactions
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MM: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES IN PHARMACY LABORATORY
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Toxicology: general, dose - response relationship, drug classification most used. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Analysis methods of medication (Interpretation of the measurements of plasma concentrations. Abnormal findings in chemical and clinical analysis : influence of biological variability and pharmacological treatment of the following drugs : methotrexate , cyclosporine , Tracrolimus). Security procedures for the preparation and safe disposal of anticancer drugs

Bibliography

Examination Methods

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MM: GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY
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Written test. The test is based on multiple choice test.
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MM: PHARMACO-TOXICOLOGY
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Written test. The test is based on multiple choice test.
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MM: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES IN PHARMACY LABORATORY
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Written test. The test is based on multiple choice test.