INTRODUCTION With over 10 billion neurons and an estimated 1014 synaptic connections, the human brain boasts unparalleled electrical complexity. Unlike myocardial tissue, where electrical signals spread synchronously through a syncytium…
INTRODUCTION Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the airways and exaggerated airway smooth muscle constriction. The symptoms of asthma include dyspnea and wheezing as well as mucus…
INTRODUCTION Histamine is a biogenic amine found in many tissues, including mast cells, basophils, lymphocytes, neurons, and gastric enterochromaffin-like cells. It is an autacoid—that is, a molecule secreted locally to…
Principles of Combination Chemotherapy Quentin J. Baca, Donald M. Coen, and David E. Golan INTRODUCTION & CASE ANTIMICROBIAL COMBINATION THERAPY Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration Types of Drug…
Pharmacology of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland Anand Vaidya and Ursula B. Kaiser INTRODUCTION & CASE HYPOTHALAMIC AND PITUITARY PHYSIOLOGY Relationship Between the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland Feedback Inhibition PHYSIOLOGY,…
INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT), which is a target for many drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders related to depression and anxiety. Some of these medications…
INTRODUCTION Inflammation and the immune system are closely intertwined. Inflammation is composed of a complex web of responses to tissue injury and infection, characterized by the classic signs of rubor…
Drug Toxicity Michael W. Conner, Catherine Dorian-Conner, Vishal S. Vaidya, Laura C. Green, and David E. Golan INTRODUCTION & CASE MECHANISMS OF DRUG TOXICITY On-Target Effects Off-Target Effects Idiosyncratic Toxicity…
INTRODUCTION Local anesthetics (LAs) are a class of locally applied chemicals, with similar molecular structures, that can disrupt nerve transmission, inhibit the perception of sensations (importantly, pain), blunt autonomic activity,…
INTRODUCTION Gout is a uniquely human disease. Most mammals possess uricase, an enzyme that metabolizes purine breakdown products into a freely water-soluble substance, allantoin. Humans, in contrast, excrete most purines…
