EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
The teaching is part of the specific objectives of the study course aimed at training a professional figure able to know and understand:
(i) general principles of reproductive and developmental toxicology (critical periods of susceptibility, dose-response relationship, and the threshold concept); (ii) the major pharmacokinetic changes that drugs may undergo in pregnancy and factors affecting transplacental passage; iii) the experimental approaches used to identify teratogenic drugs (preclinical animal studies, case reports, spontaneous reports, case-control studies, cohort studies, randomized clinical trials and meta-analysis, the use of national and international registries); (iv) the main mechanisms of drug teratogenesis (folate antagonism, neural crest cell destruction, endocrine disruption; oxidative stress; vascular disruption and specific receptor- or enzyme-mediated teratogenesis); (v) FDA classification of risks due to the use of medications in pregnancy; (vi) major issues and recommendations related to the use of over-the-counter medications, herbal products, cigarette smoking, and substances of abuse in pregnancy; (vii) principles underlying the prescription of medications in childbearing and pregnancy.
EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS
At the end of the course the student, as far as he is competent, will be able to: i) know the main mechanisms underlying the teratogenic effects of drugs; ii) know the risks associated with the use of drugs in pregnancy and the principles of drug prescription in childbearing and pregnancy in clinical practice. The course will contribute to provide the student with tools that will allow him/her to enhance his/her ability to relate in inter-and multidisciplinary teams with other professionals (physicians, psychologists, nurses, health care assistants, etc.) called to take care of the patient.