Animal calcium

In patients with renal failure, the occurrence of conditioned zinc deficiency may be the result of a mixture of factors, which at present are ill defined. If 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol plays a role in the intestinal absorption of zinc, an impairment in its formation by the diseased kidney would be expected to result in malabsorption of zinc. It seems likely that plasma and soft tissue concentrations of zinc may be "protected in some individuals with renal failure by the dissolution of bone which occurs as a result of increased parathyroid activity in response to low serum calcium. In experimental animals, calcium deficiency has been shown to cause release of zinc from bone. In some patients who are successfully treated for hyperphosphatemia and hypocalcemia, the plama zinc concentration may be expected to decline because of the deposition of zinc along with calcium in bone. Thus, in the latter group in particular, a diet low in protein and high in refined cereal products and fat would be expected to contribute to a conditioned deficiency of zinc. Such a diet would be low in zinc. The patients reported by Mansouri et al. (37), who were treated with a diet containing 20-30 g of protein daily and who had low plasma concentrations of zinc, appear to represent such a clinical instance. Presumably the patients of Halsted and Smith (38) were similarly restricted in dietary protein. In other patients with renal failure whose dietary protein was not restricted, plasma zinc concentration were not decreased. Patients on dialysis had even higher levels, particularly... 

The essential role played by calcium in bringing about blood clotting has long been known. In some tissues, particularly in the lower animals, calcium can partly or completely replace sodium in carrying the inward current during nerve conduction. 

Bone is highly complex in structure, the dry matter consisting of approximately 460 g mineral matter/kg, 360 g protein/kg and 180 g fat/kg.The composition varies, however, according to the age and nutritional status of the animal. Calcium and phosphorus are the two most abundant mineral elements in bone they are combined in a form similar to that found in the mineral hydroxyapatite, 3Ca3(P04)2.Ca(0H)2. Bone ash contains approximately 360 g calcium/kg, 170 g phosphorus/kg and 10 g magnesium/kg. 

If calcium is deficient in the diet of young growing animals, then satisfactory bone formation cannot occur and the condition known as rickets is produced. The symptoms of rickets are misshapen bones, enlargement of the joints, lameness and stiffness. In adult animals, calcium deficiency produces osteomalacia, in which the calcium in the... 

Oxalic acid and oxalates are present in many plants and occur naturally in animals. Calcium oxalate is the most common component of kidney stones. 

The values show marked differences depending on species and soil conditions. In animals, calcium is universal, and occurs in skeletal and soft tissues. 

Mineral Feed. Mineral feed supplements for domestic animals and fowl usually contain a pure form of pulverized limestone. In fact, some state laws require the supplement to be at least 35% available calcium. Other sources of calcium are bone meal and dicalcium phosphate. Use as mineral feed has been a steadily growing market for limestone. The material is ground to 90% minus 0.15 mm (100 mesh) or 80% minus 0.9074 mm (200 mesh), is low in silica, and has strict tolerances on arsenic and fluorine (see Feeds and feed additives). 

The potassium or calcium salt form of oxaUc acid is distributed widely ia the plant kingdom. Its name is derived from the Greek o>ys, meaning sharp or acidic, referring to the acidity common ia the foflage of certain plants (notably Oxalis and Mmex) from which it was first isolated. Other plants ia which oxahc acid is found are spinach, rhubarb, etc. Oxahc acid is a product of metabohsm of fungi or bacteria and also occurs ia human and animal urine the calcium salt is a principal constituent of kidney stones. 

L-Ascorbic acid biosynthesis in plants and animals as well as the chemical synthesis starts from D-glucose. The vitamin and its main derivatives, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, and ascorbyl palmitate, are officially recognized by regulatory agencies and included in compendia such as the United S fates Pharmacopeia/National Formula (USP/NF) and the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). 

The bulk of the industrial supply of the calcium salt of (R)-pantothenic acid is used in food and feed enrichment. Food enrichment includes breakfast cereals, beverages, dietetic, and baby foods. Animal feed is fortified with calcium-(R)-pantothenate which functions as a growth factor. 

Fermentative Manufacture. Throughout the years, riboflavin yields obtained by fermentation have been improved to the point of commercial feasibiUty. Most of the riboflavin thus produced is consumed in the form of cmde concentrates for the enrichment of animal feeds. Riboflavin was first produced by fermentation in 1940 from the residue of butanol—acetone fermentation. Several methods were developed for large-scale production (41). A suitable carbohydrate-containing mash is prepared and sterilised, and the pH adjusted to 6—7. The mash is buffered with calcium carbonate, inoculated with Clostridium acetohutylicum and incubated at 37—40°C for 2—3 d. The yield is ca 70 mg riboflavin/L (42) (see Fermentation). 

For animal feed use, vitamin B 2 is usuaby provided in a diluted form on a carrier such as calcium carbonate and/or rice hubs. An earher practice of using a spray-dried fermentation biomass in this appHcation appears to be no longer used. 

Vitamin D [1406-12-2] is a material that is formed ia the skin of animals upon kradiation by sunlight and serves as a precursor for metaboUtes that control the animal s calcium homeostasis and act ki other hormonal functions. A deficiency of vitamin D can cause rickets, as weU as other disease states. This tendency can be a problem wherever animals, including humans, especially kifants and children, receive an kiadequate amount of sunshine. The latter phenomenon became prevalent with the advent of the kidustrial revolution, and efforts to cute rickets resulted ki the development of commercial sources of vitamin D for supplementation of the diet of Hvestock, pets, and humans. 

Research conducted durkig and subsequent to the 1970s revealed that vitamin D is better defined as those natural or synthetic substances that ate converted by animals kito metaboUtes that control calcium and phosphoms homeostasis and act ki a variety of other hormonal-like functions. 

Calcium-binding protein is not found in the intestinal mucosa of vitamin D-deficient animals. It is synthesized only in response to the presence of a material with vitamin D activity. Thus, using antisemm specific to intestinal calcium-binding protein, a radioimmunodiffusion assay (98) conducted on ... 

The overall effect in most animals is to stimulate intestinal absorption of calcium with a concomitant increase in semm calcium and a reduction in parathyroid hormone (PTH). Modest hypercalcemia allows the glomerular filtration rate to remain stable and hypercalciuria to occur because of increased filtered load of calcium and reduction of tubular resorption of calcium with reduced PTH. However, with further increases in semm calcium, the glomerular filtration rate decreases, resulting in an even more rapid increase in semm calcium and the subsequent fall in urinary calcium. 

Chlorine. Nearly all chlorine compounds are readily soluble in water. As a result, the major reservoir for this element in Figure 1 is the ocean (5). Chloride, as noted earHer, is naturally present at low levels in rain and snow, especially over and near the oceans. Widespread increases in chloride concentration in mnoff in much of the United States can be attributed to the extensive use of sodium chloride and calcium chloride for deicing of streets and highways. Ref. 19 points out the importance of the increased use of deicing salt as a cause of increased chloride concentrations in streams of the northeastern United States and the role of this factor in the chloride trends in Lake Ontario. Increases in chloride concentration also can occur as a result of disposal of sewage, oil field brines, and various kinds of industrial waste. Thus, chloride concentration trends also can be considered as an index of the alternation of streamwater chemistry by human development in the industrialized sections of the world. Although chlorine is an essential element for animal nutrition, it is of less importance for other life forms. 

The oceans contain vast quantities of ionic calcium,, to the extent of 400 mg/L of seawater (3). Calcium is present ia living organisms as a constituent of bones, teeth, shell, and coral. It is essential to plant as well as animal life. 

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