Faraz Ahmed offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: What is Mitochondrial Disease and What Efforts are Being Made to Cure it Author: Faraz Ahmed Category: Diseases and Conditions, Health Word Count: 441 Keywords: Mitochondrial Diseases Author's Email Address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Mitochondria allow cells to transfer chemical energy in the oxygen molecule into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the major energy currency within cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to disease because cells may malfunction or die when they are unable to produce enough energy to fuel their essential processes. Mitochondrial disease may affect the mitochondria in numerous ways: one of those ways being the many chemical reactions that take place. Incomplete reactions mean no energy production. Mitochondria make up 80 percent of the cell's volume. Heart muscle cells are 40 percent mitochondria by volume. Mitochondria are tiny factories that use chemistry to produce energy within cells, but their study is exceedingly difficult, even when they function normally. Mitochondrial diseases result from the failure of these tiny "powerhouses." When the mitochondria fail, less and less energy is generated within our cells. Cell injury and even cell death follow. Mitochondrial disorders are associated with a wide spectrum of diseases. They are a clinically heterogeneous group of disorders that arise as a result of dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Mitochondria have unlimited capacity to make super oxide. Mitochondrial diseases can be caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA or, more commonly in children, in nuclear genes. Mitochondrial DNA mutations pose special challenges for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to increased oxidative stress, resulting in additional cellular damage. Inheriting or acquiring a mutation in the mitochondrial DNA can result in disease. Mitochondrial diseases might affect the cells of the brain, nerves (including the nerves to the stomach and intestines), muscles, kidneys, heart, liver, eyes, ears, or pancreas. In some patients, only one organ is affected, while in other patients all the organs are involved. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders are clinically very heterogeneous, ranging from single organ involvement to severe multi system disease. Mitochondrial disease results from failures of the mitochondria, which are specialized compartments present in almost every cell of the body. Mitochondria are called the "powerhouses" of the body since they are responsible for creating more then 90% of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. Mitochondrial research is now enjoying a renaissance. The University of Rochester's Mitochondrial Research Interest Group (MRIG) was created to address an increased demand for high quality mitochondrial research at both the clinical and basic levels. Mitochondrial defects lead to impaired activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and this can be detected by using either biochemical (measurement of individual respiratory chain enzyme activities) or histochemical techniques. Muscle histochemistry is particularly valuable since the presence of ragged-red fibres and cytochrome co oxides (COX) deficient muscle fibers provide important clues as to likely involvement of the mitochondrial genome. Check out my hub to find out more about this disorder:http://hubpages.com/hub/Mitochondrial-Disease ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
