Alternatives Database

Respiratory Pharmacology

This highly interactive program uses pulmonary function data obtained from a guinea pig to teach the fundamental pharmacology of the airways. Aims, Introduction and Methods sections use a combination of text and high-resolution colour graphics to describe: the aims and objectives of the program; the structure of the airways, the physiological control of bronchial smooth muscle tone, airway smooth muscle receptor pharmacology, pathophysiology (asthma and COPD) and its treatment; the guinea pig preparation and the apparatus used to monitor airway function. Experiments is the main section and allows the student to select, from a menu, to study the effects of various mediators and inhibitory agents in the normal and allergen-sensitised animals. 1. Normal guinea pig: vehicle (0.9 ml saline); bronchoconstrictors (histamine: 3 single doses, +mepyramine, +indomethacin, +propranolol; acetylcholine: 3 single doses, +atropine, +indomethacin, +propranolol; bradykinin: 3 single doses, +indomethacin; vagal stimulation: low/high frequency stimulation, +atropine); bronchodilators (bombesin treated: single dose, +epinephrine, +mepyramine); 2. Allergen-sensitised guinea pig: histamine, +mepyramine; LTC4, +mepyramine, +montelucast; antigen (IV), +mepyramine, +mepyramine and montelucast. For each experiment the display shows simultaneous traces of resistance, dynamic compliance and blood pressure which are presented in a form similar to that in the Mumed recording system. Each set of data is accompanied by self-assessment questions which demand interpretation of experimental data presented to them, and an understanding of the underlying control mechanisms.

Medium: 3.5" disk; CD-ROM
System requirements: Windows only - Win95/98/NT4; Pentium processor with 16 MB RAM, 10 MB space available on HDD and 16-bit colour graphics
Price: £199.00 (departmental multiuser/network licence; includes documentation - program manual and, where appropriate, student’s workbook and tutor’s notes - and postage)