B1.3 Hormones & Drugs

• Revision Workbook• Written by 10XA

Statins

Statins are drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a fat that clogs up arteries and veins and if levels get to high it will cause cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease are problems in the cardiovascular system, such as heart attack and stroke. If all over 50’s took statins then 2000 people wouldn’t die prematurely.

Scientists have created a new drug which counters the effects of cholesterol. These are called statins, and they lower the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Statins also stop your liver creating too much cholesterol. The best effects from this drug are from well you use them alongside a healthy, low fat diet.

Some people think that they send out the wrong message, that they allow people to eat badly and get away with it and there are side effects such as liver damage and muscle problems.

A Question On Statins.

Give the 2 best arguments for and against statins and explain why you chose these.

Evaluate the arguments of the use of PED’s

By Felix Osborn and Siji Oyenekan

The use of PED’s

PED’s are secretly used throughout the world, from sports to bodybuilders. PED’s are used by sports stars because they want to beat their competitors and gain respect but it ruins the enjoyment of viewing sport and it is bad sportsmanship. It can also be bad for you in the short or long term.

What are the ethics of using PED’s

The problems of drug abuse• Drug abuse does not only affect an individual but can also have larger impacts on a national

scale this is because millions of people every year take medicine such as statins or smoke or drink alcohol

• Drugs have all sorts of health implications and some can be very damaging to an individual for example cannabis can cause mental illness

• On the other hand drugs like alcohol are more costly to the NHS and this consequently costs the tax payer more money

• It affects businesses as people can turn to crime to pay for their drug addiction • In the UK there are 2,000 deaths a year linked to illegal drugs whereas 9,000 die from alcohol

abuse every year and 90,000 people die from smoking every year

Question on drug abuse

“drugs like nicotine and alcohol should be outlawed”

Explain what problems this could cause

Double-Blind Trials

In the development of drugs.

What is a double-blind trial? A double blind trial is a test to see how effective a drug is on humans.

How does it work? A number of patients with the target disease agree to take part in the

trials. They are given a placebo(that doesn’t contain the new drug) or the new

drug. Patients and doctors are unaware of who's been given what until the end of the trial.

The patients health is monitored carefully.

What’s the placebo? The placebo does not contain the new drug however often it contains a

drug currently used for treatment. Therefore the patient is not deprived of treatment.

Link the development of drugs with the Double-Blind Trial and

explain the process.

Addiction and withdrawal symptoms

Addiction is where the drugs change chemical processes in your body, this makes you become addicted to them and you can’t manage properly without them. Some drugs such as heroin and cocaine are very addictive.

Withdrawal symptoms are when addicts try and stop using drugs. The symptoms are often, feeling very un well, they could also have headaches, sweating, shaking, and cravings for the drug they tried to stop using.

Our Question

Describe and explain 3 withdrawal symptoms

Plant hormones

PhototropismGravitropism

Auxins

Phototropism

The responses of plant roots and shoots to light, gravity and moisture are controlled by a hormone called auxin. The response happens because of an uneven distribution of this hormone in the growing root or shoot. As a result the shoot grows in the right direction.

Auxin

Phototropism is the response a plant has towards light.It can clearly be seen when a young shoot responds to light from only one side. The shoot will bend towards the light. Auxin moves to the side where the light is falling and to the unlit side . The cells on that side respond to and the hormone and grow until the plant is growing towards the light.

GravitropismGravitropism can be seen in roots and shoots. Auxin has different effects on root and shoot cells. High levels of auxin make shoot cells grow more but inhibit the growth of root cells. This is why roots and shoots respond differently to gravity.

QuestionExplain the mechanism by which auxin controls a plant’s response to light, gravity and moisture.

Developing new medicines

By Alfie Talbot and Dan Allen

Revision page• A new drug needs to be: Effective, Safe, Stable and easy to take into and

remove from the body.• To create a new medicine it takes up to 12 years. • It can cost up to 350 million.• Lots of different possible new drugs are tested out, finding whether they

are toxic and can do the job.• They are tested on: cells, tissues and whole organs. Also the drug needs to

be tested on the sort of person it will be given to e.g. Pregnant woman. Process- once a basic drug has been created it is then tested on animals, if signs are positive the drug is then tested on humans in a small dose. Further tested are carried on until a safe, stable and effective is created.

Question time

Why must the process for creating a drug take so long?

Thalidomide• Thalidomide was developed as a sleeping pill in the 1950s.• In those days crucial testing was skipped such as that on pregnant animals.• It was then found to stop morning sickness and seemed to have only

positive effects on adults.• Thalidomide was found not to be safe for fetuses.• It caused terrible defects in the babies of women in the earlier stages of

pregnancy.• This led to new law that drugs must be treated on pregnant animals to test

their effects on fetuses.• Thalidomide was then found to treat leprosy but once again caused serious

birth defects.• Its use for treatment on leprosy has now been banned.• However it is now used carefully for people with autoimmune diseases and

some cancers.

Question.

• Explain the reasons for the ban of Thalidomide to treat leprosy and link that to the use of a legal substance that you think should be banned, with reasons.

Types of Drugs

By Altu Mardell&

Freddie Linley

Illegal DrugsIllegal drugs are drugs that cannot be purchased by people because it has been banned by the government. Some examples are:Depressant drugs are drugs that slow down brain activity. They make you feel relaxed and you become more pronounced with your present attitude. Hallucinogen drugs like cannabis use chemicals that distort the brain and confuse it into believing what is not reality.

Legal DrugsLegal drugs are drugs that are buyable from pharmacy's and hospitals, they are used to help with medical conditions. Some examples are:Caffeine is a drug that in drinks like coffee and Cola. It gives you energy and helps to get you going through the day.Alcohol is a substance that is in alcoholic drinks. It is a depressant and can be addictive.