PHARMACOLOGY COURSE OUTLINE
Pharmacology is taught as a subject in the third year of medicine during the Christmas,
Spring and Summer terms. The course consists of lectures, hospital visits and
tutorial/demonstrations held throughout the year. Students are also required to complete a written
project. The best project will represent UCD in the Upjohn Gold Medal in Pharmacology award.
LECTURES
The lecture course is summarised below:
General Principles; Chemotherapy; Pharmacokinetics; Antimicrobial Agents;
Pharmacodynamics;
Antiviral Agents; New Drug Development; Anticancer Agents; Chemical Mediators; The Central
Nervous System; Autonomic Pharmacology; General Anaesthetics; Autocoids; Drug Treatment of
Epilepsy, Psychosis, Depression; Immunopharmacology ; Neurodegenerative Diseases; CNS
Stimulants; Drugs Affecting Major Organ System; Endocrine Pharmacology; Drugs and the
G.I.T.; Drug Treatment of Hormone-Related Disorders; Drugs and the Lung; Anti-Hormones and
Cancer; Drugs and the Heart; Drugs and the Kidney; Toxicology; Special Topics; Organ
Toxicology ; Drug Interactions; Poisoning
HOSPITAL VISITS
These are held in St. Vincent's and the Mater Misericordiae Hospitals.
Topics covered during these visits are as follows:
Antimicrobial Agents; Anti Asthmatic Drugs; Anticancer Drugs; Inflammatory Disease;
Psychotropic Drugs; Endocrinology; Cardiovascular Drugs
TUTORIAL / DEMONSTRATIONS
The content of this part of the course, which includes practical demonstrations and video-tape
material, is summarised below:
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics; Cardiovascular Drugs; Antimicrobial Agents;
Immunopharmacology; Centrally Acting Drugs; Endocrine Pharmacology; Cholinergic Drugs;
Renal Pharmacology
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSESSMENT
Marks available in Pharmacology are by continuous assessment (30%) and by end-of-year
examination (70%). The continuous assessment marks are allocated for the following:
Christmas Term Multiple Choice Questionnaire
Spring Term Multiple Choice Questionnaire
Summer Multiple Choice Questionnaire
Essays
Project
The end-of-year examination, held in the summer, consists of 1 multiple choice questionnaire, 1 written paper and an oral examination*. Students who fail to attain the required standard may resit the examination in the autumn. The resit examination consists of 1 multiple choice questionnaire, 1 written paper and an oral examination.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
In addition to the course material, the following textbooks are recommended:
Pharmacology by H.P. Rang and M.M. Dale; Churchill Livingstone, 1991 (2nd Edition)
Basic and Clinical Pharmacology by B.G. Katzung; Lange Medical Publications, 1989 (4th
Edition)
LECTURES
Section I - General Principles ---- Introduction to Pharmacology; Drug-Receptor Theory; Drug-Response Relationships; Targets for Drug Action; Drug Absorption - Routes of Administration; Drug Distribution and Drug Metabolism; Drug Excretion; Pharmacokinetics and Drug Dosing
Section II - Chemotherapy ---- Microbial Cell Structure and Biology; Basic Principles of Chemotherapy I + II; Antimicrobial Agents which Interfere with Folate; Beta-lactam Antibiotics; Antimicrobial Agents Affecting Bacterial Protein Synthesis I + II; Miscellaneous Antibacterial Agents; Antimycobacterial Agents; Antifungal and Anti-Amoebic Agents; Antimalarials; Antibiotic Resistance/Antiviral Agents; Antiviral Agents II; Anticancer Drugs I + II;
New Drug Development I + II
Section III - Chemical Mediators ---- Part I
Introduction to Autonomic Pharmacology; Noradrenergic Transmission; Cholinergic
Transmission,; Parasympathomimetics; Sympathomimetics I + II; Adrenergic Receptor Blocking
Drugs; Cholinesterase and Anticholinesterases; Muscarinic Blocking Agents; Ganglion
Blockers/Stimulants; Skeletal Neuromuscular Blocking Agents;
---- Part II
Introduction; Immune Responses; Mediators of Inflammation and Allergies; Biogenic
Amines; Cytokines; Purines and Peptides; Eicosanoids; Antagonists of Histamine; Non-Steroidal
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs; Anti-Rheumatoid Drugs; Immunosuppression; Class Test
Section IV - The Central Nervous System
Introduction to Thought Disorder; Anxiolytic and Hypnotic Drugs; Neuroleptic Drugs;
Antidepressant Drugs; Epilepsy and Antiepileptic Agents; Drug Strategies for Neurodegenerative
States; Ischaemics and Anti-ischaemic Agents; General Anaesthetics; Narcotic Analgesics;
Psychotomimtics and Stimulants; Drug Dependence and Drug Abuse
Section V - Drugs Affecting Major Organ Systems
Antiasthmatic Agents; Drugs and the GIT; Antihypertensive Agents; Cardiotonic Drugs I
+ II; Drugs and the Endothelium; Antiarrhythmic Agents; Local Anaesthetics; Therapy of
Coronary/Cerebrovascular Disease; Anticoagulants;
Section VI - Endocrine Pharmacology
Antianemic Drugs; Growth Hormone and Prolactin; Sex Hormones; Female Sex
Hormones; Anti-Hormones and Cancer; Drug Strategies for Neurodegenerative States; Posterior
Pituitary. Drugs on Uterus; Thyroid and Antithyroid Drugs; Insulin, Glucagon; Oral
Hypoglycaemic Agents; Parathyroid Hormone, Vitamin D, Calcitonin; Class Test
Section VII - Toxicology
Principles of Toxicology; Hepatic Toxicology; Renal Toxicology; Neurotoxicology; Lung
Toxicology; Teratogenesis-Reproduction Toxicology; Management of the Poisoned Patient
Section VIII - Special Topics
Drugs / Renal Function I + II + III + IV + V
Interactions
Review Lecture
TUTORIAL PROGRAMME:
Neurotransmission; MCQ Tutorial; 5HT; CNS Drugs; Diarrhoea; Cardiovascular Drugs;
Renal Drugs; Endocrine Drugs