Zinc and alcohol metabolism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Zinc and alcohol metabolism - Term Paper Example The ileum absorbs nearly 3-4 grams of zinc per day and thus the recommended allowances, daily range from 5mg in infants to between 16 and 19 mg per day for lactating women. In addition, it is stored and used in two distinct pools: the fixed pool that is usually bound to metalloproteins, which constitutes 80-90% of body zinc. The second is the labile pool which constitutes loosely binding or free zinc, which is available for exchange by organelles and cells. This kind of pool is susceptible to depletion, especially during dietary zinc deficiency. Free zinc may be toxic to enzymes and proteins and thus the labile pool is largely bound to proteins that carry zinc. Moreover, zinc movement across organelle membranes and plasma is regulated tightly by zinc transporters. Zinc has a vast majority of functions and relates to alcohol intake through its biochemical role in metabolism of alcohol. Zinc is important for cell division and growth. It is crucial, especially during pregnancy for the developing fetus because cells are dividing rapidly. Zinc helps in avoiding pre-term delivery and congenital abnormalities. Zinc is useful in activating growth-weight, height and bone development in children, infants and teenagers. Moreover, zinc plays a role in fertility. In females, it can help in the treatment of menstrual problems and alleviation of pre-menstrual syndrome associated symptoms..In males, it offers protection from infection and enlargement of the prostate gland. It also maintains mobility, sperm count and levels of testosterone at normal (Kang et al, 2008). As a component of most enzymes, it participates in synthesis as well as degradation of lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and the metabolism of several other micronutrients. Zinc aids in the stabilization of the molecular structure of membranes and cellular components, and in this way contribute to cell and organ maintenance. In addition, zinc is essential in transcription of the

Story of Moses in Exodus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Story of Moses in Exodus - Essay Example he particularity experienced by those whose heritage is distinctively Jewish---it can still have meaning for such outsider communities who embrace the Old Testament stories as a spiritualization of their own struggles, which is ultimately sustaining, respectful, and prestinating others' lives. Here it will be examined why Moses was chosen, what life was probably like for Moses as an exile, and what it was like for Moses to be a chosen leader. One of the purposes of Moses being chosen, was that it was a way to perpetuate the life of the children of Israel. In Egypt, they may have perished if they had continued under the Pharaoh, since Hebrew infant males were being killed. And, it was through this chosen agent of Moses that God, in essence, saved the children of Israel. For the purpose of this paper, here the focus will be given to select verses in Exodus 14 which deal with the parting of the Red Sea. The children of Israel passed through the waters and didn't have to worry about the waters closing in on them, while the Lord made the vehicles in which the Egyptians were pursuing the Israelites (so that they could enslave them again) to disintegrate. "He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.'" (Exodus 14:25) "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." (Exodus 14:30) In Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz's book Mujerista Theology, she examines an article called "By the Rivers of Babylon: Exile as a Way of Life." We can only imagine that life was similar for Moses and his people in exile after they crossed the Red Sea. Isasi-Diaz describes her expulsion from Cuba and how she had to struggle with the aspect of having been basically thrown out of her country. She seeks to reclaim this part of her by still remaining faithful to the idea that she wants the flag "draped on her tomb" when she dies, even though she is sin patria (without a country) and sin amo (without a master); she elaborates that "the multi-layered oppression made possible and sustained in all aspects of our lives by sexism, racism/ethnic prejudice, and work to become agents of our own history-the challenge to be self-defining and self-actualizing [human beings]-as an intrinsic element. For this challenge to be met, we know that we have to develop and strengthen our moral agency."1 It is important to note that, much like Ada Maria under Cuban rule, Moses and his people faced all kinds of oppression under the rule of Pharaoh-and once they became exiles they faced different kinds