Pharmacology Exam 1

What is an adverse effect?

general term for undesirable and potentially harmful drug effect.

What is an agonist?

drug that binds to a receptor and activates a physiologic response or drug action.

What is an antagonist?

drug that binds to a receptor and interferes with other drugs or substances from producing a drug effect

What is a contraindications?

situations or conditions when a certain drug should not be administered.

What is a controlled substance?

drug that has the potential for abuse and thus is regulated by law.

What is a dose?

a measurement of the amount of drug that is administered.

What is a drug?

chemical substance that produces a change in body function

What is ED50?

effective dose 50, or dose that will produce an effect that is half of the maximal response.

What is LD50?

lethal dose 50, or dose that will kill 50 percent of the laboratory animals tested

What is the mechanism of action?

explanation of how a drug produces its effects

What is an OTC drug?

drug that can be purchased without the services of a physician.

What is potency?

measure of the strength, or concentration, of a drug required to produce a specific effect

What is a receptor?

specific cellular structure that a drug binds to in order to produce a physiologic effect.

What is a site of action?

 location within the body where a drug exerts its therapeutic effect, often a specific drug receptor

What is a therapeutic effect?

desired drug effect to alleviate some condition or symptom of disease.

What is the therapeutic index (TI)?

ratio of the LD50 to the ED50 in animal studies

What is a toxic effect?

undesirable drug effect that implies drug poisoning; can be very harmful or life-threatening

What is pharmacodynamics?

Study of the action of drugs on living tissue

What is pharmacokinetics?

Study of the processes of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion

What is pharmacotherapeutics?

Study of the use of drugs in treating disease

What is pharmacy?

Science of preparing and dispensing medicines

What is posology?

Study of the amount of drug that is required to produce therapeutic effects

What is toxicology?

Study of the harmful effects of drugs on living tissue

What is bioavailability?

percentage of the drug dosage that is absorbed

What is drug absorption?

entrance of a drug into the bloodstream from its site of administration

What is drug distribution?

 passage of a drug from the blood to the tissues and organs of the body.

What is drug excretion?

 elimination of the drug from the body.

What is drug metabolism?

the enzymatic biotransformation of a drug into metabolites

What is drug microsomal metabolizing system (DMMS)

group of enzymes located primarily in the liver that function to metabolize (biotransformation) drugs.

What is enzyme induction?

 inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes by certain drugs

What is first-pass metabolism?

drug metabolism that occurs in the intestines and liver during oral absorption of drugs into the systemic circulation.

What is half-life?

 time required for the body to reduce the amount of drug in the plasma by one-half.

What is a loading dose?

initial drug dose administered to rapidly achieve therapeutic drug concentrations.

What is a maintenance dose?

 dose administered to maintain drug levels in blood in the therapeutic range.

What is incompatibility?

Usually refers to physical alterations of drugs that occur before administration when different drugs are mixed in the same syringe or other container

What is additive effects?

When the combined effect of two drugs, each producing the same biologic response by the same mechanism of action, is equal to the sum of their individual effects

What is summation?

When the combined effect of two drugs, each producing the same biologic response but by a different mechanism of action, is equal to the sum of their individual effects

What is synergism?

When the combined effect of two drugs is greater than the sum of their individual effects

What is antagonism?

When the combined effect of two drugs is less than the sum of their individual effects

What is creatinine?

a metabolite of muscle metabolism that is excreted in the urine in proportion to renal function.

What is creatinine clearance?

a measure of renal creatinine excretion that is used to evaluate renal function

What is drug compliance?

 following drug prescription directions exactly as written

What is enterohepatic recycling?

the process whereby drug is eliminated from the liver/biliary tract into the Gl tract and then reabsorbed from the Gl tract back to the liver.

What is mixed-function oxidase system?

drug microsomal metabolizing enzymes (DMMS) that decrease with age and slow the rate of drug oxidation and metabolism.

What is acetylcholine (ACH)?

neurotransmitter of parasympathetic (cholinergic) nerves; stimulates the cholinergic receptor

What is adrenergic?

refers to nerves that release norepinephrine.

What is adrenergic receptor?

receptor located on internal organs that responds to norepinephrine and epinephrine.

What is an afferent nerve?

 transmits sensory information from peripheral organs to the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

What is autonomic ganglion?

the collection of synapses between the pre- and post-ganglionic nerve fibers.

What is the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

system of nerves that innervate smooth and cardiac muscle (involuntary) of the internal organs and glands.

What is cholinergic?

refers to nerves that release acetylcholine.

What are colinergic (muscarinic) receptor?

 receptor located on internal organs and glands that responds to acetylcholine.

What are efferent nerves?

carries the appropriate motor response from the brain and spinal cord to the peripheral organs.

What is epinephrine (EPI)?

hormone from adrenal medulla that stimulates adrenergic receptors, especially during stress

What is fight or flight reaction?

 response of the body to intense stress; caused by activation of the sympathetic division of the ANS

What is homeostasis?

 normal state of balance among the body’s internal organs

What is muscarinic receptor?

 cholinergic receptor located on cell walls of internal organs and glands.

What are neurotrasmitters?

substance that stimulates internal organs to produce characteristic changes associated with sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

What are nicotinic receptors?

cholinergic receptor located on autonomic ganglia (Nn) and skeletal muscle (Nm).

What is norepinephrine (NE)?

 neurotransmitter of sympathetic (adrenergic) nerves that stimulates the adrenergic receptors

What is parasympathetic?

refers to nerves of the ANS that originate in the brain and sacral portion of the spinal cord; they are active when the body is at rest or trying to restore body energy and function

What is postganglionic nerve fiber?

autonomic nerve fiber that travels from the autonomic ganglia to the internal organs and glands

What are preganglionic nerve fiber?

autonomic nerve fiber that emerges from the cranial nerves and spinal cord and that travels to the autonomic ganglia where it synapses with the postganglionic nerve fibers.

What is sympathetic?

refers to nerves of the ANS that originate from the thoracolumbar portion of the spinal cord; they are active when the body is under stress or when it is exerting energy

What is adrenergic neuronal blocker?

drug that acts at the neuronal nerve endings to reduce the formation or release of NE

What is an alpha-adrenergic drug? 

 drug that stimulates the alpha-adrenergic receptors.

What is an alpha-1 adrenergic blocker?

drug that blocks the alpha-1 effects of NE and EPI.

What is alpha-1 adrenergic receptor?

receptor located on smooth muscle that mediates smooth muscle contraction

What is alpha-2 adrenergic receptor?

receptor located on adrenergic nerve endings that reduces the release of NE.

What is beta-1 adrenergic receptor?

 receptor located on the heart that increases heart rate and force of contraction.

What is beta-2 adrenergic receptor?

receptor located on smooth muscle that relaxes smooth muscle when stimulated.

What is catecholamine?

refers to norepinephrine, epinephrine, and other sympathomimetic compounds that possess the catechol structure

What is a false transmitter?

substance formed in nerve endings that mimics and interferes with the action of the normal neurotransmitter.

What is a nonselective beta-adrenergic blocker?

drug that blocks both beta-1 and beta-2 adrenergic receptors.

What is a nonselective beta-adrenergic drug?

drug that stimulates both beta-1 and beta-2 receptors.

What is a selective beta-1 adrenergic blocker?

drug that blocks only beta-1 receptors.

What is a selective beta-2 adrenergic drug?

 drug that stimulates only beta-2 receptors at therapeutic doses.

What is a sympatholytic?

refers to the action of an adrenergic blocking drug or an action that decreases sympathetic activity

What is sympathomimetic?

 refers to the action of an adrenergic drug or an action that increases sympathetic activity.

What is acetylcholinesterase?

an enzyme that inactivates acetylcholine

What is anticholinergic?

refers to drugs or effects that reduce the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.

What is cholinergic?

refers to the nerves and receptors of the parasympathetic nervous system; also refers to the drugs that stimulate this system

What is a muscarinic receptor?

an older but more specific term for the cholinergic receptor on smooth and cardiac muscle.

What is an nicotinic-muscle (Nm) receptor?

cholinergic receptor located at the neuromuscular junction of skeletal muscle

What is a nicotinic-neural (Nn) receptor?

cholinergic receptor located on both sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia.

What is a parasympatholytic?

refers to drugs (anticholinergic) that decrease activity of the parasympathetic nervous system

What is parasympathomimetic

refers to drugs (cholinergic) that mimic stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system

What is CN III?

Oculomotor Nerve, connects to eye

What is CN VII?

Facial nerve, connects to lacrimal gland and Submandibular salivary gland

What is CN IX?

Glossopharyngeal nerve, connects to parotid salivary gland

What is CN X?

Vagus nerve, connects to heart, lungs, stomach, upper GI tract, and GI accessory organs

What are the pelvic splanchnic nerves?

Located in the sacral region of the SC, control the uterus, scrotum and bladder.

T1 - L2 region, what type of fibers release ACH of the sympathetic nervous system to the skin to induce sweating

Pre and post ganglionic fibers.

What is dual autonomic innervation?

a body organ receives nerve fibers from both opposing divisions of the autonomic nervous system—the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems