Effective Treatment for Mitochondrial Disease

Jessica Lim

Author: not given (info provided by the University of Helsinki)

Published: April 7, 2014

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140407090403.htm

Summary: 

     The mitochondria within cells create fuel or energy that power all functions of the body, also known as ATP. Mitochondrial disorders are caused by the malfunction of the mitochondria, and therefore mitochondrial myopathy, a form of mitochondrial disorders, results in muscle weakness, cramps, and pain. These diseases are inherited, and they are the most common form of a mitochondrial disorder found in adults. There is currently no cure for these diseases. 

     Recently, researchers from the University of Helsinki and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne announced that Vitamin B3 is a possible therapy that could be used for treating adults with mitochondrial myopathies because researchers were able to conclude, by testing Vitamin B3 on mice that had the disease, that the vitamin can slow down the progress of mitochondrial myopathies. "These results clearly showed the potential of this vitamin B form, a natural constituent of milk, to activate dysfunctional mitochondrial metabolism" (sciencedaily.com).

Connection: 

     This article connects to what we learned about the muscular system and homeostatic imbalance because mitochondrial myopathies cause muscle weakness, cramps, and pain which affect the muscular system. Within the muscular system, there are muscles that carry out the daily activities that we perform everyday, and if these diseases cause muscle weakness, it will affect the way you move and it will cause you to feel tired easily which prevents you from performing your normal activities. This results in homeostatic imbalance, and it creates an unsteady environment within your body because your body can no longer function properly due to the loss of strength in your muscle and pain. 

Manly Noses Versus Womanly Noses

Manly Noses Versus Womanly Noses

David Chen
16 January 2014

University of Iowa
Published: 18 Nov 2013
http://phys.org/news/2013-11-men-noses-bigger-women.html

Summary:
            Why are men's noses larger than female's noses? A recent study from the University of Iowa seems to answer this question. After puberty, the male nose grows, on average, 10% larger than female noses in European descent. Researchers now believe that the difference in size correlates with the energy demand of the gender. Larger noses supply more oxygen, and males generally have more lean muscle tissue to support and grow, so the energy demand is higher. During puberty, males gain about 10% more weight in muscle mass than females. This also shows why other ancient humans, such as Neanderthals, had extremely large noses. They had more muscle and energy demand than modern humans, so the noses grew larger as a result of directional selection. Although the studies were only for people of European descent and ancient Europeans like the Neanderthals, the lead researcher says other populations of different origins should hold true, as the muscle mass in males versus females stays about the same throughout all the races.

Connection:
            This article connects with the evolution unit that we learned. The reason why men's noses were bigger throughout history was because of directional selection, a form of natural selection in which a trait got more and more expressed in a population because of it's advantages. In ancient humans, the males with bigger noses could support their large muscle mass better than others with smaller noses, and probably had a survival advantage, as they could hunt better or provide straight forward man-strength. This also connects back to our units on mitochondria and cellular respiration, as larger muscle mass meant more mitochondria, which went more oxygen was needed to proceed with aerobic processes.