Chemotherapy of infections
Fig. 51.1 The sites of action of the main classes of antibacterial drugs. inhibition of the synthesis of bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans or activation of enzymes that disrupt the cell…
Chemotherapy of malignancy
inactivation of tumour suppressor genes or changes in microRNA genes (encoding RNA molecules which regulate gene expression) will promote unregulated cell proliferation, inactivation of genes that repair DNA, activation of…
Substance abuse and dependence
the ventral tegmental area, which communicates with the nucleus accumbens via the medial forebrain bundle, the nucleus accumbens, the amygdala (associated with emotions, especially fear and anxiety), the hippocampus (associated…
Pharmacokinetics
the rate and extent of uptake of the drug from its site of administration, the rate and extent of distribution of the drug to different tissues, including the site of…
Principles of pharmacology and mechanisms of drug action
to understand the ways that drugs work to affect biological systems, as a basis for safe and effective prescribing, to appreciate that pharmacology cannot be fully understood without a parallel…
Depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy
Fig. 22.1 The actions of drugs used in the treatment of depression on CNS serotonergic and adrenergic functioning.The primary action of many drugs in current clinical use is to enhance…
Anaemia and haematopoietic colony-stimulating factors
Defective precursor proliferation, e.g. iron deficiency, anaemia of chronic disorder, marrow aplasia or infiltration Defective precursor maturation, e.g. vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, myelodysplastic syndrome, toxins Increased rate of red…
Diabetes mellitus
enhanced glucose-dependent insulin secretion; incretins are probably responsible for about 60% of the insulin that is secreted in response to a meal, inhibition of glucagon release, prolonged gastric emptying, promotion…
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Fig. 12.1 Some aspects of the early and late-phase responses in asthma.Crosslinking of the over-expressed IgE on mast cells of atopic individuals, and non-immunogenic stimuli in more severe non-atopic asthma,…
