Abstract
The calcium ion is required for the operation of a number of physiological processes, such as bone and tooth formation, blood coagulation, nerve impulse transmission, and muscle contraction. At the cellular-biochemical level, the calcium ion participates in signal transduction and is a significant factor in cell replication and cell division. The ultimate source of this important element is the diet, and the proper absorption of calcium is required to meet body needs. Abnormal or inadequate calcium absorption is a contributing factor in certain disease states, including osteoporosis, vitamin D-deficiency rickets, vitamin D-dependent rickets types I and II, and chronic renal failure, to name a few. The continued study of calcium absorption and calcium metabolism in animals and humans is essential for further elucidation of basic mechanisms, for understanding of disease processes, and for assessment of the efficacy of therapeutic strategies. Importantly, the use of tracer methodologies in studies of calcium metabolism has provided valuable information not otherwise attainable. The radionuclides of calcium that have been widely used with considerable advantage as tracers in the study of calcium and bone metabolism are the beta-emitting Ca and the gamma-emitting Ca. However, the use of radioactive substances in basic and clinical research is dwindling because of the costs of radionuclides, the costs of disposal of radioactive wastes, and the justifiable reticence of giving potentially hazardous radionuclides to human subjects, particularly to the young and the pregnant. Stable isotopes of calcium are available that have been beneficially used in human and animal studies but here the disadvantages are the cost of the stable isotopes of calcium (Ca, Ca) and the more specialized equipment required for their analysis. For these and other reasons, researchers have turned to the use of strontium as a surrogate for calcium. The strontium and the calcium ions, members of the …
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