Cellular Respiration Case Study Q&a

Jileya Cudjoe

March 20,2015

Section 1:

1. The similarity between the seven individuals was that they all took Tylenol before they died. I would ask them how many pills they took, as well as who gave them the pills or where did they buy them.

2. In my opinion the deaths are related because they all took the same type of pill, had similar symptoms, and died in the same manner.

Section 2:

1. Cellular respiration was interpreted in the patients. The loss of function may have lead to the death of seven individuals because there were signs of hypoxia in their organs.

2. The autopsy did appear inconsistent because they had a normal amount of oxygen in their blood but it says the cause of death was hypoxia, which is lack of oxygen.

Section 3:

1. Glucose is the starting molecule in cellular respiration, which is split during glycolysis forming 2 pyruvate molecules. Pyruvate changes to acetyl coenzyme and CO2 is removed. NAD+/NADH transfers high-energy electrons from the kreb cycle to electron transport system.

2. The levels of NAD+ were low and NADH was high. There may have been a problem in the flow from the electron transport system to the oxygen flow.

Section 4:

1. Cyanide is what prevents the transfer of electrons from electron transport system to oxygen, which caused inadequate amounts of ATP being available to cells.

2. Oxygen is the final electron acceptor in the process and it was unable to combine with the electron transport system.

3. Oxygenation would not have saved the seven people because the hypoxia was not caused by lack of oxygen; it was a problem in the cell’s levels.

4. The Tylenol was the cause of the cyanide poisoning, so public health officials should do a recall on all Tylenol bottles shipped from the same company or same place.