Trace the Scientific Method in a Primary Research Scientific Article

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Written Assignment 1: Trace the Scientific Method in a Primary Research Scientific Article

Addresses course outcomes 1 and 4:

  • use knowledge of biological principles and the scientific method to ask and answer relevant questions about the human body
  • weigh and make health-related decisions based on an understanding of the value and limits of scientific knowledge and the scientific method

Before attempting this assignment, you might want to revisit the Scientific Method Tutorial in the Science Learning Center under the Course Content area.

Substance in Green Tea Inhibits Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and often fatal form of breast cancer.  In IBC, lymphatic vessels in the skin are blocked causing the breasts to appear swollen and red.  Early in the disease process, patients with IBC usually do not have the classic “lump” in their breast; therefore the disease is frequently diagnosed at later stages.  Diagnosis is often so delayed that the cancer has metastasized and patient prognosis is poor.

The underlying cause of IBC is unknown, but it is believed that like with other cancers cetain cell types have the abililty to transform into cells that can form malignant tumors.  These aberrant cells are considered cancer stem cells, and populations of cancer stem cells have been identified in IBC.

In a recent, study researchers evaluated whether a metabolite found in green tea could inhibit the growth of certain stem cell types that have been identified in the breast tissue of patients with IBC.  In this study, two IBC stem cell types, SUM-149 and SUM-190, were exposed epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG- is a potent antioxidant found in green tea).  Results from the study showed that EGCG treatment inhibited the growth, spread, and survival of the two stem cell types.

For the following questions, please refer to the original paper.  The link to the paper is: http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0073464&representation=PDF

  1. What is the overall hypothesis of this experiment? (Reminder: a hypothesis is a statement that can be tested).
  2. In the Materials and Methods section of the paper, the authors discuss the cell culture and treatment conditions.  What was the control group treated with in this section (make sure to look only at the Cell Culture and Treatment section of the paper)?  Why?
  3. Again, looking only at the Cell Culture and Treatment section, what was the experimental group treated with?  Why?
  4. In the Results section of the paper, the authors clearly summary their multiple findings.  In the “EGCG Reduces Growth of Pre-existing Tumors Derived from SUM-149 Stem-like Cells” results sub-section, the authors report a specfic finding.  What specific result do the researchers report?
  5. Did the researchers follow the scientific method in their experimental design?  Explain.
  6. Based on the results, was the hypothesis supported, and what can you conclude from this experiment?

Mineva et al. (2013).  Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits stem-like inflammatory breast cancer cells. PLoS ONE, 8(9): e73464. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073464

 

Rubric Name: Writtent Assignment 1: Trace the Scientific Method Assignment

Criteria
hypothesis clearly stated without any mistakes, concisely hypothesis of the experiment stated, but contains too much information an attempt to state hypothesis, with some correct information and/or components hypothesis not stated
control group identified correctly;  treatment of the control group described and sound reasoning present control group identified correctly; treatment described with minor mistakes and/or minor mistakes in reasoning control group identified, reasoning is missing control group not identified, remained of the question not answered
experimental group identified correctly;  treatment of the experimental group described and sound reasoning present experimental group identified correctly; treatment described with minor mistakes and/or minor mistakes in reasoning experimental group identified, reasoning missing experimental group nor reasoning present
clear answer with concrete results from the experiment 1 mistake in the results, may be lacking clarity, but overall is factually accurate 2 mistakes, significant flaws in clarity Not answered or answered incorrectly
accurately identifies and describes components of the scientific method and how it was applied in the experiment one component of the scientific method is not explained as it applies to the experiment in question; minor mistakes present, overall factually accurate response 2 or more components are missing or not explained; conclusion contains more factually incorrect information answer incorrect or not submitted
accurate response and rationale accurate response, rationale lacking detail or contains minor mistakes, but overall is factually correct response shows lack of understanding of the experimental results and hypothesis, conclusion contains major mistakes answer not submitted or completely incorrect

What is your total intake of potassium for the day? Does your daily intake of potassium fall within the normal limit of 4,700 mg per day?

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Part C – 22 points

DO NOT REWRITE THE QESTIONS.  ANSWER THE QUESTIONS COMPLETELY TO GET FULL CREDIT.  CLEARLY NUMBER YOUR ANSWERS ACCORDINGLY.

YOU MUST ANSWER ALL PARTS OF THIS QUESTIONS THAT APPLIES TO YOU TO GET FULL CREDIT

  1. What is your sodium intake per day? List the top three foods in your diet that most of your sodium is coming from. List the amount of sodium in each of your top three foods. Click the + sign next to sodium to see your top three foods that contribute the most sodium to your diet. Does your intake of sodium less than 2300mg per day? If your sodium is less than 2300mg per day and you consume the same or more calories than the recommended intake, explain why your sodium level is low.If your sodium level is below 2300mg per day and your total calories is less than the recommended intake, Explain what would happen to your sodium intake if you consume the recommended intake of calories, then list three foods that are low in sodium (less than 100mg per serving), the serving size and the amount of sodium in each food. If your sodium level is more than 2300mg per day, list three foods that are low in sodium (less than 100mg per serving) that you could have eaten. List serving size and amount of sodium in each of your low sodium list you would eat.
  2. What is your total intake of potassium for the day? Does your daily intake of potassium fall within the normal limit of 4,700 mg per day? List at least three foods that are high in potasium, and the amount you would need to eat to meet your daily need for potassium for the day. List amount of potassium in each food.
  3. What is the immediate health consequence of a diet that is high in sodium (salt) but low in potassium? Be thoughtful with your response. You should read more about it in the chapter that discusses these two minerals in your textbook. If you write death, or heart attack, you will be incorrect and get a zero.
  4. What is your impression regarding your nutrition health based on what you ate and the analysis of your diet? Is there anything that you would change? Do you believe that if you eat like this everyday, you are practicing good nutrition health? if so why? If not, why? Be specific with your response. Provide example of what you might change or how you can continue to maintain good nutrition health. Your response is not your opinion but should be based on everything you have learned about staying healthy with proper foods and lifestyle.

Are there any vitamins that you consume less than 50% of your recommended intake?

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Part B – 15 points

DO NOT REWRITE THE QESTIONS.  ANSWER THE QUESTIONS COMPLETELY TO GET FULL CREDIT.  CLEARLY NUMBER YOUR ANSWERS ACCORDINGLY.

  1. What is your daily intake of cholesterol in mg? Is your daily intake of saturated fat greater than 10% of your total calories? If your intake is higher than 300mg of cholesterol or total saturated fat is higher than 10%, what foods from your diet contributes the most cholesterol and saturated fat? How can a person lower there intake of saturated fat and cholesterol (chapter 5).
  2. Add the percentages of kcal from carbohydrate, protein, and fat together. Does the result add up to 100%. If your total is not 100%, and your calculation is off by more than 2%, recalculate the percentages of calories from carbohydrate, protein and fat. The percentages should be 100% or within a percent or two of 100%. Also if your food intake record include alcohol, this may also account for the discrepancy and you should indicate as such.
  3. Did your intake of carbohydrate, protein and fat fall within Accepted Macronutrient Distribution range (AMDR – Chapter 2)? If not, list the macronutrient that is below or above the recommended intake.
  4. How many grams of fiber did you eat in one day? How many grams of fiber is recommended for you? Does your intake meet your recommended intake? if not list three specific foods that are high in fiber, the serving size and amount of fiber in each that you can add to your diet to meet your need for the day.
  5. Are there any vitamins that you consume less than 50% of your recommended intake? If so list them.

Write your total energy intake (Kcal)? This the total amount of calories you ate for the entire day

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Part A – 13 points

DO NOT REWRITE THE QESTIONS.  ANSWER THE QUESTIONS COMPLETELY TO GET FULL CREDIT.  CLEARLY NUMBER YOUR ANSWERS ACCORDINGLY.

  1. Using the information from the Daily Food Group Target from the food tracker main page, to the right of the screen, for each of the five Food Groups, list any food group that you consume less than 50% of. List two specific foods for each food group that you could have eaten to get to 100%
  2. Use the information on the Nutrient Report page to complete the rest of the questions. Write your total energy intake (Kcal)? This the total amount of calories you ate for the entire day. If your total calories is less or more than the recommended or target, state how many calories you are over or under.
  3. Calculate the calories from carbohydrate. Multiply total grams of carbohydrate per day by 4 calories per gram
  4. Calculate the calories from protein. Multiply total grams of protein per day by 4 calories per gram.
  5. How many kcal is coming from fat? Multiply the percentage of fat by total kcal consumed for the day.
  6. How many grams of fat did you consume? Divide total calories from fat by 9 from the previous question