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.
For a long time, it was believed that only nerve and heart cells utilized electrical impulses for communication, while epithelial cells which form the linings of human skin, organs, and body cavities were considered silent, primarily acting as protective barriers that absorb and secrete various substances.
Most cells in the body send out little messengers called extracellular vesicles that carry proteins, lipids, and other bioactive molecules to other cells, playing an important role in intercellular communication.
Converting one type of cell to another - for example, a skin cell to a neuron - can be done through a process that requires the skin cell to be induced into a "pluripotent" stem cell, then differentiated into a neuron.
University at Albany researchers at the RNA Institute are pioneering new methods for designing and assembling DNA nanostructures, enhancing their potential for real-world applications in medicine, materials science and data storage.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a liver disease that progresses without symptoms and is associated with significant global public health concerns.
A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a "ball-and-chain" channel-plugging mechanism, according to investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine.
This study uncovers a specialized circuit in the striatum that encodes reward variance, offering new perspectives on learning and neurological disorders.
Building on more than two decades of research, a study by MIT neuroscientists at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory reports a new way to treat pathology and symptoms of fragile X syndrome, the most common genetically-caused autism spectrum disorder.
An investigation conducted by a group of scientists at the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has uncovered an unexpected biochemical link between the immune responses of plants and the neurological health of humans.
As many as 40% of Americans are obese, putting them at an increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and certain cancers, according to the CDC.
Virginia Tech neuroscientists have uncovered a mitochondrial process that supports the brain cells critical for learning, memory, and social recognition.
A University of Ottawa neuroscientist has led a Canadian research team to reveal important new insights into the activation dynamics of neural stem cells (NSCs).
A recent study has uncovered how specific genetic mutations in α2δ-1 and α2δ-3 proteins linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) alter neuronal functionality. These mutations significantly reduce the proteins’ membrane expression and synaptic targeting but do not impair calcium channel activity or trans-synaptic signalling.
Mitochondria are crucial organelles for cellular homeostasis, regulating processes such as ATP production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) management and Ca2+ signaling.
Some tumor types spread throughout the body and develop metastases instead of staying at their original location.
Scientists have revealed the secret to the structural integrity of tiny particles that transport cargo from cell to cell through blood vessels and bodily fluids: special proteins that keep their membranes intact as they negotiate shifting electrical impulses in different biological environments.
Calcium-dependent signaling in S. rosetta uncovers mechanisms of cellular coordination, shedding light on the evolution of multicellularity and sensory systems.
A researcher at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson was awarded a $1.9 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to carry out more research on the mysteries of copper, particularly how it can be used to eradicate dangerous bacteria and other microorganisms.
A new study published in Science Advances reveals evidence of electrical signaling and coordinated behavior in choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals.
Researchers at University of California San Diego have developed and tested a new software package, called Spatial Modeling Algorithms for Reactions and Transport (SMART), that can realistically simulate cell-signaling networks -; the complex systems of molecular interactions that allow cells to respond to diverse cues from their environment.
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