BME100 f2013:W900 Group9 L1

BME 100 Fall 2013	Home People Lab Write-Up 1 | Lab Write-Up 2 | Lab Write-Up 3 Lab Write-Up 4 | Lab Write-Up 5 | Lab Write-Up 6 Course Logistics For Instructors Photos Wiki Editing Help
OUR TEAM Name: Allison Lind Role(s) Name: Neel J. Patel Role(s) Name: Callie M. LaMarche Role(s) Name: Julianna A. Brunner Role(s) Name: Sydny M. Lankford Role(s) LAB 1 WRITE-UP Independent and Dependent Variables The independent variable is the dosage of the lipopolysaccharide (measured in mg). The dependent variable is the level of the protein Inflammotin in the subjects' blood. Experimental Design Groups 6 - 0 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg, 6 mg, 8 mg, 10 mg of lipopolysaccharide 0 mg = control group Number of subjects per group 10 - consisting of various age (from 60-80), gender, and descent Details Blood will be drawn from each subject and ran through ELISA to test the initial level of the protein Inflammotin in the blood. The subject then will then be instructed to take the lipopolysaccharide in pill form twice a day for three days. Each group of subjects will be given the same predetermined dose, although the subjects themselves will not know which dosage they are taking. This includes the 0mg "placebo" pill. At the end of the three days, the level of protein in the blood will be tested again. Running a one-way ANOVA test on the data gathered from the various groups will determine whether or not the blood contained a significant amount more of Inflammotin at each dose. Based off of the dosages that did produce significant levels of Inflammotin, the smallest dose will be chosen to use in the research lab to save money. Subject Selection All subjects will be volunteers between the ages of 60 and 80 years old. Each group will contain subjects with different ethnic backgrounds, living conditions and lifestyles, and gender. Also, the subjects cannot be taking any anti-inflammatory medication. Each group should be as diverse as possible to determine if the dosage of lipopolysaccharide will increase Inflammotin levels in a majority of the elderly population. Sources of Error and Bias Several biases and errors may occur throughout the experiment. Subjects between groups will vary genetically, yielding different results for each patient. This includes a variety of factors; ethnic/geographic background, blood type, age, and gender. This may affect their responses to the lipopolysaccharide, and a specific genetic trait may also be responsible for how the patient responds. Additionally, each patient is likely to have a different lifestyle, and will have different choices in diet and exercise. Other medications - aside from the prohibited anti-inflammatory drugs - that the patients are taking may also interfere with the experiment. Errors surrounding the experimental design itself may also be present. For example, the true minimum amount of lipopolysaccharide needed for inducing inflammation may lie between two values tested (such as if the minimum amount was 9 mg, the experiment would not yield that result because only 8 and 10 mg were tested). This could be fixed by running a second experiment with smaller dosage increments once a general range is established from the first experiment.