Learning Aim C
Assignment 3
Medical Treatments
As a newly appointed medical researcher you have been asked to produce information that describes
the drug treatments that are available to the public when our bodies cease to be healthy. You need to
provide information about how and when each treatment should be used and the effectiveness of
each one.
You realise there is a shortage of clear and easy to understand information about treatments
available for people suffering from organ failure. They may require different types of treatment like
blood transfusions, organ transplants or stem cell therapy to try and restore their health. To address
the lack of information, you have decided to research these possible treatments and produce an
information pack consisting of leaflets, display materials and/or a PowerPoint® presentation (you
could consider including a voice over in your PowerPoint®).
An information pack consisting of leaflets, PowerPoint®, display material from your investigations which:
•
•
Describes, analyses and evaluates drug treatments to help restore us to a healthy state
Evaluates, describes and explains the principles and uses of blood grouping, transfusions, organ
donation and stem cell therapy in restoring us to a healthy state.
Investigate the use and misuse of antibiotics using secondary data.
Analyse the effectiveness of different kinds of medical treatment in health care using
secondary data.
Evaluate the use of different kinds of medical treatments, justifying your opinions.
Describe the use of anti-fungal, antiviral and analgesic treatments.
Explain the importance of blood group matching in blood transfusions.
Describe organ donation and approaches used to reduce rejection.
7
2C.P7
7
2C.M5
7
7
7
7
2C.D4
2C.P8
2C.P9
2C.M6
ANTIBIOTICS
In 1928 a Scottish scientist called Alexander Fleming discovered that a certain species of fungi produced a
chemical that stops bacteria from growing. By the 1940s two other scientists (Florey and Chain) had used
this discovery to develop antibiotics to treat injuries in the war. The use of antibiotics has saved millions of
lives to date.
What was the name of Fleming’s discovery?
How did Fleming discover the antibiotic?
How do antibiotics work?
Are antibiotics used to treat or prevent disease?
Name a disease which can be treated with antibiotics
How are antibiotics used to treat this disease?
Your task is to grow bacteria on agar plates, using safe lab techniques, to investigate which antibiotics are
most successful at killing different bacteria. You will record results, draw a graph, and make conclusions
about treatment based on your results.
First, describe your method, using the diagrams below:
Method:
Results table:
Name of antibiotic used
Size of bacteria free zone (mm)
Graph:
Which antibiotic was better at killing E. Coli, and how can you tell?
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Analyse the secondary data below and compare it to your results to confirm which antibiotics
are most effective at treating different diseases
(Influenza virus)
Zone of
Inhibition
Size (mm)
Penicillin
0
Meticillin
0
Streptomycin
0
Vancomycin
0
Amoxicillin
0
MRSA
Zone of
Inhibition
Size (mm)
Flu
(Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus)
Penicillin
0
Meticillin
0
Streptomycin
0
Vancomycin
12
Amoxicillin
0
(Escherichia Coli)
Zone of
Inhibition
Size (mm)
Penicillin
0
Meticillin
12
Streptomycin
15
Vancomycin
0
Amoxicillin
0
Staph Wound Infection
Which antibiotic is most effective at treating this
disease?
How can you tell?
Which antibiotic is most effective at treating this
disease?
How can you tell?
Which antibiotic is most effective at treating this
disease?
How can you tell?
(Streptococcus)
Zone of
Inhibition
Size (mm)
Penicillin
16
Meticillin
0
Streptomycin
10
Vancomycin
10
Amoxicillin
13
Strep Throat
Which antibiotic is most effective at treating this
disease?
How can you tell?
Do these results support your results?
How?
2C.P7 Investigate the use and misuse of antibiotics using secondary data.
TREATMENTS FOR DISEASES
Research different types of treatment including antibiotics, analgesics, antifungals and antivirals. You will
describe what each is, what diseases it can treat, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of
treatment.
Treatment
What is it and how
does it work?
What diseases can
it treat?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Antibiotics
Analgesics
Antifungals
Antivirals
2C.P8 Describe the use of anti-fungal, antiviral and analgesic treatments.
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria
Explain how a strain of bacteria could become resistant to antibiotics by adding explanations next to each of the
diagrams below:
What are the dangers of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics?
Why is it important to complete a course of antibiotics and not to stop taking them when you start feeling better?
Why is it important that we don’t overuse antibiotics?
Explain why some antibiotics are now kept for the most serious diseases.
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENTS
You need to use data to back up your opinions when asked to justify something. You need to find data to answer the
following questions:
How effective are antibiotics?
How effective are analgesics?
How effective are antivirals?
How effective are antifungals?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z8kccdm
Task 3
Find out about the different blood groups. Also add the uses of: blood grouping and blood transfusion and how it
can help with different illnesses.
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2C.P9 Explain the importance of blood group matching in blood transfusions.
Task 5
1) Research about organ donation and the types of organs that can be donated
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2) Find out about the methods used by doctors in order to reduce organ rejection
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3) You will need to use your knowledge of genetics to investigate the role of gene therapy as a treatment for
certain conditions and diseases and the effectiveness of this
2C.M6 - Describe organ donation and approaches used to reduce rejection.
Finalising Research
Commonly used drug treatments available to the public when they are unwell are:

anti-fungals

antivirals

analgesics
Your display, leaflets, PowerPoint®, information pack needs to:

describe what type of pathogens each of the above should be used to treat, what pathogens they will not be
effective against and how they should be used to help improve the health of the body.
Another common drug treatment is antibiotics. Access, reference and include some secondary data in your
pack/display about antibiotics.

Use this data to produce a fact sheet describing how antibiotics should be prescribed, what pathogens they
can and cannot treat, how they should be used properly and what can happen if they are over prescribed or
if the course is not completed.

Extend the use of secondary data to analyse the effectiveness of the drugs in health care. In particular,
analyse how antibiotics and the improper use of them is a factor influencing the increase in hospital acquired
infections like MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) or Clostridium difficile. Evaluate the use
of the four types of drugs in treating disorders. Justify you opinions regarding their use with evidence from
your research. Present the material in an appropriate form in your information pack.
Research blood groups, tissue typing, organ donation and rejection and stem cell therapy. Use the information to
add sections to your information pack which:

identifies the different blood groups and explains their importance in blood transfusions

describes why organ donation may be required. Include a description of the principles that are involved in
organ donation (blood matching, tissue typing and selecting donors)

describes how and why these principles and other methods can be used to help reduce organ rejection
evaluates the current potential benefits, and the potential benefits that may be available in the future of stem cell
therapy.
Criteria
2C.P7
2C.M5
2C.D4
2C.P8
2C.P9
2C.M6
Description
Investigate the use
and misuse of
antibiotics using
secondary data.
Analyse the
effectiveness of
different kinds of
medical treatment
in health care
using secondary
data.
Evaluate the use of
different kinds of
medical
treatments,
justifying your
opinions.
Describe the use of
anti-fungal,
antiviral and
analgesic
treatments.
Explain the
importance of
blood group
matching in blood
transfusions.
Describe organ
donation and
Page ref
Completed
Checked
approaches used
to reduce
rejection.