OBJECTIVES To assess calcium status in healthy pregnant women during limited sun exposure time in winter, and to demonstrate the possible effect of serum albumin alterations on serum total calcium level and the role of albumin adjusted calcium concentration. METHODS Subjects enrolled in the study included 160 apparently healthy women divided equally into four groups (I - IV), group I was cons...

We briefly review X-ray studies of ionized AGN outflows and high-redshift AGN. We discuss recent progress with Chandra and XMMNewton as well as prospects and requirements for future X-ray missions.

In this study, we used a recently developed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique to measure ionized calcium in sickle erythrocytes. The NMR technique, which involves 19F NMR studies of a fluorinated calcium chelator quinMF, [2-(2-amino-4-methyl-5-fluorophenoxy)methyl-8-aminoquinoline-N,N,N',N'- tetraacetic acid] provides a novel approach to the study of ionized calcium in erythrocytes sin...

A small quantity of extracellular calcium is required for the stimulation of lymphocytes by mitogens such as plant lectins. Lectin binding to the lymphocyte surface and early postbinding events that eventually lead to DNA synthesis are calcium dependent. Mitogenic lectins such as PHA and Con-A rapidly increase the size of an exchangeable pool of cell calcium and cause a smaller rise in intracel...

Relative hypoparathyroidism (parathyroid hormone [PTH] < or = 200 pg/mL) is prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients, with unknown pathogenesis and prognosis. Thus, to clarify risk factors and prognosis of time-dependent relative hypoparathyroidism in HD patients, a retrospective cohort study was performed for 126 HD patients with four or more PTH determinations and no previous total or subtotal...

To determine the influence of dietary calcium on spaceflight-induced alterations in calcium metabolism and blood pressure (BP), 9-wk-old spontaneously hypertensive rats, fed either high- (2%) or low-calcium (0.02%) diets, were flown on an 18-day shuttle flight. On landing, flight animals had increased ionized calcium (P < 0.001), elevated parathyroid hormone levels (P < 0.001), reduced calciton...

We measured the activity of Ca2+, Na+, K+, and Cl- with ion-selective electrodes after equilibrium dialysis of solutions with different albumin concentrations. The calculated Donnan ratio was the same for all ions in the same solution and increased with the albumin concentration, as predicted by the Donnan theory. The Donnan distribution ratio for Ca2+ was similar, as determined with instrument...

Although the toxic effects of citrate including hemodynamic and cardiovascular changes result from a decrease in ionized calcium levels in serum due to chelating action, these effects of citrate on blood coagulation have not yet been fully clarified. The present study examines whether serum citrate and ionized calcium levels affect whole blood clotting time in rats using the test tube method in...

Hypercalcaemia is often thought to provide important clues to the presence of unsuspected illness. A presumptive diagnosis of hypercalcaemia may often be made on an elevated total serum calcium concentration although it should, strictly speaking, refer to an elevation in the physiologically important ionized (free) calcium concentration. Pseudohypercalcaemia is rare, but should be excluded befo...

BACKGROUND Ionized calcium (iCa) is measured frequently in hospitalized patients, and hypocalcemia is frequently found, seemingly supporting the practice. METHODS We retrieved the results of 58 040 iCa tests and records of intravenous (IV) and oral calcium supplementation from laboratory and hospital information systems and evaluated them for frequency of testing, frequency of hypocalcemia, a...