Calcium levels in the developing tali of human fetuses

The mineral component is the main constituent of bone and is important as it confers much of the hardness and rigidity to bone. Among all mineral, calcium is the major determinant of its mechanical properties. In the present study human fetal tali have been analyzed for calcium concentration, information is lacking in literature. None of the earlier studies considered calcium concentration in talus of human fetuses. Some scientist did consider the human fetal bones but were confined to femur and parietal bones.  Most of the human studies related to skeleton mineralization process are based on information in postnatal life. There are different theories to explain the manner in which the bone matrix becomes impregnated with carbonate and phosphate salt of calcium. In our study, 16  human fetuses with or  without any apparent anomalies of foot were obtained from the museum section of Department of Anatomy, J .N. Medical College, Aligarh, and divided into two groups of normal and with apparent foot deformity corresponding to 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Tali were dissected out and cleaned by separating the soft tissue. Each talus was weighed and dissolved in 100ml concentrated nitric acid and the solution thus obtained was used   to determine calcium. Results were analyzed by using Student’s’ test. In our study of normal fetuses tali mean value of total calcium increase (rise) was noticed in fetuses of both second and third trimesters, but the calcium concentration per gram of talus was less in larger fetuses of 3rd trimester only. So the most exciting result of normal fetuses’ tali in our study was reduction in aforementioned   calcium level relative to talar mass, indicating marked increase in matrix formation in talus than the rate of mineralization. In fetuses with apparent foot deformity there was reduction in total bone mass but the calcium concentration / gram of talus increases in larger fetuses of 3rd trimester, indicating decrease in matrix formation in talus than the rate of mineralization that could be due to mechanical stresses in uterus.  Therefore, our study aimed measuring the calcium level in tali of developing human fetuses in different age group of normal and with apparent foot deformity, to find pattern, if any during development in normal and those affected by mechanical stresses in uterus and also useful for medico legal purpose.