Orientation and distribution of collagen fibers in the sagittal plane of the human adult calcaneus.

Human right calcaneus bone, consisting of hydroxyapatite and collagen fibers, was cut in the sagittal plane which was parallel to the long axes of the calcaneus bone and the human lower limb, into samples approximately 1.5 mm thick. The angular dependence of transmitted microwave intensity at 12 GHz was measured for each sample, using Osaki's microwave method. The direction and the degree of collagen-fiber orientation for the cut specimens changed with changing position from the heel end to the anterior, along to the long axis of the calcaneus bone. The direction of orientation deviated by about -60 degrees from the direction of the long axis of the human lower limb, in the region between the heel end and the middle, and by about 60 degrees near the anterior. The position at which the orientation angle changed drastically from negative to positive corresponded to the neck defined as the position where a posterior face of the talus contacts the calcaneus. The results suggest that the mechanical stress applied to the neck of the calcaneus bone from the lower limb may effectively disperse, on average, in two different directions where the collagen fibers are oriented at the neck.

Simultaneous accumulation of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in various human arteries.

To elucidate compositional changes of the arteries with aging, the authors investigated the relationships among average contents of calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium in the arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The arteries used were the thoracic and abdominal aortas, coronary, common carotid, anterior, middle and posterior cerebral, vertebral, basilar, internal thoracic, axillary, radial, truncus celiacus, common, internal and external iliac, femoral, popliteal, and umbilical arteries. It was found that high correlations were found between the average contents of calcium and phosphorus, between the average contents of calcium and magnesium, and between the average contents of phosphorus and magnesium in the arteries, but not between the average contents of sulfur and the other elements. These correlations revealed that as the content of calcium and phosphorus increased in the arteries, the magnesium content increased simultaneously in the arteries, but the sulfur content did not. It is likely that magnesium forms compounds with phosphorus in the arteries.

Age-related changes of bone mineral density in human calcaneus, talus, and scaphoid bone.

To examine whether the bone mineral density (BMD) decreases uniformly with aging in any spongy bones, the authors investigated age-related changes of BMD in the calcaneus, talus, and scaphoid bone. After the ordinary dissection by medical students was finished, calcanei, tali, and scaphoid bones were resected from the subjects, and BMDs were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Their BMDs seemed to decrease gradually with aging in the calcanei, tali, and scaphoid bones. It was found that there were statistically significant relationships between age and BMD in the men's and women's scaphoid bones, women's tali, and women's calcanei, but not in the men's tali and calcanei. It should be noted that there were significant relationships between age and BMD in both men's and women's scaphoid bones. In regard to relationship in BMD between the bones of the upper and lower limbs in individuals, it was found that the relationship between the calcaneus and talus was higher than that between the calcaneus and scaphoid bone. This suggests that there is a higher relationship in BMD between the two tarsal bones compared with that between the tarsal and carpal bones.

Accumulation of calcium in the arteries of Japanese monkey.

To examine whether the calcium accumulation in the arteries is related to the way of walk or not, the calcium contents were determined in various arteries of Japanese monkeys of quadrupedal walk by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Japanese monkeys consisted of five males and four females, ranging in age from 2 to 29 yr. Age-related changes of the calcium content were examined in various monkey arteries. Significant relationships between age and calcium content were found in the arteries, such as the axillary, brachial, radial, subclavian, common carotid, common iliac, and femoral arteries, but not statistically in the thoracic and abdominal aortas, ulnar, external iliac, internal iliac, popliteal, and tibial arteries. The average contents of calcium were compared between the two groups of the monkeys below 14 yr and over 24 yr of age. Below 14 yr, the calcium content was a little higher in the arteries, such as the common, external and internal iliac, and femoral arteries than that of the other ones. Over 24 yr, the calcium content increased remarkably in the arteries, such as the thoracic aorta, common, internal and external iliac, common carotid, and subclavian arteries. The calcium contents of the thoracic aorta, common, internal and external iliac, common carotid, and subclavian arteries increased by more than two times over 24 yr compared with those below 14 yr. In a comparison between the calcium contents of the arteries in the anatomically corresponding regions of the upper and lower limbs, no statistically significant differences were found in the subjects over 24 yr as well as the subjects 2-29 yr of age. The calcium accumulation in the arteries of monkeys with aging was different from those in the arteries of humans, because in the case of human, a very high accumulation of calcium occurred in the arteries of the lower limb with aging in comparison with those in the upper limbs. Therefore, it is likely that different ways of walk or different species are partly affected in the calcium accumulation in the arteries with aging.

Accumulation of calcium and phosphorus accompanied by increase of magnesium and decrease of sulfur in human arteries.

To elucidate the accumulation of elements in the arteries with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of elements in human arteries, such as the thoracic aorta, femoral, basilar, coronary, radial, and common iliac arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects consisted of 17 men and 9 women, ranging in age from 55 to 92 yr in the cases of the five arteries, except for the common iliac arteries, in which the subjects consisted of 16 men and 8 women, ranging in age from 65 to 93 yr. It was found that there were significantly direct correlations between calcium and phosphorus contents and between calcium and magnesium contents in all of the six arteries: thoracic aorta, femoral, basilar, coronary, radial, and common iliac arteries. Significantly direct correlations were also found between phosphorus and magnesium contents in the five arteries, except for the basilar artery. In contrast, significantly inverse correlations were found between calcium and sulfur contents and between phosphorus and sulfur contents in the four arteries, except for the coronary and radial arteries. These revealed that the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the arteries was accompanied by an increase of magnesium in the arteries and by a decrease of sulfur in the arteries.

Calcium and phosphorus in aged human cerebral arteries.

To elucidate the compositional changes of the cerebral arteries with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of the calcium and phosphorus contents in the cerebral arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects consisted of 11 men and 5 women, ranging in age from 52 to 96 yr. The anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries derived from the same subjects were used in the present study. It was found that there were no significant relationships between age and calcium or phosphorus content in the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries, indicating that the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus scarcely occurred in the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries with aging. It was examined whether there were relationships in the calcium and phosphorus contents among the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries, It was found that there was a significant relationship in both the contents of calcium and phosphorus between the middle and posterior cerebral arteries, but not between the anterior and middle cerebral arteries nor between the anterior and posterior cerebral arteries.

Visual demonstration of calcium accumulation in human arteries of upper and lower limbs.

To elucidate the calcium content of the arteries in the upper and lower limbs, the authors determined the calcium content of all the arteries in the upper and lower limbs continuously by microwave-induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects were an 87-yr-old man and a 72-yr-old woman. The calcium content was determined both in the arteries of the upper limbs continuously, such as the subclavian arteries and its distal arteries, and in the arteries of the lower limbs, such as the common iliac arteries and its distal arteries. The common finding that the higher accumulation of calcium occurred in the arteries of the lower limbs in comparison to the arteries of the upper limbs and extremely high accumulation of calcium occurred in the common, external, and internal iliac arteries was obtained in the two subjects. The calcium content of the arteries in the upper and lower limbs was visually demonstrated.

Trace metals in vertebral columns of deep-sea teleost fish.

Deep-sea teleost fish were collected from the Sagami Bay near a deep fissure in the Pacific Ocean. Fish were identified as Chlorophthalmis albatrosis, Engyprosopan xystrias, Satyrichthys hians, Ventrifossa garmani, and Halieutaea stellata. The Etmopterus lucifer is not a teleost, but a deep-sea shark. Just after being caught and fixed in neutral 20% formol, the vertebral column was resected and prepared for measurement by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Trace elements were found to be Al, Si, Ti, Fe, Cu, Cd, Zn, and Hg at micrograms per gram levels. Major elements were Mg, Ca, P, and S at the milligram per gram level. Some of trace elements, Zn and Hg, were also usually found at this level.

Increases of calcium and magnesium and decreases of phosphorus and iron with aging in human uterine tubes.

To elucidate compositional changes of the uterine tube by aging, the authors studied age-related changes of elements in human uterine tubes by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The uterine tubes were resected postmortem or surgically removed from patients with uterine myoma. It was found that the contents of calcium and magnesium increased progressively with aging in uterine tubes, whereas the contents of phosphorus and iron decreased gradually with aging. The sulfur content of uterine tubes remained constant and independent of aging. Regarding relationships between elements, significant relationships were found between calcium and magnesium contents, between phosphorus and iron contents, between phosphorus and sulfur contents, and between phosphorus and sodium contents in human uterine tubes.

Relationship between meniscal degeneration and element contents.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between meniscal degeneration and element contents. The contents of elements (calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium) in the menisci from 17 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, 6 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 2 who underwent the surgical operation for malignant tumors (control) were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, and the menisci were divided into four stages (Stage 0-3) of histological degeneration. The calcium contents of the menisci were 0.26 +/- 0.16 in Stage 0, 0.50 +/- 0.37 in Stage 1, and 0.69 +/- 0.66 in Stage 2, respectively (the values represent mg elements/g dry tissue). They increased with the progression of the stage. This tendency was found in the menisci with OA, but was not clear in those with RA. The calcium content in the control group was 0.17 +/- 0.09 mg/g. There was no significant relationship between the stage of degeneration and the contents of phosphorus, sulfur, or magnesium. The calcium content of the meniscus might indicate the degree of meniscal degeneration.

Selective accumulations of aluminum in five human arteries.

The aim of the present study was to determine variability of aluminum (Al) accumulation in human arteries and to observe the relationship between Al and five other elements (Ca, Fe, Mg, P, and Si) in the arteries. The Al contents in the thoracic aorta, basilar, coronary, femoral, and radial arteries of 26 human subjects were estimated by an inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer and compared quantitatively to five elements. Al was detected in 88% of the cases in both the femoral and radial arteries, 73% in the coronary artery, 58% in the aorta, and 31% in the basilar artery. The average Al content was highest in the femoral artery (48.3 +/- 15.0 microg/g dry weight) and lowest in the basilar artery (8.1 +/- 3.6 microg/g). The Al had positive correlations with P, Ca, or Mg in both the aorta and femoral artery, and with Ca or P in the basilar artery. In the coronary artery, a correlation was found between Al and Si. No relationships were found between Al and each of the five elements in the radial artery. From these results, Al varied widely among the five arteries and accumulated more in the femoral and radial arteries but less in the basilar artery. These accumulations of Al were positively correlated with Ca or P in several arteries, but not sufficiently to explain the accumulation of Al. Further investigations are required to understand the mechanism of the variability of Al accumulation in the arteries.

Simultaneous accumulation of magnesium with calcium and phosphorus in aorta and iliac arteries of Thai.

To elucidate compositional changes of arteries with aging, the authors previously investigated age-related changes of mineral contents in the various arteries of Japanese and Japanese monkey. To examine whether there were differences between races in regard to age-related changes of mineral contents and the relationships among element contents in the arteries, the authors investigated the arteries of Thai. The subjects consisted of 13 men and 3 women, ranging in age from 39 to 84 yr. After the ordinary dissection at Chiang Mai University was finished, abdominal aortas, common iliac, internal iliac, and external iliac arteries were resected and the element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The contents of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium became the highest in the fifties in the abdominal aorta, common iliac, and external iliac arteries, whereas the contents of calcium and magnesium became the highest in the sixties in the internal iliac artery, and decreased thereafter. In regard to relationships among element contents, it was found that there were high correlations between calcium and phosphorus contents, between calcium and magnesium contents, and between phosphorus and magnesium in all of the abdominal aortas and three iliac arteries. The mass ratios of magnesium to calcium and phosphorus were each similar in the abdominal aorta, common iliac, and internal iliac arteries, except for the external iliac artery, in which it was slightly high. These revealed that as calcium and phosphorus increased in the arteries with aging, magnesium increased in the arteries as well. The differences between the arteries of Thai and Japanese were discussed in the present article.

Quantitative changes of calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in common iliac arteries with aging.

To elucidate the mechanism of element accumulations in the arteries with aging, the authors investigated the mass ratios among calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in the common iliac arteries by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects consisted of 16 men and 8 women, ranging in age from 65 to 93 yr. It was found that there were extremely significant correlations between calcium and phosphorus contents, between calcium and magnesium contents, and between phosphorus and magnesium contents in the common iliac arteries. In regard to the mass ratio, although the mass ratio of calcium to phosphorus was almost constant, the mass ratios of magnesium to calcium and phosphorus were different at early and advanced stages of the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus. It was found that both the mass ratios of magnesium to calcium and phosphorus were higher at an early stage of the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the arteries than at an advanced stage of the accumulation.

Accumulation of magnesium as well as calcium and phosphorus in Japanese monkey arteries with aging.

To examine whether an accumulation of elements in the arteries with aging differs between human and animal, the authors investigated the relationships among element contents in the arteries of the Japanese monkeys. The Japanese monkeys consisted of five males and four females, ranging in age from 2 to 29 yr. The aorta, common and external iliac, femoral, common carotid, subclavian, and axillary arteries were resected from the monkeys and element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. It was found that there were very high correlations between calcium and phosphorus contents, between calcium and magnesium contents, and between phosphorus and magnesium contents in all of the monkey arteries. In addition, significant correlations were found among the other element contents in some, but not all of the arteries. These results were consistent with the foregoing findings of the human arteries. It is likely that magnesium forms compounds with phosphorus or calcium in the monkey arteries.

Relationships among element contents in the intimal, middle, and external tunicae of the thoracic aorta.

To examine an accumulation of elements within the arteries with aging, the authors investigated the element contents in the intimal, middle, and external tunicae of the thoracic aorta. The subjects consisted of six men and four women, ranging in age from 57 to 99 yr. The wall of the thoracic aorta was separated into the intimal, middle, and external tunicae by scrubbing the wall of the thoracic aorta with an edge of slide glass and the element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. It was found that there were significant relationships among calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, and sodium in both the intimal and middle tunicae of the aorta, but not in the external tunica. These results revealed that no significant differences were found in element compositions of deposits between the intimal and middle tunicae.

Differences in accumulation of elements in human cardiac valves.

To elucidate changes of human cardiac valves with aging, the authors determined age-related changes of element contents in the four human cardiac valves by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and attempted to examine the relationships in the element contents among the four cardiac valves. The subjects consisted of 10 men and 15 women, ranging in age from 65 to 102 yr. The accumulation of calcium and phosphorus was the highest in the aortic valve, and decreased in the order mitral, pulmonary, and tricuspid valves. The contents of calcium and phosphorus in the aortic valves corresponded to about 12 and 19 times the amounts of those in the tricuspid valves, in which the contents were very low. The contents of calcium and phosphorus in the aortic valves were about 2.5-fold the amounts of those in the mitral valves. An examination was attempted to determine whether or not there were relationships in element contents among the four cardiac valves. As for the aortic and mitral valves, there were no relationships in the contents of calcium and phosphorus between them, but there were relationships in the contents of sulfur and magnesium between them. Three out of 24 cases contained high contents of calcium and phosphorus in both the mitral and aortic valves, whereas 16 out of 24 cases contained high contents of calcium and phosphorus in the aortic valves alone, without the high contents in the mitral valves. Likewise, there were no relationships in the element contents, such as calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, and magnesium, between the mitral and pulmonary valves or between the mitral and tricuspid valves. It is suggested that the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the cardiac valve occurs independent of the other cardiac valves.

Age-related variations of elements as compared among optic, radial, and sciatic nerves.

To elucidate changes of peripheral nerves with aging, the authors studied age-related changes of element contents in the optic, radial, and sciatic nerves by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects consisted of seven men and seven women, ranging in age from 61 to 97 yr. The contents of phosphorus and sulfur remained constant through ages 61 to 97 yr in three nerves, the optic, radial, and sciatic nerves. It was found that there were age-related differences in calcium content among the optic, radial, and sciatic nerves: The calcium content of the optic nerve increased progressively with aging; in the radial nerve, it was hardly changed with aging; in contrast, the calcium content of the sciatic nerve decreased gradually with aging. In addition, it was found that in the radial nerve there were moderate correlations between age and zinc or sodium content, whereas significant correlations between age and the content of silicon or iron were found in the sciatic nerve. Furthermore, there was a correlation between the silicon and iron contents in the sciatic nerves.

Age-dependent changes of elements in human trachea.

To elucidate compositional changes of human trachea by aging, element contents in tracheae were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The subjects consisted of seven men and seven women, ranging in age from 61 to 97 yr. The sulfur content of the tracheae decreased gradually with aging. In regard to calcium and phosphorus, both the contents increased to about threefold amounts in their seventies compared with those in their sixties, and decreased thereafter. The contents of calcium and phosphorus were the highest in their seventies. Therefore, it is likely that surplus calcium released from bones is deposited temporally in the trachea, and the deposits are released from the trachea at older age. Based on our results of human cartilages, there are two types in regard to calcium accumulation: The first type is that calcium accumulation occurs progressively with aging; the second one is that calcium accumulation becomes the highest in the seventies or eighties, and decreases thereafter. Therefore, the trachea belongs to the second type. Furthermore, the magnesium content remained constant through the age range.

Possible contaminant origins of the red cosmetics decorating ancient burial sites in Japan.

Marker elements were estimated from the red cosmetics collected from different ancient burials and mine ruins in three separate districts of Japan. Element levels were displayed in reference to the relative amount to sulfur (RA/S), by which the cosmetics were divided into five types: I--a low Hg/S with a low Fe/S; II--both moderate Hg/S and Fe/S; III--a moderate Hg/S with a high Fe/S; III 2--a high Hg/S with a moderate Fe/S; IV--a high Hg/S with a high Fe/S. The cosmetics can be further characterized by referring to other contaminants such as Zn, Cu, and Mn. These combined analyses with contaminant metals were capable of characterizing the origins of the cosmetics; it is useful to compare them to each other. The cosmetics were identified as being due to several groups of contaminants from ancient mines in Japan, and also with this system analysis of the markers it is possible to identify them from neighboring countries.

Accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the mitral valve in comparison with the abdominal aorta and the scaphoid bone.

To clarify why calcification of the mitral valve occurred, the authors chose the abdominal aorta and the scaphoid bone among many arteries and bones, and they studied both relationships in element contents between the mitral valve and the abdominal aorta and between the mitral valve and the scaphoid bone. The subjects consisted of 11 men and 8 women, ranging in age from 52 to 96 yr. The accumulation of calcium and phosphorus occurred progressively with aging in the mitral valve, whereas it became the highest in the sixties in the abdominal aorta and did not increase thereafter. The accumulation of calcium and phosphorus occurred in the abdominal aorta earlier than the thoracic aorta, in which it became remarkable in the seventies. It should be noted that in regard to the accumulation of calcium and phosphorus, no significant correlations were found between the mitral valve and the abdominal aorta. It is suggested that calcification of the abdominal aorta is not essentially accompanied by calcification of the mitral valve. The scaphoid bone was chosen among many bones consisting mainly of spongy bone and the relationship was examined between the calcium content in the mitral valve and the bone mineral density of the scaphoid bone. It was found that there was a low relationship between them. Therefore, it is suggested that a part of the surplus calcium released from bones is deposited in the mitral valve.