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.
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.
Fatty diets and obesity affect the structure and function of astrocytes, the star-shaped brain cells located in the striatum, a brain region involved in the perception of pleasure generated by food consumption.
Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), UC Irvine, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), have used biology to convert human urine into a valuable product.
Genetically modified yeast transforms human urine into hydroxyapatite, a valuable biomaterial for bone repair, enhancing wastewater treatment efficiency.
Gluconobacter oxydans is key in carbon capture and bioleaching, with genetic modifications improving metal extraction efficiency for sustainable technology.
Macrophages and other immune cells are the natural frontline immune warriors of our body, defending the body against invading pathogens and cancer cells.
A 3D engineered kidney glomerulus model replicates structural and mechanical features of the glomerular filtration barrier, enabling the study of podocyte-related diseases and drug screening with improved physiological relevance.
The ability to engineer shapeshifting proteins opens new avenues for medicine, agriculture, and beyond.
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