Calcium regulation has significant effects on the human body's capacity to maintain homeostasis. Around 99% of the body's calcium is found within the skeleton in the form of calcium salts. The remaining 1% is found in blood and controlled within a very narrow range
by an elaborate system of controls to provide for fundamental processes (Marieb & Hoehn 2010). Calcium is the most abundant cation found in human bodies, vital to normal function of a host of processes including: nerve excitability, hormone secretion, blood clotting, taste transduction, muscle function and cellular adhesion (Hutchins 2014). This essay will outline some of the more important roles of calcium metabolism. The essay will begin by discussing how calcium provides for bone growth and calcium reserves, it will then discuss the importance of calcium in muscle contraction and a brief overview of the calcium signalling toolkit. The final section will then turn to consider chemical synapses. This essay will argue that calcium regulation is a key element integral for human life.
Bones
Calcium (Ca+, Ca2+) is a mineral which is integral for the formation, growth and maintenance of healthy bones. Bone formation or osteogenesis is an essential process which starts before week eight in a human embryo and continues until the age of approx 25 (Hill 2014). Bones or the skeleton not only protect organs and support the body, they also account for 99% of the bodies total calcium and function as a reserve which can be released into the body when required. Non-crystalline forms of bone salts combined with ca2+Pi to instinctively form tiny crystals of hydroxyapatite which then further catalyses the crystallisation of calcium salts in that area. Calcium salts are set down...
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Marieb, E & Hoehn, K. (2010). Human Anatomy and Physiology, (8th edn). San Francisco:
Pearson
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Shane, E and Dinaz, I (2006). Hypercalcaemia: Pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, differential diagnosis and management, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, viewed 15 Mach 2014, http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgatma/Anat3048/PAPERS%20etc/ASBMR%20Primer%20Ed%206/Ch%2026-41%20-%20Disorders%20of%20Serum%20Minerals.pdf
Tamarkin, D (2011). Synapses, Springfield Technical Community College, Massachusetts, viewed 18 March 2014, http://faculty.stcc.edu/AandP/AP/AP1pages/nervssys/unit11/synapses.htm
Voltage-gated calcium (Ca2+) channels are cellular membrane proteins that are important for electrical and chemical signaling in cells (5). In neurons voltage-gated Ca2+ chan...
Context: Hypercalcemia is a commonly encountered clinical problem. In the majority (90%) of the cases it is either due to malignancy or primary hyperparathyroidism and is rarely due to granulomatous disease.
Creatine serves as an energy reserve in muscle cells. Muscular contraction is powered by the breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to ADP (adenosinediphosphate). When all the ATP is broken down, creatine phosphate in the muscle donates a phosphate group to ADP, and further energy reactions can occur. Creatine monohydrate is a precursor to creatine phosphate. By supplementing with CM, CP levels in muscle apparently are maximized, and more muscular work can occur, since there are greater energy reserves to use.
Bone homeostasis occurs when the bones are being “remodelled” or it is also known as “bone metabolism” this is the process in which new bone is created and the old bone which was there was removed, it is more common to see this process in younger growing children or adults who have broken any bones.
Bones are formed due to the ossification of cartilage. This means that in the womb, bones start off as cartilage that becomes hard bone as we grown. Calcium is needed for the bone to strengthen, which is why infants drink milk.
In our body’s we have thousands upon thousands of cells that work together to maintain the whole structure. Although cells accomplish different roles, they all are comparable in their metabolic conditions. Preserving a continuous inner environment with what the cells require to survive like sugar, minerals, oxygen and waste removal is essential for the cells and host well-being. The diverse process that the body controls its inner environment are referred to as homeostasis. Homeostasis refers to maintaining a stable environment in reaction to environmental changes. The body’s inner environment requires constant observation to maintain a stable inner environment this way if conditions occur they can be adjusted. Homeostatic regulation is the adjustment of systems in the body. “Homeostatic regulation involves three parts or mechanisms: 1) the receptor, 2) the control center and 3) the effector.” (Wikibooks, para. 2)
Human bones and teeth are known for their strong and dense structures. The major component that is being responsible for this property is a mineral called hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite is a mineral that forms through a controlled process of crystalline solid apatite and other various elements. The importance of proper proportions in this process is very significant: all elements (calcium, phosphorous, oxygen, and other ions) need to be available with an adequate amount. 1
Bones of the skeletal system serve as storage compartments for vital minerals like phosphorus and calcium. Excessive calcium in the blood is stored in bones. Calcium is released from the bones into the blood when there are deficient amounts of it in the blood.
Osteoporosis is a condition, which advances with age, resulting in fragile, weak bones due to a decrease in bone mass. Externally osteoporotic bone is shaped like normal bone, however it’s internal appearance differs. Internally the bone becomes porous due to a loss in essential minerals, including phosphate and calcium. The minerals are loss more quickly than they can be replaced and in turn cause the bones to become less dense and weak. The bones become prone to fracture, due to their weakness. Therefore the awareness of the disease tends to occur after a fracture has been sustained. The bones most commonly affected are the ribs, wrist, pelvis and the vertebrae.
Calcium modifications are the results of to low or to high calcium levels. When calcium levels are to low compromises in bone integrity will occur. Adults 50 years of age and older are encouraged to increase calcium intake to help prevent osteoporosis. Patients with thyroid dysfunctions may experience low hormone levels causing low calcium secretion. Kidney disease, liver disease and pancreatitis also decrease the calcium level due to the effects of absorptions of vitamins and minerals in the body. Patients that have a calcium deficiency are encouraged to increase their calcium intake by means of a calcium supplements or by intake of calcium enriched foods. Dairy is the best source of calcium. When adhering to a calcium rich diet make sure to include Vitamin D in the diet since Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium.
Normal serum calcium concentration is usually about 8.5-10.5 mg/dL, when this level drops the parathyroid gland releases PTH by activating the calcium receptors (1,2,3). Vitamin D on the other hand influences PTH as well when in high concentrations inhibiting transcription of the PTH gene. The homeostasis of serum calcium through calcitri...
The food we consume everyday has a vitamin and the mineral that our body can store and can store directly into our bones. In a bone, there is a space within the shaft and that’s where the most of the vitamins are stored in. “Bone is a reservoir for minerals, most importantly calcium and phosphate” (Marieb 176). The minerals that are stored will released into the bloodstream to distribute to the parts of all body. Blood cell formation occurs in the marrow cavities in certain bones (176). There are two types of bone marrow: red marrow, which consists mainly of hematopoietic tissue and yellow marrow which consists of fat cells. Red marrow, Hematopoietic tissue is found in the trabecular cavities of the spongy bone. Red marrows are typically found in the long bones and in the flat bones of spongy bones. At birth, all bone marrows are red and as we age over the years, more and more of its red marrow converted to yellow type. The blood cell production in typical adult bone happens in the head of the femur and humerus because the “fat containing medullary cavity extends into epiphysis and not much red marrow is present in the spongy bone cavities” (179). When osteoclasts break down the bone, tis mineral components like calcium and phosphorus will be sent back into the blood
Calcium is a mineral found in many foods that the human body cannot produce itself (National Osteoporosis Foundation). According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation it is used in the regulation of heartbeat, stimulation of hormone secretions, conduction of nerve impulses, stimulation of blood clotting, and maintenance of a healthy skeleton. They also state that we lose calcium every day through shed skin, nails, hair, sweat, and other bodily functions. Bones are also constantly being “remodeled” by removal of older pieces of bone and replacement with new bone. These losses make a daily source of calcium invaluable. Calcium has traditionally been thought of in conjunction to milk, but this connection is slowly being broken.
Nutrition plays a significant role in the development of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from the loss of bone mass which can be the result of hormonal changes or a deficiency of calcium or vitamin D. Calcium is important for healthy bones and because our body does not produce calcium. We must get it from foods that we eat. The needed amount of calcium for adults over 50 years old is 1,200 mg while an age 19-50 is 1,000 mg and for children 9-18 is 1,300 mg. Popular sources of calcium are milk, yogurt and cheese. Other sources of calcium can be found in leafy green vegetables such as lettuces, spinach, collards, kale, Swiss chard, rhubarb, turnip greens, mustard, and
The second part of this lab was a computer simulation program to illustrate a frog’s electrocardiogram using various drugs in an isolated setting. The computer program entitled “Effects of Drugs on the Frog Heart” allowed experimental conditions to be set for specific drugs. The different drugs used were calcium, digitalis, pilocarpine, atropine, potassium, epinephrine, caffeine, and nicotine. Each of these drugs caused a different electrocardiogram and beats per minute reading. The calcium-magnesium ration affects “the permeability of the cell membrane”(Fox). When calcium is placed directly on the heart it results in three physiological functions. The force of the heart increases while the cardiac rate decreases. It also causes the appearance of “ectopic pacemakers in the ventricles, producing abnormal rhythms” (Fox). Digitalis’ affect on the heart is very similar to that of calcium. It inhibits the sodium-potassium pump activated by ATP that promotes the uptake of extracellular calcium by the heart. This in return strengthens myocardial contraction (Springhouse). Pilocarpine on the other hand