Radiopharmaceuticals, or medicinal radiocompounds, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive isotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation themselves, which is different from contrast media which absorb or alter external electromagnetism or ultrasound. Radiopharmacology is the branch of pharmacology that specializes in these agents.
Nuclear medicine is the study and utilization of radioactive compounds in medicine to image and treat human disease. It relies on the ‘tracer principle’ first espoused by Georg Karl von Hevesy in the early 1920s. The tracer principle is the study of the fate of compounds in vivo using minute amounts of radioactive tracers which do not elicit any pharmacological response by the body to the tracer.
A radioactive tracer, radiotracer, or radioactive label is a chemical compound in which one or more atoms have been replaced by a radionuclide so by virtue of its radioactive decay it can be used to explore the mechanism of chemical reactions by tracing the path that the radioisotope follows from reactants to products. Radiolabeling or radiotracing is thus the radioactive form of isotopic labeling. In biological contexts, use of radioisotope tracers are sometimes called radioisotope feeding experiments.
NUCLEAR MEDICINE IMAGING procedures look at the bodily functions to help make the diagnosis.
NUCLEAR MEDICINE THERAPY can actually be used to treat the body. If patients are undergoing a therapy process, then larger amounts of radiation will be used to treat different types of malignant diseases or thyroid disease. .
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses radioactive tracers (radiopharmaceuticals) to assess bodily functions and to diagnose and treat disease. Specially designed cameras allow doctors to track the path of these radioactive tracers.
Pharmacology has evolved over the years. Originally a scientific discipline that described the overt effects of biologically active chemicals, pharmacology now explores the molecular mechanisms by which drugs cause biological effects. In the broadest sense, pharmacology is the study of how chemical agents, both natural and synthetic (i.e., drugs) affect biological systems. This encompasses investigation of the derivation, chemical properties, physiological and behavioral effects, mechanisms of action, biological transformations, and the therapeutic and non-therapeutic uses of drugs. Pharmacological studies can determine the effects of chemical agents upon subcellular, systemic, physiological or behavioral processes; focus on the treatment and prevention of diseases; or deal with the potential hazards of pesticides and herbicides.
Pharmacology is often described as a bridge science because it incorporates knowledge and skills from a number of basic science disciplines including physiology, biochemistry and cell and molecular biology. Pharmacologists are able to ‘translate’ such knowledge into the rational development of therapeutics. As a result of their multidisciplinary training, pharmacologists are able to offer a unique perspective in solving drug-, hormone- and chemical-related problems.
The interdisciplinary nature of the field offers pharmacologists a variety of research opportunities not found in other fields of scientific inquiry. It is this flexibility as well as the potential for the practical application of research that attracts people into becoming pharmacologists.WELCOME TO THE MAGIC WORLD OF PHARAMCOLOGY
Medical Microbiology and Virology is a branch of medical science that studies microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, and their role in human diseases.
The course includes sections on general microbiology and medical microbiology.
The second part of academic discipline "Biology" includes topics in the medical parasitology. It aims at giving the basic knowledge to students on general aspects of medically important parasites, etiologic agents of diseases, their diagnosis and management.
The discipline "Biology" has been elaborated according to the State Federal Educational Standarts and programs on medical and general parasitology for the students of medical and biological faculties and highlighted the main issues of the discipline “General biology and medicine”.
The first part of academic disciplin "Biology" gives the opportunity to analyze biological systems, study mitosis and meiosis, as well as stages of ontogenesis, master the techniques of microscopy on a light microscope, study human genetics, and master methods for solving genetic problems and constructions pedigrees.
The "Biology" program covers the main issues of the academic discipline “General biology and medicine”. The program is intended for medical students.