Explain how Diamox, drug that inhibits carbonic anhydrase, could help people function at high altitudes, and indicate the limitations of its effectiveness

What will be an ideal response?


Inhibiting carbonic anhydrase will cause CO2 to build up in the blood. This will trigger the brain and carotid sensors to trigger a faster rate of breathing. This in turn will increase the oxygen supply to the tissues. However, the drug does not improve physical performance (although it may alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness that could make a person less effective) and it will not help people who are at such a high altitude that they can't get enough oxygen even if they breathe faster.

Biology & Microbiology

You might also like to view...

The process whereby genetic exchange occurs by way of viruses carrying genes from one microbe to another is known as:

A. conjugation B. transduction C. transformation D. transubstantiation E. interchange

Biology & Microbiology

You are a farmer that grows corn. You are offered a genetically modified variety of corn that is 100

percent resistant to corn borers. You have to decide what proportion of your field you should plant in resistant corn versus a variety that is susceptible to corn borers. Explain why you might choose one of the following proportions of resistant to susceptible: 100:0, 90:10, 75:25, or 50:50.

What will be an ideal response?

Biology & Microbiology

Animals that have the four basic characteristics of chordates plus a vertebral column are

a. invertebrates. b. hemichordates. c. cephalochordates. d. vertebrates.

Biology & Microbiology

__________ is the evaporation of water from plant

parts, mainly at stomata, into air. Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Biology & Microbiology