Executive Summary For Teachable Unit Title: Influenza: Molecular Biology Developer: Rachel Groppo III. Learning IV. Teaching V. Teaching Pre-class tutorials VII. Pre-class VIII. Slides In class handouts X. Homework XI. Resources I. Title: Influenza: Molecular Biology II. Developer: Rachel Groppo III. Learning Goals
Primary learning goals - Students understand what it means to be an obligate intracellular - Students understand the basic structure and lifecycle of the - Students learn how antiviral compounds work - Students understand how drug resistant virus develops - Students appreciate that influenza is a difficult disease to control
Secondary learning goals - Be able to link macro level of epidemiology to cellular events - Students understand genetic information is the instructions for how - Students appreciate specificity and 3D nature of biological IV. Scientific teaching themes: See TU Review Rubric for guidelines. Describe how the unit addresses the following themes:
Scientific teaching - Students have hands-on opportunity to see how 3D interactions
are an important concept in biological system interactions.
- Incorporates mixture of active learning and mini-lecture
format, as well as small group activities to allow students to assess own knowledge and gain insight from peers.
- Students must use newly acquired knowledge to form theory
Diversity - The presentation for the unit takes various forms,
encompassing lecture, small group discussion and individual work.
- Material is presented using many aids including models, slides
Active learning - Students frequently work together in groups to practice using
newly acquired terms and synthesizing and revising their own framework of knowledge.
- Students will be guided to organize complex
pathways/concepts around basic principles in a conceptual framework
Assessment - Pre and post exam will help to prime students for information
about to receive as well as assist them is assessing own knowledge after class. Also provides instructor with similar feedback on knowledge previously known and subsequently
- Group work allows professor opportunity to gauge student
understanding either when groups report ideas to whole-group or when interacting with groups in discussions.
- Take home assignment allows students to review major
concepts presented in class and extend those concepts.
Provides professor with feedback as to the concepts gained and level of understanding achieved.
V. Teaching Plan Title: Influenza: Molecular Biology Developer: Rachel Groppo
to link with molecular level of today’s lecture.
Elicit/Engage: Ask class to become WHO researchers. List 3 pieces of information want to know about causal agent of flu disease. When report back answers: what the causal agent is, how to stop it, etc. Today will focus on interrupting the lifecycle of the flu, in particular with drugs.
General virus features Mini lecture
Explain definition of virus and obligate intracellular parasite. Elicit information from pre-class tutorial.
Explain: Go over basics of virus structure and definition of obligate intracellular parasite. Elicit student knowledge of eukaryotic cell structure by having them draw eukaryotic cells. Introduce steps of virus lifecycle. Explain/Engage: Review structure of influenza virus making correlations to virus basics just went over. Students will use the cell they drew and will “break apart” virus models as go through virus lifecycle. To guide them, professor will have series of slides correlating to 5 major steps and proteins involved in lifecycle.
Students apply knowledge of flu lifecycle.
Evaluate/Extend: Ask students to consider lifecycle of flu virus and devise a drug that they feel would be effective at stopping the flu. Allows instructors to evaluate misconceptions concerning virus lifecycle. Review group answers to
previous activity, highlighting step of viral lifecycle would affect.
Elaborate: Then provide example of Tamiflu drug. Allow students to see how this
drug would prohibit spread of virus with models.
lecture/activity “look” of the influenza virus is altered
leading to creation of drug resistant viruses.
Extend: If have effective drug against influenza, why are we concerned? Influenza can change its genetic information and therefore the way it looks. Can do so by mutation.
why it would be effective, and explain how it could become ineffective.
VI. Pre-class Tutorials
Review of eukaryotic cell structure at: Review the size of the different components we will be working with during class at: Note in particular the relative sizes of the lymphocyte, red blood cell, and virus particles Overview of viral infection at:
Go through the movie entitled: “Viral infection mechanism”
VII. Pre-Class Quiz Flu and Molecular Biology 1. ________________ are the cellular machines that make proteins.
a. Ribosomes b. Lysosomes c. Mitochondria
2. A virus particle is:
a. inert b. an obligate intracellular parasite c. made of genomic material and protein d. both b and c e. all of the above
3. Antibiotics are useful drugs to combat the flu? 4. _______ is the flu viral protein responsible for exit and release of virus particles from an infected cell? 5. Tamiflu is a potent antibiotic: 6. Mutations are:
a. changes in genomic material b. always detrimental c. changes in proteins
answer: a or maybe c too. Want to see their distribution of answers.
VIII. Slides
Please see attached (not sure where these will be).
IX. Handouts
Handouts during class including (see handout ppt file elsewhere):
X. Homework
1. Devise an antiviral that you think would be an effective way to stop the flu.
In your explanation include what part of the virus lifecycle would be affected and name your antiviral compound.
2. How could your compound become ineffective at fighting the flu?
3. If the WHO guidelines indicated that to treat influenza, people should be
given both your new drug and Tamiflu at the same time, what would have to happen to the virus in order to be able to make more virus and spread? Why would treatment with two drugs versus one be more effective?
4. Would you take an antibiotic if you came down with the flu? Why or why
Homework grading rubric
1. Devise an antiviral that you think would be an effective way to stop the flu.
In your explanation include what part of the virus lifecycle would be affected and name your antiviral compound.
Excellent Better Good
“Good” plus indicates one Propose disrupting part
lifecycle disrupts progression of infection overall (to other cells).
2. How could your compound become ineffective at fighting the flu?
Excellent Better Good
that part of the virus is maintained so virus will proliferate.
3. If the WHO guidelines indicated that to treat influenza, people should be
given both your new drug and Tamiflu at the same time, what would have to happen to the virus in order to be able to make more virus and spread?
Excellent Better Good
“Better” plus indicate that “Good” plus indicate that
Why would treatment with two drugs versus one be more effective?
Excellent Better Good 4. Would you take an antibiotic if you came down with the flu? Why or why
Should specify that antibiotics are specific for bacteria and flu is caused by a virus, so antibiotic would not be effective. If they answer they would take an antibiotic while they had the flu they should specify that they would be worried about bacterial infection while immunocompromised or something to that effect.
XI. Resources
Roche, the makers of Tamiflu, have two very nice
sites. The first gives an overview of influenza virus with some great movies.
The second site is a Tamiflu information site:
For information about assortment and mutation:
For information about the virus and antivirals:
Laver G. et al. Disarming Flu Viruses. Scientific American, Jan. 1999. pp. 78-87.
Fields BN et al. Fields Virology. Vol.1 1996.
Moscona, A. Neuraminidase inhibitors for influenza. New England Journal of Medicine.
Brown, E. Influenza genetics. Biomed and Pharmacother. 54, 2000, pp. 196-209.
Ito, T. and Kawaoka, Y. Host-range barrier of influenza A viruses. Veterinary Microbiology,
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