INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY (L/Ehrich/1) 

1. Define terms relating to pharmacology. Compare and contrast pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.
2. Identify characteristics of drugs and characteristics of patients and describe how these characteristics affect how drugs act in the body.
3. Consider pharmaceutical preparations and describe how they may affect the action of drugs used in veterinary medicine. Name some different types of preparations for drug delivery.
4. Describe differences in the various names a drug may have.
5. Explain drug laws of importance in veterinary medicine.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DRUG ACTION (L/Ehrich/2)

1. Receptors are important in drug action at the molecular level. Explain the role of agonists and antagonists at receptor sites.
2. Describe the bonds between a drug and receptor
3. Express dose-response relationships using log dose plots.
4. Represent graphically the responses that may occur when drugs and receptors interact. Note threshold, intrinsic activity, efficacy, potency, surmountable antagonism and insurmountable antagonism.
5. Describe and depict graphically how drug safety measurements can be determined using quantal responses. Note margin of safety and therapeutic index.
6. Describe the factors regulating the diffusion of drug molecules across biological membranes and correlate them to drug pharmacology. Include the drug's molecular size, lipophilicity, and pH/pKa relationship in the discussion

DRUG BIOTRANSFORMATION (L/Ehrich/1; AT/Ehrich/1)

1. Delineate the purposes of nonsynthetic reactions of drug biotransformation and give examples of each (Phase I pathways).
2. Delineate the purpose of synthetic (conjugation) reactions of drug biotransformation and give examples of each (Phase II pathways).
3. List some nonmicrosomal reactions resulting in drug biotransformation.
4. Indentify the major organs and describe the parts of the cell involved in drug biotransformation.
5. Identify some factors which can affect drug biotransformation, explain reasons for their effects, and relate these actions to the actions of drugs in the body.
6. Discuss species differences in drug metabolism and what this means in terms of drug safety and efficacy.
7. Explain the role of enzyme induction and inhibition on drug actions and interactions, including mechanisms and factors affecting induction and inhibition of drug biotransformation.

biotransformation

BASIC PHARMACOKINETICS (L/Wilcke/5)

A.	Describe effects that pharmaceutical, physiological and pathological factors can have on drug absorption and relate these effects to drug efficacy and toxicity.
B.	Differentiate between routes of administration in terms of:
	a) Specific physiologic and pathologic processes that may affect drug absorption; b) Advantages and disadvantages of each in economic, compliance and therapeutic terms; c) Clinical situations where each might be appropriate or inappropriate.
C.	Describe pharmaceutical, physiological and pathological factors that influence the rate and extent of drug distribution among the various tissues of the body.
D.	Describe the pharmaceutical, physiologic and pathologic factors that influence elimination of drugs from the body via renal, hepatic and respiratory mechanisms.
E.	Describe drug disposition (absorption, distribution, and elimination) in terms of simple mechanical and mathematical models.
F.	Each of the following pharmacokinetic concepts plays a role in determining drug concentrations at various times following drug administration to patients. Describe the role and discuss any inter-relationships between them.
	a) Bioavailability b) Volume of distribution c) Total clearance d) Half-life of elimination; rate constant of elimination

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (L/Ehrich/5)

1. Describe the divisions of the autonomic nervous system, its transmitters, and the receptors at which drugs act. Relate these to effects on innervated organs.
2. Derive the structure-activity relationship among sympathomimetics and relate these to their pharmacologic actions.
3. Identify uses and side effects of direct and indirect sympathomimetics and describe the reasons for their action.
4. Identify the types of direct and indirect sympatholytic agents used in therapeutics and compare their pharmacodynamics.
5. Compare direct and indirect parasympathomimetic agents, and contrast their pharmacodynamics. Give examples of each.
6. Describe uses for anticholinergic drugs that act at muscarinic and nicotinic sites and explain their mechanisms of action.

PHARMACOLOGY OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (L/Ehrich/1)

1. Identify CNS receptors and neurotransmitters that can be altered by drugs used as therapeutic agents.
2. Describe uses for drugs that alter neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, monamines, GABA or glutamate, or interact with their receptors in the CNS. Relate the uses and side effects of these drugs to their molecular action. Also consider opioid receptors.

AUTACOIDS AND ANTIINFLAMMATORY AGENTS (L/Ehrich/4)

1. Explain the principles guiding the use of peptide and steroid hormones in therapy.
2. Delineate how thyroid and antithyroid agents exert their pharmacological action.
3. Relate insulin pharmaceutics and insulin pharmacokinetics.
4. Relate structure to adrenal hormone pharmacodynamics. Explain why both pharmacodynamics and pharmaceutics are important in therapeutics with these agents.
5. Describe pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of reproductive hormones and relate this to their use as therapeutic agents.
6. Compare and contrast the physiological role of prostaglandins and their uses and side effects as therapeutic agents.
7. Relate the mechanisms of action of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent to their usefulness and side effects.
8. Relate mechanism of action to usefulness of methylxanthines, DMSO, cytotoxic agents, and mucopolysaccharides for treatment of the manifestation of inflammation.
9. Compare and contrast the actions, uses and side effects of antihistamines that act at H-1 and H-2 receptors

INTRODUCTION TO ANTIINFECTIVES AND SYNTHETIC ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS (L/Ehrich/2)

1. Describe factors to consider for appropriate treatment of infections and explain why they are important.
2. Describe mechanisms of action by which antiinfective agents are useful in treatment of disease.
3. Identify mechanisms causing resistance to antimicrobial agents.
4. Describe and explain mechanisms for uses and side effects of sulfonamides.
5. Describe the mechanism of action of trimethoprim-sulfonamide combinations and explain why this therapy is useful.
6. Relate mechanism of action to use of fluroquinolones.
7. Discuss mechanism of action of metronidazole and relate this to its usefulness.

ANTIVIRAL AGENTS AND ANTINEOPLASTICS (L/Ehrich/2)

1. Explain how and why viral chemotherapy is different from bacterial chemotherapy.
2. Describe how nucleoside analogs act as antiviral agents.
3. List other mechanisms for antiviral action.
4. Describe principal problems associated with cancer chemotherapy.
5. Describe the major mechanisms of actions of cancer chemotherapeutic agents.
6. Differentiate between antineoplastic agents that affect existing DNA and agents that act on the cell cycle.
7. Describe the rationale for using hormones and antihormones in cancer chemotherapy.

AGENTS ACTING ON THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT (L, AT/Ehrich/2)

1. Describe mechanisms associated with induction and control of emesis.
2. Discuss mechanisms of agents used for treatment of peptic ulcer disease.
3. Compare mechanisms of drugs used to increase and decrease gastrointestinal motility.
4. Differentiate among irritant cathartics, volume increasing cathartics, and lubricant/surfactants.
5. Describe methods used to control manifestations of diarrhea, comparing mechanisms and side effects of drugs used to obtain this therapeutic objective.
6. Describe methods used to control severe visceral pain.

CARDIOVASCULAR DRUGS (L/Ehrich/5)

1. Discuss the differences between heparin and warfarin as anticoagulants, including chemistry, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and antidotes.
2. Discuss therapeutic uses of iron.
3. Compare and contrast the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of diuretics that work at Site 1, Site 2, Site 3 and Site 4 in the kidney tubule and relate this to therapeutic uses.
4. Discuss mechanisms of diuretic action associated with osmotic diuretics.
5. Compare and contrast organic nitrates with other vasodilators.
6. Compare and contrast advantages and disadvantages of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and cardiotonics with regard to their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, side effects, and uses in cardiac disease.
7. Discuss the mechanism of action of cardiac glycosides and relate this to their uses and side effects. Include pharmacokinetics in the discussion.
8. Classify the antiarrhythmia agents, describing the physiology responsible for the classification. Include ion transport and neurogenic mechanisms in the discussion.
9. Compare and contrast the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic usefulness of the Class I antiarrhythmia agents quinidine, procainamide, and lidocaine.