Focus on Nursing Pharmacology - Amy
M. Karch - Chapter 2
Absorption - ANS-What happens to a drug from the time it enters the body until it enters the
circulating fluid.
\Active transport - ANS-The movement of substances across a cell membrane against the
concentration gradient; this process requires the use of energy.
\Agonist drugs - ANS-Interact directly with receptor sites to cause the same activity that
natural chemicals would cause at that site.
\Chemotherapeutic agents - ANS-Synthetic chemicals used to interfere with the functioning
of foreign cell populations; also refers to drug therapy affecting any foreign cells in critical
concentrations.
\Chemotherapeutic agents or drugs - ANS-Interfere with foreign cell functioning, such as
invading microorganisms or neoplasms (tumors).
\Competitive antagonist - ANS-Drugs that react with receptor sites to block normal
stimulation, producing no effect (i.e., the occupation of a drug in the receptor site for
acetylcholine, which is necessary for muscle contraction and movement, to cause paralysis).
\Concentration and effectiveness - ANS-To provide the safest and most effective drug
therapy, the nurse must consider all of the possible factors that influence drug...
\Critical concentration - ANS-The concentration of a drug that must reach the tissues, that
respond to the particular drug, in order to cause the desired therapeutic effect.
\Depress - ANS-Drugs usually work in one of four ways, to _____ or slow cellular activities.
\Distribution - ANS-The movement of a drug to body tissues; the places where a drug may
be distributed depend on the drug's solubility, perfusion of the area, cardiac output, and
binding of the drug to plasma proteins.
\Enzyme induction - ANS-The process by which the presence of a chemical that is
biotransformed by a particular enzyme system in the liver causes increased activity of that
enzyme system.
\Excretion - ANS-The removal of a drug from the body; primarily occurs in the kidneys, but
can also occur through the skin, lungs, bile, or feces.
\First-pass effect - ANS-A phenomenon in which drugs given orally are carried directly to the
liver after absorption where they may be largely inactivated by liver enzymes before they can
enter the general circulation.
\Glomerular filtration - ANS-The passage of water and water-soluble components from the
plasma into the renal tubule.
\Half-life - ANS-The time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to decrease to one half
of its peak level.
\Hepatic microsomal system - ANS-The liver enzymes tightly packed together in the hepatic
intracellular structure responsible for the biotransformation of chemicals and drugs.
\Increase - ANS-Drugs usually work in one of four ways, to increase or stimulate certain
cellular activities.
\Insulin - ANS-This chemical is an example of an agonist because it reacts with specific
insulin-receptor sites to change cell membrane permeability, thus promoting the movement
of glucose into the cell.
M. Karch - Chapter 2
Absorption - ANS-What happens to a drug from the time it enters the body until it enters the
circulating fluid.
\Active transport - ANS-The movement of substances across a cell membrane against the
concentration gradient; this process requires the use of energy.
\Agonist drugs - ANS-Interact directly with receptor sites to cause the same activity that
natural chemicals would cause at that site.
\Chemotherapeutic agents - ANS-Synthetic chemicals used to interfere with the functioning
of foreign cell populations; also refers to drug therapy affecting any foreign cells in critical
concentrations.
\Chemotherapeutic agents or drugs - ANS-Interfere with foreign cell functioning, such as
invading microorganisms or neoplasms (tumors).
\Competitive antagonist - ANS-Drugs that react with receptor sites to block normal
stimulation, producing no effect (i.e., the occupation of a drug in the receptor site for
acetylcholine, which is necessary for muscle contraction and movement, to cause paralysis).
\Concentration and effectiveness - ANS-To provide the safest and most effective drug
therapy, the nurse must consider all of the possible factors that influence drug...
\Critical concentration - ANS-The concentration of a drug that must reach the tissues, that
respond to the particular drug, in order to cause the desired therapeutic effect.
\Depress - ANS-Drugs usually work in one of four ways, to _____ or slow cellular activities.
\Distribution - ANS-The movement of a drug to body tissues; the places where a drug may
be distributed depend on the drug's solubility, perfusion of the area, cardiac output, and
binding of the drug to plasma proteins.
\Enzyme induction - ANS-The process by which the presence of a chemical that is
biotransformed by a particular enzyme system in the liver causes increased activity of that
enzyme system.
\Excretion - ANS-The removal of a drug from the body; primarily occurs in the kidneys, but
can also occur through the skin, lungs, bile, or feces.
\First-pass effect - ANS-A phenomenon in which drugs given orally are carried directly to the
liver after absorption where they may be largely inactivated by liver enzymes before they can
enter the general circulation.
\Glomerular filtration - ANS-The passage of water and water-soluble components from the
plasma into the renal tubule.
\Half-life - ANS-The time it takes for the amount of drug in the body to decrease to one half
of its peak level.
\Hepatic microsomal system - ANS-The liver enzymes tightly packed together in the hepatic
intracellular structure responsible for the biotransformation of chemicals and drugs.
\Increase - ANS-Drugs usually work in one of four ways, to increase or stimulate certain
cellular activities.
\Insulin - ANS-This chemical is an example of an agonist because it reacts with specific
insulin-receptor sites to change cell membrane permeability, thus promoting the movement
of glucose into the cell.
