Evaluating student understanding of pharmacodynamics core concepts.

Pharmacodynamics is an essential subdiscipline of pharmacology that underpins safe and effective prescribing and therapeutic decision-making, as well as drug discovery and development. The exponential increase in the number of therapeutic drugs has prompted members of the pharmacology educator community to question existing pharmacology curricula focused on individual drugs and move toward a curriculum focused on conceptual understanding. A first step towards conceptual understanding is to establish what students currently know about pharmacodynamic core concepts.

Exploring the development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for health professions educators through faculty development.

Research on how pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)-informed faculty development initiatives can support PCK development among health professions educators is limited. Given the positive impact of PCK on enhancing professional knowledge for effective teaching, this study investigates the learning process of health professions educators in developing their PCK through a faculty development initiative, supported by the Content Representation (CoRe) tool. Using a qualitative approach, grounded in social constructionism, the study engaged eight educators from diverse health disciplines at an Australian university.

Evaluating the quality of multiple-choice question pilot database: A global educator-created tool for concept-based pharmacology learning.

The Core Concepts of Pharmacology (CCP) initiative is developing educational resources to transform pharmacology education into a concept-based approach. This study evaluated the quality of global educator-created MCQs in generating items for the pharmacology concept inventory (PCI) instrument and developed as a resource for learning pharmacology fundamental concepts. A panel of 22 global pharmacology experts recruited from the CCP initiative research team participated in the MCQ pilot database design and evaluation.

Developing an international concept-based curriculum for pharmacology education: The promise of core concepts and concept inventories.

Over recent years, studies have shown that science and health profession graduates demonstrate gaps in their fundamental pharmacology knowledge and ability to apply pharmacology concepts in practice. This article reviews the current challenges faced by pharmacology educators, including the exponential growth in discipline knowledge and competition for curricular time. We then argue that pharmacology education should focus on essential concepts that enable students to develop beyond 'know' towards 'know how to'.

Using contribution analysis to evaluate health professions and health sciences programs.

Introduction/background: Course evaluation in health education is a common practice yet few comprehensive evaluations of health education exist that measure the impact and outcomes these programs have on developing health graduate capabilities.

Aim/objectives: To explore how curricula contribute to health graduate capabilities and what factors contribute to the development of these capabilities.

Methods: Using contribution analysis evaluation, a six-step iterative process, key stakeholders in the six selected courses were engaged in an iterative theory-driven evaluation.

Defining and unpacking the core concepts of pharmacology: A global initiative.

Background And Purpose: Development of core concepts in disciplines such as biochemistry, microbiology and physiology have transformed teaching. They provide the foundation for the development of teaching resources for global educators, as well as valid and reliable approaches to assessment. An international research consensus recently identified 25 core concepts of pharmacology.

Targeting G protein-coupled receptors for heart failure treatment.

Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current treatment for patients with heart failure include drugs targeting G protein-coupled receptors such as β-adrenoceptor antagonists (β-blockers) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists (or angiotensin II receptor blockers). However, many patients progress to advanced heart failure with persistent symptoms, despite treatment with available therapeutics that have been shown to reduce mortality and mortality.

The role of the adenosine system in epilepsy and its comorbidities.

Epilepsy is one of the most serious and common chronic neurological conditions, characterised by recurrent hypersynchronous electrical activity in the brain that lead to seizures. Despite over 50 million people being affected worldwide, only ~70% of people with epilepsy have their seizures successfully controlled with current pharmacotherapy, and many experience significant psychiatric and physical comorbidities. Adenosine, a ubiquitous purine metabolite, is a potent endogenous anti-epileptic substance that can abolish seizure activity via the adenosine A G protein-coupled receptor.

Identifying the core concepts of pharmacology education: A global initiative.

Background And Purpose: In recent decades, a focus on the most critical and fundamental concepts has proven highly advantageous to students and educators in many science disciplines. Pharmacology, unlike microbiology, biochemistry, or physiology, lacks a consensus list of such core concepts.

Experimental Approach: We sought to develop a research-based, globally relevant list of core concepts that all students completing a foundational pharmacology course should master.

Defining core conceptual knowledge: Why pharmacy education needs a new, evidence-based approach.

Introduction: No pharmacy program, however well-resourced, has sufficient time or resources to teach students all current, practice-relevant knowledge. And while the volume of potential pharmacy education curriculum content increases exponentially each year, available time for direct instruction continues to decline. Given these constraints, pharmacy curricula must focus on promoting deep learning of the most critical, fundamental, broadly applicable, and lasting knowledge.

Examining the Role of the Linker in Bitopic -Substituted Adenosine Derivatives Acting as Biased Adenosine A Receptor Agonists.

The adenosine A receptor is a therapeutic target based on its ability to provide cardioprotection during episodes of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. However, the clinical translation of AR agonists has been hindered by dose-limiting adverse effects (bradycardia and hypotension). Previously, we demonstrated that the bitopic agonist VCP746 (), consisting of an adenosine pharmacophore linked to an allosteric moiety, can stimulate cardioprotective AR signaling effects in the absence of unwanted bradycardia.

Cultural adaptation and validation of instruments for measuring the flipped classroom experience.

Introduction: In 2017, a revamped bachelor of pharmacy program was introduced at Monash University and incorporated a predominantly flipped classroom-based pedagogy. The attitudes and preferences of students towards this program had yet to be assessed using a reliable instrument. Since no instrument was readily available, the objective of this study was to identify, contextualize, and validate a suitable instrument.

Defining and unpacking the core concepts of pharmacology education.

Pharmacology education currently lacks a research-based consensus on which core concepts all graduates should know and understand, as well as a valid and reliable means to assess core conceptual learning. The Core Concepts in Pharmacology Expert Group (CC-PEG) from Australia and New Zealand recently identified a set of core concepts of pharmacology education as a first step toward developing a concept inventory-a valid and reliable tool to assess learner attainment of concepts. In the current study, CC-PEG used established methodologies to define each concept and then unpack its key components.

Development of a Vertically Integrated Pharmacy Degree.

Whilst curriculum revision is commonplace, whole degree transformation is less so. In this paper we discuss the rationale, design and implementation of a unique pharmacy program by a research-intensive faculty. The new Monash pharmacy curriculum, which had its first intake in 2017, was built using a range of key innovations that aimed to produce graduates that demonstrate key conceptual understanding and all the skills required to deliver world-best patient outcomes.

Positive allosteric mechanisms of adenosine A receptor-mediated analgesia.

The adenosine A receptor (AR) is a promising therapeutic target for non-opioid analgesic agents to treat neuropathic pain. However, development of analgesic orthosteric AR agonists has failed because of a lack of sufficient on-target selectivity as well as off-tissue adverse effects. Here we show that [2-amino-4-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thiophen-3-yl)(4-chlorophenyl)methanone] (MIPS521), a positive allosteric modulator of the AR, exhibits analgesic efficacy in rats in vivo through modulation of the increased levels of endogenous adenosine that occur in the spinal cord of rats with neuropathic pain.

Identifying the core concepts of pharmacology education.

Pharmacology education currently lacks an agreed knowledge curriculum. Evidence from physics and biology education indicates that core concepts are useful and effective structures around which such a curriculum can be designed to facilitate student learning. Building on previous work, we developed a novel, criterion-based method to identify the core concepts of pharmacology education.

Predictors of Pharmacy Student Performance on Written and Clinical Examinations in a Flipped Classroom Curriculum.

To examine the effects of student demographics, prior academic performance, course engagement, and time management on pharmacy students' performance on course examinations and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Study participants were one cohort of pharmacy students enrolled in a five-year combined Bachelor and Master of Pharmacy degree program at one institution. Variables included student demographics, baseline factors (language assessment and situational judgement test scores), prior academic performance (high school admission rank), course engagement, and student time management of pre-class online activities.

Pharmacological Insights Into Safety and Efficacy Determinants for the Development of Adenosine Receptor Biased Agonists in the Treatment of Heart Failure.

Adenosine A receptors (AR) are a potential target for cardiac injury treatment due to their cardioprotective/antihypertrophic actions, but drug development has been hampered by on-target side effects such as bradycardia and altered renal hemodynamics. Biased agonism has emerged as an attractive mechanism for AR-mediated cardioprotection that is haemodynamically safe. Here we investigate the pre-clinical pharmacology, efficacy and side-effect profile of the AR agonist neladenoson, shown to be safe but ineffective in phase IIb trials for the treatment of heart failure.

Biased agonism at adenosine receptors.

Adenosine modulates many aspects of human physiology and pathophysiology through binding to the adenosine family of G protein-coupled receptors, which are comprised of four subtypes, the AR, AR, AR and AR. Modulation of adenosine receptor function by exogenous agonists, antagonists and allosteric modulators can be beneficial for a number of conditions including cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. Unfortunately, many preclinical drug candidates targeting adenosine receptors have failed in clinical trials due to limited efficacy and/or severe on-target undesired effects.

The adenosine A G protein-coupled receptor: Recent advances and therapeutic implications.

The adenosine A receptor (AAR) is one of four adenosine receptor subtypes belonging to the Class A family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Until recently, the AAR remained poorly characterised, in part due to its relatively low affinity for the endogenous agonist adenosine and therefore presumed minor physiological significance. However, the substantial increase in extracellular adenosine concentration, the sensitisation of the receptor and the upregulation of AAR expression under conditions of hypoxia and inflammation, suggest the AAR as an exciting therapeutic target in a variety of pathological disease states.

Development of a self-report instrument for measuring in-class student engagement reveals that pretending to engage is a significant unrecognized problem.

Student engagement during classes includes behavioural, cognitive and emotional components, and is a pre-requisite for successful active learning environments. A novel approach to measuring student engagement was developed, involving triangulation of real-time student-self report, observation by trained observers and heart rate measurement. The self-report instrument was evaluated in four separate cohorts (n = 123) at Monash University and the University of North Carolina.

Self-Crosslinking Lipopeptide/DNA/PEGylated Particles: A New Platform for DNA Vaccination Designed for Assembly in Aqueous Solution.

Delivery of plasmids for gene expression in vivo is an inefficient process that requires improvement and optimization to unlock the clinical potential of DNA vaccines. With ease of manufacture and biocompatibility in mind, we explored condensation of DNA in aqueous solution with a self-crosslinking, endosome-escaping lipopeptide (LP), stearoyl-Cys-His-His-Lys-Lys-Lys-amide (stearoyl-CHK), to produce cationic LP/DNA complexes. To test whether poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-ylation of these cationic complexes to neutralize the surface charge would improve the distribution, gene expression, and immune responses poly(ethylene glycol), these LP/DNA complexes were combined with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG).

Effect of the 5-HT receptor agonist tegaserod on the expression of GRK2 and GRK6 in the rat gastrointestinal tract.

Objective: Tegaserod is a 5-hydroxytryptamine type 4 (5-HT) receptor agonist, formerly used in treating constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome, which desensitizes 5-HT receptors in rat oesophagus and colon in vitro. Desensitization of 5-HT receptors is regulated by G-protein coupled receptor kinases. This study was designed to assess the effect of 5-HT receptor activation on the expression of GRK2 and GRK6 in the rat oesophagus and distal colon by acute administration of tegaserod.