Agilent 8800

Seven Ti-6Al-4 V miniscrews with a diameter of 1.3 mm were implanted in one beagle dog and seven Zr₇₀Ni₁₆Cu₆Al₈ BMG miniscrews with a diameter of 1.0 mm were implanted in another beagle dog. Before implantation and 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after implantation, a total of 7.0 ml blood was taken from the saphenous vein of the left hind leg of beagle dogs according to the method of Assad et al.^{53 (link)} Blood was taken 4 times and measured. The blood samples were frozen and stored at − 20 °C until analysis. Concentrations of titanium, zirconium, nickel, copper, aluminum, and vanadium within blood were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) (Agilent 8800; Agilent Technologies, California, USA). Analysis by ICP-MS was performed at an infinitesimal material analysis room in the Tohoku University School of Engineering. Metal concentration was measured with blood collected four times from each beagle dog, and the average value and S.D. were calculated. Metal concentrations without any implant were used as controls.

Test solution samples for chemical analysis were prepared in a plastic cup, separate from each test. The samples were collected at the start and the end of the exposure period to determine dissolved heavy metal concentrations. The collected samples were diluted using ultrapure water and nitric acid (final concentration of 0.13 M), spiked with an internal standard (Ga and In, the final concentration of 2 μg/L and 10 μg/L), and then analyzed using ICP-MS (Agilent 8800, Agilent Technologies, Inc.).

Measurements of REEs in the present work were carried out with an ICP-QMS/QMS instrument (Agilent 8800, Agilent Technologies Japan, Ltd.), for which the typical operating conditions are summarized in Table 1. These operating conditions were optimized to obtain the best performance for measuring REEs with the highest sensitivity. A Millipore purification system (Nihon Millipore Kogyo) was used to provide deionized water for the present experiment. A chemical balance (model XS205DU) purchased from METTLER TOLEDO was used for making samples and calibrating solutions, while the chemical balance was calibrated yearly by the Japan Calibration Service System (JCSS).

An Agilent 1100 HPLC system (Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germany) was coupled to an inductively coupled plasma triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detector (Agilent 8800, Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germany) with a capillary (PEEK, 0.127-mm ID, 21 cm) connecting the chromatographic column with the nebulizer on the spray chamber of the ICPQQQMS. The HPLC system was equipped with an autosampler ALS G1367C, a degasser G1379A, a quaternary pump G1311A, a sample chiller ALSTherm G1330B, and a column compartment COLCOM G1316A. The ICPQQQMS system was equipped with an AriMist PEEK® nebulizer, a Scott-type spray chamber, Ni/Cu sampler and skimmer cones, and a 2.5-mm quartz plasma torch. Oxygen as a reaction gas at a flow rate of 0.3 mL min⁻¹ was used to produce the mass shift 32–> 48 and 34–> 50 for monitoring the ³²S and ³⁴S isotopes, respectively. A 1.0 μg L⁻¹ multi-element tuning solution was used for tuning the ICPQQQMS. This was performed in the MS/MS mode by monitoring the mass transition 89–> 105 (Y–> YO), 59–> 59 (Co), and 205–> 205 (Tl) (see Electronic Supplementary Material (ESM) Fig. S1). The oxide ratios and doubly charged ion formation were monitored through measuring CeO/Ce and Ce²⁺/Ce⁺, and were < 1.5 and < 2.0%, respectively.

The digested samples were diluted with an ultrapure Milli-Q water (18.2 MΩ cm, ELGA water purification system, Purelab Ultra MK 2, UK or 18.2 MΩ cm, Milli-Q Advantage, Darmstadt, Germany), which resulted in nitric acid concentrations of approx. 5% prior to ICP-MS measurement. The total content of each element in the kidneys was determined with an ICP-Triple-Quadrupole MS instrument Agilent 8800 (Agilent Technologies, Tokyo, Japan), equipped with a Micro Mist nebulizer at a sample uptake rate of approximately 0.25 mL/min. Standard solutions were purchased from LabKings (Hilversum, The Netherlands). For validation of the analytical method, the certified reference material, TM-28.4 Lake Ontario water (Environment and Climate Change, Burlington, ON, Canada), was used. The monitored isotopes (24Mg, 31P, 40Ca, 56Fe, 63Cu, 64Zn, 78Se, 115In, 185Re, 208Pb) were recorded with a dwell time of 0.3 s and 10 replicates. The instrument was equipped with nickel cones and was operated at an RF power of 1550 W, with argon as the plasma gas (15 L/min), as well as the carrier gas (1.10 L/min). The Mass Hunter software package,(Workstation Software, Version B.01.03, 2016 by Agilent Technologies, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA, USA) was used for data processing.