Introduction and Executive Summary for the Supplement Micronutrients in Latin America: Current State and Research

Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the...

Bioavailability refers to the proportion of an unaltered drug that, after administration, enters the systemic circulation and can be distributed to the desired action site. Factors such as gastrointestinal (GI) absorption and liver biotransformation influence the bioavailability of a drug when it is administered orally. When a drug is administered intravenously, it enters the systemic circulation directly; by definition, its bioavailability is assumed to be 100%. The bioavailability of an...

The minerals contained in all of the food we consume are essential for our organ systems. However, certain essential minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and fluoride, largely affect bone health.
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...

Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...

Fats and lipids are crucial components in the human body. Some lipid-derived compounds, such as fat-soluble vitamins, eicosanoids, lipoproteins, and glycolipids, also play unique roles to support various  biological processes .
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, are required in minimal quantities, but their deficiencies can lead to severely abnormal physiological conditions. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, dry skin,...

In inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS), an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) torch is used as an atomizer and ionizer. Solid samples are dissolved and volatilized before being introduced into the high-temperature argon plasma, while solution samples are nebulized and passed through the high-temperature argon plasma. Plasma dissociates the analytes and ionizes their component atoms to form a mixture of positive ions and molecular species. The positive ions are then...