Potassium bicarbonate, not sodium bicarbonate, maintains acidosis-mediated bone dissolution.

Treatments for metabolic acidosis are not well studied; however, one treatment that is commonly used is sodium bicarbonate administration. Sodium bicarbonate has been shown to help reduce symptoms of metabolic acidosis, but its benefits for bone health remain uncertain. Potassium bicarbonate has become a potential new treatment due to its reduction in bone resorption markers, unlike sodium bicarbonate.

An ex vivo comparison of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy and cone beam computed tomography in the assessment of bone, dental hard tissues, and bone graft materials.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy (RS) in distinguishing between various types of bone, dental hard tissues, and bone graft materials, and to determine the correlation between pixel intensity values (PIVs) in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and Raman values.

Study Design: A thinly sliced section of mandible was utilized to evaluate cancellous and cortical bone. Extracted human teeth were used to prepare the enamel and dentin samples.

The location of cationic substitutions in carbonated biomimetic apatites significantly affects crystal nanomechanics.

Bone and teeth are comprised of carbonate-substituted apatites with cationic substitutions, like sodium and potassium. Cations substitute for calcium in the apatite lattice but it is unclear whether they substitute for Ca(1) or Ca(2). Additionally, although we know that anionic substitutions affect the mineral mechanics, it is unclear how cationic substitutions affect mineral stiffness.

Open-system force-elongation relationship of collagen in chemo-mechanical equilibrium with water.

A significant deformation mechanism of collagen at low loads is molecular uncoiling and rearrangement. Although the effect of hydration and cross-linking has been investigated at larger loads when collagen undergoes molecular sliding, their effects on collagen molecular reorganization remain unclear. Here we develop two thermodynamic models that use the notion of open-system elasticity to elucidate the effect of swelling due to water uptake during deformation of collagen networks under low and high cross-linking conditions.

A Systems Approach to Biomechanics, Mechanobiology, and Biotransport.

The human body represents a collection of interacting systems that range in scale from nanometers to meters. Investigations from a systems perspective focus on how the parts work together to enact changes across spatial scales, and further our understanding of how systems function and fail. Here, we highlight systems approaches presented at the 2022 Summer Biomechanics, Bio-engineering, and Biotransport Conference in the areas of solid mechanics; fluid mechanics; tissue and cellular engineering; biotransport; and design, dynamics, and rehabilitation; and biomechanics education.