Question

1) Bo and Luke are competitive body builders who train at the same Florida gym. Despite being brothers they are bitter enemies. In order to have an advantage in competition they both take anabolic steroids. Bo takes natural testosterone whilst Luke same chemical in a synthetic form claiming it works much better. Does Luke have any scientific reason to believe this? 2) Things between Bo and Luke have taken a decidedly darker tone. At a workout last week before a major national competition, Bo begins to feel very hot and sweats profusely then collapses. When the paramedics arrive they note that Bo is feverish has a rapid heart rate and rapid breathing rate and is blue around the mouth. On the way to the hospital Bo slips into a coma and dies. During the subsequent investigation crystals of some substance are discovered on the top of Bo's water bottle. In addition Detective Lenny Briscoe has discover that Luke has an illegal tropical fish business in which he uses cyanide to stun fish that swim near the reefs around the Florida Keys. When the fish float to the top he scoops them up into a net. Those fish that recover are sent to aquarium stores throughout the country. Detective Briscoe suspects that to increase his chances of winning the national title Luke has poisoned Bo with cyanide. Luke maintains his innocence and contests that Bo has accidentally poisoned himself with dinitrophenol, an illegal and highly toxic drug that some body builders take to lose fat. You as the Medical Examiner know that cyanide works by binding to cytochrome aa3 the terminal component of the respiratory chain whilst dinitrophenol stops the ATP synthase from coupling ATP synthesis to H* movement. What are you conclusions and how to do you explain this to a jury? (Based on a true story, the names have been changed to protect the innocent).

Answer 1

Ans 1)

According to the recent research done by the Florida Health and Wellness institute, it suggests that there is no scientifically proven fact if one is better than the other, if we were to still compare Bioidentical hormone ( the came comes from its origin from Organic sources eg soy/proteins, plants and animals and created in order to match the effectiveness of the hormone preoared by the body ) while the synthetic ones are made up of inorganic sources )

if we were to compare the two, the natural will always have a lesser sideeffect on the body due to their ability to be metabolised in the same way as that of our natural hormones. while even the synthetic ones are effective ahs they have gone through the FDA effectiveness test but there is no study per say that suggests that one is more effective and better than the other,

although there are studies that have showed that Synthetic testosterone might give better result but then the side effects like fertility issues overpowers its benifits,

Answer 2) Dinitrophenol is a yellow coloured substance which is crystalline in nature, and Bo was found with a blue halo aroud his mouth ( Cyanide is blue in colour ) . Also the buissness of Luke makes it even more evident.

the effects if Cyanide poisoning is completely reversible while the other isnt.

i would want uto study a little more about the effects and differences between both the kind of poisoning and would get back to you whenever possible, i hopel the above information does help you to some extent.

Answer 2

1. Anabolic steroids are synthetic, or human-made, variations of the male sex hormone testosterone. The proper term for these compounds is anabolic-androgenic steroids. "Anabolic" refers to muscle building, and "androgenic" refers to increased male sex characteristics.

who are curious about the true scientific difference between bioidentical testosterone and so-called “synthetic” alternatives, here are the molecular details:

The testosterone molecule naturally produced by the human body is represented by the chemical formula C19H28O2. When bioidentical testosterone is synthesized in a medical laboratory from plant sources (like soy or yams), it is chemically engineered to have this exact formula, as bioidentical hormones are designed to perfectly mimic the body’s natural compounds. This is critical because any slight deviation from the -original testosterone molecule has the potential to change its functionality in the human body.

Other testosterone medications, however, may rely on modified testosterone. These drugs are usually created by adding a certain element to the base testosterone molecule, changing the formula and making slight alterations to the molecule’s function. For example, medications like Metandren are made from methyltestosterone, a derivative of testosterone which is represented by the chemical formula C20H30O2.

So, if we have the ability to create testosterone that is identical to the natural source, why would we alter molecules at all? Pharmaceutical companies alter testosterone molecules to help make them more bioavailable in various preparations, as in the case of methyltestosterone—which was one of the first testosterone medications developed to be taken orally. Companies may also alter molecules in order to patent their newly-created product and shield themselves from the competition.

Luke has chosen synthetic one instead of natural because it has some scientific reason:-

Synthetic Hormones are created through a process held in laboratories. The term “synthetic” means “produced by synthesis.” They go through FDA tests to become commercially available. The Synthetic Hormones commercially available and marketed to patients have undergone FDA safety and effectiveness testing

Some studies support the claim that Bioidentical Hormones are safer and more effective than their Synthetic counterparts while others do not. The FDA has announced that they do not consider Bioidentical to be any safer or effective than other types. A major concern among some individuals is that Bioidentical Hormones are selectively combined and do not necessarily meet FDA requirements for safety. This is because the mixture is specially concocted by the physician for an individual patient and does not allow the time to be tested for proper absorption or process.

2.

1. Cyanide poisoning is poisoning that results from exposure to a number of forms of cyanide. Early symptoms include headache, dizziness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, and vomiting. This may then be followed by seizures, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest. The onset of symptoms is usually within a few minutes. If a person survives, there may be long-term neurological problems.
2. If cyanide is inhaled it can cause a coma with seizures, apnea, and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of seconds. At lower doses, loss of consciousness may be preceded by general weakness, dizziness, headaches, vertigo, confusion, and perceived difficulty in breathing. At the first stages of unconsciousness, breathing is often sufficient or even rapid, although the state of the person progresses towards a deep coma, sometimes accompanied by pulmonary edema, and finally cardiac arrest. A cherry red skin color that changes to dark may be present as the result of increased venous hemoglobin oxygen saturation. Despite the similar name, cyanide does not directly cause cyanosis. A fatal dose for humans can be as low as 1.5 mg/kg body weight.
3. Cyanide poisoning is a form of histotoxic hypoxia because the cells of an organism are unable to create ATP, primarily through the inhibition of the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome c oxidase. Cyanide is quickly metabolized to 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid and thiocyanate with a half-life of 10–30 minutes as a detoxifying mechanism. Within a few hours of single ingestion, no cyanide can be detected, since all of it is metabolized unless death occurs first. Thiocyanate has a long half-life of >24hrs and is typically eliminated through the kidneys. Thiocyanate possesses ~0.01% the toxicity of the cyanide parent molecule.
4. Potassium cyanide is a compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline salt, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and buffing.
5. where DNP is considered to have high acute toxicity. Acute oral exposure to DNP has resulted in increased basal metabolic rate, nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, headache, and loss of weight.[4] Chronic oral exposure to DNP can lead to the formation of cataracts and skin lesions and has caused effects on the bone marrow, central nervous system, and cardiovascular system. The factor that limits ever-increasing doses of DNP is not a lack of ATP energy production, but rather an excessive rise in body temperature due to the heat produced during uncoupling. Accordingly, DNP overdose will cause fatal hyperthermia, with body temperature rising to as high as 43.1 °C (109.6 °F) shortly before death.

Bo took  DNP which makes his body feverish and it is the main reason behind his death because his heartbeat was fast due to a higher metabolic rate which affects heart rate.

DNP acts as a protonophore, allowing protons to leak across the inner mitochondrial membrane and thus bypass ATP synthase. This makes ATP energy production less efficient. In effect, part of the energy that is normally produced from cellular respiration is wasted as heat. The inefficiency is proportional to the dose of the DNP that is taken. As the dose increases and energy production is made more inefficient, metabolic rate increases (and more fat is burned) in order to compensate for the inefficiency and to meet energy demands. DNP is probably the best-known agent for uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation. The "phosphorylation" of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) by ATP synthase gets disconnected or "uncoupled" from oxidation.

"Dinitrophenol uncouples oxidative phosphorylation, causes a release of calcium from mitochondrial stores and prevents calcium re-uptake. This leads to free intracellular calcium and causes muscle contraction and hyperthermia. Dantrolene inhibits calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum which reduces intracellular calcium. The resulting muscle relaxation allows heat dissipation. There is little risk to dantrolene administration. Since dantrolene may be effective in reducing hyperthermia caused by agents that inhibit oxidative phosphorylation, early administration may improve the outcome