Colorimetric-solid phase extraction method for trace level determination of arsenite in water.

This paper introduces a method for the determination of inorganic arsenite [As(III)] in water at low μg L(-1) by a sorption-photometric method known as colorimetric-solid phase extraction (C-SPE). The method relies on the selective extraction and concentration of an analyte on a reagent-impregnated SPE membrane, followed by direct detection of the extracted colored complex by a handheld diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (DRS) operating in the visible spectral region. The well-established chemistry of the classic redox titrimetric method for molecular iodine (I(2)) standardization by arsenious oxide (As(2)O(3)) serves as the basis for this analysis.

SERS as a bioassay platform: fundamentals, design, and applications.

Bioanalytical science is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. Drivers behind this growth include the need to detect markers central to human and veterinary diagnostics at ever-lower levels and greater speeds. A set of parallel arguments applies to pathogens with respect to bioterrorism prevention and food and water safety.

The potential of tissue engineering in orthopedics.

This article presents models of human phalanges and small joints developed by tissue engineering. Biodegradable polymer scaffolds support growth of osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and tenocytes after implantation of the models in athymic mice. The cell-polymer constructs are vascularized by the host mice, form new bone, cartilage, and tendon with characteristic gene expression and protein synthesis and secretion, and maintain the shape of human phalanges with joints.

Mechanosensing and mechanochemical transduction: how is mechanical energy sensed and converted into chemical energy in an extracellular matrix?

Gravity plays a central role in vertebrate development and evolution. Gravitational forces acting on mammalian tissues cause the net muscle forces required for locomotion to be higher on earth than on a body subjected to a microgravitational field. As body mass increases during development, the musculoskeleton must be able to adapt by increasing the size of its functional units.

Invited Review: Role of mechanophysiology in aging of ECM: effects of changes in mechanochemical transduction.

Mechanical forces play a role in the development and evolution of extracellular matrices (ECMs) found in connective tissue. Gravitational forces acting on mammalian tissues increase the net muscle forces required for movement of vertebrates. As body mass increases during development, musculoskeletal tissues and other ECMs are able to adapt their size to meet the increased mechanical requirements.

Mechanobiology of force transduction in dermal tissue.

Background/aims: The influence of mechanical forces on skin has been examined since 1861 when Langer first reported the existence of lines of tension in cadaver skin. Internal tension in the dermis is not only passively transferred to the epidermis but also gives rise to active cell-extracellular matrix and cell-cell mechanical interactions that may be an important part of the homeostatic processes that are involved in normal skin metabolism. The purpose of this review is to analyse how internal and external mechanical loads are applied at the macromolecular and cellular levels in the epidermis and dermis.