Compositional and structural studies of the bone–cartilage interface using PIXE and SAXS techniques

Micro-proton-induced X-ray emission (μ-PIXE) analysis has been employed in investigating the presence of number of essential anions and cations in thin sections of diseased human articular cartilage affected by osteoarthritis (OA). Distribution maps for Ca, P, K and S in diseased sections show marked alterations in the concentrations of these at the bone–cartilage interface compared to normal tissue. For a decalcified section of human articular …