Measurement of formaldehyde as dimedone adduct and potential formaldehyde precursors in hard tissues of human teeth by overpressured layer chromatography

Simple, automatic overpressured layer chromatographic methods for the parallel determination of endogenous formaldehyde in the form of dimedone adduct and potential formaldehyde generators (betaines) in hard tissues of human teeth are described together with an efficient densitometric evaluation. These simple procedures involve the special preparation of teeth and extraction of formaldehyde, of different binding force in teeth, with methanol containing dimedone, and the isolation of betaines with an aqueous solution of methanol.     

Selective Formation of Metastable Ferrihydrite in the Chiton Tooth

Metastable precursors are thought to play a major role in the ability of organisms to create mineralized tissues. Of particular interest are the hard and abrasion‐resistant teeth formed by chitons, a class of rock‐grazing mollusks. The formation of chiton teeth relies on the precipitation of metastable ferrihydrite (Fh) in an organic scaffold as a precursor to magnetite. In vitro synthesis of Fh under physiological conditions has been challenging. Using a combination of X‐ray absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we show that, prior to Fh formation in the chiton tooth, iron ions are complexed by the organic matrix. In vitro experiments demonstrate that such complexes facilitate the formation of Fh under physiological conditions. These results indicate that acidic molecules may be integral to controlling Fh formation in the chiton tooth. This biological approach to polymorph selection is not limited to specialized proteins and can be expropriated using simple chemistry.     

Year of birth determination using radiocarbon dating of dental enamel

Radiocarbon dating is typically an archaeological tool rather than a forensic one. Recently however, we have shown that the amount of radiocarbon present in tooth enamel, as a result of nuclear bomb testing during the cold war, is a remarkably accurate indicator of when a person is born. Enamel isolated from human teeth is processed to form graphite and carbon-14 ((14)C) levels are measured using accelerator mass spectrometry. Since there is no turnover of enamel after it is formed, (14)C levels in the enamel represent (14)C levels in the atmosphere at the time of its formation. In this paper we describe the strategy used to determine the date of birth of an individual based on radiocarbon levels in tooth enamel, focusing on the methodology of this strategy. Year of birth information can significantly assist police investigators when the identity of a deceased individual is unknown. In such cases police will try to match particulars of the unidentified individual (which is often only gender and/or an estimate of age), with particulars from missing persons lists.     

Effect of Lactoferrin on Odontogenic Differentiation of Stem Cells Derived from Human 3rd Molar Tooth Germ

Stem cell technology has been a great hope for the treatment of many common tissue regeneration-related diseases. Therefore, the main challenge in hard tissue engineering is to make a successful combination of stem cells and efficient inductors such as biomaterials or growth factors, in the concept of stem cell conversion into odontogenic cell. Even though lactoferrin has been reported to promote bone growth in vivo, the molecular mechanism of teeth formation has not been elucidated yet. Different concentrations of lactoferrin were prepared for the analysis of cell toxicity and differentiation evaluations. The odontogenic differentiation of human tooth germ stem cells (hTGSCs) was assessed by gene expression analysis, determination of protein levels in odontogenic differentiation-related protein, measuring alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, mineralization, and calcium deposit levels. Lactoferrin-treated group showed the highest ALP activity as opposed to the other groups which were untreated. In addition, the gene expression levels as well as the protein levels of odontogenic factors were found to be high in compared to the control groups. In the current study, it is shown for the first time that there is a significant increase in odontogenic differentiation capacity in hTGSCs when lactoferrin is applied in vitro. The study offers a considerable promise for the development of pulp regeneration by using stem cell technology combined with lactoferrin in functional tooth tissue engineering.     

2H stable isotope analysis of human tooth enamel: a new tool for forensic human provenancing?

Stable isotope analysis of biogenic tissues such as tooth enamel and bone mineral has become a well-recognised and increasingly important method for determining the provenance of human remains, and it has been used successfully in bio-archaeological studies as well as forensic investigations. In particular, (18)O and (2)H stable isotope signatures of bone and hair, respectively, are well-established proxies of climate (temperature) and source water and are therefore considered as indicators of geographic life trajectories of animals and humans. While the methodology for (2)H analysis of human hair, fingernails, and bone collagen is currently used to determine human provenance, i.e. geographic origin and identify possible migration patterns, studies involving the analysis of (2)H in tooth enamel appear to be nonexistent in the scientific literature. Ground tooth enamel was analysed by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) coupled on-line to a high-temperature conversion elemental analyser (TC/EA). An array of tooth enamel samples from archaeological and modern teeth has been analysed under different experimental conditions, and the results of this proof-of-concept study are presented. While no significant differences in (2)H abundance were noted as a result of H exchange studies or different sample preparation protocols, no significant differences or trends in measured δ(2)H-values were observed either with regard to known differences in geographical provenance. We concluded that the δ(2)H-values obtained from tooth enamel could not be used as proxy for a person's geographical origin during adolescence.     

A sampling and analytical methodology for dental trace element analysis

The role of trace elements in human health and environmental pollution has developed into an extensive field of research. This study describes a sampling and analytical strategy to determine the trace element content of primary (deciduous) teeth and to assess their use in environmental health and nutrition studies. Exfoliated and extracted primary teeth were collected from 21 Ugandan and 27 UK children. The crown and root of the teeth were separated and the former digested and analysed for several elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The influence of country, tooth type, age and gender were statistically investigated in addition to within-person variation. A principal components analysis (PCA) was used to treat the data in a multivariate fashion and facilitated the moderation of outliers. The results demonstrated that country of origin has an important influence on the elemental composition of teeth and that tooth type should be controlled in these types of studies. Given such a restriction, the age and gender of the donor should have no effect and do not need to be controlled. In addition, where country of domicile, age and gender were controlled, the concentrations of most elements within a single tooth type were representative of an individual and therefore may be indicative of health status.     

牙体生物电位与离子迁移研究

牙体生物电位与离子迁移研究乔亦男,张加理（浙江大学化学系,杭州,３１００２７）（浙江医科大学）关键词生物电位,离子迁移,牙牙齿与人类健康的关系十分密切。目前龋病已被世界卫生组织定为除心血管疾病、肿瘤之外的第三大危害人类健康的疾病。对龋病发生机理的研究...     

INAA of enamel and dentine samples of a group of children and adults: A comparative study

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to determine Ca, Cl, Mg, Mn, Na, Sr and Zn in dentine and enamel tissues from human permanent and deciduous teeth. Comparisons were made between the results obtained in these different dental tissues as well as those obtained in permanent and deciduous teeth. The findings obtained were also compared with the published data. The accuracy and the precision of the results were evaluated by analyzing certified reference material.     

Permeability of Human Tooth Surfaces Studied In Vitro by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Electrochemical Faradaic impedance spectroscopy was applied to evaluate dependence of the electrical resistance on human teeth. The experiments were performed using iodide anions as a redox probe to model permeability of teeth for fluoride upon an iontophoresis process. Tooth molars were used – as these are teeth most affected by tooth decay processes in vivo. Teeth compared included sound molars – with no evidence of pit and fissure decay, teeth with pits and fissures regarded ‘clinically’ as showing signs of decay, and teeth with crowns removed to present exposed dentin surfaces. A difference of more than an order of magnitude in electrical resistance was observed between sound molars and those regarded as showing evidence of tooth decay processes. Sound dentin, as expected from structural considerations demonstrated significantly lower resistance when compared to sound molars. Importantly, the difference in tooth resistance measured between carious and sound molars was shown to be much more representative of their structural integrity than comparison of digitally processed images of the teeth. The results support the utility of electrochemical Faradaic impedance spectroscopy for the development of understanding on how tooth electrical resistance may vary according to structural changes. This understanding may be useful to continued refinements in the use of electrical resistance measures as caries diagnostics and support generically the potential for iontophoretic processes in in‐office fluoride treatments of teeth.     

Real-time detection of dental calculus by blue-LED-induced fluorescence spectroscopy

Successful periodontal therapy requires sensitive techniques to discriminate dental calculus from healthy teeth. The aim of the present study was to develop a fluorescence-based procedure to enable real-time detection and quantification of dental calculus. Thirty human teeth--15 teeth with sub- and supragingival calculus and 15 healthy teeth--covered with a layer of physiological saline solution or blood were illuminated by a focused blue LED light source of 405 nm. Autofluorescence spectra recorded along a randomly selected line stretching over the crown-neck-root area of each tooth were utilized to evaluate a so called calculus parameter R, which was selected to define a relationship between the integrated intensities specific for healthy teeth and for calculus in the 477-497 nm (S(A)) and 628-685 nm (S(B)) wavelength regions, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed and a cut-off threshold of R=0.2 was found to distinguish dental calculus from healthy teeth with 100% sensitivity and specificity under various experimental conditions. The results of the spectral evaluation were confirmed by clinical and histological findings. Automated real-time detection and diagnostics for clinical use were implemented by a corresponding software program written in Visual Basic language. The method enables cost-effective and reliable calculus detection, and can be further developed for imaging applications.     

Biological and medical significance of calcium phosphates

The inorganic part of hard tissues (bones and teeth) of mammals consists of calcium phosphate, mainly of apatitic structure. Similarly, most undesired calcifications (i.e. those appearing as a result of various diseases) of mammals also contain calcium phosphate. For example, atherosclerosis results in blood-vessel blockage caused by a solid composite of cholesterol with calcium phosphate. Dental caries result in a replacement of less soluble and hard apatite by more soluble and softer calcium hydrogenphosphates. Osteoporosis is a demineralization of bone. Therefore, from a chemical point of view, processes of normal (bone and teeth formation and growth) and pathological (atherosclerosis and dental calculus) calcifications are just an in vivo crystallization of calcium phosphate. Similarly, dental caries and osteoporosis can be considered to be in vivo dissolution of calcium phosphates. On the other hand, because of the chemical similarity with biological calcified tissues, all calcium phosphates are remarkably biocompatible. This property is widely used in medicine for biomaterials that are either entirely made of or coated with calcium phosphate. For example, self-setting bone cements made of calcium phosphates are helpful in bone repair and titanium substitutes covered with a surface layer of calcium phosphates are used for hip-joint endoprostheses and tooth substitutes, to facilitate the growth of bone and thereby raise the mechanical stability. Calcium phosphates have a great biological and medical significance and in this review we give an overview of the current knowledge in this subject.     

含10mol%氧化硅的钙磷酸盐玻璃陶瓷的合成及其体外生物活性

采用高分子网络凝胶法合成出SiO2-CaO-P2O5生物玻璃陶瓷,该材料具有较低含硅量和高钙磷比(nCa/nP=1.57)的特点,更接近人体硬组织的成分。将材料在SBF溶液浸泡研究材料的体外生物活性,通过TG/DTA,XRD,FTIR和SEM等方法对粉体和浸泡后的样品表面进行表征,ICP-AES对SBF溶液中钙、磷、硅离子的浓度进行检测。结果表明,氧化硅的添加有利于玻璃陶瓷表面磷灰石晶相的形成;随着浸泡时间的延长,沉积在样品表面的碳酸羟基磷灰石层逐渐由球型突起变为叶片状,溶液中钙、磷离子浓度降低,而硅离子浓度增加,说明材料具有良好的生物活性,适宜作为牙齿和骨骼的替代或修复材料。     

The presence of antimony in various dental filling materials

Antimony has been determined in a number of nonmetallic dental materials currently used for tooth restoration. The method applied was instrumental neutron activation analysis. The concentration of antimony in some of the brands tested was found to be as high as 900 fold that in the normal hard dental tissues.     

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry revealed traces of dental problem associated with dental structure

Periodontal disease is a serious dental problem because it does not heal naturally and leads to tooth loss. In periodontal disease, inflammation at periodontal tissue is thought as predominant, and its effect against tooth itself remains unclear. In this study, we applied matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to teeth for the first time. By comparing anatomical structure of tooth affected with periodontal disease with normal ones, we analyzed traces of the disease on tooth. We found signals characteristic of enamel, dentin, and dental pulp, respectively, in mass spectra obtained from normal teeth. Ion images reconstructed using these signals showed anatomical structures of the tooth clearly. Next, we performed IMS upon teeth of periodontal disease. Overall characteristic of the mass spectrum appeared similar to normal ones. However, ion images reconstructed using signals from the tooth of periodontal disease revealed loss of periodontal ligament visualized together with dental pulp in normal teeth. Moreover, ion image clearly depicted an accumulation of signal at m/z 496.3 at root surface. Such an accumulation that cannot be examined only from mass spectrum was revealed by utilization of IMS. Recent studies about inflammation revealed that the signal at m/z 496.3 reflects lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC). Infiltration of the signal is statistically significant, and its intensity profile exhibited the influence has reached deeply into the tooth. This suggests that influence of periodontal disease is not only inflammation of periodontal tissue but also infiltration of LPC to root surface, and therefore, anti-inflammatory treatment is required besides conventional treatments.     

甲醛还原Pt/TiO2催化剂用于温和条件下高效催化氧化甲醛

通过浸渍法(IM)和沉积-沉淀(DP)法制备了一系列Pt/TiO2(P25)催化剂,并分别用甲醛溶液和氢气还原处理催化剂.利用原位红外监测催化剂表面吸附物种在反应过程中的变化,探究了催化剂制备和还原条件及Pt负载量对催化剂结构和催化氧化甲醛活性的影响.结果显示,用DP法制备并用甲醛还原的Pt/P25催化剂中Pt颗粒分散均匀,并具有合适的粒径和高浓度的表面活性氧,显示出良好的甲醛氧化活性.在空速30000 ml/(g·h)、反应温度30°C和甲醛初始浓度50 mg/m3的条件下,0.4%Pt/P25(DP-HCHO)上的甲醛转化率达到98%,并能稳定运行100 h以上.相比之下, Pt/P25(DP-H2)由于表面活性氧较少,不利于甲酸盐氧化,活性较低. Pt/P25(IM-H2)虽然具有高浓度的表面活性氧,却同时具有最大的Pt颗粒粒径,在甲醛转化为甲酸盐和甲酸盐氧化两步反应中的活性均较差,因而甲醛氧化活性最差.     

Multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance study of irradiated human finger phalanxes

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is often used in dosimetry using biological samples such as teeth and bones. It is generally assumed that the radicals, formed after irradiation, are similar in both tissues as the mineral part of bone and tooth is carbonated hydroxyapatite. However, there is a lack of experimental evidence to support this assumption. The aim of the present study was to contribute to that field by studying powder and block samples of human finger phalanxes that were irradiated and analyzed by multi-frequency EPR. The results obtained from bones are different from the ones obtained in enamel by several respects: the ordering of the apatite crystallites is much smaller in bone, complicating the assignment of the observed CO2- radicals to a specific location, and one type of CO3(3-) radical was only found in enamel. Moreover, a major difference was found in the non-CO2- and non-CO3(3-) signals. The elucidation of the nature of these native signals (in bone and tooth enamel) still represents a big challenge.     

催化氧化处理工业废气中高浓度甲醛

制备了用于温和条件下催化氧化去除工业废气中高浓度甲醛(HCHO)的1%Pt-4%CeO₂/AC催化剂. 将高浓度甲醛的催化氧化过程与双甘膦氧化制备草甘膦的反应过程集成在一起,使草甘膦合成过程中产生和排放出来的甲醛(100-300 mg/m³)在通过催化剂床层时被完全除去. 系统研究了温度、空速和甲醛含量对甲醛去除率的影响. 在气体空速(GHSV)低于20000 h^-1时废气中几乎所有的甲醛都被氧化,处理后的废气中的甲醛含量低于0.1 mg/m³,甲醛的转化率为99.1%-100%. 当GHSV为30000- h^-1,催化剂床层温度为12℃时,生产废气通过催化剂床层后的甲醛含量小于1.5 mg/m³,甲醛的转化率为97.56%-99.99%. 1%Pt-4%CeO₂/AC催化剂的中试试验结果表明,处理后最终尾气中甲醛含量小于10 mg/m³,有效地防止了甲醛对人们健康的危害,具有良好的产业化前景.     

仿生矿化与硬组织修复

生物矿化(Biomineralization)是生物硬组织(软体动物的外壳,脊椎动物的骨和牙等)形成的重要环节,是生物体调控矿物沉积,并利用矿物增强硬组织机能的重要生物策略。生物矿化所形成的生物矿物具有多级有序的结构、优异的机械性能和重要的生理功能,启发了有机-无机复合生物材料的设计和仿生矿化制备,为体内外硬组织修复提供研究思路和奠定材料基础。本文主要综述了生物矿化的基本原理和主要生物矿物,矿物结晶原理和新认识,与硬组织修复密切相关的胶原矿化机制和最新进展,硬组织材料的多级结构特征,以及仿生矿化在硬组织修复中的前沿进展。     

漆酚镨高聚物吸附有害气体的性能研究

由漆酚和PrCl3在热溶液中合成的漆酚镨高聚物(PUPr),中心原子Pr(Ⅲ)的配位数并未达到饱和,具有进一步接受电子的能力.本文研究了Pr(Ⅲ)接受带孤对电子的有害气体SO2、HCHO、H2S和NH3作为配体的能力及其选择性.结果表明,PUPr对于电负性较大的硬碱配位体SO2的吸附性能较佳,且吸附速率较快,1h吸附量就达到4.05mmol/g.     

Evaluation and discrimination of simvastatin-induced structural alterations in proteins of different rat tissues by FTIR spectroscopy and neural network analysis

Statins are commonly used to control hypercholesterolemia and to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Among the statins, Simvastatin is one of the most frequently prescribed statins because of its efficacy in reducing LDL lipoprotein cholesterol levels, its tolerability, and its reduction of cardiovascular risk and mortality. Conflicting results have been reported with regard to benefits (pleiotropic effects) as well as risks (adverse effects) of simvastatin on different soft and hard tissues. In the current study, Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to obtain detailed information about protein conformational changes due to simvastatin therapy of soft tissues namely liver, testis, sciatic nerve and hard tissues such as femur and tibia. Protein secondary structural changes were predicted by intensity calculations from second derivative spectra and neural network (NN) analysis, using the amide I band (1700-1600 cm(-1)) of FTIR spectra. Moreover, based on protein secondary structural differences, hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out in the 1700-1600 cm(-1) region. The results of our study in liver, testis and sciatic nerve tissues revealed that simvastatin treatment significantly decreased alpha helix structure and beta sheet structure at 1638 cm(-1), while increased the anti-parallel and aggregated beta sheet and random coil structures implying a simvastatin-induced protein denaturation in treated groups. Different to soft tissues, the results of hard tissue studies on femur and tibia bones revealed increased alpha helix structure and decreased anti-parallel beta sheet, aggregated beta sheet and random coil structures implying more strengthened bone tissues in simvastatin-treated groups. Finally, the simvastatin-treated and control groups for all soft and bone tissues were successfully differentiated using cluster analysis. According to the heterogeneity values in the cluster analysis of these tissues, the sciatic nerve tissue was found to be the most affected tissue from simvastatin treatment among the studied soft tissues. In addition, the high heterogeneity value implied high secondary structural difference between control and simvastatin-treated groups in tibia bone tissues. These findings reveal that FTIR spectroscopy with bioinformatic analyses such as neural network and hierarchical clustering, allowed us to determine the simvastatin-induced protein conformational changes as adverse and pleiotropic effects of the drug on different soft and hard tissues.