Understanding Inflammation (Office Hours Series)
This series is the mechanistic backbone for a huge portion of pharmacology: NSAIDs, Corticosteroids, Antihistamines, Asthma Meds, Biologics, Rheum Drugs, and more.
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What You’ll Learn
- Acute vs chronic inflammation (what changes, and why it matters)
- Where histamine, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, cytokines fit
- How steroids differ from NSAIDs (and why biologics are “upstream”)
- How to predict therapeutic benefit + adverse effects from pathway position
You will be a better clinician if you understand the pathways, not just memorize some drugs
Episodes
Episode 1 — The Inflammation Map (Big Picture)
📄 Download Slides (PDF)
Download Slides (PDF)
Episode 2 — Arachidonic Acid (NSAIDs vs Leukotrienes)
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Download Slides (PDF)
Episode 3 — Cytokines & JAK/STAT (Why Biologics Work)
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Download Slides (PDF)
Episode 4 — Hypersensitivity vs Autoimmunity
📄 Download Slides (PDF)
Download Slides (PDF)
High-Yield Framework — How Immune Drugs Differ
| Depth of Action | What The Drug Is Really Doing | Drug Classes | Typical Clinical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface (symptom relief) | Blocks mediators already released | Antihistamines, Omalizumab | Seasonal allergies, urticaria |
| Local chemical inflammation | Blocks inflammatory chemicals (prostaglandins / leukotrienes) | NSAIDs, Aspirin, Zileuton, Montelukast | Pain, fever, mild asthma |
| Broad immune suppression | Turns off inflammatory gene production | Corticosteroids | Severe inflammation, flares |
| Targeted immune modulation | Blocks specific immune communication pathways | TNF inhibitors, IL inhibitors, JAK inhibitors | Autoimmune disease, severe asthma, IBD |
The deeper the drug acts → the stronger the disease control → the greater the infection risk.