Calcification in Biological Systems provides a collection of up-to-date papers regarding calcification in a variety of biological systems. The papers are not simple reviews of the literature. Each paper reflects the personal experience of the author(s) and is rich in constructive criticism and suggestions. Topics range from basic molecular processes to general structural problems in systems as different as unicellular organisms and human skeletal tissues. Because calcification is so diffuse in the animal kingdom, this book makes no attempt to achieve a conclusive synthesis of available results and current ideas. Instead, its merit lies in its ability to be useful to investigators with different scientific backgrounds and areas of interest.
Calcification in Biological Systems provides a collection of up-to-date papers regarding calcification in a variety of biological systems. The papers are not simple reviews of the literature. Each paper reflects the personal experience of the author(s) and is rich in constructive criticism and suggestions. Topics range from basic molecular processes to general structural problems in systems as different as unicellular organisms and human skeletal tissues. Because calcification is so diffuse in the animal kingdom, this book makes no attempt to achieve a conclusive synthesis of available results and current ideas. Instead, its merit lies in its ability to be useful to investigators with different scientific backgrounds and areas of interest.
For the first time, this book offers a critical review of the calcification process of the organic and inorganic phases of mineralized tissues focusing on the earliest phases. It includes a methodological chapter which provides the necessary practical information for making appropriate choices. The book is set to become an important reference source for the shelves of bone densitometry labs across the world.
This volume is based in part upon the proceedings of the Calcium Theme held during the 67th Annual Meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, which took place in Chicago, AprillO-lS, 1983. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics had the primary responsibility for organizing the scientific program with the assistance of other member societies, including the American Physiology Society, American Association of Pathologists, and American Institute of Nutrition. The purpose of the Calcium Theme was to review progress in the diverse areas of investigation bearing on the ubiquitous role of calcium in biological systems. In addition to contributions from those participating in the Theme, this volume also includes a number of invited papers that were added to fill certain voids in topics covered. The authors were selected because they are investigators active in the mainstream of their particular research area, possessing the acumen to analyze cogently not only their own recent findings but also to relate these findings to their respective area. New information as well as reviews of current concepts generally highlight the individual contributions. Undoubtedly, some readers may argue with the emphasis made and/or the conclusions reached on individual topics. In such cases, other volumes will hopefully provide a forum for alternative points of view. Due to the broad scope of subjects covered and the large number of contributions, the papers have been arranged in three sections.
Due to a great chemical similarity with the biological calcified tissues, many calcium orthophosphates possess remarkable biocompatibility and bioactivity. Materials scientists use this property extensively to construct artificial bone grafts that are either entirely made of or only surface-coated with the biologically relevant calcium orthophospha
Breast Imaging presents a comprehensive review of the subject matter commonly encountered by practicing radiologists and radiology residents in training. This volume includes succinct overviews of breast cancer epidemiology, screening, staging, and treatment; overviews of all imaging modalities including mammography, tomosynthesis, ultrasound, and MRI; step-by-step approaches for image-guided breast interventions; and high-yield chapters organized by specific imaging finding seen on mammography, tomosynthesis, ultrasound, and MRI. Part of the Rotations in Radiology series, this book offers a guided approach to breast imaging interpretation and techniques, highlighting the nuances necessary to arrive at the best diagnosis and management. Each chapter contains a targeted discussion of an imaging finding which reviews the anatomy and physiology, distinguishing features, imaging techniques, differential diagnosis, clinical issues, key points, and further reading. Breast Imaging is a must-read for residents and practicing radiologists seeking a foundation for the essential knowledge base in breast imaging.
The publication of this book was undertaken with two purposes in view: to bring together informatian on the deposition by living organ isms of unique skeletal structures composed of amorphous silica, and to review recent data on the involvement of silicon in physiological and biochemical processes. Although widely varying viewpoints are represented, all the contributors are very interested in the events in volved in the formatian of siliceaus structures and their function. Data presented deal with these questions in a variety of plant and animal systems, and at levels ranging from the evolutionary to the biochemical and ultrastructural. Innovations in electron microscopy and, indeed, the advent of electron microscopy itself, have stimulated many ultra structural studies of silica deposition, work which has deepened and widened the interest in those organisms which routinely produce "glassy skeletons. " The question of how silicon participates in biological systems in volves a spectrum of fields that indudes the chemistry of silicon per se, its biogeochemistry, biochemistry, ecology, and so forth. In this book, however, attention is focused up on the biological aspects of silicon and siliceous structures, with emphasis on the evolutian, phylogeny, morphology, and distribution of siliceaus structures, on the cellular as peets of silica deposition, and on the physiological and biochemical roles of silicon. This volume represents the first compilatian of such data. Because such a variety of subjects and fields are covered, the reader will have to glean for himself some of the comparative aspects of the data.
The deposition of calcium-containing salts is a widespread phenomenon in both the plant and animal kingdoms. Its occurrence suggests a generalized biological adaptation to environments rich in calcium. Indeed, the Archaean ocean was rich in calcium carbonate, and traces of ancient organisms have been found in lime stones estimated to be about 2. 7 billion years old. The fundamental nature of biological calcification makes it a subject of interest not only to the student of calcium metabolism and skeletal physiology, but also to biologists in general. As in many areas of biological science recent progress in this field has been rapid, and no attempt was made here to cover all the biological systems in which calcifica tion is an important facet of the organisms' method of operation. Calcification is approached in this volume at the levels of the cellular sites and molecular mechan isms that are involved in this process. The ultrastructural and chemical features of the cells and their products which are associated with calcification are empha sized in several chapters. The editor, in inviting contributions from authors, in tended that collectively the chapters should convey a sense of the ubiquitous and essential nature of the role of calcification in several phyla of the plant and animal kingdoms. The researchers were biochemists, physical chemists, cell biologists and physiologists; some represented medicine and dentistry; all were interested in calcification.
This first comprehensive overview of the modern aspects of biomineralization represents life and materials science at its best: Bioinspired pathways are the hot topics in many disciplines and this holds especially true for biomineralization. Here, the editors -- well-known members of associations and prestigious institutes -- have assembled an international team of renowned authors to provide first-hand research results. This second volume deals with biometic model systems in biomineralization, including the biomineral approach to bionics, bioinspired materials synthesis and bio-supported materials chemistry, encapsulation and the imaging of internal nanostructures of biominerals. An interdisciplinary must-have account, for biochemists, bioinorganic chemists, lecturers in chemistry and biochemistry, materials scientists, biologists, and solid state physicists.
