Basicmedical Key

Nervous activity involves the spread of electrical charge via the generation and propagation of action potentials. Communication between neurones is predominantly via chemical transmission at synapses, in which an impulse…

Extracellular [K+] essentially determines resting membrane potential (Vm) and ensures that excitation occurs at an appropriate time (Chapter 18). Excitation forms the basis of nervous conduction and also ensures the…

Genetic disease is a common cause of illness and even death. Approximately 3% of babies are affected by a genetic disease. Genetic diseases can be considered to be caused by…

Gene sequences occupy only about 2% of the human genome. Following the successful genome project that enabled the sequence of bases in the human genome (3 billion) to be elucidated,…

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) DNA is the hereditary material in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. It consists of four nitrogenous bases, adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T), attached to…

Prior to the development of molecular genetic techniques our understanding of genetic disease and potential treatments was based on the analysis of pedigrees and studying abnormal proteins. The knowledge gained…

Amino acid synthesis Of the 20 amino acids needed for protein synthesis, humans are only able to make 11. These are termed the non-essential amino acids and are made by…

Approximately 55% of the energy needs of the average human are met by the metabolism of carbohydrates, of which the major component is glucose. The glucose concentration in the blood…

Lipids (fats and oils) are a high-energy source yielding twice the energy per gram of protein and carbohydrate. Around 30% of calorific intake by humans is currently recommended, as an…

Catabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and the carbon skeletons of some amino acids converge on acetylCoA. AcetylCoA is a precursor for ketone bodies (acetoacetate and β-hydroxybutyrate) and for the biosynthesis of…