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.
Healthy cells respond appropriately to changes in their environment. They do this by sensing what's happening outside and relaying a command to the precise biomolecule in the precise domain that can carry out the necessary response.
Epilepsy, where patients suffer from unexpected seizures, affects roughly 1% of the population.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to be one of the most difficult and common neurodegenerative diseases, impacting millions of people globally.
The next generation of medications, known as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), works by preventing the transmission of damaging genetic messages.
A new study details how nutrient-starved cells divert protein transport stations to cellular recycling centers to be broken down, highlighting a novel approach cells use to deal with stressful conditions.
A collaboration between POSTECH, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, and Seoul National University unveils a novel strategy for identifying key proteins in organelle communication.
Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) along with the researchers from University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, and Nagoya City University, found that disruption to the cell membrane accelerates cellular senescence or cell aging.
A common preservative used to kill pathogens in food has been found to also affect beneficial bacteria, endangering the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome.
Biological systems can behave as siblings in several ways, including by borrowing something and never giving it back.
Calcium ions are essential for cells, but can be toxic in higher concentrations. A team of researchers has now designed and prepared a combination drug that kills tumor cells by modulating the calcium influx into the cell.
For terrestrial creatures, including humans, to survive, they must drink plenty of water and eat enough salt. Neural pathways comprising many brain regions intriguingly control both thirst and salt appetite.
The communities of microorganisms connected to plants can change as a result of human domestication of crops, according to recent research headed by the University of Oxford.
A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University published in the journal Microbiome has found changes in the microbiome in multiple locations in the body are linked to the formation of kidney stones.
When plants are infected by pathogens, suffer from a lack of water or have to react to other external stimuli, the first thing they do is increase the proton and calcium concentration in the affected cells.
Acting as the main interface between the internal and the external world, the skin is the largest and most important organ of the human body.
In this interview, we speak to Umberto Olcese, an Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam, to delve into the complex and fascinating world of consciousness from a neuroscientific perspective.
We speak to Dr. Ruth Kroschewski about new research that details the existence of an 'exclusome', a cytoplasmic container that appears to explain where extra-chromosomal DNA goes once it is in a cell.
Florida State University scientists have uncovered answers to a conundrum in Earth's history: Why did marine life experience an extraordinary boom millions of years ago?
The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of Covid-19.
An international team of scientists has identified nearly a dozen genes that contribute to calcium buildup in our coronary arteries that can lead to life-threatening coronary artery disease, a condition responsible for up to one in four deaths in the United States.
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