A time-course Raman spectroscopic analysis of spontaneous in vitro microcalcifications in a breast cancer cell line.

Microcalcifications are early markers of breast cancer and can provide valuable prognostic information to support clinical decision-making. Current detection of calcifications in breast tissue is based on X-ray mammography, which involves the use of ionizing radiation with potentially detrimental effects, or MRI scans, which have limited spatial resolution. Additionally, these techniques are not capable of discriminating between microcalcifications from benign and malignant lesions.

Pressure-Stable Imprinted Polymers for Waste Water Remediation.

In wastewater treatment, the removal of heavy metal ions is difficult. Ion exchange resins are ineffective since heavy metal ions cannot compete with "hard ions" in binding to the resins. Imprinting polymerization can increase the specificity of ion exchange resins to allow heavy metal ions to compete.

Carbonate substitution in the mineral component of bone: Discriminating the structural changes, simultaneously imposed by carbonate in A and B sites of apatite.

The mineral component of bone and other biological calcifications is primarily a carbonate substituted calcium apatite. Integration of carbonate into two sites, substitution for phosphate (B-type carbonate) and substitution for hydroxide (A-type carbonate), influences the crystal properties which relate to the functional properties of bone. In the present work, a series of AB-type carbonated apatites (AB-CAp) having varying A-type and B-type carbonate weight fractions were prepared and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and carbonate analysis.

Extracellular matrix mineralization in murine MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cultures: an ultrastructural, compositional and comparative analysis with mouse bone.

Bone cell culture systems are essential tools for the study of the molecular mechanisms regulating extracellular matrix mineralization. MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cell cultures are the most commonly used in vitro model of bone matrix mineralization. Despite the widespread use of this cell line to study biomineralization, there is as yet no systematic characterization of the mineral phase produced in these cultures.

Crystallinity and compositional changes in carbonated apatites: Evidence from P solid-state NMR, Raman, and AFM analysis.

Solid-state (magic-angle spinning) NMR spectroscopy is a useful tool for obtaining structural information on bone organic and mineral components and synthetic model minerals at the atomic-level. Raman and P NMR spectral parameters were investigated in a series of synthetic B-type carbonated apatites (CAps). Inverse P NMR linewidth and inverse Raman PO ν bandwidth were both correlated with powder XRD crystallinity over the 0.