Microsoft Word - script-3.docx
BIOL121 ASSIGNMENT 3: Written assessment Scenario: Jordan
Jordan is a 41-year-old male, who has made an appointment to see his GP for his biannual
health check. He tells the doctor that he has been feeling “a bit puffed” walking around the
course during his weekly game of golf and that he seems to be urinating more frequently of
late. Jordan reports he has gained nine kilos since his 30th birthday, and his waist
measurement has expanded. He laughs this off as “middle-aged spread” and says his wife
tells him he needs to watch what he eats and drink less alcohol. Jordan works as a software
engineer, which he has been finding very stressful of late, and spends a lot of his time in the
office sitting in front of a computer, snacking on his favourite salt and vinegar chips. Jordan
and his wife are keen to start a family but have not yet been successful in conceiving.
On the advice of his doctor, Jordan has been taking Aspirin in the evenings for the past 18
months to lower his risk of heart attack.
All topics and their key points listed below must be discussed in your essay
Topic 1: Reproduction (10 marks total)
Jordan and his wife are keen to start a family but have had no success so far. Considering Jordan’s
lood test results, indicate whether there is need for further investigation. Your discussion should
include the homeostatic regulation of male reproductive physiology and the relevant glands, cells,
and hormones. (10 marks)
Topic 2: Renal (5 marks total)
Evaluate Jordan’s urinalysis. Using your knowledge of normal kidney function and urine formation,
explain any abnormal values, and the possible underlying mechanisms. (5 marks)
Topic 3: Digestion/metabolism (8 marks total)
After speaking to his doctor, Jordan has decided to try to lose weight. He has decided to cut out fat
and cheese from his diet and has moved to lactose-free skim milk but has not changed his
ca
ohydrate intake.
Discuss the mechanical and chemical events required for Jordan to abso
the ingested
ca
ohydrates. (4.5 marks)
Jordan is having a TV dinner and enjoying his high ca
ohydrate/low fat meal. State the hormone
that is MOST active in maintaining Jordan’s blood glucose levels at this time. Explain your answer.
(3.5 marks)
Topic 4: Pharmacology (7 marks total)
Under the advice of his doctor, Jordan has taken a low dose, enteric-coated Aspirin tablet each
evening for the past 18 months.
Discuss the route of administration, where the drug is likely to be abso
ed after administration, and
its likely bioavailability. Justify your response by discussing whether the drug would be subjected to
hepatic first pass. (4 marks)
Discuss the importance of the half-life of a drug. Assuming there is 100% absorption, and the half-life
of Aspirin is 3 hours, calculate the % of drug that is likely to be present in Jordan’s blood after 15
hours. (3 marks)
Format: A series of questions relating to a case study are provided. These questions must be
answered in the form of an essay.
Instructions, and documents containing the case studies and accompanying questions are
provided in the link below this one. The marks each question is worth are clearly indicated in
these documents. 5 of 35 marks are allocated for writing style as per the marking guide. If you
equire help with academic writing, in particular conventions you should adhere to when writing
an academic essay
Word count: 1200 words (+10%). Markers will not allocate marks beyond 1320 words.
General information: All health professionals need to be able to communicate and justify their
work to a non-specialist audience, which may comprise those involved in policy-making
decisions as well as the general public. As you will be aware, the health sciences are often
poorly represented by the media. There are plentiful examples of reporting that may be
sensationalistic, misleading, biased (e.g. on vaccine safety), inaccurate (e.g. many media
sources seem to view the words bacteria and viruses as interchangeable), or all four. Hence,
there is a need for, and a potential career in, good writing and communication in the health
professional arena.
This assessment involves addressing a series of generic questions in the form of an essay. The
questions relate directly to the case studies presented. Key points to note are below:
• Your answers must be incorporated into sentences and paragraphs that include facts
from the case study.
• All answers must be specific for the person in the case study; marks will not be given
where your essay does not relate to the person in the case study.
• The answers to the questions in the case study must be integrated into an essay, which
should include an appropriate introduction and conclusion; your written communication
mark will be heavily penalised if a question-answer style presentation will be .
• You can present the information in the order that you feel flows best; you don’t have to
present it in the order of the questions.
• The information you present must be synthesised from reliable sources (e.g. peer-
eviewed articles in the scientific and clinical research literature, and textbooks).
• Care must be taken in all aspects of the essay, including spelling and grammar.
Do I need to reference my case study essay? Yes, you must include appropriate in-text
citations and a reference list in APA style (7th edition).