Body Electrolytes

Diagnosis and alleviation of the cause, if possible, is of primary importance. Often, however, this is not possible and therapy is used to alleviate the inconvenience and pain of diarrhea. These compounds usually only mask the underlying factors producing the problem. Diarrhea may cause significant dehydration and loss of electrolytes and is a particularly serious problem in infants. Antidiarrheals do not usually prevent the loss of fluids and electrolytes into the large bowel and, although these may prevent frequent defecation, often the serious imbalance of body electrolytes and fluids is not significantly affected. 

ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE Improper proportions of acids, bases, salts, and fluids in the body. Electrolytes include the salts sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride chlorine. They can conduct electricity, and therefore are essential in nerve, muscle, and heart function. 

As I explain in chapter 9, it may be more important to increase and thus balance levels of minerals in the body (electrolytes), including magnesium, calcium, and potassium, than it is to reduce the mineral... 

Intersubject QT intervals vary noticeably, with a standard deviation of 40ms, or over 10% of the total. Single subject standard deviations are around 10ms, which is still over 2.5% of the total. This is partly because the heart s rhythm is partially a hysteresis loop (i.e., previous patterns affect successive patterns) and also because of the influence by many other factors, including heart physiology, body electrolyte balance, genetics, disease, age, nutrition, and exercise. 

Analysis of urine samples for metals content is a useful way to study the presence of toxic metals in humans. The metal content can give an indication of the performance of kidneys in regulating the body electrolyte, water metabolism and rate of excretion of metals from the body. ICP-OES can be used to measure the level of heavy metals in urine of both healthy and pathological cases. Sample preparation for analysis of these samples must involve an acid digestion in a microwave oven or bomb combustion to destroy the interfering organics present. Metals such as Pb, Cd, Tl, Se, Sn and Hg are the usual metals requiring analysis. 

Aldosterone, essentially a corticosteroid in which the methyl group at Cjg is oxidized to a carboxaldehyde, was the last endogenous steroid to be isolated in a form suitable for structural studies. This hormone controls via its action on the kidney both body electrolyte balance and blood volume. A number of modified androstanes, all of which feamre a spirobutyrolactone at C17, act as aldosterone antagonists Those 17-spirobutyrolactones consequently show diuretic and... 

Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis A shift in body electrolyte and pH balance involving elevated chloride, diminished bicarbonate concentration, and a decrease in pH in the blood. Typical result of bicarbonate diuresis... 

Hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis A shift in body electrolyte balance and pH involving a decrease in serum potassium and an increase in blood pH. Typical result of loop and thiazide diuretics... 

Stroescu, V., D. Mann, and I. Fulga. 1986. Experimental research of the influence of the body electrolyte composition on the toxic effect of morphine. Rev. Roum. Morphol. Embryo Physiol Physiol 23(3) 147-49 cited in Chem. Abstr. CA 106(23) 188860q. 

Severe gastrointestinal symptoms may result in dehydration (not enough fluids in the body), electrolyte abnormalities (not enough sodium and potassium in the body), and low blood pressure. 

Since potassium can replace H" in the tubular exchange of sodium, pathological conditions that lead to potassium retention (hyperkalemia) also lead to acidosis. Hyperkalemia may result from excess potassium intake, low potassium excretion, or severe shifts in the distribution of body electrolytes. 

Temperature is an important factor influencing in vivo electrochemical behavior. Internal body temperature is homeo-statically regulated at 37 C, so it is important to test at this value in the laboratory. For dental materials exposed to the oral cavity, the temperature fluctuates due to food cind drink intake and can range from about 0-70°C. Dissolved salts, particularly chlorides, are probably the most influential components for implant corrosion in vivo [2], although by no means the only ones. The internal body electrolyte has the equivalent of 0.9 % NaCl in solution. 

Epidemic cholera is a common cause of illness in countries with inadequate water treatment facilities. Cholera excretes a toxin (choleragen) consisting of a binding agent that attaches the microbe to the intestinal wall. The microbe then penetrates mucus layers, which produces the classic symptom of diarrhea. In the case of Asiatic cholera, untreated cases of infection have an approximate fatality rate of over 60 percent. Diarrhea, vomiting, and malaise appear after an incubation period from 12 hours to 3 days, symptoms caused by severe water loss and subsequent lack of body electrolytes. 

Corticosteroids exhibit a wide range of physiological effects One important func tion IS to assist m maintaining the proper electrolyte balance m body fluids They also play a vital regulatory role m the metabolism of carbohydrates and m mediating the alter gic response... 

As we have seen in this chapter steroids have a number of functions in human physiology Cholesterol is a component part of cell mem branes and is found in large amounts in the brain Derivatives of cholic acid assist the digestion of fats in the small intestine Cortisone and its derivatives are involved in maintaining the electrolyte balance in body fluids The sex hormones responsible for mascu line and feminine characteristics as well as numerous aspects of pregnancy from conception to birth are steroids... 

Hydrogen fluoride Catalyst in some petroleum refining, etching glass, silicate extraction by-product in electrolytic production of aluminum Petroleum, primary metals, aluminum Strong irritant and corrosive action on all body tissue damage to citrus plants, effect on teeth and bones of cattle from eating plants... 

The integrity of mammalian kidneys is vital to body homeostasis, because the kidneys play the principal role in the excretion of metabolic wastes and the regulation of extracellular fluid volume, electrolyte balance, and acid-base... 

A surgical implant is constantly bathed in extracellular tissue fluid. Basically water, this fluid contains electrolytes, complex compounds, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Electrolytes present in the largest amounts are sodium (Na ) and chloride (Cl ) ions. Most of the fluids existing in the body (such as blood, plasma and lymph) have a chloride content (and pH) somewhat similar to that of sea water (about 5 to 20g/l and pH about 8) . 

A 0-9% salt solution is considered to be isotonic with blood. Other electrolytes present include bicarbonate ions (HCOj ) and small amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sulphate and organic acid ions. Included among the complex compounds and present in smaller amounts are phospholipids, cholesterols, natural fats, proteins, glucose and amino acids. Under normal conditions the extracellular body fluid is slightly alkaline with a pH of 7-4. ... 

Fretting in air-saturated aqueous electrolytes, such as seawater or body fluids , produces enhanced removal of material by stimulation of electrochemical reactions, increasing the reaction rates by factors of 10 to 200 compared with air, depending on the frequency. The importance of the chemical... 

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