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Team Number: 034 School Name: Shiprock High School Area of Science: Medicine and Health Project Title: Medication for the Common Cold Project Abstract: http://www.challenge.nm.org/Abstacts/034.shtml Interim Report: http://www.challenge.nm.org/Interim/034.shtml Final Report: http://www.challenge.nm.org/Finals/034.html
IN THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES SUFFER OVER ONE BILLION COLDS. THE COMMON COLD OCCURS MORE OFTEN THAN ANY OTHER DISEASE. ITS SYMPTOMS ARE COUGHING SNEEZING, NASAL DISCHARGE, BODY ACHES, SINUS CONGESTION, FEVER, AND HEADACHES. THE COMMON COLD USUALLY BEGINS TWO TO THREE DAYS AFTER THE INFECTION; A FEVER USUALLY CLIMBS TO 102 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE COLD OCCASIONALLY CAN LEAD TO SECONDARY BACTERIAL INFECTIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAR OR SINUSES THAT REQUIRE TREATMENT.
THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DETERMINE WHICH OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS WOULD GET RID OF A COLD IN LESS THAN A WEEK. WE WILL ALSO INCLUDE WHAT IS IN THAT DRUG THAT MAKES PEOPLE WELL WITHIN THAT WEEK. THROUGH OUR RESEARCH, WE DISCOVERED A MEDICATION CALLED ANTIBIOTIC IS USED TO CURE A COLD. THIS MEDICATION IS AT FIRST DEAD CELLS, BUT IT USES THE CELLS IN OUR BODY TO PRODUCE MORE CELLS. SO WHEN THE BACTERIA INFECTS THE CELL IT USES THE MEMBRANE OF THE CELL TO PRODUCE A FACTORY OF BACTERIA. WHEN THIS IS PRODUCED AND COMPLETED IT EXPLODES FORMING MORE CELLS TO WORK INTO THE BODY KILLING THE BACTERIA.
THE STELLA PROGRAM WILL BE USED TO FIT OUR OVERALL PROJECT. THIS THEN WOULD DETERMINE WHICH MEDICATION IS THE SAFEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE TOWARD THE PEOPLE WHO USE IT.
THE PROBLEMOUR PROBLEM WILL BE TO DETERMINE THE SYMPTOMS OF COMMON COLD AND WHICH OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION IS USED TO CURE A COLD WITHIN A WEEK. TESTING AND RESEARCH WILL BE MADE ON THE HISTORY OF THE COLD, THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MEDICATION AND THEIR INGREDIENTS, AND ON THE CERTAIN AREAS OF THE POPULATION WHO SUFFER THE MOST WITH COLDS.
WITHIN THE COURSE OF THE YEAR PEOPLE HAVE WONDERED WHY AND HOW COMMON COLDS COME WITH A VARIETY OF SYMPTOMS. SOME PEOPLE WANT TO FIND WAYS TO CURE A COLD WITHOUT GOING TO THE DOCTORS. THIS IS OUR JOB TO FIND A WAY.
SOLUTIONA PROGRAM CALLED STELLA WILL BE USED TO SIMULATE AN ACTUAL PERSON WITH THE COLD. THE "PERSON" WILL BE GIVEN CERTAIN MEDICINES, AND IT WILL SIMULATE SIDE EFFECTS AND WILL PRODUCE RESULTS WHICH WE WILL RECORD AND COMPARE TO OTHER RESULTS. BY THIS WE WILL FIND THE SAFEST MEDICINE. THE STELLA PROGRAM WILL ALSO GATHER OUR DATA, GRAPHS, AND INFORMATION. THEN IT WILL SHOW THE GRAPHS AND SURVEYS GATHERED FROM THE WORK WE PUT INTO IT. TO COMPLETE OUR PROJECT, WE WILL PROVIDE DATA MEDICINES AND PROVE WHICH MEDICINES ARE THE SAFEST ACCORDING TO THE STELLA PROGRAM. SURVEYS ARE BEING GIVEN TO PEOPLE OVER AND UNDER THE AGE OF 18. BY THIS WE WIIL KNOW HOW MANY TIMES IN A YEAR CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY CAUGHT A COLD, AND WHICH MEDICATION THEY USE TO CURE THEMSELVES.
MATERIALS AND METHODS USEDRESEARCH FOR THIS PROJECT BEGAN BY LOOKING ON THE INTERNET, THE RESOURCE THAT MOST. WE FOUND MANY SOURCES OF INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE COMMON COLD, INCLUDING INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE COLD AND HOW IT AFFECTS PEOPLE'S IMMUNE SYSTEM. THERE WAS A PHARMACY SHOP THAT WE STUDIED. THIS PHARMACY SHOP GIVES INFORMATION AND INGREDIENTS ON ANY DRUG. THIS SITE IS WHERE WE LOOKED FOR IDEAS. ALL OF THE INFORMATION FOUND WAS USEFUL TO OUR PROJECT, BUT NONE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT CALCULATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC EQUATIONS. WE BEGAN A SURVEY WITHIN OUR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY. THIS IDEA HAS PROGRESSED AND IS GIVING US AN IDEA TO WHAT PEOPLE OVER AND UNDER THE AGE 18 USE TO CURE THEIR COLD. THE STELLA PROGRAM IS ALSO HELPFUL TO US AND TO OUR PROJECT.
RESULTSTHE FIRST THING WE DID TO GET OUR PROJECT STARTED WAS TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMON COLD AND ITS HISTORY. WE THEN STUDIED THE INFORMATION AND WORKED EXTRA HARD TO GET MORE INFROMATION SO THAT OUR PROJECT WOULD WORK PROPERLY. SURVEYS WE DID ON NUMBERS OF PEOPLE BECAME HELPFUL TO US. WE THEN DETERMINED WHICH MEDICINE IS USED THE MOST, AND IT WAS TYLONOL FOR THE PAIN, NYQUIL FOR THE COUGH, AND VICKS FOR THE CONGESTION. WE ARE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH THE STELLA PROGRAM TO PUT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION INTO THIS PROGRAM SO THAT IT MAYBE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE PROJECT. FINALLY, WE CHANGED A PART IN OUR PROJECT AND THAT WAS USING THE C++ PROGRAM IN OUR PROJECT TO SIMULATE THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE COMMON COLD; HOWEVER, WE ARE POSITIVE THAT THE STELLA PROGRAM WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
CONCLUSIONCONSIDERING OUR RESULTS, WE HAVE DECIDED TO COME UP WITH A NEW MEDICATION USED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. THIS MEDICATION WAS TESTED BY SCIENTISTS AND IS DETERMINED TO PRODUCE NEW CELLS WITHIN THE BODY, KILLING THE BACTERIA THAT IS MAKING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM SICK. WE WILL ALSO SHOW A CHARACTER SICK AND FINDING THE CURE TO HIS OR HER COLD. WHEN THIS MEDICINE IS CHOSEN, IT IS THE MEDICINE SAFE FOR PEOPLE TO USE. ALSO, WE HAVE DECIDED TO ADD HOW A COLD CAN BE PREVENTED. THIS WOULD HAVE TO DO WITH THE HEALTH AND THE WELLNESS OF SOCIETY.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFISRT, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR SPONSORING TEACHER, VERNETTA NOBLE. MRS.NOBLE WHO TAUGHT MY PARTNER AND I HOW TO PROGRAM STELLA, AND ALLOWED US TO COME TO HER ROOM ANY TIME OF THE DAY TO WORK ON OUR PROJECTS. SHE ALSO GAVE HER OPINION IN OUR PROJECT. NEXT, WE WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MERCEDES COLGROVE AS OUR PROJECT ADVISOR. MRS. COLGRAOVE ADDED ON TO OUR PROJECT AND CLEANED UP SOME AREAS IN OUR PROJECT THAT WE MISSED. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE SHIPROCK COMMUNITY FOR THEIR HELP IN COMPLETING A SURVEY. WITHOUT THE SURVEYS OF THE PEOPLE, WE WOULD HAVE NOT GONE THIS FAR.