Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Aspirin is a widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain, fever, and inflammation. Opium and morphine are narcotics, which are not the most widely used for general pain relief due to their addictive nature.

Vinblastine is a chemotherapy medication used to treat various types of cancer, including Hodgkin lymphoma and non-small cell lung cancer. It is derived from the Madagascar periwinkle plant.

Chloroquine is a well-known antimalarial medication used to prevent and treat malaria caused by mosquito bites.

Opium and morphine are chemical substances extracted from the poppy plant. 'Derived from' is the correct phrase to describe this origin.

Aspirin is both analgesic and antipyretic.

Most patients are atopic and therefore react to many environmental allergens, so RAST testing is not helpful. There is better correlation of clinical relevant allergen with skin prick testing, so this is used routinely particularly in adults. RASTs may be helpful in identifying an unusual allergen in occupational asthma only  or in children who are already on medication that might affect a skin test.

Quinine, obtained from Cinchona ledgeriana, is a very commonly used anti-malarial drug. Reserpine, an alkaloid obtained from the roots of Rauwolfia serpentina, is used as tranquilizer. Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid and a stimulant drug obtained from Camellia sinensis. In humans, caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Atropine, an anticholinergic agent obtained from Atropa belladonna, is used as premedication in anaesthesia to reduce upper respiratory secretions.

Correct answer. Pancuronium is a non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking agent used to facilitate intubation and relax skeletal muscles. Tubocurarine is a toxic alkaloid and skeletal muscle relaxant in the category of non-depolarising neuromuscular-blocking drugs, used adjunctively in anesthesia to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.

Antacids perform a neutralization reaction, increasing the pH to reduce acidity in the stomach. When gastric hydrochloric acid reaches the nerves in the gastrointestinal mucosa, they signal pain to the central nervous system. This happens when these nerves are exposed. So it is used for treatment of indigestion.

Colchicine is a pale-yellow crystalline alkaloid extracted from seeds. It is used in the treatment of gout. Taxol, obtained mainly from the bark of the yew tree, is a cancer medication that interferes with the growth of cancer cells and slows their growth and spread in the body. Digoxin, a purified cardiac glycoside extracted from the foxglove plant, is used to treat certain heart problems such as arrhythmias and heart failure. Codeine is a white, crystalline, slightly bitter alkaloid, obtained from opium and used in medicine, chiefly as an analgesic or sedative to inhibit coughing.

Promethazine is used as antihistamine drug.

'Brown sugar' is a street name for heroin, particularly in South Asia. It refers to less refined heroin that appears brownish. LSD is a synthetic hallucinogen, hashish comes from cannabis, and barbiturates are sedatives - none of which are called 'brown sugar'.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive compound found in the Cannabis sativa plant.

Amphetamine is correctly classified as a stimulant - it increases central nervous system activity. Option B is incorrect because LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogen/psychotropic, not a narcotic. Option C is incorrect because heroin is an opioid/narcotic, not a psychotropic. Option D is incorrect because benzodiazepines are anti-anxiety drugs, not painkillers.

Chloroquine is a well-known medication used to prevent and treat malaria.