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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Infrared analysis of bone in health and disease
Adele Boskey1, Richard Mendelsohn
1Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Program in Musculoskeletal Integrity, Hospital for Special Surgery, Department of Biochemistry, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Abstract:
Infrared spectroscopy, microspectroscopy, and microspectroscopic imaging have been used to probe the composition and physicochemical status of mineral and matrix of bone in normal and diseased tissues using a series of validated parameters that reflect quantitative and qualitative properties. In this review, emphasis is placed on changes in bone's composition and physiochemical status during osteoporosis and the impact of currently used therapeutics on these parameters, although the impact of infrared microscopy in other pathological states is briefly discussed.
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