nitrogen balance

balance /bal·ance/ (bal´ans)

1. an instrument for weighing.

2. equilibrium.

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acid-base balance  a normal balance between production and excretion of acid or alkali by the body, resulting in a stable concentration of H+ in body fluids.

analytical balance  a balance used in the laboratory, sensitive to variations of the order of 0.05 to 0.1 mg.

fluid balance  the state of the body in relation to ingestion and excretion of water and electrolytes.

nitrogen balance  the state of the body in regard to ingestion and excretion of nitrogen. In negative nitrogen b. the amount excreted is greater than the quantity ingested; in positive nitrogen b. the amount excreted is smaller than the quantity ingested.

water balance  fluid b.

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nitrogen balance

n.

The difference between the amount of nitrogen taken into the body and the amount excreted or lost.

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nitrogen balance,

the relationship between the amount of nitrogen taken into the body, usually as food, and that excreted from the body in urine and feces. Most of the body's nitrogen is incorporated into protein. Positive nitrogen balance, which occurs when the intake of nitrogen is greater than its excretion, implies tissue formation and growth. Negative nitrogen balance, which occurs when more nitrogen is excreted than is taken in, indicates wasting or destruction of tissue.

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nitrogen balance,

n a determination made about the body's ability to meet its protein needs which is reached by comparing the amount of nitrogen taken in with the amount discharged via urine, hair, skin, or perspiration.

nitrogen balance, negative,

n a condition in which nitrogen output exceeds nitrogen intake, resulting in the body's need to draw on its own stores of protein for energy; may be caused by dietary imbalances, illness, infection, anxiety, or stress.

nitrogen balance, positive,

n a body condition in which nitrogen intake exceeds nitrogen output; a normal state for children, pregnant women, or individuals recovering from illness or surgery, whose bodies require extra protein in order to build tissue.

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balance

1. an instrument for weighing.

2. harmonious adjustment of different elements or parts; harmonious performance of functions. Used to describe symmetry and proportion of conformation.

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acid-base balance

the proportion of acid and base required to keep the blood and body fluids neutral. See also acid-base balance.

analytical balance

a laboratory balance sensitive to very small variations of the order of 0.001 mg.

balance examination

simultaneous palpation of muscles on both sides of the body of Greyhounds attempting to locate areas of soreness or spasm.

fluid balance

the state of the body in relation to ingestion and excretion of water and electrolytes (see also fluid balance).

nitrogen balance

the state of the body in regard to ingestion and excretion of nitrogen. In negative nitrogen balance the amount of nitrogen excreted is greater than the quantity ingested. In positive nitrogen balance the amount excreted is smaller than the amount ingested. See also nitrogen balance.

posture balance

disturbances of balance, including falling to one side, rotation of the head, walking in circles. These are usually indications of disturbances of the organs of balance in the semicircular canals.

water balance

fluid balance.

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nitrogen

a chemical element, atomic number 7, atomic weight 14.007, symbol N. See Table 6. It is a gas constituting about four-fifths of common air; chemically it is almost inert. It is not poisonous but is fatal if breathed alone because of oxygen deprivation. Nitrogen occurs in proteins and amino acids and is thus present in all living cells.

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nitrogen balance

the state of the body in regard to the rate of protein intake and protein utilization. When protein is metabolized, about 90% of the protein nitrogen is excreted in the urine in the form of urea, uric acid, creatinine and other nitrogen end products. The remaining 10% of the nitrogen is eliminated in the feces.

A negative nitrogen balance occurs when more protein is utilized by the body than is taken in. A positive nitrogen balance implies a net gain of protein in the body. Negative nitrogen balance can be caused by such factors as malnutrition, debilitating diseases, blood loss and glucocorticoids. A positive balance can be caused by exercise, growth hormone and testosterone.

blood urea nitrogen (BUN)

see urea nitrogen.

nitrogen dioxide

see nitric oxide.

nitrogen fixation

conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into organic nitrogenous compounds by bacteria which may be symbiotic, e.g. Rhizopus spp., which grow on the roots of legumes and put those plants in an advantageous position with respect to nonlegumes.

nitrogen-free extract (NFE)

consists of carbohydrates, sugars, starches, and a major portion of the hemicellulose in feeds. Calculated when crude protein, fat, water, ash, and the fiber are added and the sum is subtracted from 100.

nitrogen mustards

a group of toxic, blistering alkylating agents homologous to dichlorodiethyl sulfide (mustard gas), some of which have been used as antineoplastics. The group includes mustine hydrochloride, cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, chlorambucil and melphalan.

nonprotein nitrogen (NPN)

1. the nitrogenous constituents of the blood exclusive of the protein bodies, consisting of the nitrogen of urea, uric acid, creatine, creatinine, amino acids, polypeptides, and an undetermined part known as rest nitrogen.

Measurement of nonprotein nitrogen is used as a test of renal function, but has been largely replaced by measurement of specific substances, e.g. urea and creatinine.

2. also used in relation to feeds and refers to those nitrogen-containing constituents which are not proteins, e.g. nucleic acids, amino sugars, urea, etc.

nitrogen trichloride

see agene process.

nitrogen washout test

measures the rate at which the nitrogen concentration in the expired air is reduced when the horse is made to breathe pure oxygen. The rate is less in incompetent lungs, e.g. those affected by emphysema.