Case Study: Mysterious 7 Deaths

Frank Kosi Amaefuna

Mrs. Schultz

Advanced Placement Biology

29 December 2013

Case Study

Part I

1. Although it wasn’t said how the last four had died, it is safe to assume that all 7victims had taken Tylenol which contained an ingredient that caused these symptoms and ultimately death.

Some relevant questions to ask would be: - What was their purpose for taking Tylenol?

- Is there a specific type of Tylenol they took (Baby’s, Extra strength, Regular)?

- How many mg did each individual ingest?

- How much time elapsed between when the pills were taken and when the symptoms appeared?

-Which particular pharmacy was the Tylenol purchased from?

2. They all seem to be connected due to the fact that one, they all live in the same neighborhood and two, they all seem to have taken Tylenol prior to the appearance of these fatal symptoms.

Part II

1. It appears as if cellular respiration was not properly taking place inside of the body of all of these victims due to major mitochondrial damage in the tissues sections of the heart, lungs, kidney and liver. The major death of the cells within these tissues was a result of the inability of cellular respiration to take place. If cellular respiration doesn’t take place, leading to hypoxia, an individual can ultimately die in severe cases because the tissues throughout their body organs (lungs, kidney, heart) are showing massive cell death and will not allow for regular functions to take place.

2. The blood-oxygen levels were only slightly above normal, but the patients were suffering from cellular hypoxia meaning the cells were deprived of oxygen. It is safe to assume that that there must have been another factor playing in all of this.

Part III

1. Glucose is the metabolite necessary for cellular respiration to commence. It is a substrate that splits during glycolysis to form 2 pyruvate molecules.

2 Pyruvate molecules are the products of glycolysis in which glucose is broken down. The pyruvates,...