The mesocrystal system fluoroapatite-gelatine grown by double-diffusion is characterized by hierarchical composite structure on a mesoscale. In the present work we apply solid state NMR to characterize its structure on the molecular level and provide a link between the structural organisation on the mesoscale and atomistic computer simulations. Thus, we find that the individual nanocrystals are...

Immobilization of heavy metals from contaminated environments is an emerging field of interest from both resource conservation and environmental remediation points of view. This study investigated the feasibility of using phosphatic clay, a waste by-product of the phosphate mining industry, as an effective sorbent for Pb from aqueous effluents. The major parameters controlling aqueous Pb remova...

The main properties (mechanical, thermal and chemical) and clinical application for dental restoration are demonstrated for three types of glass-ceramics and sintered polycrystalline ceramic produced by Ivoclar Vivadent AG. Two types of glass-ceramics are derived from the leucite-type and the lithium disilicate-type. The third type of dental materials represents a ZrO2 ceramic. CAD/CAM technolo...

Unusually for invertebrates, linguliform brachiopods employ calcium phosphate mineral in hard tissue formation, in common with the evolutionarily distant vertebrates. Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (SSNMR) and X-ray powder diffraction, we compare the organic constitution, crystallinity and organic matrix-mineral interface of phosphatic brachiopod shells with those of ...

The topography of freshly fractured bovine and human bone surfaces was determined by the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fracture surfaces from both kinds of samples exhibited complex landscapes formed by hydroxyapatite mineral platelets with lateral dimensions ranging from ∼90 nm × 60 nm to ∼20 nm × 20 nm. Novel AFM techniques were used to study these fracture surfaces during various che...

Modern techniques in dental research continue to assist in the study of the mode of (anticaries) action of topical fluorides. The Plaque Glycolysis and Regrowth Model (PGRM) facilitates the standardized assessments of antimicrobial effects on plaque following use of test formulations in vivo without complications arising from coincident mineral reactivity. In vivo plaque glycolysis testing demo...

The amount of fluoride found in the bone is usually correlated with the amount of fluoride found either in water or in a person’s diet. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the beneficial incorporation of fluoride into rat bone after prenatal fluoride administration, using microstructural analysis. Fifteen 8week-old female were divided into five groups (one control group and four experimen...

In the 1970s, 18F-labeled sodium fluoride (18F-NaF), one of the most ubiquitous positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals, was briefly used for skeletal scintigraphy before the introduction of 99mTc-labeled diphosphonates with optimal characteristics for conventional g cameras (1,2). 18F-NaF is an analog of the hydroxyl group found in hydroxyapatite bone crystals and therefore an avid bone seeker ...

BACKGROUND The aim of the current study was to measure and compare the effect of various biomaterials for the healing of osteoporotic bone defects in the rat femur using 18F-sodium fluoride dPET-CT. MATERIAL AND METHODS Osteoporosis was induced by ovariectomy and a calcium-restricted diet. After 3 months, rats were operated on to create a 4-mm wedge-shaped defect in the distal metaphyseal fem...