Science Homework Help

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Mitochondrial Myopathies are a general term for a range of diseases that affect the Mitochondria of a person’s cells, producing disabilities in certain cell types, especially in cells that require a lot of energy to function properly muscle and nerve cells. The cause of this disease is a genetic mutation that makes the mitochondria unable to produce certain protein complexes, which hinders the Mitochondria’s ability to produce ATP. It causes muscle weakness, muscle cramping, lack of endurance, and poor balance. In chapter 15, The Importance of Energy Changes and Electron Transfer in Metabolism, “oxidation is the loss of electrons, and reduction is the gain of electrons. The substance that loses electrons (the electron donor)—that is, the one that is oxidized—is called the reducing agent or reductant. The substance that gains electrons (the electron acceptor)—the one that is reduced—is called the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Both an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent are necessary for the transfer of electrons (an oxidation-reduction reaction) to take place” (Campbell,2018). In the incident of LeMond, shotgun pellets trapped in his body increasingly absorbed lead into his body cells, causing a variety of symptoms such as muscular weakness, breathing issues, and difficulty extending his body.
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Greg LeMond’s hunting accident happened in 1987, after the accident he had to modify wellness in order to win two more Tour de France races. Although, later he started to experience muscle fatigue, exercise intolerance, and weakness. He later had a muscle biopsy completed, which revealed he had mitochondrial myopathy. Mitochondrial myopathy is described as “Primary mitochondrial myopathies (PMM) are a group of disorders that are associated with changes in genetic material (e.g. depletions, deletions, or mutations) found within the DNA of mitochondria (mtDNA) or with genes outside the mitochondria (nuclear DNA), affecting predominantly the skeletal muscle. Mitochondria, found by the hundreds within every cell of the body, regulate the production of cellular energy and carry the genetic blueprints for this process within their own unique DNA (mtDNA). These disorders often hamper the ability of affected cells to break down food and oxygen and produce energy” (National Organization of Rare Disorders, 2021). Normally, mitochondrial myopathy is a genetically inherited disease, however it is theorized that Greg LeMond’s is derived from the residual lead pellets from his hunting accident. It is theorized that the lead pellets which were left in LeMond affected his mitochondria when he engaged in exercise. Lead toxicity causes the body to replace cations used within metabolic pathways (Ca,Mg,Fe). This disruption also causes ripples within the electron transport chain. The disruption of the metabolic processes of the electron transport chain ultimately helped cause Greg Lemond’s accelerated muscle fatigue, which eventually led to his retirement.