– Introduction –
In the body, the term for all chemical reactions that occur in the cells is called metabolism. The two types of chemical reactions, anabolic and catabolic, differ in the body. Anabolic reactions bodily cells build molecules and store energy in chemical bonds. Catabolic reactions are when these chemical bonds break and energy is released in the form of ATP or heat. In humans and other mammals, a constant temperature must be maintained in order to survive. Some of the released energy can be used to help maintain the constant temperature, and can correlate with the amount of oxygen used by the body. When the amount of oxygen used is determined, the metabolic rate can be figured out. The metabolic rate is the total energy expenditure
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The chamber to hold the specimen, in this case, the rat. A pressure measurement apparatus, known as a respirometer-nanometer to check the pressures both in the chamber and in the rat. This apparatus will allow for the amount of oxygen consumed to be measured. A syringe to replace the oxygen used in the tube is also needed, which will be attached to the u-shape tube connected to the chamber. Lastly soda lime, a substance used to absorb exhaled carbon dioxide. Three different hormones, thyroxine, Propylthiouracil, and TSH, will be used as well and will be injected into each of the rats. Three different rats will be used in …show more content…
With the addition of thyroxine in each of the rats, their metabolic rates all rose. Rat one rose to 1894, Rat two to 1833 and Rat three to 1841. The thyroxine caused the metabolic rate in the rats to rise, like it would naturally occur in the body. A significant difference was seen in rat number two, who’s metabolic rate increased by 22%. Because of the lack of the thyroid in the rat, the rat does not naturally release thyroxine or tri-iodothyronine because there isn’t a gland to release it. When it is artificially added to the body, there is an immense skyrocketing of the metabolic rate in the rat. Similar changes were seen in rat number three. Lacking a hypophysis means the rat does not have the thyrotrophs to stimulate the thyroid gland to release thyroxine and
Thyroid and metabolism hormones play a large role in the daily lives of all living species. Thyroid hormones regulate the metabolism and the metabolism is responsible for maintaining a specific range for the biochemical reactions that occur in the body (Martini 2014). The most important hormone for metabolic maintenance is thyroxine (T4). This hormone also plays a large role in body heat regulation. It is produced by the pituitary gland and secreted by the thyroid gland. The thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) must trigger the thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) to release thyroid hormones to the thyroid gland. These hormones are under control of the hypothalamus, or main neural control center. Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a medication used to treat
Animal metabolism consists of the utilization of nutrients absorbed from the digestive tract and their catabolism as fuel for energy or their conversion into substances of the body. Metabolism is a continuous process because the molecules and even most cells of the body have brief lifetimes and are constantly replaced, while tissue as a whole maintains its characteristic structure. This constant rebuilding process without a net change in the amount of a cell constituent is known as dynamic equilibrium (Grolier1996). In the combustion of food, oxygen is used and carbon dioxide is given off. The rate of oxygen consumption indicates the energy expenditure of an organism, or its metabolic rate (Grolier1996).
Hypothyroidism is an endocrine disorder that effects the lives of many people. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone, causing an array of symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, depression, swelling of limbs, lack of focus and many more. The current standard of treatment of hypothyroidism is hormone replacement therapy with a synthetic form of thyroxine (T4) called Levothyroxine or T4 Monotherapy. The whole idea behind T4 Monotherapy is that the Levothyroxine (which is a synthetic version of the natural thyroid hormone thyroxine) will mimic what occurs naturally in the body, and be deiodinated in the peripheral tissues to become the more biologically active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3) and thus, alleviating the patients symptoms. Unfortunately, this however, is not always the case. For some patients, even though they are in the therapeutic range using T4 monotherapy, their bodies aren’t properly converting the synthetic T4 to active T3. Because of this, coupled with the invention of the internet, patients are turning to search engines in hopes to find an answer that will alleviate their symptoms, which has led to a resurgence in the use of desiccated thyroid products. Desiccated thyroid is derived from porcine thyroid glands, and contain both T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. Some alternative medical practioners are claiming there is more benefit in this natural product vs synthetic, but perhaps we need to take a closer look into the alternative treatment options of hypothyroidism- such as desiccated products, and why natural might not always be better.
Kostoglou-Athanassiou I, Ntalles K (2010). Hypothyroidism: New Aspects of an Old Disease. PMC, 14, 82-7.
The balance of the thyroid hormone is complicated and involves the participation of different parts of the body (Kaplustin, 2010).
The thyroid is one of the most essential glands in the body. It is located in the endocrine system, and sits right in the neck just above where the collar bones meet. The thyroid gland functions to produce hormones that control how every cell in the body utilizes energy, also known as a process called metabolism. When a person's thyroid abnormally produces an excessive amount of thyroid hormones, this is a condition referred to as hyperthyroidism. The causes of hyperthyroidism are known to include: eating too much food with iodine, graves disease, inflammation due to viral infections, tumors of the testes and ovaries, taking a large amount of thyroid hormone, receiving medical imaging tests consisting of contrast dye iodine, and growth of thyroid or pituitary gland (Board "Hyperthyroidism"). With an overactive thyroid, the body tends to speed up its functions. Symptoms vary from, fast heartbeats, rapid weight loss, abnormal sweating, nervousness, and mood changes. Hyperthyroidism is normally diagnosed through a series of lab tests. If not properly taken care of, condition may worsen leading to bone and heart problems in the long run. As far as treatment is concerned, options may vary from person to person depending on age and the level of activity of the thyroid. Treatments include antithyroid medicines, radioactive iodine ablation, and the last resort, surgery. Though all treatment plans work, radioactive iodine ablation is a permanent and more reliable remedy for an overactive thyroid. Radioactive iodine ablation is in fact the most commonly used cure for people with hyperthyroidism problems in the US today. “The treatment has been around since 1942 and has been extensively used since the 1950's” ("Radioactive Iodine Treatment o...
“An Examination of Animal Experiments.” Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. .
The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck and produces two main hormones. The hormones are called thuroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Together these hormones regulate the body’s metabolism by increasing energy use in cells, regulate growth and development, help to maintain body temperature and aid in oxygen consumption. These two hormones are regulated by hormones produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The hypothalamus senses changes in body’s metabolic rate and releases a hormone known as thyropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This hormone then flows through connecting vessels to the pituitary gland which signals it to release another hormone. This hormone is known as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then makes its way to the bloodstream until it reaches the thyroid where it is then signaled to activate T3 and T4 production [1]. This mechanism is controlled by a negative feedback loop meaning that when there is a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream, this will signal back to stop production of thyroid stimulating hormones. Complications occur when the thyroid hormones keep increasing even though there is already a sufficient amount of T3 and T4 in the blood stream. This process of over expression of thryroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a general term that includes any disease that has a consequence of an overabundance of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is a general term but there are many variant diseases that are in the hyperthyroidism category. These diseases include diffuse toxic goiter, Basedow’s disease, thyrotoxicosis, Parry’s and Graves’ disease.
Cygan, R., & Rucker, L. (1983). Thyroid hormone replacement. Western Journal of Medicine, 1(2), 550-554.
chamber used as a control will be used to measure any changes due to air
Our metabolism, “the totality of an organism’s chemical reactions”, manages energy usage and production of cells. We use energy constantly and our metabolism breaks down food through complex chemical reactions into energy our cells
Swan, S.H., F. Liu, J.W. Overstreet, C. Brazil, and N.E. Skakkebaek. "Growth Hormones Fed to
The human body goes through many different reactions and processes that are necessary for humans to live. Chemical reactions by the human body are never seen with the human eye, but it is so vital that these processes are understood. Without this understanding, diseases and disorders can never be resolved or controlled. These processes may be small in size, but have a great deal of impact on the function of the human body.
The endocrine system is a group of glands distributed throughout the human body. This group of glands secretes substances called hormones. These hormones discharge into the bloodstream (Shier, Butler & Lewis, 2009). The endocrine system does not have a single anatomic location. It is dispersed throughout the human body. The final purpose of this system is to control, regulate, and coördinate the functioning of the human body (p.291). Some body functions can be activated or inhibited by hormones, which are secreted in very small quantities. Hormone related diseases may be due to hyper secretion or hypo secretion. The hormones secreted by the endocrine glands regulate the growth, development and function of many tissues, and coördinate the body's metabolic processes (pp. 294-296). An inadequate secretion of hormones may cause disorders in the body, which on occasion may result in serious health consequences. The major endocrine glands are the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, pineal gland, thymus gland, and reproductive glands (Shier et al., 2009). The pituitary gland is situated at the base of the brain and it secretes hormones that control the operation of the major endocrine glands (pp. 295-299). In reaction to excess or deficiency of pituitary hormones, the glands affected by these hormones can cause an excess or a deficiency of their own hormones. On the other hand the pituitary gland acts on the stimulation of the thyroid gland to secrete hormones that regulate the body's metabolism, energy, and nervous system activity (p. 295).The thyroid is a small gland in the neck, in front of the trachea and below the larynx. Thyroid hormones control metabolism, which is the body's ability to br...