Online 190 Final Study
Vaccines differ widely based on their target and preparation. How long does it usually take for a seasonal flu vaccine to take affect?
9-14 days
Considering the National debate on DNA forensic databases which of the following is not an issue?
Accuracy of the DNA testing protocols
What is from a small sub-population of specialized stem cells present within some adult organs and capable of self-renewal but have a relatively limited capacity to differentiate?
Adult stems cells
Genes code for proteins. Some proteins are involved with the metabolic pathways which influence neurological behaviors and mutations in the genes which code for these proteins can influence behavior. Which of these behavioral conditions has molecular evidence?
All of the answers have genetic components and are influenced by environment
There is a lot of controversy surrounding vaccines and their efficacy and safety. The anti-vax community has grown over the past several years. What are some reasons why parents choose to not vaccinate their children?
All of the these answers apply
In recent trials, gene therapies have shown great promise for curing disorders such as hemophilia. The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system was developed from discoveries in 2015 and is based on an ancient virus-killing defense mechanism found in many bacteria. What is gene editing?
All of these answers are correct
Using the tools afforded by modern molecular biology and genomic mutations, diseases can be identified, corrected, altered or treated. What is gene therapy?
All of these answers are correct
What are some solutions to sexual assault on US campuses?
All of these apply
What are some of the DNA technologies used in forensic investigations?
All of these technologies can be used in forensic investigations
One of the standards of care in cancer treatments include the use of chemotherapy. Chemotherapies were first developed in the 1940s to stop the rapid growth of tumor cells. Many of the small molecule chemical drugs still used in modern chemotherapy are
cytotoxic (kill fast growing cells)
X% of rape victims are females under the age of 18
61
Gene editing has recently emerged as a new possible therapeutic approach. Gene editing allows biologists to
"knock down" or knock out gene expression of a specific gene to see how the absence of that gene affects the disease
In the brief time you have to read these questions, ~60 more Americans will lose their fight with Cancer... One per minute... Every minute... Every hour... ~1500 more victims each day. Most of us know someone who has been touched by this disease and the socio-economic burden to the country is large. The financial costs of cancer per year in the US, according to NIH estimates are
$189.8 billion
An American woman is _______ times more likely to be raped than to die in a car crash
10
During the 20th century, the emergence of several new influenza A virus subtypes have caused pandemics; all of which spread around the world within a year of being detected. One of these is suspected of killing over 675,000 in the US and over 50 million globally. That deadly pandemic was called the
1918-19, "Spanish flu," [A (H1N1)]
During the historical development of bioweapons, it is known that:
1942-73: US program of offensive and defensive BW, including human "volunteer" exposures
Approximately 28% of rape victims are raped by their husbands, and _____ by and acquaintance
35
One out of every _____ women currently in college has been raped.
5
Why would analyzing the DNA of burglars reduce the violent crime rate, theoretically?
50% of non-violent criminals go on to commit violent crimes, analysis would make proving guilt and making arrests easier
The ability to clone DNA and make specific DNA vectors to transform cells to make specific proteins has opened up the possibility to make new pharmaceuticals based on this technology. Recombinant DNA technology has been able to make what class of compounds as a new class of effective drugs?
Antibodies
The ability to clone DNA and make specific DNA vectors to transform cells to produce specific proteins has opened up the possibility to make new pharmaceuticals based on this technology. Recombinant DNA technology has been able to make what class of compounds as a new group of effective therapeutic drugs?
Antibodies
How is the "Dual Use Dilemma" best described ?
Basic research that could have serious beneficial aspects for public health, such as preventing the next pandemic, or be used to inform bioterrorists how to make a bioweapon.
What is one of the the most significant characteristic difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell?
Cancer cells are immortalized and exhibit prolonged cell division; normal cells usually have a finite number of cell divisions
The role of the law enforcement detective in an investigation is:
Collect information to solve crime by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases.
A standard set of known DNA markers are used to characterize a forensic DNA sample. The thirteen markers that are used are broadly applied across all fifty states and internationally. CODIS stands for:
Combined DNA Index System
Which of the choices is the least likely agent to be deployed for biological warfare?
Common cold
Individual gene sequences in genomes can be searched to find striking similarities between species. The entire genomic sequences are now known for many species of bacteria, fungi, insects, plants and animals, including humans and chimpanzees. This vast amount of information has been published and is in the public domain. The genome databases aligned and the similarities and relations can be examined. These types of analyses have shown that humans are 98% similar in DNA sequence to the chimpanzee; 88% similar to mice and about 33% similar to the genes of a rice plant. This type of analysis is called:
Comparative genomics
Which of the following is false?
DNA cannot be used without a person's consent first
Any gene can now be cloned. This technology has been used to make a whole new class of pharmaceuticals. What are the implications of gene cloning for the pharmaceutical industry?
Drugs, based on antibodies, are now on the market made using this technology
Which of the following is NOT true about rape in the U.S?
Rape is not a serious problem in the United States
Gene editing technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9 have revolutionized methods to alter DNA associated with some traits and diseases. The ability to replace repair or delete defective genes in a patient, as a type of genetic surgery, is collectively called
Gene therapy
The discovery that some virus can cause cancer was discovered many years ago. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease which can cause cervical and esophageal cancer. HPV stands for
Human Papilloma Virus
The frequency of certain cancers in the United States have changed over time. For example, stomach cancer rates dropped significantly after 1938, possibly because of the widespread use of refrigeration for foods resulting in a drop in microorganism which may have stimulated stomach cancers. Which type of cancer (as described by the organ of origin) has caused the most cancer deaths in the US per year and increased most dramatically between 1960 and 1990, but then dropped most significantly since 1990?
Lung and bronchus
Some cancers may be preventable. The organ of origin which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US per year is
Lung and bronchus (male and female, ~90,000 and 73,000)
Research on how the principles of biology and evolution are involved with criminal behavior is in its infancy. The principal mechanism of evolution, which includes two processes that operate together: chance variability and selection, is called:
Natural selection
Why do some pharmaceuticals work better for some people than others? Why do some people experience side effects and not others? We all have a unique genetic sequence. A drug which may be great for you, may not respond so well for another person. In fact, a medication which may do well for you may even result in the death of another person as seen with the examples of Celebrex and related medications. Genetic predisposition to disease or drug response is the focus of what area of biotechnology?
Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine.
Numerous pandemic flu outbreaks have occurred over history. Most virologists and epidemiologists believe that the next outbreak is not a matter of 'if but when'. The best measure to prevent a catastrophic outbreak would be
Take all of the measures in the other answers
Anyone can make an atom bomb. It is easy. You can look up the instructions on the web. Getting the materials is considerably more difficult (consider Iran). The United States and many other countries have been concerned for decades about nuclear proliferation. On the other hand, the production of biological weapons of mass destruction is relatively simple as well, but getting the appropriate materials and expertise is very relatively easy. The best preventive measure(s) to prevent a catastrophic bioweapons attack would be
Realize that this is largely out of our collective control, like most terrorist attacks, but take every measure possible including all those measures in the other answers to prevent an attack
Similar technology that is developed for personalized hES stem cells by transplanting a nucleus and therapeutic cloning could be extended to which of the following?
Reproductive cloning of humans
What is a single base pair that changes the sequence in DNA and is responsible for genetic variation?
SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms)
A leading group of followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho) had hoped to incapacitate the voting population of the city so that their own candidates would win the 1984 Wasco County elections. This notorious attack used a bioweapon in an attempt to sway the upcoming election. Cult members were found to have contaminated commercial salad bars with what organism?
Salmonella
The ________ killed hundreds of millions of people globally during the early 1900's?
Spanish Flu
Cancer is the one most well known health threats by the public to the average American in part due to extensive coverage on the disease and that most people know someone affected by cancer. What is lesser known is that some traits can be inherited that increase the chance of developing cancer. Given that genetic predisposition is inherited, a tumor within a person's somatic tissue (Body cells not reproductive cells) cannot be directly transmitted, so how could mutations involved with cancer be passed on to offspring?
Stable mutations, like other genetic traits, can be inherited
_____ is a new interdisciplinary area that involves the application of engineering principles to biology and the development of new biochemical pathways.
Synthetic Biology
The world's highest rape rate of all countries that publish such data is:
The United States
The world's highest rate of sexual assault of all developed countries that publish this type of data is:
The United States
What is gene therapy?
The direct use of genetic material to treat or prevent diseases
Avastin is a humanized antibody that binds the peptide factor VEGF with a half-life in humans of 17-21 days. This drug is produced from a cloned segment of DNA that has been introduced into cell culture to make a stable transgenic cell line. These cells are then grown in large fermentors that are then harvested and the antibody is then purified through biomanufacturing processes. This purified antibody is sold as the drug Avastin which when introduced into the patient will cause
The neutralization of VEGF that reduces or eliminates the ongoing angiogenesis in tumors
How would a bioweapons attack be carried out? In a bioweapons attack, there are the unique challenges with first response because
The release of biological agents is not likely to be immediately discernible
There are populations of cells which retain their ability to divide and differentiate. The defining characteristic(s) of adult stem cells are
all of these answers are appropriate
Pathogens often recognize their host by binding to proteins on the outside of cells. Specialized proteins embedded in cell membranes which receive and transmit chemical messages are often desirable drug targets and are referred to as:
receptors
DNA analysis is now a common and widely accepted forensic tool used to analyze evidentiary DNA
True
The screening and detection of specific DNA sequences has been broadly applied in medical and life sciences. PCR is a useful molecular tool for use in plant genetics, pharmacogenomics, evolutionary studies, pandemic flu, and analysis of bioweapons.
True
Cells from an animal embryo can be isolated and grown in culture. Research and development of human embryonic stem cells for therapeutic purposes is controversial because
a blastocyst stage embryo usually must be 'dissociated' to recovery ICM (Inner Cell Mass) cells in order to produce them in culture
Considering the National debate on DNA forensic databases which of the following is NOT an issue?
accuracy of the DNA testing protocols
Why do we test and strictly regulate the production, manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals in the United States? The FDA is The Food and Drug Administration and is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of
all of the answers are correct.
Loss of cell or tissue function characterizes many degenerative diseases. Many degenerative diseases are characterized by organ failure or cell loss. These types of disease are attractive candidates for stem cell therapy and gene therapy which include:
all of the disease states described in the other answers
Many different genes have been linked to cancer by identification of mutations in primary human tumors. These genetic changes in DNA linked to cancer include
all of the types of mutations described in the other answers
Degenerative diseases that result in cell death or function, such as Parkinson's and Alzhiemer's, injuries that may result in damaged cells and tissues, such as spinal cord injuries, and the lack of available human donor organs for transplant has motivated scientists to investigate new ways to replace the functions of diseased organs. Promising approaches to these problems are
all of these approaches
How can damaged populations of cells or tissues which cause disease be cured? Degenerative diseases that result in cell death or function, such as Parkinson's and Alzhiemer's, injuries that may result in damages cells and tissues, such as spinal cord injuries, and the lack of available human donor organs for transplant has motivated scientists to investigate new ways to replace the functions of diseased organs. Promising approaches to these problems that have received considerable research are
all of these approaches
Although most cancers originate from a single cell, the frequency of the possibility is increased as whole tissues are exposed to carcinogens. Since many cancers exhibit a 'field effect', elevated malignant potential across a target tissue or organ can be seen in which of the following examples:
all of these examples exhibit field effects
Why should we expand forensic DNA databases?
all of these reasons
Monoclonal antibodies have a very high affinity for their targets. Antibodies have some distinct advantages over old school small molecule chemotherapies (such as mustard gas derivatives) for treating cancer because they
all of these reasons are true
Vaccines have been shown to NOT cause autism, but still controversies persist because of a lack of understanding about how vaccines work and how they are made. A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters. Vaccines can be made from
all of these, or none of these have contributed to new vaccines
An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads on a worldwide scale and infects a large proportion of the world population. In contrast to the regular seasonal epidemics of influenza, these pandemics occur irregularly. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine. Pandemic flu:
are outbreaks that are caused by new influenza subtypes that have never circulated among people or by subtypes that have not circulated among people for a long time.
Some abnormal cells grow in normal tissues, but are not cancerous. Not all tumors are cancerous. These types of tumors do not grow uncontrollably, do not invade neighboring tissues, do not spread throughout the body, and upon confirmation by a biopsy are called:
benign
How does forensic testing help in a criminal investigation?
by any or all of these answers
Most cancers are derived from a single cell which has accumulated enough mutations to perturb the normal cell cycle for division. The origin of cancer is called
carcinogenisis
How tumors develop is an intense area of cancer research. A single tumor is a heterogenous mass of different cell types. As cancer develops, cells re-colonize previously normal tissues in a process called metatasis. How are certain signals perceived by cells? Motion in living cells or creatures which is directed by chemical signals and undirected by any choice or goal is known as;
chemotaxis
The way bacteria and cancer cells find food is similar and involves one of life's oldest forms response to chemical signaling. A bacterium swims by using their flagella. If one were to place a spot of acid on one side of a Petri dish containing bacterial growth media and a spot of sugar on the opposite side with the bacteria in the middle, they swim towards the sugar responding by chemical signaling and creates the appearance of 'purpose' (which begs the question about the nature of purpose vs function). And we think our decision-making processes are so complicated, because we are, after all humans (which begs the question about the nature of consciousness). This type of chemical signaling is called:
chemotaxis or "movement induced by chemicals"
The USS John Harvey, an American ship in Bari Harbor, carried a highly classified load of 2,000 100-lb mustard bombs on Dec 2, 1943 when a German raid damaged 17 ships, including the Harvey. Fire on the Harvey caused a mustard gas-laden smoke that spread quickly. 617 mustard gas poisoning cases among troops and merchant marine seamen occurred. Studies of mustard gas by two young assistant professors in Yale's new Department of Pharmacology, Louis S. Goodman, M.D., and Alfred Gilman, Ph.D had already shown interesting biological effects of mustard gas that eventually lead to the development of
chemotherapy
Antibiotic resistant microbial pathogens are increasing. Antibiotic resistant tuberculosis is on the rise world-wide. Antibiotic and contagious pneumonia has been reported. Which approach to research treatment development would not be the best choice?
develop cheaper methods to make the antibiotic.
Having the capability to sense signals and react to stimuli is a central feature to all biological life processes. What are the regulatory processes in which there are signals indicating "too much" or "too little" which result in a correction to the processes?
feedback loops
Adult stem cells can be used for therapeutic applications. Adult stem cells are:
from a small sub-population of specialized stem cells present within some adult organs and capable of self renewal and limited capacity to differentiate.
Progress in cancer diagnosis has occur from the use of a microscopic view of the histological appearance of tumors in biopsies to a molecular view of analyzing the genes that are expressed or not expressed in tumors can be done now by
generating a genomic sequence analysis and/or a molecular profile on a GeneChip (microarray)
The history on bioweapons used by humans goes back many centuries. The United States
has conducted significant research on the use of bioweapons
Can we use healthy human cells from donors or other sources to rejuvenate and replenish diseased tissues? The history behind the development and therapeutic applications for adult stem cells includes that they:
have been used to treat leukemia using bone marrow since 1956 and have been used successfully without controversy for many years.
All people are genetically unique. An understanding of how genetics influences pharmaceuticals and their effects on different people in the population is therefore very important. Pharmacogenomics is the study of:
how an individual's genetic complement affects the body's response to drugs
Many human infections involve human-to-human transmission. During the early 20th century the Spanish flu swept across the world in one year. Technology has changed our world since those times. How will the next major global pandemic most likely move most effectively?
human to human transmission facilitated by air travel.
Many patients with the flu visit their physician and request an antibiotic. Antibiotics are effective against microbial infections, but are not useful against the flu. Antiviral medications have been made and tested to prevent and treat influenza
including four different influenza antiviral medications (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir)
Hollywood films and science fiction generally often struggle to present science accurately on many levels. We can comment that this is entertainment and not education, however its influence is often substantial. The film Contagion
is a theoretical depiction based on what might happen in a serious global pandemic and is reasonably accurate.
Viruses mutate and can become more pathogenic to humans. Some viruses may originate in other animals, such as birds, bats or pigs and then become infectious to humans. An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza A virus appears or "emerges" in the human population, causes serious illness, and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide. Such a pandemic
is only a matter of time before another occurrence
What are the origins of pharmacy? When did humans start to treat themselves for diseases? Humans have used plants to treat diseases for thousands of years. Modern pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and
it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs
It is often asked, "Why is there not a cure for cancer?" Some cancer experts would disagree, and answer, "well there is, but which cancer do you mean?" There are many different types of cancer, so it is in fact, not one disease but many, all with slight genetic and biological differences. There are over 200 different known characterized cancers that afflict humans. The type of cancer is usually described by most people by
its organ of origin, such as breast cancer, or lung cancer
Which are the leading organs of origin site of new cancer cases and deaths in the US?
lung and bronchial
Mutations and other loss of function in genes are the cause of many diseases. Gene Therapy offers a technology:
may provide a method for replacement or gene editing of mutant genes
Biopsy and histology has been an effective tool for staging of colon cancer using Dukes' staging. This type of staging works well only for very good / very poor prognosis patients (Dukes' stage A and D), but it is not very informative when predicting long-term outcomes of intermediate prognosis patients (Dukes' stage B and C). A bigger problem is that a biopsy and a Dukes' classification provides only a single snapshot in time... within the long natural history of a colon tumor (until the day of biopsy). Molecular staging in colon cancer may have the following implications:
may provide more accurate and early predictions of patient outcome than is currently possible with clinical staging
Cells can generate mutations during DNA replication and cell division. Some of these changes can occur in genes which control and regulate cell division causing cell to enter uncontrolled cell division resulting in tumors. Cancer grows
out of normal cells in the body, usually originating form a single cell
While biological and pharmaceutical approaches to cures for degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease, have been actively pursued, for years, other recent approaches which have been recently investigated involve
physical treatments such as electromagnetic therapies and nanotechnologies
It has been suggested that the same technologies that have been developed for human embryonic stem cells, or hES stem cells, and therapeutic cloning, could be used for other purposes. Stem cell research in humans has been controversial for some time over various issues, in part, because of the so-called 'slippery slope' argument. These technologies could easily be extended to
reproductive cloning and genetic engineering of humans
Small changes in the DNA sequence of coding regions (Genes) can have significant effects on the gene and the trait or protein that it encodes. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (or SNPs) are
single base pair changes in DNA responsible for genetic variation.
Pandemic flu outbreaks follow various stages of development. The stages of a Pandemic, characterized by the World Health Organization recognizes a Phase 6 Pandemic when:
sustained transmission in general populations through increased human to human transmission.
The next pandemic flu has been predicted and modeled to spread very quickly on a global scale. What is currently the largest contributing factor to a major pandemic outbreak of influenza A virus to rapidly spread globally?
the fact of global travel within days and hours; the so-called "Migratory SilverBird Flyways" or modern air travel that could spread a virus
Pandemic viruses emerge as a result of a process called "antigenic shift," which causes an abrupt or sudden, major change in influenza A viruses. As billions of viruses replicate, mutations can cause variation in infectivity. These changes are caused by
the process of viral evolution and selection for replication as observed in new combinations of genes and the HA and/or NA proteins on the surface of the virus
The ability to conduct synthetic biology research on dangerous viruses has created a dilemma on biosecurity and Dual-Use research in the life sciences. In the life sciences, dual-use research encompasses biological research with legitimate scientific purpose
the results of which may be misused to pose a biologic threat to public health and/or national security
Human cells can be grown in culture. The manipulation of cells in vitro (literally 'in glass"- outside of the body in tissue or cell culture) in order to form replacement tissues/organs that can be transplanted into patient is called:
tissue engineering
Scientific advancements have lead to the ability to grow cells, tissues and organs in vitro in the lab. This type of technology can result in therapies that can use these to treat various medical issues including burn victims (skin) degenerative disorders, or victims of trauma. This process is called:
tissue engineering
There was a double murder in Seattle in 1996 and preliminary investigation came up with two suspects. A couple had been torture and shot dead along with their pet dog. There was blood on one of the suspect's clothing. The blood on the clothing could be best matched with that of the dog by doing what?
using PCR on both samples with known molecular markers for dogs
The alteration of gene expression involved with many degenerative diseases is now a reality for therapy. Can we turn on or turn off genes involved with the expression of certain disease functions? One possibility would involve:
using gene editing functions, such as CRISPR/Cas9 to alter gene function in specific cells
The controversies concerning stem cell research and genetic engineering and the use of gene editing in humans has caused impacts in policy making worldwide. Stem Cell Research
was banned from receiving federal funding in the US in August 2001 under the Bush Administration
