beta-carotene and Calcinosis

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is an inherited form of heart disease with only two aortic valve leaflets via a disorder of cardiac valvulogenesis. We investigated the in vivo echocardiographic features of cardiac morphology in patients with BAV and the ex vivo compositional components of all the excised BAV leaflets isolated from BAV patients. Three BAV patients were randomly selected. All patients underwent 2D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with a Doppler ultrasound tool. The compositional components of each respective BAV leaflet for all the excised BAVs were determined by a portable fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy. Preoperative TTE revealed the thickened and calcified BAV leaflets, and stenotic aortic flow for all BAV patients. These BAV patients exhibited severe aortic stenosis (AS) by the lower values of aortic valve area (AVA) index. One patient showed a more significant left ventricle hypertrophy, whereas two patients exhibited a significant aortic regurgitation (AR). In addition, three different Raman spectral patterns were summed up from 121 randomized Raman determinations for all the excised BAV leaflets. The main calcified deposition in each BAV leaflet was formed by large amounts of calcium hydroxyapatite and type-B carbonate apatite (Raman bands at 960 and 1070 cm

Topics: Aged; Aorta; Aortic Valve; Aortic Valve Stenosis; beta Carotene; Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease; Calcinosis; Cholesterol; Durapatite; Echocardiography; Female; Heart Valve Diseases; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Photography; Spectrum Analysis, Raman

Idiopathic calcinosis cutis (CC) is a rare disease in a child. The chemical composition of the calcified deposits in idiopathic CC was first qualitatively and quantitatively examined using vibrational microspectroscopy via spectral diagnosis. The combined application of the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman microscopic techniques was used to detect and identify the nature of the components of the calcified deposits in idiopathic CC and to compare the results with histopathological findings. Two major components of type B carbonated apatite and β-carotene interspersing subcutaneous tissue were clearly evidenced to make up the calcified deposits in idiopathic CC in our pediatric patient. Moreover, the calcified deposits of idiopathic CC contained a relatively larger amount of type B carbonated apatite and a smaller amount of type A carbonated apatite than the calcified deposits analyzed in dystrophic CC. This is the first report on the chemical composition of calcified deposits in idiopathic CC established by spectral analysis. The combination of FT-IR and Raman microscopic techniques was very useful for simultaneous assessment of the intact components of the calcified deposits in idiopathic CC.

Topics: beta Carotene; Calcinosis; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Skin; Skin Diseases; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Spectrum Analysis, Raman

A case of urinary vessel calcification was detected incidentally in pelvic cavity of a 59-year-old man by computed tomography. The silver reticulin, actin, and hematoxylin and eosin stains were applied to diagnose the feature of vessel and confirmed that the vessel was the vesical artery. To our knowledge, this is the first report to find out the obliteration of superior vesical artery caused by calcified deposit. The calcified deposit in superior vesical artery was qualitatively identified to consist of hydroxyapatite, cholesterol and beta-carotene by Fourier transform infrared and Raman microspectroscopies, in which A-type carbonated apatite was a predominate component.

Topics: Angiography; Arteries; beta Carotene; Calcinosis; Cholesterol; Durapatite; Humans; Incidental Findings; Male; Middle Aged; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Urinary Bladder; Vascular Diseases

Calcinosis cutis is characterized by the deposition of calcium salts in the subcutaneous tissues. Both Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopic analysis have been applied to easily get the chemical compositions of the skin calcified deposit (SCD), which was surgically excised from a female patient. This SCD was cut into two parts for histopathological (H&E stain) examination and vibrational microspectroscopic study. The result indicates that the whole SCD in the skin lesion was found to be a well-developed, mature and hard mass. Several FTIR absorption bands at 873, 961 and 1,031 cm(-1) [the stretching modes of carbonate and phosphate of hydroxyapatite (HA)], 1,547 and 1,658 cm(-1) (the amide I and II bands of collagen) were detected in the IR spectrum of SCD. The Raman spectral bands at 1,665 and 1,450 cm(-1) (collagen); 1,519 and 1,156 cm(-1) (beta-carotene); and 1,072 and 958 cm(-1) (HA) were also obtained. To our knowledge, this is the first report using FTIR and Raman microspectroscopies to quickly identify and quantify three predominant components, collagen, beta-carotene and type B carbonated HA, in the SCD of a patient.

Topics: Adult; beta Carotene; Calcinosis; Collagen; Durapatite; Female; Humans; Skin; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Spectrum Analysis, Raman