Unit 1 Pharmacology and Cell Pathophysiology Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions, cellular adaptations, cellular injuries, and mechanisms of necrosis.

Therapeutic Effect

The intended physiological benefit of a medication, such as lisinopril lowering blood pressure.

Indication

The specific clinical condition for which a drug is prescribed.

Off-Label Use

An alternative use of a drug for an unapproved clinical condition, such as using diphenhydramine as a sleep aid.

Pharmacologic Class

A group of medications categorized together based on their specific mechanism of action (e.g., ACE inhibitors).

Therapeutic Class

A group of medications categorized together based on their overall clinical treatment use (e.g., antihypertensives).

Generic Name

The official, chemical name of a drug that is used in drug references and has only one single name per drug.

Brand (Trade) Name

The trademarked name of a drug chosen by the manufacturer, which can have multiple names for a single active ingredient.

Bioequivalence

An FDA requirement that generic drugs contain the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form, and route of administration, and provide the same clinical benefit as the brand-name drug.

Controlled Substances

Medications scheduled from I to V based on their abuse potential, ranging from Schedule I narcotics like heroin to Schedule V drugs like acetaminophen with codeine.

Pharmacokinetics

The movement and modification of a drug inside the body over time, divided into absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Bioavailability

The percentage of an active drug that successfully reaches the systemic circulation after administration.

First-Pass Effect

The hepatic metabolism of an orally administered drug prior to reaching systemic circulation, which significantly reduces its bioavailability.

Distribution

The movement of drugs through the bloodstream to target tissues, heavily influenced by tissue blood flow, protein binding (especially albumin), and anatomical barriers.

Phase I Reaction (Oxidation)

A metabolic phase carried out primarily by CYP450 enzymes that introduces or exposes a functional group ($-\text{OH}$, $-\text{NH}_2$, $-\text{SH}$) on a drug molecule.

Phase II Reaction (Conjugation)

A metabolic phase that attaches a large, water-soluble molecule (such as glucuronic acid, sulfate, or glutathione) to a drug or metabolite to terminate activity and facilitate excretion.

Minimum Effective Concentration (MEC)

The lowest drug concentration required in systemic circulation to produce a therapeutic effect.

Therapeutic Index (TI)

The quantitative ratio or range between effective dosing and toxic dosing of a medication.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of how a drug acts on the body and its mechanism of action (MOA) through receptor binding and cellular response.

Agonist

A drug or molecule that binds to and fully activates cellular receptors to produce a biological response.

Antagonist

A drug or molecule that binds to cellular receptors and blocks them to inhibit a biological response.

Partial Agonist

A drug that binds to and activates cellular receptors, but produces a reduced or submaximal response compared to a full agonist.

Additive Effect

A drug interaction where the combined physiological effect of two medications equals the exact sum of their individual effects ($1 + 1 = 2$).

Synergistic Effect

A drug interaction where the combined effect of two medications is significantly greater than the sum of their individual effects ($1 + 1 > 2$).

Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR)

An unwanted, uncomfortable, or harmful response to a medication occurring at normal therapeutic doses.

Teratogenicity

The potential of a drug or substance to cause developmental harm or structural defects in a fetus during pregnancy.

Mitochondria

The powerhouse organelle of the cell that generates aerobic energy, producing $32\text{--}36\text{ ATP}$ via glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain.

Etiology

The underlying cause or origin of a disease.

Histology

The microscopic study of the structure and function of biological tissues.

Biopsy

The surgical removal or extraction of a tissue sample for diagnostic examination.

Pathognomonic Changes

Unique, definitive structural or functional changes characteristic of a specific disease.

Atrophy

A decrease in individual cell size via protein degradation and autophagy in response to reduced workload, stress, or disuse.

Hypertrophy

An increase in individual cell size resulting in enlarged tissue or organ volume due to increased workload or stimuli.

Hyperplasia

An increase in the total number of cells within a tissue resulting from heightened mitotic activity.

Metaplasia

The reversible conversion of one adult mature cell type into another adult cell type in response to chronic irritation.

Dysplasia

Deranged, disorganized cellular growth involving variations in size, shape, and architectural arrangement, recognized as a precancerous condition.

Neoplasia

New, uncontrolled, and autonomous growth of cells that can be either benign or malignant.

Na+/K+ Pump Dysfunction

Failure of cellular sodium-potassium transport due to ATP depletion, leading to intracellular sodium accumulation, osmotic water influx, and cell swelling.

Ca++ Pump Dysfunction

Failure to maintain low intracellular calcium levels due to ATP loss, causing enzymatic activation, membrane and DNA damage, and pathological calcifications.

Hypoxia

An inadequate oxygen supply to tissues that forces cells to switch to anaerobic metabolism, resulting in lactic acid accumulation.

Free Radicals

Reactive oxygen species produced as by-products of oxidative phosphorylation that cause oxidative stress and damage DNA, lipids, and proteins.

Kwashiorkor

A severe form of malnutrition caused by protein starvation characterized clinically by ascites.

Marasmus

A severe form of malnutrition caused by combined calorie and protein starvation characterized clinically by cachexia.

Ischemia

Inadequate blood flow to a tissue or organ caused by arterial obstruction or circulatory failure, resulting in severe oxygen and nutrient deprivation.

Brain Ischemic Tolerance

The duration of severe ischemia brain tissue can tolerate before irreversible injury begins, which is $3\text{--}6\text{ minutes}$.

Myocardium Ischemic Tolerance

The duration of severe ischemia cardiac muscle can tolerate before irreversible injury begins, which is $20\text{--}30\text{ minutes}$.

Endothelium

The specialized cell layer lining all blood vessels that regulates vascular tone, coagulation, inflammation, and vessel growth by secreting VEGF, nitric oxide, and endothelin.

Apoptosis

Genetically programmed, energy-dependent cell death that cleanly removes damaged or unneeded cells without eliciting an inflammatory response.

Necrosis

Uncontrolled cell death resulting from severe injury, characterized by cellular swelling, lysis, and localized tissue inflammation.

Coagulative Necrosis

A form of necrosis caused by protein denaturation where basic tissue architecture is preserved, typically seen in myocardial infarction.

Liquefactive Necrosis

A form of necrosis characterized by rapid enzymatic digestion of damaged tissue into a liquid viscous mass, classic in brain infarctions and abscesses.

Caseous Necrosis

A form of necrosis featuring a friable, cheesy white appearance combining features of coagulative and liquefactive necrosis, characteristic of tuberculosis.

Gas Gangrene

A severe form of gangrene caused by Clostridium perfringens infection, characterized by rapid tissue breakdown and gas production in necrotizing tissues.