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What Is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

  • clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
  • obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis

People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including:

  • very salty-tasting skin;
  • persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;
  • frequent lung infections;
  • wheezing or shortness of breath;
  • poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and
  • frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.

Statistics

  • About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.
  • More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.
  • More than 45% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.
  • The predicted median age of survival for a person with CF is more than 37 years.
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Does facilitated diffusion require energy for the transportation of molecules across the cell membrane?

Facilitated diffusion does not require energy for the transportation of molecules across the cell membrane.


What is the passive transportation of substances across the cell membrane called?

Passive transportation of substances across the cell membrane is called passive diffusion. It does not require energy input from the cell and relies on the concentration gradient to move molecules from high concentration to low concentration.


How does active transport work against the concentration gradient to move substances across a cell membrane?

Active transport is a process in which cells use energy to move substances against their concentration gradient, from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration, across the cell membrane. This is achieved by using specialized proteins called pumps that actively transport the substances across the membrane, requiring energy in the form of ATP.


Which type of transport is the coupled passage of two materials across a membrane?

Symport is the type of transport that involves the coupled passage of two materials across a membrane in the same direction. It relies on a concentration gradient to move both substances across the membrane simultaneously.


What is a type of protein found in the cell membrane which regulates the coming and going of substances into or out of the cell?

Channel proteins are a type of protein found in the cell membrane that regulate the passage of specific ions or molecules into or out of the cell. These proteins form channels or pores that allow substances to pass through the membrane, controlling the movement of substances across the cell membrane.

Related Questions

Does facilitated diffusion require energy for the transportation of molecules across the cell membrane?

Facilitated diffusion does not require energy for the transportation of molecules across the cell membrane.


What helps moves things across the membrane?

transportation


What membrane components allow movement of non-polar substances across membrane?

Integral proteins allow movement of non-polar substances across membranes.


How do substances move across a membrane?

The membrane allows it and cytoplasm also helps it.


What channel helps move things across the membrane?

transportation


What kind of protein helps some substances cross the cell membrane?

Carrier proteins help facilitate the movement of certain substances across the cell membrane by binding to specific molecules and carrying them across. These proteins undergo conformational changes to transport the substances across the membrane.


What is the passive transportation of substances across the cell membrane called?

Passive transportation of substances across the cell membrane is called passive diffusion. It does not require energy input from the cell and relies on the concentration gradient to move molecules from high concentration to low concentration.


What drives the diffusion of substances across a membrane?

The diffusion of substances across a membrane is driven by the concentration gradient, which is the difference in concentration of a substance on either side of the membrane. Substances naturally move from areas of high concentration to areas of low concentration in order to reach equilibrium.


How does a protein transport substances across a cell membrane?

carrier protein


What are the processes involved in moving substances across the cell membrane?

Diffusion


What moves marerials across the plasma membrane in the direction of the concentration?

Active transportation is the material that across plasma membrane. This makes it flow one way.


What happens during the process of faciltated diffusion?

An Integral Membrane Protein Assists A Specific Substances Across The Membrane.