On the high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometric measurement of 40K in natural and synthetic materials.

Many regulatory agencies require that all building materials and industrial waste be tested for their naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) concentrations before they can be used or thrown away. Usually the NORM concentrations of 40K, 232Th and 238U are measured by gamma-ray spectrometry using high-purity germanium or NaI(Tl) detectors. 40K is measured through its 1460.

Optimisation study of alpha-cyclotron production of At-211/Po-211g for high-LET metabolic radiotherapy purposes.

The production of no-carrier-added (NCA) alpha-emitter (211)At/(211g)Po radionuclides for high-LET targeted radiotherapy and immunoradiotherapy, through the (209)Bi(alpha,2n) reaction, together with the required wet radiochemistry and radioanalytical quality controls carried out at LASA is described, through dedicated irradiation experiments at the MC-40 cyclotron of JRC-Ispra. The amount of both the gamma-emitter (210)At and its long half-lived alpha-emitting daughter (210)Po is optimised and minimised by appropriate choice of energy and energy loss of alpha particle beam. The measured excitation functions for production of the main radioisotopic impurity (210)At-->(210)Po are compared with theoretical predictions from model calculations performed at ENEA.

Study of a method based on TLD detectors for in-phantom dosimetry in BNCT.

A method has been developed, based on thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLD), aimed at measuring the absorbed dose in tissue-equivalent phantoms exposed to thermal or epithermal neutrons, separating the contributions of various secondary radiation generated by neutrons. The proposed method takes advantage of the very low sensitivity of CaF2:Tm (TLD-300) to low energy neutrons and to the different responses to thermal neutrons of LiF:Mg,Ti dosemeters with different 6Li percentage (TLD-100, TLD-700, TLD-600). The comparison of the results with those obtained by means of gel dosemeters and activation foils has confirmed the reliability of the method.

Influence of the chemical form on the plasma clearance of ruthenium in humans.

The radioisotopes of ruthenium (103Ru and 106Ru) are abundant fission products and represent a radiological risk for the population in case of nuclear accidents. Few biokinetic studies have been performed on humans up to now and consequently the current model recommended by ICRP for ruthenium is derived mainly by extrapolation from animal data. The stable isotope 101Ru and proton activation analysis have been used to study the biokinetics of Ru in blood plasma samples taken during 8 studies in three healthy volunteers.

Stable tracer investigations in humans for assessing the biokinetics of ruthenium and zirconium radionuclides.

The interest in the biokinetics of ruthenium and zirconium in humans is justified by the potential radiological risk represented by their radionuclides. Only a few data related to the biokinetics of ruthenium and zirconium in humans are available and, accordingly, the biokinetic models currently recommended by the ICRP for these elements are mainly based on data from animal experiments. The use of stable isotopes as tracers, coupled with a proper analytical technique (nuclear activation analysis with protons) for their determination in biological samples, represents an ethically acceptable methodology for biokinetic investigations, being free from any radiation risk for the volunteer subjects.

Preparation of "high specific activity" radiochemical forms of vanadium, manganese and thallium for metallo-toxicological studies.

In this paper are presented the production methods for very "high specific activity" radionuclides (HSA-RN) of vanadium, manganese and thallium which have been developed in our laboratories for labelling different chemical forms of these elements present in the echo-systems in ultra-trace amounts, for metallo-toxicological and bio-kinetic studies. Use was made of both cyclotron and thermal nuclear reactor. If the nuclear reaction product has atomic number different from irradiated target, it is possible separating the radioactive nuclide from irradiated target, without addition of isotopic carrier.

A re-evaluation of the biokinetics of zirconium in humans.

There is much interest in understanding the biokinetics of zirconium in humans due to the potential radiological risk represented by the radionuclide 95Zr and by its daughter 95Nb. Despite the significance of zirconium, few data are available on the actual biokinetics of zirconium in humans. Accordingly the biokinetic model currently recommended by ICRP for this element is based mainly on data from animal experiments.

A rapid improved method for gamma-spectrometric determination of 202Tl impurities in [201Tl]-labelled radiopharmaceuticals.

Despite the cyclotron production method and the efficiency of the radiochemical procedures adopted, the long-lived radio-isotopic impurity 202Tl is always present in [201Tl]-labelled radio-pharmaceuticals, together with other short-lived impurities like, 200Tl. Rapid determination of the 202Tl impurity, can be achieved using HPGe gamma spectrometry and a detector shielded by a 5 mm thick envelope of lead. In this way, dead-time correction errors, Compton and X-ray background, are very efficiently avoided and suppressed.

Thin-target excitation functions, cross-sections and optimised thick-target yields for natMo(p,xn)(94g ,95m,95g,96(m + g))Tc nuclear reactions induced by protons from threshold up to 44 MeV. No Carrier Added radiochemical separation and quality control.

This work describes the method adopted in our laboratories, to produce 94gTc, 95gTc, 95mTc and 96gTc radionuclides via proton-cyclotron irradiation on molybdenum targets of natural isotopic composition. A new set of experimental thin-target excitation functions and "effective" cross-sections for direct natMo(p,xn)(A)Tc [with A = 94, 95, 95, 96] nuclear reactions, with incident proton energy in the range from threshold up to 44 MeV is presented. Some definitions of the equations used and nuclear data traceability are reported.

"High specific activity" radiotracers for metallo-toxicological studies: cyclotron and nuclear reactor production, radiochemical separation and "quality control": platinum, iridium, gold, copper and gallium.

Very High Specific Activity RadioNuclides, HSARN, are a powerful tool to label a wide variety of chemical elements and compounds present in the biosphere in ultra-trace amounts. Medium and high Z radionuclides, can be produced by irradiation in light-ions accelerator and sometimes nuclear reactor. If the nuclear reaction product has atomic number different from irradiated target, it is possible separating the radioactive nuclide from irradiated target, without addition of isotopic carrier.

Fricke gel dosimetry in boron neutron capture therapy.

Gel dosimetry allows three-dimensional (3D) measurement of absorbed dose in tissue-equivalent dosemeter phantoms. Gel phantoms are imaged using optical techniques. In neutron capture therapy (NCT), properly designed gel dosemeters can give 3D dose distributions, due to the various components of the secondary radiation, in phantoms exposed in the thermal or epithermal column of a nuclear reactor.

Content of trace elements in the respirable fractions of the air particulate of urban and rural areas monitored by neutron activation analysis.

The concentrations (ng/m3) of more than 30 trace elements have been determined in the total air particulate matter and in the size-segregated fractions collected in urban, industrialized, and rural residential areas in northern Italy by means of a multistage inertial impactor with the PM10 inlet. All measurements have been carried out by instrumental neutron activation analysis, except for Pb and Cd, which have been determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy. Analytical quality assurance procedures have been developed with special regard to blanks, reagents, and sampling.

Secondary neutron and photon dose in proton therapy.

Background And Purpose: The dose due to secondary neutrons and photons in proton therapy was estimated with Monte Carlo simulations. Three existing facilities treating eye and deep-seated tumours were taken into account. The results of the calculations related to eye proton therapy were verified with measurements.

Neutron measurements in the stray field produced by 158 GeV c(-1) per nucleon lead ion beams.

This paper discusses measurements carried out at CERN in the stray radiation field produced by 158 GeV c(-1) per nucleon 208Pb82+ ions. The purpose was to test and intercompare the response of several detectors, mainly neutron measuring devices, and to determine the neutron spectral fluence as well as the microdosimetric (absorbed dose and dose equivalent) distributions in different locations around the shielding. Both active instruments and passive dosimeters were employed, including different types of Andersson-Braun rem counters, a tissue equivalent proportional counter, a set of superheated drop detectors, a Bonner sphere system, and different types of ion chambers.

Phantom dosimeters examined by NMR analysis: a promising technique for 3-D determinations of absorbed dose.

Fricke-infused agarose gels examined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis are inspected, and their response to gamma-rays, thermal neutrons and protons, at radiotherapy dose levels, is examined. The gel composition is chosen with attention to the tissue equivalence for the radiation fields of interest; this problem is crucial, in particular, for thermal neutrons. The feasibility of three-dimensional determination of absorbed dose in Fricke-gel phantoms is investigated, and the possibility of employing the technique in conformal therapies, such as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and proton therapy, is tested.

Biomedical applications of cyclotrons and review of commercially available models.

The growing use of cyclotrons in biomedicine, both for clinical and research purposes and in particular for the production of short-lived radionuclides which are extremely useful in nuclear medicine diagnosis, has reached a stage in which commercial companies are able to offer several models with different performances, in order to satisfy the demand of different users. Many of these commercially produced accelerators are installed all over the world and some of them have been operating for several years, demonstrating that this category of machine has reached a high degree of reliability. A brief description of the operating principle of the cyclotron is presented, together with an illustration of its possible applications in the medical field.

[Cyclotrons in medicine. A survey of commercial models and their biomedical applications].

At present in Italy there is a great interest in the use of cyclotrons for medical applications: according to a plan of CNR (National Research Council), accelerators of this kind are going to be installed in some hospitals. After the explanation of the cyclotron operation principles, an outline is given of the possible applications with particular care for the clinical ones. An up-to-date review of commercial models so far developed is reported and finally, after a short note concerning installation problems, some suggestions are given about criteria to be followed in the choice of a model, according to the foreseen scientific program.

Neutron spectrum measurements at a 40-MeV proton cyclotron.

A set of seven activation reactions has been selected for neutron spectral analysis in the environment of a proton-cyclotron target. This choice of reactions: 59Co(n, p) 59Fe, 59Co(n, 2n) 58Co, 59Co(n, 3n) 57Co, 197Au(n, gamma) 198Au, 197Au(n, 2n) 196Au, 197Au(n, 4n) 194Au, 27Al(n, alpha) 24Na, analyzed by means of a Ge(Li) detector, reduces to a minimum of three the number of activation detectors employed, and makes possible convenient and accurate spectral measurements to at least 40 MeV. Criteria for selection of the activation materials from a list of candidates are discussed.

Environmental biochemistry of current environmental levels of heavy metals: preparation of radiotracers with very high specific radioactivity for metallobiochemical experiments on laboratory animals.

Environmental toxicology research on dose-response relationships of heavy metals requires experiments on laboratory animals exposed to "low doses" of trace elements which should reflect "present or actual environmental levels" characteristic of polluted environments. Unfortunately no criteria exist to establish the "low doses" to which laboratory animals must be exposed, in practice the choice of the level used is made in an almost arbitrary manner. In order to define the "present environmental levels" of heavy metals which should be administered to laboratory animals an approach is suggested, based upon knowledge of the concentrations of trace elements in the diet, air and food as well as the fractions absorbed.

Similarity in metabolic patterns of different chemical species of vanadium in the rat.

To gain information about the influence of the oxidation state of vanadium on its metabolic behavior, different 48V-labeled vanadium compounds, such as cationic VO2+(V), VO2+(IV), V3+(III), and anionic V4O12(3-)(V), VS4(3-)(V) species were prepared and intravenously injected into rats. The 48V radioactivity was measured in whole tissues as well as in nuclei, mitochondria, lysosomes, microsomes, and cytosols from liver and kidney homogenates. The distribution of 48V radioactivity between the plasma components was investigated using gel filtration of the 48V-labeled plasma.