Describe The Uses And Problems Associated With Thalidomide

Biology 1.3 – The Use and Abuse of Drugs Lesson | Learning Focus, Outcomes and ideas | Syllabus content (Summary) | Activities (Including HWS focus) | Homework | Resources | SEAL / PLTS ETC/Extension | 6 | FFL: New Drugs Outcomes: All pupils should be able to define the term ‘drug’ and give examples of medical drugs.Most pupils should be able to explain why drugs need to be tested before they can be prescribed. Describe the uses and problems associated with thalidomide.Some pupils will be able to explain how the drug testing procedure for thalidomide was inappropriate and describe the main steps in testing a new drug.Explain the terms placebo and double-blind trial.Ideas:Testing of new drugs and clinical trials.
Thalidomide.Misconceptions: |
Scientists are continually developing new drugs.When new medical drugs are devised, they have to be extensively tested and trialled before being used.Drugs are tested in a series of stages to find out if they are safe and effective.New drugs are extensively tested for toxicity, efficacy and dose:■ in the laboratory, using cells, tissues and live animals■ in clinical trials involving healthy volunteers and patients. Very low doses of the drug are given at the start of the clinical trial. If the drug is found to be safe, further clinical trials are carried out to find the optimum dose for the drug. In some double blind trials, some patients are given a placebo, which does not contain the drug. Neither the doctors nor the patients know who has received a placebo and who has received the drug until the trial is complete.Thalidomide is a drug that was developed as a sleeping pill. It was also found to be effective in relieving morning sickness in pregnant women.Thalidomide had not been tested for use in pregnant women. Unfortunately, many babies born to mothers who took the drug were born with severe limb abnormalities. The drug was then banned. As a result, drug testing has become much more rigorous. More recently, thalidomide has been used successfully in the treatment of leprosy and other diseases. | * Discuss: Brainstorm – what is a drug? Names of medicines. * Activity: Use pictures to relate uses and problems associated with thalidomide. * Research: Research and produce a report on thalidomide – original use, use in pregnant women, current uses. Or PP Thalidomide and then pupils make notes in their books. * Discuss: Discuss drug safety and how drugs are tested today. * Activity: Trialling Drugs PP: Sequence stages in drug testing and trialling and then state the purpose of each stage. (HSW: Variables) * Practical: Observe the effect of salt on liver cells * Role Play: Drug development role plays * Examination hints and tips: Be able to give reasons for the different stages in drug testing. * Additional Guidance: Candidates should understand that tissues and animals are used as models to predict how the drugs may behave in humans. | * Useful information on thalidomide can be found at www.thalidomideuk.com * | 1. Exhibition of medicinesDrug development Role playsBig Picture: Drug developmentClass practical: Pieces of Liver, hydrogen peroxide, salt. 2. | * | 7 | FFL: Recreational DrugsOutcomes:All pupils will be able to name some recreational drugs and describe some effects of caffeine on the body.Most pupils will be able to evaluate the impact of smoking on health and evaluate why some people use illegal drugs for recreation.
Some pupils will be able to evaluate claims made about the effect of prescribed and non-prescribed drugs on health.Ideas:Recreational drugsImpact of legal drugs on health is greater than illegal drugs as more people use them.Misconception: | Candidates should be aware of the effects of misuse of the legal recreational drugs, alcohol and nicotine. Candidates should understand that the misuse of the illegal recreational drugs ecstasy, cannabis and heroin may have adverse effects on the heart and circulatory system.Additional Guidance: Knowledge and understanding of the specific effects ofrecreational drugs on the body, except for cannabis are not required. The legal classification of specific drugs is not required.The overall impact of legal drugs (prescribed and non-prescribed) on health is much greater than the impact of illegal drugs because far more people use them.Additional guidance: Awareness of the benefits of medical drugs, the impact of non-medical drugs such as alcohol and the possible misuse of legal drugs should be considered. | Discuss: Thought-shower on recreational drugs, sort into legal and illegal and discuss why people use them. PP Recreational Drugs * www.talktofrank.com provides
further information on drugsHow Science Works: Investigate the effect of caffeine on heart rate or reaction time. Demo: Smoking machine to show carbon dioxide and tar content of smoke. !!Lots of ventilation required!!Written Activity: Poster to show effects of chemicals in smoke on the body. Calculate the cost of smoking cigarettes.Show health warning on packets of cigarettes; Video: Show smoking adverts (shows effects on different organs). Ask: Why do people smoke?www.nhs.uk provides further information on smoking, search ‘smoking calculator’ or www.ash.org.ukExamination hints and tips: Be able to use data from a line graph to describe the relationship between birth mass of a baby and the number of cigarettes smoked by the mother. (Slides on PP Recreational Drugs or graphs in worksheets file.Examination hints and tips: Be able to explain why a person might become addicted to a recreational drug.Drugs Grid | WS Drugs:Homework.Evaluate the effects of alcohol on health. Examination hints and tips: Be able to give three possible effects of the misuse of alcohol. Use alcohol tracker on www.nhs.ukWhy are recommend units for men and women different?Relate smoking and alcohol to NHS costs. | Smoking machine demo Cigarette, smoking machine, limewater, UI indicator solution, cotton wool and pump.Cigarette packetsCaffeine: coffee/energy drink/coke vs. decaf version or water, timer/pulse rate sensor and a ruler. Or Class Practical: Reaction rulers and colaDisplay alcoholic drinks with units per measure. | * | 8 | FFL: Cannabis, Statins, addiction and steroids.Outcomes:All pupils should be able to describe the effects of cannabis on the body together with evaluating the use of drugs to enhance performance in sport.Most pupils should be able to describe the effects of heroin/cocaine addiction and withdrawal symptoms and consider the ethical issues of performance enhancing drugs.Most pupils should be able to describe and evaluate the effect of statins in cardiovascular disease.Some pupils will be able to consider the possible progression from recreational to hard drug and be able to describe some effects and risks of these drugs.Ideas:Statins lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood.Drug addiction and withdrawal symptoms – heroin and cocaine.Steroids and performance enhancing drugs.Misconception: | Cannabis is an illegal drug.
Cannabis smoke contains chemicals which may cause mental illness in some people.Candidates should be aware of the use of statins in lowering the risk of heart and circulatory diseases.Drugs change the chemical processes in peoples’ bodies so that they may become dependent or addicted to the drug and suffer withdrawal symptoms without them. Heroin and cocaine are very addictive.There are several types of drug that an athlete can use to enhance performance. Some of these drugs are banned by law and some are legally available on prescription, but all are prohibited by sporting regulations. Examples include stimulants that boost bodily functions such as heart
rate; and anabolic steroids which stimulate muscle growth.Additional guidance: Knowledge of the mode of action of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs is not required. | PP Cholesterol and StatinsInvite an outside speaker, eg drugs and alcohol adviser.Video: Watch NHS video clip on the dangers of smoking cannabis.Research: Research effects of cannabis on the body. (www.nhs.uk search ‘the dangers of cannabis’) WS Cannabis Claims, can involve use of internet search. Examination hints and tips: Knowledge of specific effects of cannabis on the body are required. PP Cannabis.Interpret data on cannabis use and progression to hard drugs. Video: Watch video clips from NHS site on cocaine use. Video Cocaine (7.04)Research: Research types of drugs used in sport and their effects on the body and produce a table.Information about drugs in sport can be found on BBC GCSE Bitesize at www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize by searching ‘doping’ or ‘performance enhancing drugs’.Activity: Role play, write a story or debate about using drugs in sport; random drug testing; getting caught cheating. | • | Further information on drugs can be found on the following websites www.dare.uk.com www.nida.nih.gov and on the NHS website at www.nhs.uk by searching for ‘drugs’. | * |

This SOW is to support the AQA Biology syllabus and should be used as a dynamic document. Lessons will need to be flexible dependant on pupil ability, progress of class etc.