Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids). Calcium is required for muscle contraction, blood vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system. The body strives to maintain constant concentrations of calcium in blood, muscle, and intercellular fluids, though less than <1% of total body calcium is needed to support these functions.
The remaining 99% of the body's calcium supply is stored in the bones and teeth where it supports their structure. Bone itself undergoes continuous remodeling, with constant resorption and deposition of calcium into new bone. The balance between bone resorption and deposition changes with age. Bone formation exceeds resorption in growing children, whereas in early and middle adulthood both processes are relatively equal. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds formation, resulting in bone loss that increases the risk of osteoporosis over time.
What if the brain's response to stress could be read not in fleeting neurotransmitter bursts, but in the quieting of genes deep inside chromatin? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have now shown that stress hormones may silence crucial neuronal genes through an unexpected class of RNA molecules that operate not by encoding proteins, but by reshaping the genome's architecture.
A naturally occurring gene called Cyclin A2 (CCNA2), which turns off after birth in humans, can actually make new, functioning heart cells and help the heart repair itself from injury including a heart attack or heart failure when the gene is turned back on.
As information zings from cell to cell inside the brain, bursts of electricity spur its transmission. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), scientists have turned their attention to the tiny pores that let charged ions enter a cell-and the molecular gatekeepers that help control them.
The MEDS device enables non-invasive tissue repair in the GI tract, utilizing innovative bioprinting techniques for effective treatment of internal lesions.
By integrating engineering principles with plant biology, this review highlights how redesigned genetic pathways and plant-based biosensors can deepen understanding of plant responses to both harmful and beneficial microbes.
High soil salinity disrupts water absorption, ion balance, and photosynthesis in plants, leading to growth inhibition and yield loss.
Millicompost-based substrates enhance bell pepper seedling growth, offering a sustainable alternative to peat and supporting resource-efficient urban farming.
Newly identified brain cells evolved along the theme, "Life is uncertain; Eat dessert first." The neurons, located in the front part of the brain, are most active when the outcome of a decision is uncertain, suggesting that they help with decision making, along with learning and mental flexibility in general.
Researchers engineered mice with a mutation (E3896A) in the RyR1 calcium-binding site, eliminating calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) without affecting depolarization-induced calcium release.
A collaborative French-Swiss study reveals a previously unknown role for astrocytes in the brain's information processing.
In a fruit fly, nerve cells that detect limb movement are silenced when the insect walks or grooms. This on-off switch may help the nervous system to shift between two states: one helps keep the body steady and the other readies it to move.
People are exposed to millions of fungal spores every day, even potentially harmful ones like those from Aspergillus fumigatus.
Imagine being able to flip a light switch to control disease pathways inside a living cell. A team of visionary researchers at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) is making this dream a reality with their groundbreaking genetic tools known as photo-inducible binary interaction tools, or PhoBITs.
Certain brain cells are responsible for coordinating smooth, controlled movements of the body. But when those cells are constantly overactivated for weeks on end, they degenerate and ultimately die.
Findings on Bacillus pasteurii spore germination and impermeability mechanisms offer insights into developing effective microbial self-healing concrete systems.
Optical microscopy is a key technique for understanding dynamic biological processes in cells, but observing these high-speed cellular dynamics accurately, at high spatial resolution, has long been a formidable task.
The study uncovers amyloid-beta's role in glial-mediated synapse loss in feline cognitive dysfunction, enhancing understanding of Alzheimer's disease.
Both for research and medical purposes, researchers have spent decades pushing the limits of microscopy to produce ever deeper and sharper images of brain activity, not only in the cortex but also in regions underneath such as the hippocampus.
Cells called astrocytes are about as abundant in the brain as neurons, but scientists have spent much less time figuring out how they contribute to brain functions.
In animals with social structures, the drive to reproduce is a complex process; governed by the brain, it's influenced by both internal cues such as hormones and external factors such as interactions with potential mates.
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