BACKGROUND Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is a hormone principally produced by osteocytes/osteoblasts. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), FGF-23 levels are usually elevated and can reach up to 300 - 400 times the normal range. FGF-23 is regulated by local bone-related and systemic factors, but the relationship between circulating FGF-23 concentrations and bone remodeling and m...

Biopurification systems, such as biofilters, are biotechnological tools to prevent point sources of pesticide pollution stemming from on-farm operations. For the purification processes pesticide sorption and mineralization and/or dissipation are essential and both largely depend on the type of filling materials and the pesticide in use. In this paper the mineralization and dissipation of three ...

Supraspinatus strain Dogs with strain of the supraspinatus tendon present with a chronic foreleg lameness; some dogs will exhibit periods of non-weight bearing lameness. Although uncommon, any age or breed of dog can be afflicted; however, the condition is seen more in large breeds of dogs (Labrador, Rottweiler). Radiographic views should include standard lateral projections of both shoulders. ...

Ectomycorrhizal fungi allow their host plants access to organic forms of N through enzymatic mineralization of the substrate and enhanced absorption of amino acids and mineral N. The cost to the plant is carbohydrates that support fungal growth and metabolism. Enrichment of soils with mineral N, as through atmospheric deposition, may affect the growth and function of these fungi by direct effec...

Dental pulp is prone to dystrophic mineralization; this mineralization can be so extensive that the entire root canal system is obliterated. As a result, root canal treatment can become a difficult if not impossible task. This article presents the endodontic management of a tooth with an obliterated pulp chamber and associated with a discharging sinus in a teenage patient. The role of a calcium...

Biochar can potentially increase soil fertility and sequester carbon by incorporating nutrients and stable black carbon into the soil; however its effect on soil nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) processes is not well understood. A defined methodology to characterize biochar is necessary to predict how specific biochars will affect C and N mineralization. We amended a Tifton soil (Fine-loamy, siliceo...

Bone is a dynamic load-bearing organ whose structural integrity is maintained by a remodeling cycle that consists of osteoclast-mediated resorption followed by osteoblastmediated deposition of an unmineralized collagen matrix (osteoid). After a delay of several days (as measured by the histomorphometric parameter of mineralization lag time), osteoid undergoes mineralization, which is a complex ...

This study investigated the effects of organic and inorganic nutrients on the microbial degradation of the common soil contaminant pyrene. The material used in this investigation was collected from potted trees that had been growing for over a year in a soil artificially contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Soil was removed from the nonroot (bulk) and root (rhizosphere) zones of ...

Aims Mineralization is a physiological process, which consists in the deposition of minerals in an organic matrix. Minerals are composed mainly of calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite crystals). Mineralization is a complex and multistage process requiring an interaction of many physicochemical factors. The mechanism responsible for deposition of minerals has not been fully elucidated, yet. Mineral...