CASE 3: FIGHTING DISEASE
GOOD USE OF MEDICATIONS, ImMUNITY, CLINICAL TRIALS AND VACCINES
Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of medical treatment in many types of disease. However, almost all medications will cause side effects (symptoms that result from a normal dose of a medication) and most of them have potentially adverse effects (resulting from increased dosages). These potentially fatal effects are some of the reasons why a good use of medications is so important. Another important reason is the possibility of generating antibiotic resistance due to antibiotic misuse or overuse.
In the case of infectious diseases, another approach to beat them is prevention. This strategy includes good hygiene, healthy habits and vaccination. Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop protection from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. Vaccines activate the body's adaptive immunity and, when administered to a large percentage of a population, it leads to herd immunity (or herd protection).
In this case, we will explore together all these topics, related preventive medicine and pharmacotherapy: medications, infectious diseases, immunity, clinical trials and vaccines.
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THIS CASE STUDY?
We will go together through the following three tasks:
In Task 1 we will learn about very common medications that we all probably have at home. We will explore their leaflets, active principles and drug type and, finally, we will do some research about what to do with them once we have finished a treatment.
In Task 2 we will work with this article (modified from The New York Times) focused on the AstraZeneca & Oxford University vaccine against COVID-19 to explore the importance of vaccines, vaccine testing and herd immunity/protection. We will also learn more about the key role that accidental events frequently have on scientific discoveries (serendipity).
In Task 3 we will explore the problem of antibiotic misuse and overuse. With this aim, we will analyze antibiotic-use data from 76 countries between 2005 and 2015 to try detecting any increase or decrease in it and, if possible, the reasons behind those variations.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO WORK?
To complete all the tasks included in this case, you need to download the following document (click on the button and download it to get an editable copy):
TASK 1: UNDERSTANDING MEDICATIONS
Have you ever taken ibuprofen? And amoxicillin? You probably have because they are very common drugs and, in fact, they are probably at your home first aid kit.
In this task we will learn about these two drugs and about the rest of medications that you probably have at home. We will explore their leaflets, active principles and drug type and, finally, we will do some research about what to do with them once we have finished a treatment.
TASK 2: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: ImMUNITY & VACCINES TO BEAT COVID-19
When germs, such as bacteria or viruses, invade the body, they attack and multiply. This invasion, called an infection, is what causes illness.
The immune system uses several tools to fight infection. Blood contains white or immune cells, for fighting infection. The first time the body encounters a germ, it can take several days to make and use all the germ-fighting tools needed to get over the infection. After the infection, the immune system remembers what it learned about how to protect the body against that disease.
Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection. This type of infection, however, almost never causes illness, but it does cause the immune system to produce lymphocytes and antibodies. Once the imitation infection goes away, the body is left with a supply of “memory” lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that disease in the future.
In this task, we will work with this article (modified from The New York Times) focused on the AstraZeneca & Oxford University vaccine against COVID-19 and with some supporting videos (available in Edpuzzle and in our webpage) to explore the importance of vaccines, vaccine testing and herd immunity/protection. We will also learn more about the key role that accidental events frequently have on scientific discoveries (serendipity).
SUPPORTING VIDEOS FOR THE TASK
To learn more about the serendipitious discovery of penicillin and about how it works against bacterial infectious diseases, you may watch this interesting video:
TASK 3: what does not kill you makes you stronger
Antibiotics are miraculous drugs that help us fight off bacterial infections. But sometimes bacteria evolve resistance against antibiotic treatment. Unnecessary use of antibiotics helps this antibiotic resistance spread faster. So it is important to study how much antibiotics people consume worldwide.
In this task we will analyze antibiotic-use data from 76 countries between 2005 and 2015 to try detecting any increase or decrease in it and, if possible, the reasons behind those variations.