Interest and debate continues today in the U.S. and Europe over whether organic foods are healthier for the consumer. Several studies show that fruits and vegetables may contain higher concentrations of vital nutrients. Using the PIXE technique, which is a quick and inexpensive way to analyze samples, this study is inconclusive on whether eating organic is necessarily healthier for an individua...

The direct detection of biologically relevant metals in single cells and of their speciation is a challenging task that requires sophisticated analytical developments. The aim of this article is to present the recent achievements in the field of cellular chemical element imaging, and direct speciation analysis, using proton and synchrotron radiation X-ray micro- and nano-analysis. The recent im...

Gasification of biomass ultimately generates at least one solid byproduct in which the inorganic constituents of the biomass are concentrated. Given the potential for utilization, or issues with disposal, facile methods are needed for determining the compositions of the fly ashes from recently-available gasifier-based bioenergy systems. Proton induced x-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) and indu...

PIXE (Proton Induced X-Ray Emission) and PIGE (Proton Induced Gamma Ray Emission) have been used to measure the concentration of over 20 elements present in coarse and fine atmospheric particle samples. These samples were collected at a semi-residential site at Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 2002 to June 2003. The multi-elemental capability of PIXE and PIGE enabled the use of these elemental-conce...

Bisphosphonates (BPs) have been widely, efficiently, and safely used for the treatment of various bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis. However, concerns about jaw osteonecrosis associated with oral treatment (medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw [MRONJ]) have been increasing. Although many risk factors for MRONJ have been elucidated, its precise etiology and methods of prevention ...

The purpose of this study is to clarify the chemical characterization of PM2.5 and PM10 in diesel exhaust particles (DEP). Sampling of PM2.5 and PM10 in DEP was carried out in November 1999 using an automobile exhaust testing system at the National Traffic Safety and Environment Laboratory, with a diesel truck (engine type: direct injection, displacement: 7,961 cc, carrying weight: 2,020 kg, eq...

In order to provide realistic data for air pollution inventories and source apportionment at airports, the morphology and composition of ultrafine particles (UFP) in aircraft engine exhaust were measured and characterized. For this purpose, two independent measurement techniques were employed to collect emissions during normal takeoff and landing operations at Brisbane Airport, Australia. PM1 e...

The uptake and accumulation of metals occurs in the kidney, which is a key site for interaction between metal nephrotoxicants. The uptake/accumulation and interaction of CdCl2, HgCl2, K2Cr2O7, and NaAsO2 was examined in precision-cut rabbit renal cortical slices. Slices were incubated with 10(-6) to 10(-3) M of a single metal toxicant or combinations of metal toxicants for 12 hr in DME-F12 medi...

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) is a progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia of unknown etiology with a poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to prove the occurrence of particle deposition and particle-induced tissue damage in IIP by examining proapoptotic Fas expression with in-air microparticle induced X-ray emission (in-air micro-PIXE) analysis. A total of 21 patients were en...