Calcium News and Research

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Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the body, is found in some foods, added to others, available as a dietary supplement, and present in some medicines (such as antacids). Calcium is required for muscle contraction, blood vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system. The body strives to maintain constant concentrations of calcium in blood, muscle, and intercellular fluids, though less than <1% of total body calcium is needed to support these functions.

The remaining 99% of the body's calcium supply is stored in the bones and teeth where it supports their structure. Bone itself undergoes continuous remodeling, with constant resorption and deposition of calcium into new bone. The balance between bone resorption and deposition changes with age. Bone formation exceeds resorption in growing children, whereas in early and middle adulthood both processes are relatively equal. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds formation, resulting in bone loss that increases the risk of osteoporosis over time.

GSK, NPS enter agreement to evaluate ronacaleret in new indications

NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing orphan therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, today reported that it has entered into a new agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), that terminates and replaces a prior collaborative research and license agreement between NPS and GSK from 1993, which focused on the discovery and development of small molecule antagonists of the calcium receptor that increase secretion of parathyroid hormone.

3 Aug 2011

Sorin Group's Mitroflow valve with PRT receives CE Mark approval

Sorin Group,, a global medical company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, announced today that it received the CE Mark approval for the Mitroflow Aortic Pericardial Heart Valve with PRT.

28 Jul 2011

High-dose vitamin D reduces musculoskeletal pain in breast cancer patients

High-dose vitamin D relieves joint and muscle pain for many breast cancer patients taking estrogen-lowering drugs, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

27 Jul 2011

Sediments buried beneath the Black Sea contain ancient virus and host DNA

A scientist analyzing ancient plankton DNA signatures in sediments of the Black Sea has found that the same genetic populations of a virus and its algal host can persist--and coexist--for centuries.

26 Jul 2011

Vegetarian diets are not deficient in important nutrients

Results from a recent study eliminates the common misconception that vegetarian diets are deficient in important nutrients that most people get from animal foods, according to an article in the July issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

25 Jul 2011

Birth control pills may reduce woman's bone density

Birth control pills may reduce a woman's bone density, according to a study published online July 13 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) scientists.

20 Jul 2011

Medically treated patients with GERD more likely to develop esophageal cancer

Medically treated patients with mild or no symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are at higher risk for developing esophageal cancer than those with severe GERD symptoms, according to a University of Pittsburgh study published in the current issue of Archives of Surgery.

19 Jul 2011

Researchers identify gene linked to muscle endurance

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a gene for endurance, or more precisely, a negative regulator of it.

19 Jul 2011

EC grants marketing authorization for Amgen's XGEVA to prevent skeletal-related events

Amgen today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for XGEVA (denosumab) for the prevention of skeletal-related events (SREs) in adults with bone metastases from solid tumors.

15 Jul 2011

Scientists analyze structural changes in calcium channels caused by Timothy-mutation

The human genome encodes 243 voltage-gated ion channels. Mutations in calcium channels can cause severe inherited diseases such as migraine, night blindness, autism spectrum disorders and Timothy syndrome, which leads to severe cardiovascular disorders.

15 Jul 2011

Rcadia reports promising results from calcium scoring cCTA trial

Rcadia Medical Imaging has achieved proof-of-concept with the first fully automated software that performs calcium scoring directly from a coronary CT angiography (cCTA) study.

15 Jul 2011

Chronic self-reported NSAID use associated with increased risk of adverse events in hypertensive patients with CAD

A study published in the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine, reports that among hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease, chronic self-reported use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with an increased risk of adverse events during long-term follow-up. Long-term NSAID use is common for treatment of chronic pain.

13 Jul 2011

New method to study neuronal activity in the deepest layers of the cortex

Visual and tactile objects in our surroundings are translated into a perception by complex interactions of neurons in the cortex. The principles underlying spatial and temporal organization of neuronal activity during decision-making and object perception are not all understood yet.

13 Jul 2011

Osteoporosis, low bone density common in people with early-stage MS

Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published in the July 12, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Jul 2011

T-type calcium channels could provide new approach for treating PD

Parkinson disease (PD) affects 1-2% of the population over the age of 65 years. It results from loss or loss of function of nerve cells in the brain that coordinate movement.

2 Jul 2011

Mount Sinai gene therapy improves cardiac function in people with severe heart failure

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found in a Phase II trial that a gene therapy developed at Mount Sinai stabilized or improved cardiac function in people with severe heart failure. Patients receiving a high dose of the therapy, called SERCA2a, experienced substantial clinical benefit and significantly reduced cardiovascular hospitalizations, addressing a critical unmet need in this population.

29 Jun 2011

Bio-Nucleonics' generic Metastron, an option for metastatic cancer bone pain therapy

Bio-Nucleonics' lead product Strontium Chloride Sr-89 Injection USP (Strontium-89), which is the generic version of Metastron®, is an option to consider for metastatic cancer bone pain therapy, typically caused by advanced stage breast, prostate or lung cancer.

28 Jun 2011

Coronary CT angiography may effectively screen for heart disease in African-Americans

Researchers may have discovered one reason that African Americans are at increased risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.

28 Jun 2011

Amgen files sBLA for XGEVA with FDA to treat castrate-resistant prostate cancer

Amgen today announced the submission of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the indication for XGEVA (denosumab) to treat men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer to reduce the risk of developing bone metastases.

28 Jun 2011

Circulation journal publishes Celladon's MYDICAR Phase 2 trial on advanced heart failure

Celladon Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases, announces that the data from its completed Phase 2 CUPID clinical study of MYDICAR for the treatment of advanced heart failure is being published today online in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal.

28 Jun 2011