The proceedings of the Third International Conference (on title) held in Chatham, Mass., October, 1988. Presents coverage of many areas of the skeletal system, including new experimental techniques, research areas, ideas, and hypotheses. Discusses at length the chemical nature and structure of organic matrix components and their influence with respect to regulation of cell function. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This text is a compilation of presentations by world-wide experts that were given during the Sixth International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues, which was held in Vittel, France in November 1998. These proceedings represent advances in this specialized area and should be useful for both clinicians and researchers in bone biology and chemistry.

Calcium in Human Biology provides an authoritative review of current knowledge and points the way to further progress in the understanding of this essential nutrient. In addition to considering the established importance of an adequate dietary source of available calcium for the formation of sound bones and teeth, there is detailed discussion of the part calcium plays in a variety of aspects of human metabolism. The book is written primarily for those working in the nutritional sciences and related fields. It will also be of interest to clinicians, nutritionists, and to those interested more generally in the biological sciences, as well as to those in the important sectors of the food industry which utilise or produce dairy products and other foods significant to the supply of dietary calcium.

Biomineralization is a natural process by which living organisms form minerals in association with organic biostructures to form hybrid biological materials such as bone, enamel, dentine and nacre among others. Scientists have researched the fundamentals of these processes and the unique structures and properties of the resulting mineralized tissues. Inspired by them, new biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have been developed in recent years. Biomineralization and biomaterials: fundamentals and applications looks at the characteristics of these essential processes and natural materials and describes strategies and technologies to biomimetically design and produce biomaterials with improved biological performance. - Provides a thorough overview of the biomineralization process - Presents the most recent information on the natural process by which crystals in tissues form into inorganic structures such as bone, teeth, and other natural mineralized tissues - Investigates methods for improving mineralization - Explores new techniques that will help improve the biomimetic process