Pedialyte Case Study

Arapahoe Community College

Case Study One

The Case of the 5-year-old with the Flu

Desiree Gallegos

Anatomy and Physiology 1: SCI 1

Terry Harrison

September 24, 2015

1. Sari is to be treated with Pedialyte. What is Pedialyte? Of what benefit are these ingredients?

Pedialyte contains glucose, sodium chloride, potassium, and citrate among other irons, which are beneficial ingredients because they help prevent dehydration. This drink aids in helping infants and younger children recover from being ill. Pedialyte is rich in electrolytes, which also are beneficial to a sick child.

2. Review the mechanism of active transport. What molecule provides the fuel for the transport? Is an enzyme involved? Does the molecule transported across the cell membrane move from a region of high to low concentration or from low to high concentration?

Active transport is a type of membrane transport; it is when substances are able to move across the membrane due to the metabolic energy the cell has provided. The molecule that provides fuel for the transport is ATP (metabolic energy). This ATP is used to move solutes “uphill, against a concentration gradient” (Marieb, Koehn, p.73). Therefore the transport of molecules is from a lower concentration gradient to a higher concentration gradient, but active transportation could technically exist anywhere. The enzymes involved in active transport consist of Na+, K+ and Ca2+.

3. Glucose is normally moved from the intestinal lumen into the intestinal epithelium by active transport. Assuming that this transport mechanism is dysfunctional during a virus infection, propose a mechanism to explain why Pedialyte is useful as a treatment for children with the flu.

Pedialyte is useful as a treatment for children with the flu because while active transport is dysfunctional Pedialyte aids in helping to move glucose into weakened cells of the intestine. Since Pedialyte is rich in electrolytes is aids and...