Fibrous Calcareous Concretions in the Capsules of Human Pineal Glands

Abstract

: We examined calcareous concretions in the capsule of 15 human pineal glands containing a large amount of the concretions in the matrix. The capsule concretions, brown to blackish-brown in color and / or translucent, were smaller than the matrix concretions, which were yellowish-white. The matrix concretions showed the typical mulberry-shaped overall appearance with scallop-shaped concentric laminations of non-brous structures, but the capsule concretions, which also contained Ca and P, showed a globular or oval shape with regular, rough, or no concentric laminations. The capsule concretions also showed globules of mineralized collagen fibers that resembled randomly wound threads and that were occasionally associated with minute spherical deposits showing hypermineralization in the core region as initial calci cation. Na was detected as a minor characteristic element of the capsule concretions, and at a signi cantly higher level than that of the matrix concretions. The ndings strongly suggested that a human pineal gland containing numerous matrix concretions is likely to produce mineralized deposits in the capsule.

Hydrothermal Transformation of Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Dihydrate Into Magnesium Whitlockite

“…Magnesium whitlockite (MgWH; Ca 18 Mg 2 (HPO 4 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 12 ) has been reported to deposit in the human body, for example, dental calculi of human tooth enamel, [1][2][3] human articular cartilage, 4 and hyper-mineralized osteocyte and lacunae in human alveolar bone. 5 In a recent study, Hang et al 6 demonstrated that MgWH is an osteoconductive material with resorbability intermediate between the resorbabilities of hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP).…”

Mineralized Blood Vessels in the Capsules of Human Pineal Glands

“…However, there was a low negative trend between aging and the mineralized volumes of the deposits by microradiography. We also recently observed fibrous calcareous concretions associated with characteristic minute spherical deposits MSD including a larger relative amount of Na as well as Ca and P in the capsule of a human pineal body and a large number of nonfibrous calcareous concretions in the matrix 2 .…”