StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Use of Isotopes in Medicine - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Name Name of Instructor Name of Institution Date The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Introduction Isotopes are atoms with equal atomic number but differ in the mass number due to their difference in the number of neutrons…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.1% of users find it useful
The Use of Isotopes in Medicine
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Use of Isotopes in Medicine"

Download file to see previous pages

Majority of the chemical elements that exist on earth have multiple isotopes (Gagne, Leonard and Rivard, 2012). However, it is only that a single isotope gains dominance due to its abundant nature than the rest. Mostly, atoms are defined using their mass numbers (protons + neutrons) and this number is added to their chemical symbol as a subscript. Atom stability of the nucleus depends greatly on the protons to neutrons ratio. Isotopes have two classifications: the stable ones which do not change with time and the ones that possess a ratio that makes them unstable allowing them to change their mass numbers (Ling, et al, 2012).

Stable isotopes have a constant concentration in the environment, though their distribution keeps on changing depending on the environmental preferences. Unstable isotopes decay with time through a process called radio-activity and assume different states. For instance, over a period of time it has been found that carbon – 14 decays into carbon – 12. Bonfils, et al., (2012) explains that some isotopes are more active than others and are more likely to decay faster than others until they attain stability.

Fortunately, this rate of decay can be predicted or even measured hence can be used age determination. Used In Diagnosis Isotopes, especially radio-isotopes are widely being used in medicine to carry out nuclear examinations. Nuclear medicine is a scientific branch in medicine that employs the use of radiations to provide more information to the human body’s organic functioning or disease treatment (Jodal, Le Loirec & Champion, 2012). Through this information collected a proper and accurate diagnosis is given regarding a patient’s illness.

Diagnostic techniques in most cases use tracers which are radioactive in nature for the body to release gamma rays. These tracers are short-lived but are judged with the role of checking particular physiological processes. The tracers can be administered orally or through injections after which a camera is used to detect them. Gagne, Leonard, and Rivard (2012) assert that through the radiations being caused by the tracers, a doctor can examine the image produced by the camera and identify where the exact problem lies.

Let us have a look at the PET scan where a radionuclide is injected into a body of a patient and concentrated in the tissue targeted (Jodal, Le Loirec & Champion, 2012). As the radionuclide decays, it emits positrons whose combination with electrons gives gamma rays emission that can be identified easily. Through the PET camera, their original direction can be studied and the affected organ be identified. The most commonly used isotopes in this study are fluoride- 18 which is used as an oncology tracer.

It is the most effective method used in cancer examinations as well as heart and brain cell examinations. These scans have improved the diagnosis by almost 30%, providing critical information regarding the various types of diseases (Ling, et al., 2012). They can also be used to detect malfunction of organs through the speed of isotope movement. Use of Isotopes in Radionuclide Therapy (RNT) This is the art of controlling or even getting rid of the cancer tumor by using radionuclide radiations (Rana, et al, 2012).

The tumor is irradiated through a process known as teletherapy, which is performed by emitting a beam of gamma rays from a radioactive source called cobalt-60. However, the

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words”, n.d.)
The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1456213-the-use-of-isotopes-in-medicine
(The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1456213-the-use-of-isotopes-in-medicine.
“The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/chemistry/1456213-the-use-of-isotopes-in-medicine.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Use of Isotopes in Medicine

How Uranium Ore Is Made into Nuclear Energy

Energy from Uranium is generated by the use of nuclear reactors.... These include nuclear medicine, to provide heat for desalination, and space missions.... In nuclear medicine, radiation is used in making a quick and accurate diagnosis.... Uranium has many isotopes and the commonly used isotope is Uranium-235.... This is due to the fact that Uranium 235 is easily split compared to the other isotopes of Uranium....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Radioisotopes in Medicine

An essay "Radioisotopes in medicine" reports that these species are called isotopes of the same element.... in medicine, these radioactive products are termed as radiopharmaceuticals (Medical isotopes).... Radioisotopes utilization in medicine  Radioisotopes have been utilized in medicine very extensively for preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic purposes.... nbsp; Till mid-seventies of the last century there was not much development in the field when some newly discovered radioisotopes along with technetium-99m revolutionized the field of nuclear medicine when technetium-generator made it practical to convert inactive pharmaceuticals to be labelled on the hospital premises (Radioisotopes in medicin)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Importance of Radioisotopes and Isotopes

There are many applications of isotopes in the field of medicine.... These variants are known as isotopes of that element.... Because the number of proton is same, isotopes of parent element have same atomic number but different mass… So according to a standard definition; isotopes are nuclides of a single element that have different atomic weight.... isotopes can be further classified as either stable or radioactive Some of the isotopes undergo radioactive decay over time, therefore, known as radioactive isotopes....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Extraction and Structure of Gold

This paper gives a general overview of gold material, its physical and chemical structures and properties, the general process used in extraction of the mineral (gold) including the many types of gold we have.... Also, it presents a view on the economic importance of the ore and… Gold is the most expensive material and it's not largely mined in many parts of the world....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Use of Xenon Gas in Humans

According to The Linde Group (2011), for most naturally occurring elements, conclusions on the With this standard of practice known, this research paper focuses on the use of xenon in humans for medical and clinical purposes.... The paper “use of Xenon Gas in Humans” will focus on this aspect of this noble gas.... hellip; Any form of acceptable use of chemicals and elements has always come as a result of long term scientific studies and research....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

Tracking Acrylamide Source from Polyacrylamide Gel

Stable isotope ratio analyses of Carbon-13 that is a non-traditional isotope is seen to be a promising tool for tracing the source of a given compound that include acrylamide in this case.... Distinct isotopic signatures could be observed between various sources.... Hence, they could… Contamination of soil and water by acrylamide released from poly-acrylamide degradation from hydraulic fracturing as friction agent is seen to be a major concern....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Proposal

The Scope and Limitations of Quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technique

Hence, it can be said that the use of NMR for quantitative evaluation is not that common.... he number of studies that make use of quantitative NMR is not that much.... Hence, NMR can easily differentiate between two Hydrogen isotopes (Merkley, et al.... Since then, its applications have gone on to grow from one use to another as the technology in use has advanced....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Radioisotopes as Tracers in Physical, Chemical, and Biological Systems

They undergo one or more nuclear reactions known as Magic NumbersThese are certain numbers of protons and neutrons that isotopes that have them are more stable than the rest.... The paper "Radioisotopes as Tracers in Physical, Chemical, and Biological Systems" concerns radioactive emissions and nuclear equations, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, applications of radioactive tracers, radioactive waste management in hospitals as an example of radioisotopes as tracers....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us