Spectroscopic Characterization of Urinary Stones Richening with Calcium Oxalate.

Intact and non-intact urinary stones richening with calcium oxalate were collected and characterized. The elemental analysis, phase quantifications, and function groups were determined by different spectroscopic techniques, namely: energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), the synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR). The quantitative analysis of twenty elements was demonstrated in the most of the urinary stones and these elements are: Ca, Na, P, S, Mg, Cl, Zn, K, Ti, Sr, Ni, Co, Fe, Cu, Cd, Br, Pb, Se, I, and Mn. Using the Rietveld method, the diffraction phase quantification was illustrated. The main found phases are calcium oxalate (monohydrate and dihydrate) and hydroxyapatite phase. The FTIR outcomes reveal that the functional groups of O-H, N-H, C=O, and C-O indicate to the calcium oxalate whereas the P-O and O-P-O, and PO43- groups indicate to the calcium phosphates in the hydroxyapatite. A considerable correlations between the oxalate urinary stones and the group of elements were found. These elements are Zn, Sr, Ni, and Fe. These correlations could lead to new therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, the elements of sodium and chlorine have no vital role in the formation of calcium oxalate urinary stones.

Applicability of Low-Cost Binders for the Quantitative Elemental Analysis of Urinary Stones Using EDXRF Based on Fundamental Parameter Approach.

The pressed powder sample is a common method for elemental analysis using X-ray fluorescence analysis whereas suitable light hydrocarbon materials should be added to the sample as a binder. The present study demonstrates the applicability of using different commercial binders for elemental analysis of urinary stone samples. In order to confirm the obtained results, a comparison with pure chemical grade binders was presented. Different commercial and pure binders were tested for quantitative elemental analysis of urinary stones, namely, cellulose, starch, wax, and urea. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) was used for elemental analysis. Differential thermal analysis was used to estimate the loss on ignition (LOI) in the urinary stone samples. The signal to background ratios (I/IB) of the different detected elements in the commercial and pure binders were calculated, compared, and studied at eight different photon energies starting from 2.5 up to 37 keV. Standard-less quantitative analysis method based on the fundamental parameter approach was applied for elemental analysis of selected urinary stones. The commercial and low-cost binders could be an excellent alternative binder for urinary stone analysis using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. The commercial binders could provide an advantage as pure chemical grade binders or even better especially at photon energy higher than 10 keV. The best commercial binder candidate was found to be the wax. The quantitative analysis results using commercial and pure chemical grade binders give good agreement results, which indicate the applicability of commercial binders for quantitative elemental analysis of urinary stones in the form of pressed powder samples.