Variation in drug responses between individuals can be affected by ethnicity, age, gender, pregnancy, disease and drug interactions. Thus the practitioner must take these factors into account for effective and…
The term cancer refers to a malignant tumour. Cancer cells can manifest, in greater or lesser degree, uncontrolled proliferation, invasiveness, the ability to metastasize and/or infiltrate normal tissues and loss…
The main protozoans that produce disease in humans are those causing malaria, amoebiasis, pneumocystis infection, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Malaria Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by various Plasmodium species, is a…
Antifungal Drugs The incidence of fungal infections has been increasing with the spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that reduce the non-pathogenic bacteria…
Viruses consist essentially of DNA or RNA in a protein coat. They have no ribosomes or protein-synthesizing apparatus, although some contain enzymes. They replicate by taking over the metabolic processes…
Physiology of the oral cavity The teeth and supporting tissues provide the initial digestive process essential to all bodily activities. Chewing and swallowing are carried out by specialized oral tissues,…
Components of nutrition include water, carbohydrates, proteins (including essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body in sufficient quantities), fats, vitamins, trace elements and indigestible fibres. Disorders of…
Local anaesthetics Local anaesthetics are drugs used primarily to inhibit pain by preventing impulse conduction along sensory nerves. They achieve this by blocking voltage-sensitive sodium ion (Na + ) channels…
Physiology of the ear The ear is a sensory organ that detects sound, head position and movement. The outer ear collects sound waves and directs them to the tympanic membrane…
The eye is a 25-mm sphere made up of two fluid-filled compartments (the aqueous humour and the vitreous humour) separated by a translucent lens, all encased within four layers of…
