Iran Pharm.D. End-of-Course Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bioavailability (F)

The fraction of an administered dose reaching systemic circulation intact; absolute F compares oral to IV AUC, relative F compares two non-IV routes.

Hixson–Crowell law

Describes dissolution of monodisperse particles where rate is proportional to surface area; cumulative amount relates to the cube root of remaining mass.

BCS Class II

Low solubility, high permeability drugs whose oral absorption is limited by dissolution rate; formulation strategies include particle size reduction and amorphous solid dispersions.

Lyophilization collapse temperature

The temperature above which a frozen formulation loses its porous structure during primary drying; shelf temperature must remain below it to preserve cake integrity.

Therapeutic index

Ratio of toxic dose to effective dose (TD50/ED50); a low index indicates narrow safety margin and often requires therapeutic drug monitoring.

Competitive antagonism

Reversible antagonist binding at the same site as the agonist; increases apparent EC50 without changing maximal effect, surmountable by higher agonist concentration.

Rumack–Matthews nomogram

Risk assessment tool for acetaminophen overdose that plots serum concentration against time since ingestion; treatment with N-acetylcysteine is indicated above the treatment line.

Loading dose

Initial dose calculated as Vd × target plasma concentration divided by bioavailability; rapidly achieves therapeutic concentrations before steady state is reached.

Lipinski rule of five

Predicts oral drug-likeness: molecular weight ≤ 500, logP ≤ 5, hydrogen-bond donors ≤ 5, acceptors ≤ 10; two or more violations predict poor absorption.

Bioisostere

A functional group replacement that retains biological activity while altering properties such as pKa, metabolism, or solubility; example is tetrazole replacing carboxylic acid.

Prodrug

A pharmacologically inactive derivative that is converted in the body to the active drug; ester prodrugs improve oral absorption of polar compounds.

Hansch equation

A QSAR relationship expressing log(1/C) as a linear combination of lipophilicity (logP) and electronic (σ) parameters to guide analog design.

Alkaloid extraction

Basic plant metabolites extracted by acid–base partitioning: alkaloid salts dissolve in acidic aqueous phase, and free bases partition into organic solvent at alkaline pH.

Cardiac glycosides

Plant-derived steroidal glycosides (e.g., digoxin) that inhibit Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, increasing intracellular calcium and cardiac contractility.

St John's wort interaction

Herbal product that induces CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, reducing concentrations of cyclosporine, oral contraceptives, and some antiretrovirals.

Standardization marker

A chemically defined constituent used to quantify and ensure batch-to-batch consistency of a botanical product, measured by validated analytical methods.

Heart failure quadruple therapy

Combination of an ACE inhibitor/ARB/ARNI, beta-blocker, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, and SGLT2 inhibitor that reduces mortality in reduced-ejection-fraction heart failure.

Warfarin INR target

International normalized ratio monitoring target of 2–3 for most indications; higher targets (2.5–3.5) apply to mechanical mitral valves.

Metformin contraindication

Should be avoided when eGFR falls below 30 mL/min/1.73 m² because of lactic acidosis risk; dose reduction is considered at lower thresholds.

Naranjo scale

A validated questionnaire that estimates the probability that an adverse drug reaction was caused by a specific drug, classifying causality as definite, probable, possible, or doubtful.

Five rights of medication

Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time; a basic safety framework used during dispensing and administration.

High-alert medications

Drugs with heightened risk of serious harm when used in error, such as insulin, heparin, concentrated electrolytes, and chemotherapy; require independent double-checks.

USP <797>

Standard governing sterile compounding practice, covering facility design, personnel training, environmental monitoring, and beyond-use dating of compounded sterile preparations.

Cost-effectiveness ratio

Cost of an intervention divided by its health outcome, often expressed as cost per quality-adjusted life-year; used to compare interventions across diseases.

QALY

Quality-adjusted life-year, calculated as life years multiplied by a utility weight from 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health); a common outcome measure in economic evaluation.

Proportion of days covered

A pharmacy refill-based adherence measure calculated as days with medication supply divided by days in the observation period; higher values indicate better adherence.

Phosphofructokinase-1 regulation

Rate-limiting glycolytic enzyme activated by AMP and inhibited by ATP and citrate, coupling glycolytic flux to cellular energy status.

Troponin

Cardiac regulatory protein released into blood after myocardial injury; troponin I and T are the preferred biomarkers for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction.

Henderson–Hasselbalch equation

pH = 6.1 + log([HCO3⁻] / (0.03 × PaCO2)); relates bicarbonate and carbon dioxide to blood pH and guides acid–base interpretation.

Frank–Starling relationship

Stroke volume increases with ventricular filling (preload) up to a physiological limit; describes the heart's intrinsic adaptation to venous return.

Biosimilar

A biologic product highly similar to an approved reference product, demonstrated through analytical, functional, and clinical comparability studies; it is not identical to the originator.

Beer–Lambert law

Absorbance equals molar absorptivity times path length times concentration; the basis of spectrophotometric quantitation, valid within the linear range of the method.