The Pulp Stones: Morphological Analysis in Scanning Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopic Chemical Quantification

Background and objectives: Pulp stones are hard tissue structures formed in the pulp of permanent and deciduous teeth. Few studies have evaluated their morphology and chemical composition. However, their formation, composition, configuration and role played in overall health status are still unclear. Clinically, they may be symptomatic; technically, they impede access during endodontic therapy, increasing the risk of treatment errors. Thus, this study aimed to morphologically analyze pulp stones and present their chemical quantification, identifying their main chemical elements. It also correlates the results with their possible induction mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Seven pulp nodules were collected from molar teeth needing endodontic treatment. The morphology of the stones was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their chemical composition was determined by X-ray dispersive energy spectroscopy (EDX). Results: These structures varied considerably in shape, size and topography. The site of the stones in the pulp cavity was the factor that most affected the morphology. The majority of the stones found in the pulp chambers presented nodular morphology, while those in the root canals presented a diffuse shape, resembling root canal anatomy. The topography of the nodules showed heterogeneous relief, revealing smooth and compact areas contrasting with the rugged and porous ones. The chemical composition varied depending on the location of the nodule in the pulp cavity and the relief of the analyzed area. Radicular stones presented considerably lower calcium and phosphorus content than coronary nodules. Conclusions: The high cellularity rate of the coronal pulp predisposes this region to nodular mineralizations around injured cells. The presence of larger caliber vascular bundles and higher collagen fiber content in radicular pulp determines a diffuse morphological pattern in this region. Understanding the morphology and chemical composition of the pulp stones allows future translational pathways towards the prevention or treatment of such conditions.

Comprehensive Chemical Characterization of the Pistacia vera Fruits through Original NMR Quantification Methods

(1) Background: Pistacia vera is a dry fruit spread all over the world, commonly known as pistachio, and is very appreciated as a snack, as a precious ingredient for confectionery industries and also as a blessed touch for gourmet dishes; (2) Methods: The simultaneous NMR profiles concerning the hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases, enabled by a specific throughput over grinded pistachio seeds, led to the comprehensive chemical characterization of these nuts coming from different territories; (3) Results: The customized extraction method is described in detail as well as the employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. The chemical quantification takes advantage from the innovative multi-assignment recovered analysis (MARA-NMR) technique able to provide experimentally robust panels for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic chemicals. Beyond the assessed repeatability and the interesting statistical discrimination, this paper adds information about the quantitative and qualitative composition of pistachio as inferred by NMR data. This updated background can pave the way toward the development of wider and wider chemical panels improving the knowledge about the pistachio’s composition. This approach can be easily extended to other matrices.

Biochemical profile of Cashew nut

Cashew is a kidney-shaped nut that commercially grows on a tropical evergreen tree. In recent times, the commercial importance of cashew nut and apple in terms of human health is gaining great momentum. The kernels of 75 promising cashew germplasms were taken from different soils of West Bengal, for bio-chemical quantification. Out of which 10 promising commercial germplasms were taken for experimental study. The study indicates that nutritional content Iron (0.08%), Calcium (0.96%), magnesium (0.75%), potassium (2.18%), sodium (0.22%), phosphorus (1.21%), neutral lipid (98.54%), phospholipid (3.12%), protein (49.63%), starch (33.5%), amino acid (53.37%), phenol (53.4%), total sugar (21.27%). It also contains a huge amount of lipids that promote good cardiovascular health. Often high triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for heart disorders and mono-unsaturated fats reduce triglyceride levels. The cashew nuts high magnesium content also takes the credit for its healthy heart quality and so daily recommended for the heart-healthy mineral. It also protects against high blood pressure, muscle spasms, migraine headaches, tension, soreness, and fatigue.

Reexamination of Solvothermal Synthesis of Layered Carbon Nitride

“Graphitic carbon nitride” synthesized by the solvothermal reaction between cyanuric chloride (C3N3Cl3) and sodium amide (NaNH2), which was one of the most common methods reported so far, was carefully examined by several analytical techniques for its chemical and structural characteristics. The chemical quantification by the electron microprobe and combustion methods showed that the product synthesized has a significant amount of hydrogen with a composition C3N5H3. Moreover, we found by FT-IR and IR-Raman measurements that the product consists mainly of stacked s-triazine units on the basis of the structural framework of cyanuric chloride, suggesting that s-triazine-based carbon nitride is more stable than heptazine-based one under a mild temperature condition (~200°C). The present study clearly demonstrates that hydrogen-free, pure graphitic C3N4 cannot be produced by the present solvothermal reaction proposed by the earlier study.

QUANTIFICATION OF THE COMPONENTS IN COMMERCIAL ESSENTIAL OIL OF EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS LABILL. BY GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY – GC-FID AND GC-MS

Leaves of Eucalytus globulus Labill are characterized by the presence of essential oil, in which 1,8-cineole is the main component. The oil is used as an expectorant for symptomatic treatment of mild inflammation of the respiratory tract and bronchitis. This work addresses the chemical quantification of the constituents of E. globulus essential oil by gas chromatography. Commercial samples were diluted and analyzes by gas chromatograph coupled to flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The chromatographic separation was performed on a fused silica capillary (LM-20, 30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 μm film thickness) column. The proposed GC-FID method has demonstrated to have specificity and high sensitivity. The quantitation by the normalization technique demonstrated to be adequate for the analysis. Thus, the proposed method is effective for the quantification of E. globulus oil constituents, which may help in the quality control of commercial formulations.

Versatile Optochemical Quantification with Optical Mouse

There is an ever increasing need for simple, low-cost instruments for ubiquitous medical and environmental measurements in conjunction with networks and Internet-of-things. This work demonstrates that the optical mouse, one of the most common optoelectronic computer peripherals, can be used for chemical quantification. Particularly, we explore the feasibility of using the preassembled optical platform of mouse for oxygen and pH quantification. The image sensor and the light-emitting diode (LED) serve as photodetector and excitation/illumination light source, respectively, while the preinstalled microoptics (e.g., lens and waveguide) provide a fixed optical arrangement convenient for sample analysis. This novel, cost-effective approach demonstrates the potential application of optical mouse for bioanalytical devices in conjunction with commercial sensor strips or simple microfluidic elements. This is one viable option for seamless integration of bioanalytical capability into existing personal computers and associate networks without significant additional hardware.