Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Medial calcification (whitlockite) in the aorta

J D Reid1, M E Andersen

  • 1Pathology Department, Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, OH 44266-1204.

Atherosclerosis
|July 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Human aortic calcification, identified as whitlockite, increases with age and varies by location. This common finding in the tunica media is not linked to sex, race, or cardiovascular disease deaths.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Prognostic significance of circulating tumor DNA as a baseline or dynamic factor in advanced NSCLC without oncogenic drivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Critical reviews in oncology/hematology·2026
Same author

Using available <i>in vitro</i> metabolite identification and time course kinetics for β-chloroprene and its metabolite, (1-chloroethenyl) oxirane, to include reactive oxidative metabolites and glutathione depletion in a PBPK model for β-chloroprene.

Frontiers in pharmacology·2023
Same author

Response to "letter concerning: Clewell (2019) incorporation of <i>in vitro</i> metabolism data and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling in a risk assessment for chloroprene." (UIHT-2020-0053).

Inhalation toxicology·2020
Same author

Derivation of whole blood biomonitoring equivalents for titanium for the interpretation of biomonitoring data.

Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP·2020
Same author

Toxicity testing in the 21st century: progress in the past decade and future perspectives.

Archives of toxicology·2019
Same author

Assessing children's exposure to manganese in drinking water using a PBPK model.

Toxicology and applied pharmacology·2019

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Biomineralization
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Calcified deposits in the aorta's tunica media are common but not readily visible with standard histological stains.
  • Understanding the composition and distribution of these deposits is crucial for cardiovascular research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the nature, prevalence, and distribution of calcified deposits in the human aorta.
  • To identify the mineralogical composition of aortic calcifications.
  • To investigate correlations between aortic calcification and demographic factors or health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Light microscopy and electron microscopy were used on 128 human aorta samples.
  • Methylene blue staining enhanced visualization of calcific particles.
  • X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis identified mineral composition.

Main Results:

  • Calcification, visible as unstained particles (1-2 microns) between elastic laminae in the inner aorta, appears around age 20.
  • Deposits were identified as whitlockite (Ca,Mg)3(PO4)2.
  • Calcification increased significantly with age and varied by county of origin, but showed no differences based on sex or race, nor correlation with cardiovascular disease mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Aortic medial calcification is a common, age-related phenomenon composed of whitlockite.
  • Geographic origin influences calcification severity, but it is independent of sex, race, and cardiovascular disease mortality.
  • Further research is needed to explore etiologic factors and clinicopathologic significance.

Related Experiment Videos