Lab Reporting Worksheet – The Endocrinology Lab

Lab Reporting Worksheet – The Endocrinology Lab

In science, reporting what has been done in a laboratory setting is incredibly important for communicating, replicating, and validating findings. However, writing scientific reports can be a little overwhelming. There is a set of agreed-upon components that the scientific community requires when reporting scientific experimentation. Answer the following questions to describe what occurred during the lab you conducted in Labster. Be sure to use complete sentences and descriptions that fully represent what you experienced. Writing a lab report is less about being correct or incorrect than it is about accurately reporting what happened and why. So, do not worry about reporting data that might seem counterintuitive or unexpected. Focus on clearly communicating what you did and what you observed.

TITLE:

What was the title of the lab you completed?

Endocrinology Simulation

PROBLEM:

What was the problem you were trying to resolve in the Lab?

Developing a hormonal contraceptive to control a population of zoo rabbits that are multiplying wildly.

HYPOTHESIS:

What information from the textbook and classroom is relevant for the problem you were trying to resolve in the lab? Identify the concepts and explain how they are related to the lab problem.

The textbook and classroom were valuable in tackling the lab problem as they helped me understand the role of the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus produces and secretes many essential hormones in maintaining homeostasis in the body. Similarly, the pituitary maintains homeostasis in the endocrine system by secreting various hormones. More specifically, the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland produces follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulate gamete production in gonads and androgen production by gonads, respectively (Betts et al., 2017). This information was significant in understanding the function of these hormones and, thus, in developing hormonal contraceptives for the zoo rabbits.

During the lab, what information from the THEORY section provided additional background information about the problem? (To review the theory section, launch the Lab and click the “Theory” tab on the top of the data pad). Identify the concepts and explain how they are related to the lab problem.

The THEORY section also had various pages that helped solve the lab problem. To begin with, the page on feedback loops helped identify the mechanisms that regulate hormone levels in the endocrine: the positive feedback loop and the negative feedback loop. In the positive feedback loop, a stimulus, which can be a hormone or neurotransmitter, causes a continuous increase in the production of a hormone or another product. Conversely, the negative feedback loop decreases the secretion of a hormone or other products, reducing their level in the bloodstream. A negative feedback loop example is when estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone impact the anterior lobe of the pituitary and hypothalamus to produce gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), LH, and FSH to decrease their secretion (Www.django-Wiki.org, 2019b). GnRH is a neurohormone produced in the hypothalamus that stimulates FSH and LH synthesis and secretion. Notably, high levels of androgens like testosterone influence the hypothalamus to release GnRH via a negative feedback loop, eventually decreasing FSH production.

Further, the THEORY pages on hormones responsible for fertility also helped identify an androgen and a potential male hormonal contraceptive called dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU). DMAU reduces semen production and sperm motility and testosterone, LH, and FSH levels, most likely through a negative feedback loop similar to the one exerted by testosterone (Www.django-Wiki.org, 2019a). Though DMAU shows less detrimental impacts than other contraceptives, its long-term effects are still under investigation (Www.django-Wiki.org, 2019a).

Most scientific experimentation involves examining variables and their relationships. A variable is a construct that can be changed and studied. Examples of variables are a condition or measurable quantity. What are the variables you examined in the lab? Which one were you controlling and changing? Which one were you observing was impacted by your change?

The variables examined during the lab include GnRH, progesterone, testosterone hormones, and fertility in female rabbits. The lab also examined the effect of DMAU on sperm production and motility. In the female fertility test, the GnRH, progesterone, and testosterone hormones are the independent variables, while female fertility is the dependent variable. In the male fertility test, DMAU is the independent variable, while male fertility is the independent variable.

Developing a hypothesis requires understanding relevant background knowledge. Now that you have described relevant background information, it is time to develop a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a simple statement (not a question), grounded in previous research, that predicts the relationship between the variables being studied. Please make a statement that predicts the relationship between the variables being studied.

High testosterone and progesterone treatments will inhibit LH and FSH secretion, thus reducing female fertility.

High GnRH treatments will increase LH and FSH secretion and thus increase female fertility.

DMAU will inhibit sperm production and motility and hence reduce male fertility.

METHOD:

Describing what you did during a lab helps other scientists to replicate your work. It is through this consistent replication that scientists are able to see repeating patterns and develop ideas that help move science forward. When you discuss your data, in a later section, you will have to describe what choices you made, why you made them, and any concerns about things that occurred that were unexpected. In order to have enough information to do this, you need to keep very detailed notes. What doesn’t seem important at the moment may end up being something that explains your findings later. A benefit of conducting virtual labs when learning science is that many potential errors are controlled for you. The virtual lab environment often will alert you if something is not going the way it should. This does not occur in non-virtual settings. For this reason, the virtual lab setting can be very helpful to learners. However, we still have to practice documenting so that those skills can be practiced for lab experiences when technology is not there as a coach.

You have already, identify the variables that you studied in the lab in the previous section. Now, take some time to fully define and describe what each variable is and how it was changed throughout the lab.

As already noted, the variables examined during female fertility were GnRH, progesterone, testosterone hormones, and female fertility. GnRH stimulates FSH and LH synthesis and secretion, while progesterone and testosterone are steroid hormones that induce FSH and LH secretion from the anterior pituitary gland. As such, the test on female fertility involved three treatments: the first group of rabbits was fed (through oral injections), and Treatment 1 contained progesterone dissolved in sesame oil mixed with bananas. The second group of rabbits was fed (through oral injections) Treatment 2, containing testosterone dissolved in sesame oil mixed with bananas. To control the possible effects of oral injection, Treatment 1 and 2 rabbits were compared to rabbits that received oral injections of oil mixed with bananas. Next, the third group was fed (through oral injections) Treatment 3, containing bananas mixed with GnRH dissolved in physiological saline. To control the potential effects caused by oral injection and injected saline, Treatment 3 rabbits were compared to rabbits orally injected with bananas and physiological saline. Next, observations on female fertility were made after ten days. This involved examining the morphology of the rabbits’ uteri using the McPhail scale and observing the levels of the three hormones in the blood.

On the other hand, the test on male fertility involved feeding the rabbits treatments containing DMAU tablets mixed with bananas and then observing DMAU effects on male fertility after 12 weeks.

In 3-5 sentences, summarize what you did during the lab, not including your process of logging into the system. This section would be much more robust for a non-virtual lab. For this virtual lab, a short, high-level summary will suffice.

The first major step in this lab was testing the effects of the GnRH, progesterone, and testosterone hormones on female fertility. Here, three treatments were used: Treatment 1 (progesterone), Treatment 2 (testosterone), and Treatment 3 (GnRH). Next, the effects of these three hormones on uterus morphology and their level in the blood were observed. After that, a group of male rabbits was fed DMAU tablets mixed with bananas, and the effects of DMAU on the number and motility of sperms were observed. Finally, the results and data from both tests were analyzed to identify a hormonal contraceptive for the rabbits.

Describe some of the observations you made. What numbers did you write down or keep track of? What did each of your senses observe during the lab process? What did you see (ex: changes in colors, movement, shapes, sizes, patterns)? What did you hear (ex: sounds from reactions, collisions, error messages)? What did your lab character touch? Did you notice anything that seemed unexpected? Did you notice anything that you did not expect to observe?

I made various observations relevant to solving the lab problem. Firstly, I noted that progesterone and testosterone treatments blocked the thickening of the endometrial layer of the rabbits’ uteri and inhibited FSH and LH secretion from the anterior pituitary gland by exerting a negative feedback loop. Second, I noted that rabbits treated with GnRH had a thickened endometrium, indicating fertilization. Third, DMAU suppressed the motility of the sperms and reduced the number of sperms produced. I kept track of these observations.

In the zoo, I saw rabbits in their pens. Additionally, I heard many sounds during the lab, like when the sliding double doors opened, when I placed something on the workbench or a slide on the microscope, and when drawing or adding reagents from or to the PCR tubes. Also, my lab character could move around and touch different materials like syringes, microscope slides, and the pipette. I expected to see white rabbits but I only saw rabbits with shades of brown-colored and gray fur.

Which parts of the lab required you to think more than others and required more time? Which parts were simple and completed easily?

All parts were easy and simple to complete. Also, it is worth noting that the part involving the McPhail scale to grade the thickness of the endometrium of the rabbits’ uteri was the easiest of all parts.

DATA & RESULTS:

Many lessons learned as a result of scientific experiments come from the reporting and analysis of data. This part of scientific reporting requires detailed descriptions of technical information and quantities as well as high-level synthesis of information. High-level synthesis requires a mastery of foundational content in the related scientific field and a complimentary mastery in some fields of quantitative and/or qualitative analysis. For this report, let’s focus on big-picture patterns.

What relationships did you notice between the variables you examined? When you changed the variable(s), how did the other(s) change?

Progesterone and testosterone inhibited female fertility, while GnRH increased the female fertility rate.

On the other hand, DMAU reduced male fertility.

Did you notice any patterns in your data? Any patterns between the variables?

Progesterone and testosterone treatments reduced female fertility; therefore, these variables have an inverse relationship. Similarly, DMAU reduced male fertility, showing an inverse relationship pattern between the two variables.

DISCUSSION:

The discussion section is used to explain why things might have happened the way that they did in your experiment. Here, scientists describe any potential anomalies or mistakes and why they think they may have occurred.

During your lab, what happened that might have impacted the accuracy of your data? Did the simulation alert you that an error was occurring? If so, how did you resolve it?

Events that could have impacted the data accuracy include a poor choice of the experimental design. In this regard, the lack of a design that considered the effects of the method of treatment administration could have been a potential anomaly. Nonetheless, the lab incorporated control groups that ensured the results observed did not result from the method of treatment administration.

Other events include contamination and incorrect measurement of the treatment concentration. Nevertheless, in a virtual lab, all these errors are avoided. Besides, the simulation did not alert me about the occurrence of errors.

CONCLUSION:

The conclusion section of a lab report describes how the learnings from the lab experimentation fit in to prior scientific knowledge. This is done by comparing new information to previously known information that was identified in the section of your report that discusses background information.

Review the hypothesis section of your report from above and describe how the results of your lab compare to the background information that you discussed before.

The hypotheses stated that:

High testosterone and progesterone treatments will inhibit LH and FSH secretion, thus reducing female fertility.

High GnRH treatments will increase LH and FSH secretion and thus increase female fertility.

DMAU will inhibit sperm production and motility and hence reduce male fertility.

In accordance, the lab results showed that 1) progesterone and testosterone prevented the thickening of the endometrial layer of the rabbits’ uteri and inhibited FSH and LH secretion, 2) GnRH promoted the thickening of the endometrium and increased female fertility, and 3) DMAU reduced male fertility by suppressing sperm motility and reducing the number of sperms produced. These findings align with the background information, which indicates that:

In a negative feedback loop, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone impact the anterior pituitary and hypothalamus to produce GnRH, LH, and FSH to decrease their secretion.

DMAU reduces semen production and sperm motility. It also reduces testosterone, LH, and FSH levels, most likely through a negative feedback loop similar to the one exerted by testosterone.

As a result, progesterone and testosterone can be used to develop hormonal contraceptives for female rabbits. Though the long-term effects of DMAU still require more research, DMAU is a potential male hormonal contraceptive that lacks short-term effects such as hair loss and weight gain, which are associated with testosterone.

Once scientists have identified how the new knowledge fits into the old knowledge, they discuss the implications of the new information for moving forward. In this class, the purpose of the study is to learn some foundational science ideas represented by the course student learning outcomes. Review the course student learning outcome aligned with this lab in the assignment directions on Blackboard. How is the information from this lab related to the course student learning outcome? What knowledge has the lab supported you with learning that is related to this course’s student learning outcome?

This lab relates to the course student learning outcome about constructing scientific descriptions of the endocrine system. By examining the endocrine hormones that control fertility, this lab aligns with this week’s learning outcome. The particular knowledge from the lab that supports achieving the student learning outcome include understanding the hormonal feedback mechanisms and how these mechanisms regulate fertility in males and females.

Following scientific experimentation, scientists usually come up with new questions that result from what they learned. These new questions often end up leading to new experiments in the future. What additional scientific things do you wonder about after completing and writing about your lab experience?

Completing the lab left me wondering about the effects of various doses of progesterone and testosterone on the health, vitality, and fertility of females.

References

Betts, J. G., Desaix, P., Johnson, E., Johnson, J. E., Korol, O., Kruse, D., Poe, B., Wise, J., Womble, M. D., & Young, K. A. (2017). Anatomy and physiology. OpenStax, Rice University.

Www.django-Wiki.org. (2019a, June 4). Dimethandrolone undecanoate. Labster Theory. https://theory.labster.com/dmau/

Www.django-Wiki.org. (2019b, May 29). Hormonal feedback. Labster Theory. https://theory.labster.com/hormonalfeedback/

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The final step for this assessment is to complete the lab report. As you work through the lab, compile the pieces of your report.

To make the experience more interesting, complete the Hypothesis section prior to diving into the lab.
When you are satisfied with your report, please complete it, and submit your lab report.