PMC 537 EXAMINATION 3 2000
DATE: October 26th
FROM: Edward JN Ishac, Course Director
NOTE: This exam is scheduled to last for 2 HOURS. Apportion your time to
approximate 1 minute per point value.
Please write the last 4 digits of your social security number on each page of the
exam.
Also please answer the questions from each lecturer on separate pages from
those of the others.
Finally, before answering the following questions, read and analyze them carefully
to identify the information being requested. When you have done this, write your
response, using the same organizational format as the question. Be sure to
address each point raised in the question, but you are strongly discouraged from
including extraneous information not asked for (even though you may be very
eager to demonstrate your knowledge).
There are FIVE exams scheduled for this course. The questions will be as they
were in the past, i.e., short answer and/or essay type. Each exam will be worth
100 points, so figure on an 8-10 point question that should take 8-10 minutes to
answer per lecture hour. There is no cumulative final exam, so all exams are
weighted evenly in the final grade.
GOOD LUCK
PHTX 537-Fall Semester
Sedatives/Alcohol/Anticonvulsants
Examination 3
Dr. Aceto
15 points total
You have a choice of three (3) questions, answer any two (2) questions. Each
question is worth 7.5 points.
Question 1 (7.5 points).
List the voltage-gated and transmitter-gated channel mechanisms associated with
antiepileptic drugs. For each listing indicate an example (drug) and the type of
epilepsy for which the drug is effective.
Question 2 (7.5 points).
Alcohol is metabolized to acetaldehyde. Describe how this occurs and briefly list
the proposed consequences of this metabolite.
Question 3 (7.5 points).
List the hypnotic drugs which were discussed and indicate the mechanism of
action and adverse actions of each.
Methylxanthines/Central CA’s/Antianxiety
Dr. Balster 30 points total
Question 1 (12 points).
In class and in the assigned reading by Steven Paul there was a discussion of
drugs that can function as “inverse benzodiazepine agonists.” Name one of
these. What is meant by this phrase? What does an inverse agonist do to GABA
receptor function? Briefly describe their pharmacological effects.
Question 2 (10 points).
Why would the adenosine antagonist effects of caffeine result in increased
intracellular levels of cAMP? Which adenosine receptor subtype(s) is(are)
involved?
Question 3 (8 points).
What is the rationale for the use of amphetamine-like stimulants in AttentionDeficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children?
Food Intake & Eating Disorders
Dr. Borzelleca
15 points total
Question 1 (5 points).
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are used in the management of
depression. One of the reported side effects is a change in eating. Please
describe the nature of this change and present a pharmacological explanation.
Question 2 (10 points).
Antiobesity agents are often classified as anorexiants or appetite suppressants.
Classically, this designation was reserved for agents that acted on the central
nervous system. However, anorexiants may also refer to agents acting at other
sites.
A.
Briefly, identify one class of agents acting centrally (excluding SSRIs) and
one acting at an other site and present probable pharmacological
mechanisms of action. (5 Points)
B.
The ideal antiobesity pill has not been discovered. What are some of the
problems associated with the current pharmacological aids to weight
control? (5 Points)
Neural regulation of GI function
Dr. Patrick 8 points total
Question 1 (8 points).
For any five (5) of the types of drugs listed below, briefly describe (in a couple of
sentences) a cellular and/or tissue site of action, the effect that the drug produces
(relating to nausea and vomiting, gastric acid secretion, or GI motility), and a
resultant clinical application. (For example: Drug type acts on the Nucleus/Cell in
the Tissue/ organ where it mediates Effect; because of this, it can be used to treat
Specific disorder).
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
motilin receptor agonist
dopamine-2 (D2) receptor antagonist
histamine-2 (H2) receptor antagonist
H+, K+-ATPase inhibitor
muscarinic (M3) receptor antagonist
prostaglandin E receptor agonist
serotonin-3 (5HT3) receptor antagonist
cannabinoid receptor agonist
Nicotine
Dr. Damaj
8 points total
1. Nicotine is an :
a. agonist at nicotinic and adrenergic receptors
b. antagonist at muscarinic receptors
c. agonist at nicotinic receptors
d. antagonist at nicotinic receptors
e. None of the above
2. Cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite is important because it :
a. is active as a drug
b. provides a useful measure of smoking behavior
c. is formed mainly in the lungs
d. its effects are blocked by mecamylamine, a nicotinic antagonist
e. None of the above
From the choices below, match the best answer to the following questions on nicotinic
receptors.
a. 3 subunits
b. 7 subunits
c. muscle receptors
d. ganglionic receptors
e. 42 subunits
3.
3
4.
125
H-nicotine binding sites____
I--bungarotoxin binding sites in the brain____
5. 2 subunits____
6. Pleasure and other subjective effects are rapidly perceived after cigarette smoking
because :
a. Nicotine is mainly metabolized in the liver
b. Nicotine reaches the brain within 5 to 10 seconds after cigarette smoking
c. Cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, is active
d. none of the above
e. all of the above
Are the following statements True (a) or False (b) :
7. Antidepressants may be used to treat nicotine dependence ______
8. At the cellular level, nicotine acts on presynaptic nicotinic receptors to release
several neurotransmitters _______
NMDA, General and Local Anesthetics
Dr. Woodward 24 points total
Question 1 (5 points).
You have been asked to present a lecture to the MCV Mini-Med School on the topic of NMDA
receptors and their role in neuronal signal transduction. Present in an outline form five (5) key
points that you would present during your lecture that would provide a non-scientist with a
working understanding of this receptor.
Question 2 (12 points)
Using a two-column table, briefly compare and contrast features of local and general anesthetics
including information on sites and mechanisms of action, specific drug examples from each
class, routes of administration, and examples of clinical uses. You should be able to use one or
two words for each cell of your table.
Question 3 (7 points)
After looking at the figures and table below, explain what you think this data suggests about
isoflurane's mechanism and site of action as a general anesthetic. The single letters refer to the
amino acid expressed at position 270. S (serine), A (alanine), C (cysteine), E (glutamate), F
(phenylalanine), G (glycine), H (histidine), I (isoleucine), R (arginine), T (threonine), W
(tryptophan), Y (tyrosine).
Table 1
E