Study of radioactivity of drugs. Artificial radioactive drugs

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Radioactive drugs

1. The concept of radioactive drugs

Radioactive drugs" (English radiopharmaceuticals; synonym: radiopharmaceuticals, radioindicators, radiopharmaceuticals (compounds, drugs)) - radioactive isotopes or their compounds with various inorganic or organic substances, intended for biomedical research, radioisotope diagnostics and treatment of various diseases, mainly for radiation therapy of malignant tumors.

For diagnostic purposes, radioisotopes are used, which, when introduced into the body, participate in the types of metabolism being studied or the activity of organs and systems being studied, and at the same time can be recorded by radiometric methods. Such radioactive drugs, as a rule, have a short effective half-life, which results in insignificant radiation exposure to the body of the subject.

Criteria for selecting radioactive drugs intended for radiation therapy malignant neoplasms, is the possibility of creating the required therapeutic dose ionizing radiation in the area of ​​the tumor with minimal impact on surrounding healthy tissue. This effect is achieved by using radiopharmaceuticals in various states of aggregation and forms of delivery to the body (solutions, suspensions, granules, needles, wire, application dressings, etc.) and using the most suitable isotopes in terms of the type and energy of radiation.

radioactive drug radiation

2 Classification

Radioactive drugs divided into open and closed:

· In closed preparations, the radioactive material is enclosed in a protective coating or capsule that prevents radioactive contamination of the environment and contact with radioactive compounds by the patient and personnel.

· In open preparations, direct contact is carried out radioactive substance with body tissues and environment.

In lech. For these purposes, certain open radiopharmaceuticals are also used. Some of them selectively accumulate in one or another pathol. hearth. For example, a solution of sodium iodide with radionuclide 131I is administered orally to treat thyrotoxicosis and metastases of thyroid tumors. Others are directly injected into the tissue to be irradiated, e.g. colloidal solutions with radionuclides 32P, 90Y and 198Au - in lymph. vessels and cavities for the treatment of malignant tumors. The main active radiation factor in these cases is beta radiation (see Ionizing radiation), which allows irradiation of patol. lesion with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

The choice of radionuclide for radiopharmaceuticals is determined by the main radiation-physical characteristics: half-life, which should, if possible, correspond to the duration of the diagnostic study; a type and energy spectrum of radiation that is convenient for detection and collimation and, if possible, does not have accompanying radiation that interferes with detection. The level of radiation exposure during radiodiagnostic procedures usually does not exceed thousandths of a gray, i.e., it does not pose a radiation hazard to the patient.

There is a group of open R. items, which are not injected into the body, but are used for radioimmunoassay of blood samples, urine, gastric juice and other body fluids. Such preparations, usually labeled with 125I, are used for the quantitative determination of the content of enzymes, hormones, vitamins and proteins, and the corresponding tests are simpler and more sensitive than conventional biochemical ones. methods.

In order to ensure radiation safety, when using any radioactive items, it is necessary to comply with the “Basic Sanitary Rules for Working with Radioactive Substances and Other Sources of Ionizing Radiation.”

3. List of radioisotopes used

	Half life	Type and energy of radiation [average value]	Application
			1731.9 keV
			1710.66 keV	for interstitial and intracavitary radiation therapy of tumors; in the treatment of polycythemia and related disorders
			1173.237 keV 1332.501 keV
				study of pulmonary function, central and peripheral hemodynamics, etc.
			2280.1 keV	for interstitial and intracavitary radiation therapy (in the treatment of tumors of the female genital organs, cancer of the oral and lung mucosa, brain tumors, etc.)
				diagnosis of brain tumors, study of central and peripheral hemodynamics, etc.; examination of the lungs, liver, brain, etc.
			171.28 keV 245.40 keV	examination of the lungs, liver, brain, etc.
				liver examination, etc.
			606.3 keV	studies of iodine metabolism, lungs, brain, kidney function, liver, etc.; for the treatment of iodine-absorbing metastases of malignant thyroid tumors
			346.0 keV	study of pulmonary function, central and peripheral hemodynamics, etc.
			672 keV (50.46%)	in the treatment of tumors of the female genital organs, cancer of the oral and lung mucosa, brain tumors, etc.
			535 keV (43.55%)
			468.0688 keV 316.50618 keV
			308.45507 keV 295.9565 keV 316.50618 keV
				examination of the lungs, liver, brain, etc.; for interstitial and intracavitary radiation therapy of tumors
			411.80205 keV

4. History of radioactive drugs

From 1913, when a more or less inexpensive method for extracting radium was discovered, until the start of the war, radiation was perceived by people completely differently than it is now, and numerous scammers actively took advantage of this. Pharmacies sold radioactive soap, hand and face creams, toothpaste and powder with radium, drinks with thorium, special devices for adding radium to drinking water, and in Europe and the USA there were radio spa centers where those being treated bathed in radioactive baths and inhaled the corresponding inhalations.

In fact, radiation can certainly be beneficial. Works found in his research that many doctors believe that radiation can treat cancer. Only success and failure have a ratio of approximately 1 to 100. The real usefulness of radiation began with the French scientist Henri Coutard, who demonstrated in 1922 at the World Congress of Oncology that laryngeal cancer at an early stage can be suppressed radioactive radiation in such a small dose that no side effects will be observed. It was based on the research of Claude Rego. The latter conducted an interesting experiment on sterilizing a rabbit. The rabbit, irradiated with ordinary radioactive rays, was, of course, sterilized, but at the same time received serious injuries to the skin and some internal organs. But when dividing the same dose into several over several days, it led to sterilization - but without skin damage.

Coutard continued research in this direction and in 1934 (12 years later, we note!) presented to the public a technique that still forms the basis of radiation therapy today. He calculated radiation doses, duration, direction of effects on tumors - in general, I will not go into details, but the percentage of people for whom radiotherapy helped get rid of cancer increased thanks to Coutard to 23%. In 1935, his technique was officially introduced into oncology clinics.

There were other amazing radioactive things. For example, X-ray pedoscopes. It was produced by a company from the English city of St. Albans. A pedoscope (or shoe fluoroscope) was a box with X-ray machines installed inside. At the bottom there was a niche where the child for whom the shoes were bought would place his feet. There were eyepieces on top for both the child and the parents, through which they could look at the foot in the new shoe. The parents, thus, saw right through the baby’s foot - and understood whether the bones were comfortable inside the shoe, whether there was still room inside, otherwise the children often could not really tell whether it was tight or not tight. During the period of popularity (early 1950s), about 10,000 pedoscopes were installed in the world, but at the end of the 1950s they were banned in the USA, and a decade later - in Europe. The last 160 pedoscopes operated until 1960 in Switzerland.

Bibliography

1. Saksonov P.P., Shashkov V.S., Sergeev P.V. Radiation pharmacology. - M.: Medicine, 1976.

2. Bochkarev V.V. Radioactive drugs / Brief medical encyclopedia. -- 2nd ed. -- M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1989.

3. Big encyclopedic Dictionary. 2000

4. Medical encyclopedia 2009

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RADIOACTIVE DRUGS- radioactive substances containing radioactive nuclides, manufactured in various forms and intended for various purposes. In medicine, R. items are used for diagnosing diseases, as well as treating hl. arr. malignant neoplasms.

There are two groups of R. p. - closed and open.

Closed R. p. enclosed in a shell made of non-toxic material (platinum, gold, stainless steel, etc.), which prevents direct contact of the radioactive substance with the environment. In gamma-emitting R. p. the shell functions as a filter for beta radiation (see) and low-energy gamma radiation (see). These drugs are used for application, interstitial and intracavitary radiation therapy (see). The most frequently used are gamma-emitting radiation sources, in which artificial radioactive isotopes of cobalt (60 Co), gold (198 Au), tantalum (182 Ta), cesium (131 Cs), etc. are used as radionuclides. In the past, it was widely used natural radioactive nuclide radium. Preparations of the radioactive isotope California (252 Cf), which is mainly a source of fast neutrons, are also used (see Neutron therapy). Closed R. items are distinguished by a wide variety of external shapes. The most widespread are linear refills in the form of needles and tubes (cylinders). Needles are hollow cylinders, one end of which is pointed, and the other has an eyelet for pulling the thread. Pieces of wire (pins) with a diameter, usually less than 1 mm, made of a nickel-cobalt alloy containing radioactive 60Co are placed inside the needle. The length of the pin is called the active length of the R. p. Standard sets include cobalt needles with a pin length from 5 to 50 mm, and a total needle length from 13.5 to 58.5 mm. Tubes (cylinders) differ from needles in that they do not have a pointed end; their active length ranges from 10 to 60 mm. In linear radionuclides, the radionuclide is distributed either uniformly along the entire length—0.0625 μCurie/mm (2.3 MBq/mm)—or unevenly with increased linear activity at the ends. A variety of linear RPs are very small pieces of cobalt, tantalum, or iridium wire (diameter 0.7 mm, length 3 mm), coated with a layer of gold or platinum, which are inserted into nylon hollow threads (tubes). 198Au preparations are also used, in the form of granules with a diameter of 0.8 mm and 2.5 mm long, the surface of which is coated with a layer of platinum. The activity of each granule is about 3.5 microcuries (130 MBq). In addition to linear, closed beads can have a spherical shape with a through hole in the center for threading a thread (radioactive beads).

Sometimes, for surface applications, a dummy is first made from an easily molded material (wax, plastic), repeating the shape of the part of the surface being irradiated. This dummy with closed radioactive elements embedded in it is called a radioactive mask. During interstitial radiation therapy, closed R. items in the form of needles, pins, granules, nylon threads are introduced directly into the tumor tissue using special instruments (see Radiological instruments, Radiosurgery). During intracavitary radiation therapy (see Gamma Therapy), a closed linear-shaped R. is inserted into an endostat - a hollow tube previously inserted into the uterus, bladder, rectum, etc.

Open R. p.- radionuclides in various states of aggregation (true and colloidal solutions, gases, suspensions, absorbable threads and films), which, when used, come into direct contact with organs and tissues, i.e., participating in the metabolism and activity of individual organs and systems. Open R. items are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. For diagnostics, radionuclide preparations with a short effective half-life (see) are used, which causes an insignificant radiation load on the body. They are characterized by the absence of toxic effects and the presence of beta or gamma radiation, which can be recorded by radiometric methods (see). The most widely used in studying the functions of the kidneys, liver, brain, lungs and other organs, central and peripheral hemodynamics are various compounds labeled with isotopes of technetium (99m Tc), iodine (131 I), indium (111 In, 113m In), as well as gaseous R. p. of xenon (133 Xe), krypton (85 Kr), oxygen (15 O), etc. Administration of R. p., depending on their form, is carried out by oral administration, intravenous administration, inhalation, etc. (see. Radiopharmaceuticals).

With lech. for the purpose, open R. items are most often used in the form of colloidal solutions (see Radioactive colloids). The choice of radionuclide is determined by a short (preferably no more than a few days) half-life, a small effective half-life of the compound, suitable physical properties radiation used and the absence of toxic effects on the body. The radioactive isotopes of yttrium (90 Y), phosphorus (32 P) and gold (198 Au) most fully meet these requirements. Open R. p. are introduced into the tumor tissue by injection using protective syringes (see Beta therapy),

R. items are manufactured industrially and supplied to the hospital. institutions. R. items are kept in special protective rooms - storage facilities, from where they are delivered in transport lead containers to radiomanipulation rooms (see Radiological department). The preparation and dilution of open radioactive substances is carried out in special boxes, fume hoods, and radiomanipulation chambers in order to exclude the possibility of radioactive isotopes getting on the surface of the body or inside the body of medical personnel as a result of contamination of hands, instruments, and inhaled air (see Radiation protection, Radiological protective equipment). technological equipment).

Bibliography: Zedgenidze G. A. and Zubovsky G. A. Clinical radioisotope diagnostics, M., 1968; Pavlov A. S. Interstitial gamma and beta therapy of malignant tumors, M., 1967; Afterloading, 20 years of experience, 1955-1975, ed. by B. Hilaris, N.Y., 1975.

V. S. Datsenko, M. A. Fadeeva.

The radioactivity of drugs can be determined by the absolute, calculated and relative (comparative) method. The latter is the most common.

Absolute method. A thin layer of the material under study is applied to a special thin film (10-15 μg/cm²) and placed inside the detector, as a result of which the full solid angle (4) is used to register emitted, for example, beta particles and almost 100% counting efficiency is achieved. When working with a 4 counter, you do not need to introduce numerous corrections, as with the calculation method.

The activity of the drug is expressed immediately in units of activity Bq, Ku, mKu, etc.

By calculation method determine the absolute activity of alpha and beta emitting isotopes using conventional gas-discharge or scintillation counters.

A number of correction factors are introduced into the formula for determining the activity of a sample, taking into account radiation losses during measurement.

A =N/  q r m 2,22  10 ¹²

A- activity of the drug in Ku;

N- counting rate in imp/min minus background;

 - correction for geometric measurement conditions (solid angle);

-correction for the resolving time of the counting installation;

-correction for radiation absorption in the air layer and in the window (or wall) of the counter;

-correction for self-absorption in the drug layer;

q-correction for backscattering from the substrate;

r- correction for the decay scheme;

-correction for gamma radiation with mixed beta and gamma radiation;

m- weighed portion of the measuring preparation in mg;

2,22  10 ¹² - conversion factor from the number of disintegrations per minute to Ci (1Ci = 2.22*10¹²dissolution/min).

To determine the specific activity, it is necessary to convert the activity per 1 mg to 1 kg .

Audi= A*10 6 , (TOu/kg)

Preparations for radiometry can be prepared thin, thick or intermediate layer the material being studied.

If the material being tested has half attenuation layer - 1/2,

That thin - at d<0,11/2, intermediate - 0,11/2thick (thick-layer preparations) d>41/2.

All correction factors themselves, in turn, depend on many factors and, in turn, are calculated using complex formulas. Therefore, the calculation method is very labor-intensive.

Relative (comparative) method has found wide application in determining the beta activity of drugs. It is based on comparing the counting rate from a standard (a drug with known activity) with the counting rate of the measured drug.

In this case, there must be completely identical conditions when measuring the activity of the standard and the test drug.

Apr = Aet*Netc/Nthis, Where

Aet - activity of the reference drug, dis/min;

Apr - radioactivity of the drug (sample), dispersion/min;

Net is the counting rate from the standard, imp/min;

Npr - counting rate from the drug (sample), imp/min.

The passports for radiometric and dosimetric equipment usually indicate with what error the measurements are made. Maximum relative error measurements (sometimes called the main relative error) is indicated as a percentage, for example,  25%. For different types of instruments it can be from  10% to  90% (sometimes the error of the type of measurement is indicated separately for different sections of the scale).

Based on the maximum relative error ± %, you can determine the maximum absolute measurement error. If readings from instrument A are taken, then the absolute error A = A/100. (If A = 20 mR, a =25%, then in reality A = (205) mR. That is, in the range from 15 to 25 mR.

Detectors of ionizing radiation. Classification. Principle and operating diagram of a scintillation detector.

Radioactive radiation can be detected (isolated, detected) using special devices - detectors, the operation of which is based on the physical and chemical effects that arise when radiation interacts with matter.

Types of detectors: ionization, scintillation, photographic, chemical, calorimetric, semiconductor, etc.

The most widely used detectors are based on measuring the direct effect of the interaction of radiation with matter - ionization of the gaseous medium. These are: - ionization chambers;

- proportional counters;

- Geiger-Muller counters (gas-discharge counters);

- corona and spark counters,

as well as scintillation detectors.

Scintillation (luminescent) The radiation detection method is based on the property of scintillators to emit visible light radiation (light flashes - scintillations) under the influence of charged particles, which are converted by a photomultiplier into electric current pulses.

Cathode Dynodes Anode The scintillation counter consists of a scintillator and

PMT. Scintillators can be organic or

inorganic, in solid, liquid or gas

condition. This is lithium iodide, zinc sulfide,

sodium iodide, angracene single crystals, etc.

100 +200 +400 +500 volts

PMT operation:- Under the influence of nuclear particles and gamma quanta

In the scintillator, atoms are excited and emit quanta of visible color - photons.

Photons bombard the cathode and knock photoelectrons out of it:

Photoelectrons are accelerated by the electric field of the first dynode, knock out secondary electrons from it, which are accelerated by the field of the second dynode, etc., until an avalanche flow of electrons is formed that hits the cathode and is recorded by the electronic circuit of the device. The counting efficiency of scintillation counters reaches 100%. The resolution is much higher than in ionization chambers (10 v-5 - !0 v-8 versus 10¯³ in ionization chambers). Scintillation counters find very wide application in radiometric equipment

Radiometers, purpose, classification.

By appointment.

Radiometers - devices intended for:

Measurements of the activity of radioactive drugs and radiation sources;

Determination of flux density or intensity of ionizing particles and quanta;

Surface radioactivity of objects;

Specific activity of gases, liquids, solids and granular substances.

Radiometers mainly use gas-discharge counters and scintillation detectors.

They are divided into portable and stationary.

As a rule, they consist of: - a detector-pulse sensor; - a pulse amplifier; - a converting device; - an electromechanical or electronic numerator; - a high voltage source for the detector; - a power supply for all equipment.

In order of improvement, the following were produced: radiometers B-2, B-3, B-4;

dekatron radiometers PP-8, RPS-2; automated laboratories “Gamma-1”, “Gamma-2”, “Beta-2”; equipped with computers that allow the calculation of up to several thousand sample samples with automatic printing of results. DP-100 installations, KRK-1, SRP-68 radiometers are widely used -01.

Indicate the purpose and characteristics of one of the devices.

Dosimeters, purpose, classification.

The industry produces a large number of types of radiometric and dosimetric equipment, which can be classified:

By the method of recording radiation (ionization, scintillation, etc.);

By type of detected radiation (,,,n,p)

Power source (mains, battery);

By place of application (stationary, field, individual);

By appointment.

Dosimeters - devices that measure exposure and absorbed dose (or dose rate) of radiation. Basically consist of a detector, an amplifier and a measuring device. The detector can be an ionization chamber, a gas-discharge counter or a scintillation counter.

Divided into dose rate meters- these are DP-5B, DP-5V, IMD-5, and individual dosimeters- measure the radiation dose over a period of time. These are DP-22V, ID-1, KID-1, KID-2, etc. They are pocket dosimeters, some of them are direct-reading.

There are spectrometric analyzers (AI-Z, AI-5, AI-100) that allow you to automatically determine the radioisotope composition of any samples (for example, soils).

There are also a large number of alarms indicating excess background radiation and the degree of surface contamination. For example, SZB-03 and SZB-04 signal that the amount of hand contamination with beta-active substances is exceeded.

Indicate the purpose and characteristics of one of the devices

Equipment for the radiological department of the veterinary laboratory. Characteristics and operation of the SRP-68-01 radiometer.

Staff equipment for radiological departments of regional veterinary laboratories and special district or inter-district radiological groups (at regional veterinary laboratories)

Radiometer DP-100

Radiometer KRK-1 (RKB-4-1em)

Radiometer SRP 68-01

Radiometer “Besklet”

Radiometer - dosimeter -01Р

Radiometer DP-5V (IMD-5)

Set of dosimeters DP-22V (DP-24V).

Laboratories can be equipped with other types of radiometric equipment.

Most of the above radiometers and dosimeters are available at the department in the laboratory.

Periodization of hazards during a nuclear power plant accident.

Nuclear reactors use intranuclear energy released during fission chain reactions of U-235 and Pu-239. During a fission chain reaction, both in a nuclear reactor and in an atomic bomb, about 200 radioactive isotopes of about 35 chemical elements are formed. In a nuclear reactor, the chain reaction is controlled, and nuclear fuel (U-235) “burns out” in it gradually over 2 years. Fission products - radioactive isotopes - accumulate in the fuel element (fuel element). An atomic explosion can neither theoretically nor practically occur in a reactor. At the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a result of personnel errors and a gross violation of technology, a thermal explosion occurred, and radioactive isotopes were released into the atmosphere for two weeks, carried by winds in different directions and, settling over vast areas, creating spotty pollution of the area. Of all the r/a isotopes, the most biologically hazardous were: Iodine-131(I-131) – with a half-life (T 1/2) 8 days, Strontium - 90(Sr-90) - T 1/2 -28 years and Cesium - 137(Cs-137) - T 1/2 -30 years. As a result of the accident, 5% of the fuel and accumulated radioactive isotopes were released at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant - 50 MCi of activity. For cesium-137, this is equivalent to 100 pieces. 200 Kt. atomic bombs. Now there are more than 500 reactors in the world, and a number of countries provide themselves with 70-80% of their electricity from nuclear power plants, in Russia 15%. Taking into account the depletion of organic fuel reserves in the foreseeable future, the main source of energy will be nuclear.

Periodization of hazards after the Chernobyl accident:

1. period of acute iodine danger (iodine - 131) for 2-3 months;

2. period of surface contamination (short- and medium-lived radionuclides) - until the end of 1986;

3. period of root entry (Cs-137, Sr-90) - from 1987 for 90-100 years.

Natural sources of ionizing radiation. Cosmic radiation and natural radioactive substances. Dose from ERF.

Artificial radioactive drugs

The woman, who had just left the examination table, had been operated on for a tumor six months ago. Now she appeared again, as she again felt unwell, and although the professor at first did not say anything to his assistants about this incident, they knew what was the matter. The patient obviously had a relapse, the resumption of growth of a malignant tumor, which is why she came in.

We will give her a radioactive drug,” the professor told the young doctors; turning to the patient, he added: “This will put you in order again.”

The drug that the professor was talking about, a metal artificially made radioactive, placed in the body of a sick person, emits rays, as is known, capable of destroying cells and, above all, the more sensitive cells of a cancer tumor. Since scientists learned about this, substances artificially made radioactive have played an important role in medicine. But if we want to talk about their essence and structure, we must first talk about isotopes, special substances that once again indicate that modern man is capable of doing a lot.

When Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the rays that were later named after him in 1895, not only physicists, but the whole world was deeply excited by this revolution, and they immediately began to expect great practical benefits from it.

French physicist Henri Becquerel, in search of highly fluorescent substances, drew attention to potassium uranium compounds, which were much talked about in scientific circles at that time. Radium was not yet known.

And it turned out that potassium uranium compounds, exposed to light, actually emitted rays. At first, scientists thought that these were X-rays, but then it turned out that this was incorrect. Becquerel discovered a special type of rays that can penetrate paper and thin sheet metal and cause blackening of a photographic plate placed behind a sheet of sheet metal. These rays were first called Becquerel rays and then radioactive.

The physicist Pierre Curie also learned about Becquerel’s work and suggested that his young wife Maria, née Skłodowska, study Becquerel’s rays as a topic for her doctoral work. What this advice led to is known: Marie Curie discovered radium and proposed the now accepted name “radioactive radiation” for Becquerel’s rays.

There is no need to tell the novel about it here. It is known to most readers. Marie Curie also discovered other radioactive substances, such as polonium, which she named after her homeland, Poland. This was one of the greatest scientific discoveries. Since that time, thousands of researchers have studied radium, wanting to understand its properties. They found that its radiation weakens extremely slowly and the substance is half consumed only within 1580 years. It was further discovered that in this case a gas is formed, the so-called emanation, which also emits rays, but with a duration of action much shorter than that of radium itself. Finally, it was found that radium radiation was a mixture of three types of rays, which were designated by the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha rays are positively charged helium nuclei that are ejected last with enormous force; beta rays have great penetrating power, allowing them to pass through wood and thin tin; Gamma rays are endowed with this ability to an even greater extent; they are hard rays and resemble X-rays.

Upon further study of radioactivity, it was established that a chemical element is not something absolutely single, but sometimes consists of several types of atoms. Such elements are called isotopes. They differ from one another not by different special properties, but by different atomic weights. All this would hardly be of interest to doctors if in 1934 the daughter of the great Marie Curie, Irene Curie and her husband Frederic Joliot had not managed to create an artificial radioactive substance. They exposed a piece of aluminum to alpha rays, destroyed the nuclei of aluminum atoms with such bombardment, and obtained an isotope of phosphorus - a substance that does not exist in nature. It was the first artificial radioactive drug. Subsequently, many others were created, and, of course, new and better methods were developed to obtain them. It soon became clear that artificial isotopes should be of great importance for medicine, in particular radioactive phosphorus, radioactive iodine and others. At first, diagnostic studies and physiological observations were meant to study, for example, the metabolic process in the body, the speed of blood flow in the body and in individual organs, especially in the heart, which would make it possible to identify defects in it. The use of artificial radioactive drugs can sometimes be supplemented with X-ray studies.

Artificial radioactive drugs have some properties that X-rays do not have. They require contrast agents, which they cannot penetrate. If a person swallows an iron nail, it is directly visible on the screen and in the picture very clearly. But with a stomach ulcer, the situation is different: the contrast must be created artificially. Therefore, a patient undergoing X-ray examination must drink a suspension of barium sulfate, which absorbs X-rays. Thanks to this, the doctor sees the corresponding changes in the gastric mucosa on the screen and can make a diagnosis.

When using an artificial radioactive drug, the situation is somewhat different. Let us take for example the thyroid gland, which, as is known, is a very complex organ. We know that she voraciously absorbs iodine. Wanting to know the path of iodine in the thyroid gland, we can give a sick person radioactive iodine. This drug disintegrates naturally and emits rays; We, however, are not able to see them, but we can establish their presence, measure them and thereby trace the fate of the injected iodine using special devices. Radioactive iodine is used to destroy a neoplasm (tumor) of the thyroid gland, a malignant goiter. If you give such a patient radioactive iodine, then the latter, greedily absorbed by the thyroid gland, disintegrates within a short time and emits rays into the surrounding tissues, that is, into the cancer cells of the tumor, and these rays, as already mentioned, have destructive power. In this way, you can try to save the patient’s life or, at least, prolong it.

This field of knowledge has grown enormously, and most clinics already have departments for isotope treatment. For many diseases, this is so far the only way that can lead to success. In addition to iodine, a number of other elements are currently used, converted into radioactive ones and providing the necessary effect.

Of course, these must be elements that have some kind of relationship, “affinity,” to the corresponding organs. Such “tendencies”, “affinities”, are often observed. Just as the thyroid gland needs iodine and therefore absorbs it, the bone marrow needs phosphorus. Therefore, in this case, radioactive phosphorus can be used and introduced into the body, since it is greedily absorbed by the bones and bone marrow.

Radioactive gold preparations are of great importance for the treatment of various diseases and, in particular, some malignant tumors. They are used when surgical treatment is impossible or not indicated. But this method of treatment requires a certain amount of caution and supervision by a doctor. Blood and bone marrow can also give an unfavorable reaction, and in case of problems with the liver and kidneys or with more significant circulatory disorders, treatment with radioactive gold is poorly tolerated by patients.

There is another metal, also very suitable for the treatment of malignant neoplasms, if it is artificially made radioactive. This is cobalt. It can be given radioactivity in a nuclear reactor. The radioactivity of cobalt persists for a long time, for several years. In addition, in some cases, treatment with cobalt is more convenient than using x-ray therapy, since cobalt can be injected into various cavities of the body. The greatest value is the treatment of cancer of the female genital organs with cobalt. Radioactive cobalt has the property that its rays are able to penetrate the skin and act on the formations located underneath it, which need to be destroyed or damaged.

There are other isotopes used in medicine. There is no doubt that this chapter is far from over. It will be necessary to find metals and other elements that have special affinities and propensities for certain organs, like the affinity between iodine and the thyroid gland. Then it will be easy to artificially make these elements radioactive and use them to treat a number of diseases.

From the book Azimuth of Eternal Youth. Program for energy correction and regeneration of living cells author Vladimir Ryazanov

Chapter 24 Artificial Drugs Ask yourself honestly: Are you swallowing tablets and pills too often? I believe that your rare ailment can be managed without taking any medications. The slightest signal from your body in the form of a headache or

From the book Forensic Medicine author D. G. Levin

37. Fake and artificial diseases Sometimes people tend to exaggerate individual symptoms of an existing disease or reproduce the symptoms of a non-existent disease. There are also cases when an illness or manifestation of a health disorder causes

From the book Pharmacology: lecture notes author Valeria Nikolaevna Malevannaya

LECTURE No. 9. Analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Oxinames and gold preparations 1. Analgesics. Narcotic analgesics Analgesics are drugs that selectively relieve pain.

From the book The Newest Victories of Medicine by Hugo Glaser

LECTURE No. 10. Non-narcotic antitussive drugs. Emetic and antiemetic drugs 1. Non-narcotic antitussives This group includes drugs that do not have the side effects inherent in opioids. There are drugs with a central

From the book Oddities of our body - 2 by Stephen Juan

Artificial hearts It should be regretted that the great science fiction writer who predicted the technology of the future, Jules Verne, did not pay attention to the medicine of the future in his novels. He probably would have written a novel about the heart, having predicted what engineers would create a few decades later.

From the book Methodology of Dr. Kovalkov. Victory over weight author Alexey Vladimirovich Kovalkov

From the book Treatment of leg diseases and varicose veins author Evgenia Mikhailovna Sbitneva

From the book The Life-Living Power of Water. Prevention and treatment of diseases in the simplest ways author Yu. N. Nikolaev

From the book The Easiest Way to Quit Eating author Natalya Nikitina

From the book Choosing food - choosing fate author Valentin Yurievich Nikolaev

From the book The Healing Power of the Earth: clay, sand, shungite, silicon, copper, magnetic fields author Gennady Mikhailovich Kibardin

Artificial triggers It is no secret to nutritionists that some medications can cause weight gain. And for many people without medical education, this sometimes comes as a complete surprise. The danger is

From the author's book

Artificial joints With age, a person begins to feel pain and stiffness in the joints of the legs. Most often this happens to the knee joints. If the medications and drugs taken by the patient do not bring a noticeable effect, arthroscopy is indicated - surgical

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Artificial mineral waters Currently, the production of artificial mineral water has become quite widespread. This applies primarily to carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide samples, which are used mainly as

From the author's book

Artificial sweeteners Research has shown that artificial sweeteners, like sugar, trigger the release of insulin. We already know that this circumstance does not help to lose weight. The more unused insulin in the blood, the more

From the author's book

ARTIFICIAL PLEASURES Artificial products are now widespread, even those that contain nothing nutritious at all. Nature is not familiar with food adulteration, which is why the body does not have its own defense against these products. The sanitary service is also not

From the author's book

Artificial magnets Using modern technological means, man has been able to create artificial permanent magnets, various in shape and purpose. The most widely used are so-called ferrite magnets. They represent