ESIC Pharmacist Recruitment Exam cheat sheet

Bioavailability (F) = (AUC_oral / AUC_IV) × (Dose_IV / Dose_oral); absolute F compares oral to IV, relative F compares a test product to a reference product.

First-pass hepatic metabolism reduces oral bioavailability; drugs with high extraction ratio (e.g., propranolol, lidocaine) show large oral-IV differences and require higher oral doses.

Noyes-Whitney equation: dissolution rate dC/dt = (D·A·(Cs − C))/h, where D = diffusion coefficient, A = surface area, Cs = saturation solubility, h = diffusion layer thickness.

Stokes' law for sedimentation: v = d²(ρs − ρl)g / 18η; smaller particle diameter (d) and higher viscosity (η) slow settling and improve suspension stability.

Higuchi model for sustained release: Q = k·t^(1/2); zero-order release gives Q = k0·t; first-order release gives log Q = log Q0 − kt/2.303.

Tablet hardness 4–10 kg/cm² (typical); friability <1% w/w after 100 revolutions at 25 rpm; disintegration for uncoated immediate-release tablets usually <15 min.

HLB scale: 3–6 W/O emulsifier, 8–18 O/W emulsifier; Tween 80 (HLB ~15) is O/W, Span 80 (HLB ~4.3) is W/O.

Sterilization: moist heat 121 °C, 15 psi, 15–20 min; dry heat 160 °C for 2 h; ethylene oxide 30–60% RH; membrane filtration 0.22 µm for heat-labile solutions.

Antacids: sodium bicarbonate causes systemic alkalosis and CO2 generation; aluminium hydroxide causes constipation; magnesium hydroxide causes diarrhea; combinations balance bowel effects.

Radiopharmaceuticals: technetium-99m (t½ 6 h, gamma emitter) is the workhorse; iodine-131 (t½ 8 d, beta + gamma) treats thyroid; thallium-201 and F-18 (t½ 110 min, PET) are imaging agents.

Ligand field / chelation: EDTA is hexadentate; dimercaprol (BAL) chelates arsenic, mercury, gold; deferoxamine chelates iron; penicillamine chelates copper (Wilson's disease).

Electrophilic aromatic substitution: activating groups (–OH, –NH2, –OR, –R) direct ortho/para; deactivating groups (–NO2, –COOH, –SO3H, –CN, carbonyl) direct meta.

Stereochemistry: enantiomers differ in optical rotation and biological activity (e.g., S-(–)-propranolol is ~100× more potent than R); thalidomide illustrates enantiomer toxicity.

Prodrug examples: enalapril → enalaprilat (active ACE inhibitor); sulfasalazine → 5-aminosalicylic acid in colon; levodopa crosses BBB then decarboxylates to dopamine.

SAR of sulfonamides: free –NH2 on the benzene ring is required for antibacterial activity; N1 substitution modulates potency and duration; pKa ~5–7 governs urinary solubility.

Bioisosteres: –OH and –NH2, –COOH and –SO2NH2, –O– and –S–, –CH3 and –Cl; used to improve potency, metabolic stability, or reduce toxicity.

Receptor families: GPCRs (muscarinic, adrenergic, opioid) act via G proteins and second messengers; ligand-gated ion channels (nicotinic, GABA-A) mediate fast synaptic transmission; nuclear receptors (steroid, thyroid) alter transcription.

Dose-response: ED50 is the dose producing 50% of maximal effect; therapeutic index = TD50/ED50; low TI drugs (digoxin, lithium, warfarin) require therapeutic drug monitoring.

Autonomic drugs: atropine (antimuscarinic) causes mydriasis, dry mouth, tachycardia; neostigmine (anticholinesterase) reverses competitive neuromuscular blockade; pralidoxime reactivates phosphorylated AChE.

Pharmacokinetics: zero-order elimination (phenytoin, ethanol, aspirin at high dose) removes a constant amount per time; first-order eliminates a constant fraction; t½ = 0.693·Vd/CL.

Antidotes: paracetamol → N-acetylcysteine; organophosphate → atropine + pralidoxime; opioid → naloxone; benzodiazepine → flumazenil; iron → deferoxamine; cyanide → sodium nitrite + sodium thiosulfate.

Antimicrobials: aminoglycosides are concentration-dependent bactericidal (post-antibiotic effect); beta-lactams are time-dependent; vancomycin requires AUC/MIC or trough monitoring (nephro/ototoxicity).

Adverse drug reactions: Type A (augmented, dose-related, predictable), Type B (bizarre, idiosyncratic, e.g., anaphylaxis), Type C (chronic), Type D (delayed), Type E (end of use), Type F (failure).

CYP interactions: CYP3A4 inhibitors (ketoconazole, erythromycin, grapefruit) raise levels of statins, ciclosporin; inducers (rifampicin, carbamazepine, phenytoin) lower them.

Alkaloid-bearing drugs: belladonna (atropine/hyoscyamine), opium (morphine), cinchona (quinine), vinca (vincristine/vinblastine), ipecac (emetine), ephedra (ephedrine), nux vomica (strychnine).

Glycosides: digitalis (cardiac glycosides, digoxin), senna (anthraquinone glycosides, sennosides A/B), glycyrrhiza (glycyrrhizin), bitter glycosides in gentian.

Volatile oils: clove (eugenol), peppermint (menthol), eucalyptus (cineole), cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde), fennel (anethole); obtained by hydrodistillation or steam distillation.

Resins and gums: asafoetida, colophony, myrrh, benzoin; gum acacia (emulsifier) and gum tragacanth (suspending agent) are plant exudates.

Chemical tests: Dragendorff (alkaloids, orange-red), Molisch (carbohydrates, purple ring), Fehling (reducing sugars, red Cu2O), Borntrager (anthraquinones, pink), Keller-Kiliani (cardiac glycosides, blue).

Plant tissue systems: epidermis (protection), parenchyma (storage/photosynthesis), xylem (water conduction), phloem (food conduction); stomatal index and palisade ratio aid identification.

Cultivation/collection: opium latex collected by lancing unripe capsules; cinchona bark harvested at 6–8 years; digitalis leaves collected when flowering and dried below 60 °C to preserve glycosides.

Standardization: marker compounds used for assay (e.g., berberine in Berberis, sennoside B in senna); WHO guidelines require macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical, and chromatographic evaluation.

Beer-Lambert law: A = εbc; absorbance is proportional to concentration, path length, and molar absorptivity; linear range typically 0.2–0.8 AU for UV-Vis.

Titration: normality equation N1V1 = N2V2; equivalent weight = molecular weight / n-factor; Karl Fischer titration measures water content (iodine–sulfur dioxide–pyridine reagent).

Chromatography figures of merit: resolution Rs = 2(t2 − t1)/(w1 + w2), ≥1.5 for baseline separation; capacity factor k' = (tR − t0)/t0; number of plates N = 16(tR/w)².

HPLC detectors: UV-Vis (most common), PDA (spectral confirmation), fluorescence (trace sensitivity), refractive index (universal, low sensitivity), mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

ICH Q2(R1) validation parameters: accuracy, precision, specificity, detection limit, quantitation limit, linearity, range, robustness; LOD = 3.3σ/S, LOQ = 10σ/S.

ICH stability zones: Zone I temperate 21 °C/45% RH, Zone II subtropical 30 °C/65% RH, Zone III hot/dry 30 °C/35% RH, Zone IVa 30 °C/65% RH, Zone IVb 30 °C/75% RH; India is Zone IVb.

Limit tests: chloride (silver nitrate + dilute nitric acid), sulphate (barium chloride), iron (thioglycollic acid), heavy metals (hydrogen sulphide/thioacetamide, brown colour), arsenic (Gutzeit apparatus).

Dissolution apparatus: USP I basket (100 rpm), II paddle (50–75 rpm), III reciprocating cylinder, IV flow-through, V paddle over disk, VI rotating cylinder; Q value usually 75–80% in 30–45 min.

Hospital pharmacy functions: drug procurement, inventory control (ABC/VED analysis), dispensing, sterile compounding, drug information services, ADR monitoring, and PTC (Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee) support.

Prescription abbreviations: OD (once daily), BD (twice daily), TDS (thrice daily), QID (four times daily), HS (at bedtime), AC (before meals), PC (after meals), SOS (if needed), PRN (as required), STAT (immediately).

Therapeutic drug monitoring targets: digoxin 0.5–2 ng/mL, phenytoin 10–20 µg/mL, lithium 0.6–1.2 mEq/L, vancomycin trough 10–20 µg/mL, cyclosporine by assay-specific range.

Pharmacovigilance: ADR reporting to national centres (India: PvPI); causality assessment by Naranjo scale or WHO-UMC criteria; seriousness criteria include death, hospitalization, disability, congenital anomaly, life-threatening.

Drug interactions: pharmacokinetic (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) vs pharmacodynamic (additive, synergistic, antagonistic); warfarin + NSAIDs = bleeding risk (protein binding + platelet effect).

Clinical laboratory values: serum creatinine 0.6–1.2 mg/dL; eGFR (CKD-EPI) used for renal dose adjustment; Cockcroft-Gault CrCl = [(140 − age) × weight]/(72 × SCr), ×0.85 for females.

Total parenteral nutrition: calculate non-protein calories, amino acids 0.8–1.5 g/kg/day, glucose ≤5 mg/kg/min, lipid emulsions; monitor electrolytes, triglycerides, and liver function.

Hospital formulary: a continually revised list of selected medicines with dosage forms and therapeutic use, maintained by PTC; essential medicines concept follows WHO EML principles.

Glycolysis yields net 2 ATP and 2 NADH per glucose; complete oxidation via TCA and oxidative phosphorylation yields ~30–32 ATP (modern estimate); anaerobic glycolysis produces lactate.

Enzyme kinetics: Michaelis-Menten v = Vmax[S]/(Km + [S]); Km is the substrate concentration at half Vmax; competitive inhibitors raise apparent Km, non-competitive lower Vmax.

Blood values: pH 7.35–7.45, PaCO2 35–45 mmHg, HCO3− 22–26 mEq/L, fasting glucose 70–100 mg/dL, Hb 13–17 g/dL (male), 12–15 g/dL (female).

Cardiac cycle: normal sinus rhythm 60–100 bpm; SA node is pacemaker; cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume (~5 L/min); blood pressure = CO × peripheral resistance.

Nephron: glomerular filtration rate ~125 mL/min; filtration fraction ~20%; proximal tubule reabsorbs ~65% of Na+ and water; loop of Henle creates medullary osmotic gradient.

Hormones: insulin lowers blood glucose (beta cells), glucagon raises it (alpha cells); thyroid hormones regulate basal metabolic rate; parathyroid hormone raises serum calcium, calcitonin lowers it.

Vitamins: A (retinol, deficiency night blindness), B1 (thiamine, beriberi), B3 (niacin, pellagra), B9 (folate, neural tube defects), B12 (cobalamin, pernicious anaemia), C (scurvy), D (rickets), K (coagulation).

DNA replication is semiconservative; transcription uses RNA polymerase; translation occurs on ribosomes; the genetic code is degenerate and triplet-based with start codon AUG and stop codons UAA, UAG, UGA.

Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945: Schedule A (forms), Schedule B (fees), Schedule C/C1 (biological and special products), Schedule D (drugs exempt from import licence), Schedule F (blood products), Schedule G (caution: to be used under medical supervision), Schedule H (prescription drugs), Schedule X (narcotic/psychotropic, special licence).

Schedule H1 (introduced 2013): antibiotics, anti-TB drugs, and specified habit-forming drugs require a separate register with prescriber name, quantity, and patient details, retained 3 years.

Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) advises Central Government on technical matters; Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) ensures uniformity of administration across states.

Licensing: manufacturing licence Form 25/28 (non-specified/specified drugs), sale licence Form 20/21 (retail) and Form 20B/21B (wholesale); retail sale of Schedule H requires a registered pharmacist.

Pharmacy Act 1948: established Pharmacy Council of India (PCI); State Pharmacy Councils maintain registers; minimum qualification for registration as pharmacist is a Diploma in Pharmacy (or degree) from an approved institution.

Penalties: adulterated/spurious drugs attract imprisonment up to life or 10 years with fine; Section 27(a) covers spurious drugs causing death; Section 18 lists prohibited manufacture and sale.

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 regulates opium, cannabis, and psychotropics; NDPS permits licit medical use under strict licensing; Schedule X drugs need separate storage and records.

Other statutes: Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013 (NPPA ceiling prices for scheduled formulations), Medical Devices Rules 2017, Clinical Trials Rules 2019 (New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules).

Bacterial growth curve phases: lag, log (exponential), stationary, decline; generation time varies (E. coli ~20 min under optimal conditions); viable count by serial dilution and plate count.

Gram staining: crystal violet (primary), iodine (mordant), alcohol/acetone (decolorizer), safranin (counterstain); Gram-positive retain purple, Gram-negative appear pink/red.

Sterility testing (IP/USP): membrane filtration (0.45 µm) for filterable products; direct inoculation for ointments and ophthalmic; media: soyabean casein digest (bacteria) and sabouraud (fungi) at 30–35 °C and 20–25 °C.

Antimicrobial susceptibility: Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion, broth dilution (MIC), E-test; interpretation uses CLSI/EUCAST breakpoints (susceptible, intermediate, resistant).

Sterilization controls: biological indicators - Geobacillus stearothermophilus for moist heat, Bacillus atrophaeus for dry heat/ethylene oxide; chemical indicators (Bowie-Dick tape) and physical (autoclave tape) also used.

Recombinant DNA: restriction endonucleases (EcoRI, BamHI) cut specific palindromic sequences; ligase joins fragments; plasmids (pBR322, pUC19) act as vectors; selectable markers (ampR, lacZ) identify transformants.

Monoclonal antibodies produced by hybridoma technology (B-lymphocyte + myeloma); used in diagnostics and therapeutics (e.g., rituximab, trastuzumab); humanized forms reduce immunogenicity.

Vaccines: live attenuated (BCG, MMR, OPV), killed (IPV, pertussis), toxoid (tetanus, diphtheria), subunit/conjugate (Hib, pneumococcal), mRNA (COVID-19); cold chain 2–8 °C for most.

Percentage: x% of y = (x/100) × y; successive percentage changes a% then b% yield net = a + b + ab/100; a 20% increase followed by 20% decrease gives a net 4% decrease.

Profit and loss: profit% = (SP − CP)/CP × 100; discount% = (MP − SP)/MP × 100; SP = MP × (1 − d/100) × (1 + p/100) when both apply.

Time-speed-distance: distance = speed × time; average speed for equal distances = 2xy/(x + y); relative speed adds when moving opposite, subtracts when same direction.

Simple vs compound interest: SI = P·R·T/100; CI = P[(1 + R/100)^T − 1]; for 2 years, CI − SI = P(R/100)².

Ratios and mixtures: alligation rule (cheaper quantity : dearer quantity) = (dearer price − mean price) : (mean price − cheaper price); used for dilution and mixing problems.

Number series and coding-decoding: identify arithmetic/geometric differences or letter-position shifts (A=1 … Z=26); odd-one-out questions test pattern consistency, not meaning.

Blood relations and direction sense: draw a family tree or compass diagram; remember that "my father's only son" = self (male speaker), and left/right reverses when facing opposite directions.

Permutation and combination: nPr = n!/(n−r)!; nCr = n!/[r!(n−r)!]; probability of at least one = 1 − P(none); use complement for "at least" problems.

Indian health regulatory bodies: CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) under DGCI, ICMR (research), NPPA (drug pricing), NABH (hospital accreditation), NTA for pharmacy entrance exams.

National health programmes: National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY), Jan Aushadhi (generic medicines), Mission Indradhanush (immunization), Nikshay Poshan Yojana (TB).

Computer basics: CPU (ALU + control unit), primary memory (RAM volatile, ROM non-volatile), secondary storage (HDD, SSD); 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 KB = 1024 bytes.

Input/output devices: keyboard, mouse, scanner (input); monitor, printer, plotter (output); touchscreen and modem act as both input and output/communication devices.

Software categories: system software (OS, drivers, utilities) vs application software (word processors, spreadsheets); MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint are Microsoft Office components.

Networking: LAN (local), WAN (wide), MAN (metropolitan); IP address identifies a device; HTTP/HTTPS for web, FTP for file transfer, SMTP/POP3/IMAP for email; URL structure protocol://domain/path.

Internet and email: email address format user@domain; CC (carbon copy) vs BCC (blind carbon copy); spam, phishing, malware, firewall, and antivirus are common security terms.

Current affairs for pharmacy: PCI regulations on pharmacist registration, NMC Act 2019, Drugs Rules amendments (Schedule M revision), and COVID-19 vaccine approvals are frequent exam areas.

Grammar: subject-verb agreement - singular subject takes singular verb; collective nouns (team, committee) take singular verb when acting as one unit, plural when members act individually.

Tenses: present perfect (has/have + past participle) links past action to present; past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past actions.

Articles: 'a/an' for indefinite singular countable nouns (an before vowel sound); 'the' for specific/unique references; zero article for uncountable or general plurals.

Prepositions: fixed collocations - "comply with", "consist of", "depend on", "prefer to", "superior to", "responsible for", "capable of", "insist on".

Active to passive: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + past participle, agent with 'by'; only transitive verbs can be made passive.

Synonyms/antonyms: use context; e.g., 'benevolent' = kind (antonym: malevolent); 'acute' = sharp/severe (antonym: chronic); 'efficacy' = effectiveness.

Common error types: misplaced modifiers, double negatives, redundancy ("return back"), dangling participles, and wrong word pairs (affect/effect, principal/principle, dose/doze).

Reading comprehension strategy: skim for main idea, scan for specific facts, infer tone from adjectives, and eliminate options that are too broad, too narrow, or contradicted by the passage.