Examples of isotopes used in medicine. What are the uses of isotopes in medicine? [Expert Review!] 2022-12-19
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Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons in their atomic nucleus, but a different number of neutrons. This means that isotopes of a given element have the same atomic number and therefore the same chemical properties, but a different atomic mass. Isotopes can be either stable or radioactive, and they can be found naturally or produced artificially.
In medicine, isotopes are used for a variety of purposes, including diagnosis, treatment, and research. Here are a few examples of isotopes that are commonly used in medicine:
Technetium-99m: This isotope is used extensively in nuclear medicine for diagnostic imaging. It has a short half-life of about six hours, which makes it suitable for use in the body. Technetium-99m is injected into the body and taken up by the organs or tissues of interest. The isotope emits gamma rays, which can be detected by a special camera and used to create images of the organs or tissues. Technetium-99m is used to diagnose a wide range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer, and kidney problems.
Fluorine-18: This isotope is used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans, which are used to diagnose cancer and other diseases. Fluorine-18 is produced in a cyclotron and then injected into the body. It decays by emitting a positron, which combines with an electron and produces two gamma rays that can be detected by the PET scanner. The resulting images can provide detailed information about the function and metabolism of tissues and organs.
Iodine-131: This isotope is used in the treatment of thyroid cancer and other thyroid disorders. It is taken up by the thyroid gland, where it emits beta particles that damage the cancer cells. Iodine-131 has a short half-life of about eight days, which means that it quickly loses its radioactivity and is eliminated from the body.
Carbon-14: This isotope is used in research to study the metabolism of various compounds in the body. Carbon-14 is produced naturally in the upper atmosphere and is present in small amounts in all living things. By measuring the amount of carbon-14 in a sample, researchers can determine the rate at which a compound is being metabolized in the body.
In conclusion, isotopes play a vital role in medicine. They are used for diagnostic imaging, cancer treatment, and research. By understanding the properties and behavior of different isotopes, medical professionals are able to improve the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions.
What is an example of isotopes being used in medicine?
Uses of Isotopes These different atoms of the same element have found practical uses, as explained below; 1. Iodine-131 and phosphorus-32 are examples of two radioisotopes used for therapy. These can be easily detected using any chemical or spectroscopic method. Radioisotopes can be used as tracers within a living organism to trace what is going on inside the organism at an atomic level; that is, radioisotopes can be injected or ingested by the organism, and researchers can trace the internal activities using the radioactivity. Gamma radiation γ Gamma radiations do not bear any charge because they are electromagnetic radiations. The use of radioactive isotopes in the medical field are for radiodiagnostic and radiotherapy that are also called as nuclear medicine.
Often times, these animals such as deep-sea creatures and nocturnal animals cannot be easily studied hence studies are carried out when they die. There are three isotopes of the element hydrogen: hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium. The letters or symbol of each element is got from its name on the periodic table of elements. And on the other hand, there are elements that can reach the 10 stable isotopes such as tin. Some radiopharmaceuticals are used with imaging equipment to detect diseases.
Example — Carbon 12 and Carbon 14 are both isotopes of carbon, one with 6 neutrons and one with 8 neutrons. This can be in the form of radiation that penetrates from outside the body, or radioactive particles that are swallowed or inserted into the body. Other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur could also be obtained in varying quantities in these materials. Types of Isotopes There are two main types of isotopes. For this type of therapy, yttrium-90 and iodine-131 are the most commonly used isotopes.
How are isotopes are used in medicine? [Fact Checked!]
At the first time I-131 is used as an indicator of the function of the thyroid gland by detecting the emitted beam, with a Geiger enumerator placed near the thyroid gland. Conclusions as to whether it lived close to the shore or way inside the ocean can also be drawn using these isotopes. Food Irradiation Food irradiation is the process by which food is purified, and cleansed of any disease-causing bacteria. Gamma radiations from radioisotopes are used to detect the reliability of metals. And can also used to treat polycythemia rubavera disease, which is the excessive formation of red blood cells. Can isotopes be created? Detection of Cancerous Tumors In hospitals, cancerous tumors are detected using gamma rays. Because carbon-14 is unstable, it decomposes to a more stable nitrogen-14.
The neutrality of an element is affected when there is a change in the number of either the proton or the electron. The unstable isotopes especially have gained wide recognition because of their unstable nature and the risks they pose to health. Therapeutic applications of radioisotopes typically are intended to destroy the targeted cells. What are the uses of isotopes in daily life? The emissions of these gamma rays are caused by radioactive isotopes. Source: WorldAtlas Isotopes are atoms of the same elements with the same atomic number but different mass numbers. Radioisotopes are widely used to diagnose disease and as effective treatment tools. Out of these radioactive isotopes, the only source of natural radiation to be reckoned with are K-40 and Rb-87.
Such isotopes are commonly referred to as stable nuclides or stable isotopes. Radiation in radioisotopes is useful in treating certain types of illnesses, particularly cancerous tumors. Asides the changes in the mass numbers, isotopes do not differ much from each other. By calculating the amount of cesium present in wines, the vintages could be determined. Isotopes of carbon are the commonest examples. Therefore, they have similar physical properties. The source of these gamma rays is usually radioactive isotopes, which emit the rays.
Uranium also has three common isotopes; uranium-234, uranium-235, and uranium-238. What is an isotope in biology? Therefore, I-131 can be used to detect damage to the thyroid, liver, and to detect a brain tumor. This approach forms the basis of radiotherapy, which is commonly used to treat cancer and other conditions involving abnormal tissue growth, such as hyperthyroidism. In this way the age of the Earth is known. For the first time, scientists have used FIONA to discover a new heavy-element isotope, mendelevium-244. As a result of suppression of bone marrow activity, the person that affected by radiation will suffer from tendency of bleeding and infection, anemia and stochastic hemoglobin defect and the effect of irradiation in bone marrow are leukemia and red blood cell cancer. X-rays may penetrate the human body but are absorbed by the more bone-like parts of the bone.
Carbon dating Every organic material is composed of a certain percentage of carbon. The atomic number too is written in front of the element but as a subscript. When the organism dies, they stop absorbing more carbon and the carbon-14 begins to decay. What radioactive isotope is added to a chemical biological or physical system to study the system? The resulting image is an important diagnostic tool. Iodine-131, samarium-153, and phosphorus-32 are also used for therapy.
