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When anabolic steroids are used to build muscle mass, what are possible:
a. negative physical effects on both men and women? b. negative psychological
effects on both men and women?
A.
Anabolic steroid abuse has been associated with a wide range of adverse side
effects.
Men abusing steroids more or less develop physically unattractive over time,
such as acne and breast development and can possibly lead to life threatening
risks, such as heart attacks and liver cancer
In women taking steroids leads to a deeper, scratchier voice due to
testosterone's effects on the vocal cords. The testosterone causes the vocal cords to
grow longer and thicker. Once the vocal cords are longer and thicker, they can never
return to their previous state.
Most effects of steroids are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drugs,
but some are permanent, such as voice deepening in females.
B.
In terms of negative effects on the psychology of its abusers, it is said that it
is as harmful as the physical toll it causes the body. Steroid abusers often
experience roid rage or the state of uncontrollable bursts of anger or extreme
irritability. That can sometimes lead to aggression and violence. Recent studies also
point the correlation of depression and tendency of suicide to users and abusers of
steroids. Needless to say, abusing steroids opens someone to several mental and
health risks.
3. At the time of this diagnosis, James had an elevated serum creatine kinase (i.e.
creatine phosphokinase) level. What is creatine kinase, and why was this level
elevated in James's blood?
Creatine kinase ("CK"), also known as creatine phosphokinase ("CPK"), is an
enzyme in skeletal muscle cells that transfers phosphate groups between creatine
phosphate and ADP. Creatine phosphate acts as a large storage area for high-energy
phosphate bonds. When muscle cells are at rest and there is an abundance of ATP in
the cell, the high-energy phosphate bonds of the ATP are transformed by the CK
enzyme into high-energy phosphate bonds of creatine phosphate. Later, when that
muscle cell is called upon to contract, CK removes phosphate groups from creatine
phosphate and transfers them to ADP to create ATP. The ATP is then used as a quick
energy source to drive the contraction.
This
pathway is activated when exercise continues for more than a few seconds. In
anaerobic exercise (for example a 30 sec sprint), it is approximated that about 49%
of ATP is generated via glycolysis; the phosphagen system accounts for about 23%
and mitochondrial respiration accounts for about 28%. Because glycolysis generates
pyruvate faster than mitochondrial respiration can process it, some pyruvate is
converted into lactate. This reaction also generates NAD+ which is used by
glycolysis to generate more ATP. Although many believe that lactate is the primary
cause of acidosis in the blood, this theory is undergoing critical review by many
experts.
Mitochondrial respiration accounts for an increasing proportion of ATP
until about 50-60 min of exercise, when it becomes the primary source. During
mitochondrial respiration, products of glycolysis are shuttled into the TCA
cycle. Products from the TCA cycle are then used in the electron transport chain in
conjunction with molecular oxygen to produce ATP. Alternatively, fatty acids can be
activated (so they can cross the mitochondrial membrane), and subsequently
oxidized to produce ATP via the electron transport system.