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Vol.
25 No. 3
May - June 2003
Solubility
of Substances Related to Urolithiasis
Improved
solubility predictions for substances precipitating from complex
body fluids would be of great benefit, given that, for instance,
over one million Australians are currently suffering from
kidney stones, causing the health system direct identifiable
costs of over $70 million a year. The prevention and treatment
of crystal deposition in the human body are based on the understanding
of the physico-chemical properties underlying the precipitation
of the substances involved. Among these properties, the solubilities
of the crystals are very important. In the scope of urolithiasis,
there are more than 20 different types of kidney stones composed
of calcium oxalate hydrates (mono-, di-, and trihydrate),
ammonium magnesium phosphate (struvite), calcium phosphates
(hydroxyapatite and brushite), uric acid and urates, cystine,
and xanthine. Solubilities of these substances can be incorporated
in databases of sophisticated software packages that permit
solubility calculations in artificial urine solutions. The
results of these simulations would lead to some understanding
and/or useful suggestions regarding the cause, prevention,
and treatment of renal or bladder calculi. In any case, proper
modelling of the solubilities of these substances requires
reliable solubility constants. Thus, it is necessary to critically
assess the literature values reported for these substances.
Recently, a review on this subject was published in PAC,
Vol. 73, pp. 785-797 (2001).
www.iupac.org/projects/2002/2002-035-1-500.html
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last modified 29 April 2003.
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