Plasma membranes from rat liver purified according to the procedure of Neville bind calcium ions by a concentration-dependent, saturable process with at least two classes of binding sites. The higher affinity sites bind 45 nmol calcium/mg membrane protein with a K(D) of 3 microM. Adrenalectomy increases the number of the higher affinity sites and the corresponding K(D). Plasma membranes exhibit...

background: jaundice is one of the most common problems occurring in the neonatal period. it is commonly managed by phototherapy with its inherent complications. however, this treatment modality may itself result in the development of hypocalcaemia and create serious complications including convulsion and related conditions. objective: to determine the effect of phototherapy on serum calcium le...

In order to clarify the mechanisms of thiazide diuretic-induced hypocalciuria, the effect of a thiazide was studied for 7 days in seven patients with hypoparathyroidism on Vitamin D and one on calcium infusion, and seven euparathyroid patients with hypercalciuria. In the control group, calcium excretion (mg/24 hr) fell by 44% from 415 to 232 within 4 days and remained at this level. Plasma tota...

The role of calcium as an activator and regulator of many biological processes is linked to the ability of the cell to rapidly change its cytoplasmic calcium levels. Calcium acts as an intracellular messenger in hormone-induced bud formation during the development of the moss Physcomitrella patens. Calcium transport and ligand binding studies have implicated plasma membrane-localized 1, 4-dihyd...

Introduction: During its life cycle, malaria parasite has to traverse successfully through widely diverse environmental milieu of mosquito mid gut, RBC cytosol and human circulatory system where it is exposed to dramatic changes of extracellular milieu in terms of pH, osmolarity and ionic constituents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the possible changes in the cations (Na+, K+,...

Recent investigations suggest that there may be an abnormality of calcium and magnesium in depressive illness. Flach (1964) followed the urinary excretion of calcium in depressed patients maintained on a constant intake of calcium before and during recovery. Those patients that recovered showed a significant decrease in the excretion of calcium. Coirault et al. (1959) reported an increase in io...

Fluoride and calcium concentrations in maternal plasma and in placental tissue were determined in 30 healthy women residing in an area with a relatively low water and air fluoride (fluorine) content. The mean fluoride concentrations in maternal plasma and in marginal and central parts o f placenta were 4.27 pMlL, 42.1 pglg of ash, and 33.7 pglg of ash, respectively. The mean calcium concentrati...

INTRODUCTION Elevated plasma calcium level in patients diagnosed with primary hypoparathyroidism is a rare finding, resulting in most cases from the treatment with excessive doses of either vitamin D or its derivatives, or calcium salts. CASE We report a case of a woman who developed severe hypercalcemia due to metastatic lung cancer, describing diagnostics strategies undertaken in this patie...

Extracellular calcium is a major regulator of keratinocyte differentiation in vitro and appears to play that role in vivo, but the mechanism is unclear. We have previously demonstrated that, following calcium stimulation, PIP5K1α is recruited by the E-cadherin-β-catenin complex to the plasma membrane where it provides the substrate PIP2 for both PI3K and PLC-γ1. This signaling pathway is critic...

Calcium waves in membrane fusion hagolysosome fusion is a calcium dependent process. Now, Randall Worth and colleagues (University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA), and Howard Petty and colleagues (University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI) find that a three amino acid motif in the IgG receptor Fc RIIA causes a calcium wave traveling along the plasma membrane...