91825 Drugs in the Human Body
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 2 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 91181 Principles of Drug Actions OR 91823 Principles of Drug Actions
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 91183 Drugs in the Human Body AND 91707 Pharmacology 1
Description
Pharmacology is a biomedical discipline that is involved with the study of the effects of drugs on living systems. This subject builds on the introductory principles governing drug action introduced in 91181 Principles of Drug Action and further develops how drugs affect the human body. These concepts are developed further in 91182 Mechanism of Drugs in Treatment.
The major objectives of this subject are to build on the concept of dose-response relationships and an understanding of the sites, mechanisms and specificity of drug action covered in 91181 Principles of Drug Actions to examine individual drug responses, drugs in pregnancy, and alcohol metabolism. We will further examine the interaction between drugs, receptors, and ion channels as determinants of drug action in the peripheral and central nervous systems; and investigate the effects of venoms & toxins on these systems.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 01. | Apply the principles of pharmacokinetics in describing drug uptake, transport, metabolism and excretion from the human body. |
|---|---|
| 02. | Explain drug activity through interactions with target molecules including receptors, transporters and enzymes. |
| 03. | Understand the principles governing individual variation to drugs and drug interactions. |
| 04. | Apply the concept of toxicity to venoms and toxins. |
| 05. | Apply key pharmacological concepts to use of drugs in pregnancy, the treatment of acute poisoning and the acute and chronic effects of alcohol. |
| 06. | Assess data generated from enzyme-inhibitor kinetic experiments and explain the principles of substrate specificity and the structure activity relationships. |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
1.Disciplinary Knowledge
From the online content and Zoom tutorial, you will gain an understanding of the nature, practice and application of the discipline of pharmacology. The Zoom tutorial will give you the opportunity to apply these principles using case studies and other real-life scenarios.
2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking
The post-tutorial quiz will allow application of content in a manner urging students to think critically. You will further build on this skill through the End-of-Session Quiz.
3.Professional, ethical and social responsibility
3a. Problem-solving skills: Developing logical thought and problem-solving skills critical to scientific practice and will be taught in Zoom tutorial and assessed in assignments
3c. Ability to analyse scientific data. Science is about advancing knowledge through the generation and analysis of new data. You will be provided with data from a real practical laboratory session. You will learn how to interpret and present these data in the form of a scaffolded scientific report.
5.Communication skills
Scientific knowledge can be communicated in different ways. The pre-generated laboratory data will be submitted as an assignment in the form of a structured scientific report.
Teaching and learning strategies
Students will direct their learning with online material presented on Canvas. They will use the knowledge for active discussion with their peers via monitored discussion boards and the Zoom tutorial session.
Over the course, topics will cover individual variation to drugs, adverse drug reactions, drugs in pregnancy, alcohol metabolism, autonomic pharmacology, and venoms & toxins. During the course, there will be opportunities to assess your understanding of the topic and discuss responses through the use of monitored discussion boards and a Zoom tutorial session. Resources and activities are to be accessed via Canvas.
In the Venoms and Toxins Zoom tutorial, you will work in groups to solve a case study involving an envenomation. Using information on the patient history and a description of their symptoms you will identify the venomous animal responsible for the attack, determine the best laboratory test for diagnosis, and decide on the best treatment option. You will be required to present your findings and reasoning to the class in a 2-3 minute presentation. At conclusion of the tutorial, each student is expected to sit the Post-tutorial Quiz via Canvas where you will be given a number of questions based on the case studies and lecture material. The quiz will run for 15 minutes, timing will start upon opening the quiz. You have one (1) opportunity to sit this quiz. It will be worth 30% of your final mark.
Students will be provided with real data from a cholinesterase practical experiment which will provide the foundation for a Scaffolded Cholinesterase Report based on set questions. The report is to be submitted via Canvas. It will be worth 30% of your final mark.
Content will further be assessed through an End of Session Quiz that will be delivered on Canvas. You may sit the quiz anytime from 9am Friday 31st January to 5pm Sunday 2nd February 2020. The quiz will run for 40 minutes, timing will start upon opening the quiz. You have one (1) opportunity to sit this quiz. All topics delivered on Canvas and during the Zoom tutorial are assessable in this quiz. It will be worth 40% of your final mark.
Supplementary assessment items and examinations for this course are not available.
It is recommended that any questions regarding the above are posted to the monitored message board prior to e-mailing the subject coordinator.
Content (topics)
Concepts of potency, drug/receptor interactions, agonists and antagonists; pharmacokinetics – factors controlling drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion in the context of individual drug responses and autonomic pharmacology. Toxicology of alcohol, drugs used in pregnancy and treatment of acute poisoning by drugs, chemicals and toxins.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Post-Venoms & Toxins Tutorial Quiz
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility 3a. Problem solving skills |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 01, 02, 04 and 05 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | Accuracy of responses |
Assessment task 2: Scaffolded Cholinesterase Report
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility 3a. Problem-solving skills 3c. Ability to analyse scientific data 5. Communication |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 01, 02, 03 and 06 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | Accuracy of information, adherence to scientific report structure |
Assessment task 3: End-of-Session Quiz
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Criteria: | Accuracy of responses |
Minimum requirements
Any assessment task worth 40% or more requires the student to gain at least 40% of the mark for that task. If 40% is not reached, an X grade fail may be awarded for the subject, irrespective of an overall mark greater than 50.