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Accurately determining the phase states of barium carbonate, barium silicate, and barium sulfate in ores. It’s crucial for advancing research on barium ore mineralization and improving beneficiation and smelting processes. This study aimed to investigate the integration of phase analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry(XRF) to assess the phases of barium in ores, only requiring simple sample pretreatment before measurement. The acetic acid separation drip method was used for the determination of barium carbonate, while the hydrochloric acid separation drip method was used for barium silicate. Additionally, the fusion sample preparation method was applied for the analysis of barium sulfate. The results were consistent with those obtained using chemical methods, and the precision of the relative standard deviation(RSD) was less than or equal to 2.74%, satisfying the analytical requirements. This study combines chemical separation with XRF for continuous and precise phase determination. This approach enhances applicability of XRF in chemical phase analysis and provides a simpler, more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional techniques. It can be applied to barium phase analysis in general barium ores.

There is an increasing public awareness of the relatively new and expanded industrial barium uses which are potential sources of human exposure (e.g., a shale gas development that causes an increased awareness of environmental exposures to barium). However, absorption of barium in exposed humans and a full spectrum of its health effects, especially among chronically exposed to moderate and low doses of barium populations, remain unclear. We suggest a systematic literature review (from 1875 to 2014) on environmental distribution of barium, its bioaccumulation, and potential and proven health impacts (in animal models and humans) to provide the information that can be used for optimization of future experimental and epidemiological studies and developing of mitigative and preventive strategies to minimize negative health effects in exposed populations. The potential health effects of barium exposure are largely based on animal studies, while epidemiological data for humans, specifically for chronic low-level exposures, are sparse. The reported health effects include cardiovascular and kidney diseases, metabolic, neurological, and mental disorders. Age, race, dietary patterns, behavioral risks (e.g., smoking), use of medications (those that interfere with absorbed barium in human organism), and specific physiological status (e.g., pregnancy) can modify barium effects on human health. Identifying, evaluating, and predicting the health effects of chronic low-level and moderate-level barium exposures in humans is challenging: Future research is needed to develop an understanding of barium bioaccumulation in order to mitigate its potential health impacts in various exposured populations. Further, while occupationally exposed at-risk populations exist, it is also important to identify potentially vulnerable subgroups among non-occupationally exposed populations (e.g., elderly, pregnant women, children) who are at higher risk of barium exposure from drinking water and food.

Background: In recent years, barium titanate (BaTiO3) has demonstrated advancements in the field of dentistry among dental ceramics. This ceramic substance has piezoelectric qualities that are comparable to those of bone, which is crucial for osseointegration. The biomedical field has made extensive use of barium titanate for its affordability, chemical stability, and non-toxicity. The use of barium titanate in dentistry is encouraged by the fact that many widely used metal alloys have unsightly hues and exhibit chemical interactions in the mouth cavity. Because BaTiO3-based ceramics are more corrosion-resistant, have better color matching that improves esthetics, stronger, and have better radiopacity than traditional biomaterials, their use has grown. Purpose: This review will cover the production techniques, mechanism of action, phases, and dental uses of BaTiO3. Conclusion: Barium titanate exhibited encouraging qualities for dental uses due to its antibacterial, biocompatible and piezoelectric action.

IntroductionThe Chicago Classification v4.0 (CC v4.0) high-resolution manometry (HRM) protocol recommends an IRP of 12 mmHg in upright position (Medtronic) with the option of adding provocative testing (rapid drink challenge (RDC), solid test meal (STM)) to differentiate those with clinically relevant esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO). This study aimed to determine the optimal upright IRP that identifies clinically relevant pathology.MethodWe analysed Eckardt symptom scores, HRM and timed barium esophagogram (TBE) data from 148 symptomatic patients (age 51.5 ± 15.7 years, 65% F) referred to a tertiary centre in London. In line with the standard protocol at our institution, all patients underwent at least 10 swallows of 5ml of water in the upright position, followed by 200ml RDC and 200g rice STM. IRP≥12 mmHg on RDC or ≥2 swallows with IRP≥25 mmHg on STM supported clinically relevant EGJOO. A barium column of 1 cm or more in height above the EGJ at 1 minute was considered positive. A diagnostic accuracy analysis for IRP thresholds ≥12 - 14.9 mmHg and ≥15 mmHg and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis with Youden’s index were performed against RDC and STM that defined obstruction as the gold standard. All patients had therapeutic decisions. Those who had LES interventions (Botox injection, pneumatic dilatation, POEM and Heller’s myotomy) had follow-up at 6 months.ResultsHRM studies were completed in 98 patients with IRP ≥12mmHg and 50 patients with IRP ≥15mmHg. An upright IRP ≥12 – 14.9 mmHg identified symptomatic patients with clinically conclusive EGJOO with 95% sensitivity and 63% specificity. IRP ≥15 mmHg increased specificity to 91% (p < 0.0008), thus reducing the likelihood of false EGJOO diagnosis.In the IRP ≥12 – 14.9 mmHg group, 20 (41%) had clinically relevant obstruction. Of these, 4 (20%) had EGJ retention on TBE. 4 (8.3%) had LES intervention performed and all also had raised IRP on STM. Mean Eckardt score improved from 2.33 ± 0.5 to 0.5 ± 0.7 at follow-up. In those with IRP ≥12mmHg ROC analysis found the cut off for clinically relevant ECGOO was an IRP 14.3 mmHg. (figure 1).For those with IRP ≥15mmHg, 43 (86%) had clinically relevant obstruction. Of these, 15 (34.8%) also had EGJ retention on TBE. 14 (28%) had LES intervention and all had raised IRP on STM. Mean Eckardt score improved from 5.93 ± 2.9 to 1 ± 1.7Abstract P82 Figure 1The optimal thresholds that predict clinically relevant EGJOO on provocative testing[Figure omitted. See PDF]ConclusionThis study confirms that increasing the IRP threshold to 15 mmHg when upright increases the specificity and reduces over diagnosis of clinically relevant EGJ obstruction which is corroborated by the provocative testing. Raising the IRP to 15mmHg appears to have equivalent diagnostic value as including provocative testing to define obstructive pathology. As has been described by the same group, barium esophagogram has a limited use in guiding EGJOO diagnostic accuracy.

A longstanding goal in regenerative medicine is to reconstitute functional tissues or organs after injury or disease. Attention has focused on the identification and relative contribution of tissue specific stem cells to the regeneration process. Relatively little is known about how the physiological process is regulated by other tissue constituents. Numerous injury models are used to investigate tissue regeneration, however, these models are often poorly understood. Specifically, for skeletal muscle regeneration several models are reported in the literature, yet the relative impact on muscle physiology and the distinct cells types have not been extensively characterised. We have used transgenic Tg:Pax7nGFP and Flk1GFP/+ mouse models to respectively count the number of muscle stem (satellite) cells (SC) and number/shape of vessels by confocal microscopy. We performed histological and immunostainings to assess the differences in the key regeneration steps. Infiltration of immune cells, chemokines and cytokines production was assessed in vivo by Luminex®. We compared the 4 most commonly used injury models i.e. freeze injury (FI), barium chloride (BaCl2), notexin (NTX) and cardiotoxin (CTX). The FI was the most damaging. In this model, up to 96% of the SCs are destroyed with their surrounding environment (basal lamina and vasculature) leaving a \"dead zone\" devoid of viable cells. The regeneration process itself is fulfilled in all 4 models with virtually no fibrosis 28 days post-injury, except in the FI model. Inflammatory cells return to basal levels in the CTX, BaCl2 but still significantly high 1-month post-injury in the FI and NTX models. Interestingly the number of SC returned to normal only in the FI, 1-month post-injury, with SCs that are still cycling up to 3-months after the induction of the injury in the other models. Our studies show that the nature of the injury model should be chosen carefully depending on the experimental design and desired outcome. Although in all models the muscle regenerates completely, the trajectories of the regenerative process vary considerably. Furthermore, we show that histological parameters are not wholly sufficient to declare that regeneration is complete as molecular alterations (e.g. cycling SCs, cytokines) could have a major persistent impact.

Background We previously showed that cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), barium sulfate (BaSO 4 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited different lung toxicity and pulmonary clearance in rats. We hypothesize that these NPs acquire coronas with different protein compositions that may influence their clearance from the lungs. Methods CeO 2 , silica-coated CeO 2 , BaSO 4 , and ZnO NPs were incubated in rat lung lining fluid in vitro. Then, gel electrophoresis followed by quantitative mass spectrometry was used to characterize the adsorbed proteins stripped from these NPs. We also measured uptake of instilled NPs by alveolar macrophages (AMs) in rat lungs using electron microscopy. Finally, we tested whether coating of gold NPs with albumin would alter their lung clearance in rats. Results We found that the amounts of nine proteins in the coronas formed on the four NPs varied significantly. The amounts of albumin, transferrin and α-1 antitrypsin were greater in the coronas of BaSO 4 and ZnO than that of the two CeO 2 NPs. The uptake of BaSO 4 in AMs was less than CeO 2 and silica-coated CeO 2 NPs. No identifiable ZnO NPs were observed in AMs. Gold NPs coated with albumin or citrate instilled into the lungs of rats acquired the similar protein coronas and were cleared from the lungs to the same extent. Conclusions We show that different NPs variably adsorb proteins from the lung lining fluid. The amount of albumin in the NP corona varies as does NP uptake by AMs. However, albumin coating does not affect the translocation of gold NPs across the air-blood barrier. A more extensive database of corona composition of a diverse NP library will develop a platform to help predict the effects and biokinetics of inhaled NPs.