Joeseph story Essay

A. List Joseph’s risk factors and create a brief summary of the information you have so far. Identify how his risk factors would affect cellular function. Joseph had a family history of vascular disease, his weight has been increasing as a result of poor diet and has hypertension. The cells have to use more energy (ATP) in order to move nutrients it needs for cells to live. B. Assuming Joseph’s heart has stopped, what cellular processes and membrane functions are going to be affected by the loss of oxygen, blood glucose, and waste removal? Cells become leaky, sodium leak into cells while potassium leaks out. Carbon Dioxide levels raise in cells and that drives down the pH making the cells acidic and begin to die. C. Which intracellular organelles have membranes as part of their structure? How would the breakdown of the membranes of these structures affect the function of Joseph’s heart cells? These membranes enable cell movement, growth, division, secretion, and alow the exchange of oxygen. When the breakdown happens, it prevents the oxygen from being able to move into the cell it needs to go to and the cell starts to die. D. Two important pieces of information – the instructions Joseph’s body needs to repair itself and his predisposition for vascular disease – are both contained within the cell on which structures? Both pieces of information are contained within the cell nucleus in the DNA. E. Joseph’s heart attack has caused the function of his cells to change. What types of proteins in the cell membrane were involved in the homeostatic imbalances of his heart cells? The fluid mosaic model is the structure consisting of a sea of fluid lipids with different proteins (phospholipids, cholesterol, and glycolipids). F. Why was reestablishing oxygen flow to Joseph’s body so important? What processes would be affected by lack of oxygen? Without oxygen flow, cell death occurs and is irreversible. Oxygen is required for ATP (the energy source of the cells) G. Consider once again Joseph’s health history and risk factors. What could you suggest to Joseph to reduce his risk for another heart attack? I would suggest to Joseph to lose weight, change his diet and try to reduce stress. H. Explain why Joseph’s heart failed based on what you have learned so far about the function of cells in the human body. Because of poor diet and fatty foods, there was probably a large amount of lipids in the plasma membrane. These block the normal process of exchanging chemicals and proteins. When the exchange is blocked, the cells are unable to provide oxygen to cells and the cells build up lactic acid and die.