BACKGROUND Experimental data indicate that microscopic calcium phosphate deposition in the kidney (nephrocalcinosis) may accelerate progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Data on the prevalence, risk factors and implications of nephrocalcinosis in CKD patients are scarce. A mineral metabolism disorder could play an important pathogenetic role, as suggested by recent protocol biopsy findin...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of conventional treatment of chronic functional constipation on total and segmental colonic transit times and on orocecal transit time. METHODS A total of 34 consecutive patients with functional constipation attending a specialized outpatient clinic were included in the study. Total and segmental colonic transit times were assessed using radiopaque markers. H...

Many fractures occur in individuals without osteoporosis defined by areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Inclusion of other aspects of skeletal strength may be useful in identifying at-risk subjects. We used surrogate measures of bone strength at the radius and tibia measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to evaluate their relationships with nonvertebral fracture risk. Fem...

BACKGROUND/AIMS To systematically assess contemporary knowledge regarding the effectiveness and safety of bisphosphonates (BPs) in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). METHODS PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for eligible articles up to June 2014. Studies eligible for inclusion were (randomized) controlled trials assessing the effects of BPs in children with OI. Metho...

UNLABELLED Low vitamin D status is associated with low bone mass which, in turn, is an important predictor of fracture. However, data on this relationship in non-Caucasian populations are scarce. This review shows such an association in the Chinese population in five of the 11 included studies. INTRODUCTION In the elderly population, the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration is of...

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) originated in materials science and has transferred to biomineral research providing insight into fossil and modern biominerals. An electron microscopy technique, EBSD requires a fine polished sample surface where the electron beam diffracts in the first few lattice layers, identifying mineral, polymorph and crystallographic orientation. The technique is ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Deficiencies in the consumption of foods and nutrients favor malnutrition in patients. Considering the recommendations for the ingestion of minerals, the content, consumption and percent adequacy of the minerals (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, K, P, Na, Zn and Se) were evaluated amongst oncology patients who received oral diets isolated or associated with an oral food complement (OFC), e...

in this article we consider the averaging method for differential inclusions with fuzzy right-hand side for the case when the limit of a method of an average does not exist.

Acidified steam condensates that are enriched in SO4 but poor in Cl are found in the upper parts of many geothermal systems occurring in steep terrains. In this paper, we characterize the chemical evolution of these acid-sulfate fluids by combining mineral and fluid inclusion relationships from Karaha-Telaga Bodas with numerical simulations of water-rock interactions. These interactions were mo...

CONTEXT The clinical presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has changed during the last half century, and the diagnosis is now more often made by chance in patients with no specific symptoms. OBJECTIVE The present study is a randomized, controlled trial that investigates the effects of parathyroidectomy or medical observation in mild asymptomatic pHPT on morbidity and quality of l...