Iron medical applications

C22-0050. The iron isotope with 33 neutrons is used in medical applications. It is a P emitter. A sample of iron containing 1.33 picograms (pico = 10 ) of this isotope registers 242 decays per second. 

In a review on the design of ligands for selective complexation of metal ions in aqueous media and a book on the principles underlying stability constants and on the design of metal complexes for various medical applications iron complexes and their solution chemistry take their appropriate place. 

The high specificity of siderophore iron coordination has been extensively explored in iron-chelation therapy for various medical applications, including iron overload diseases, control of iron in specific brain tissues , arresting the growth and proliferation of malaria parasite within their host , as well as arresting the proliferation of cancer cells . Other directions for metal ligation involve enzyme inhibition, which have been demonstrated by the inhibition of urease by coordination of hydroxamate ligand to nickel ions and zinc coordination in matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibition by primary hydroxamates. ... 

Zinc (Zn) Zinc is a bluish silver metal. Medical applications of zinc compounds include calamine lotion and zinc oxide (sun block). Galvanized steel is resistant to corrosion and is prepared by coating iron with a thin layer of zinc. 

A number of the transition metals are essential trace elements for living organisms, so that one medical application of transition metal compounds is in the treatment of deficiency diseases. Particular examples are provided by preparations containing iron to treat anaemia and the use of dietary supplements containing cobalt in the form of vitamin B 2, shown as its cyanide derivative in 1.5. The reverse of this type of treatment involves the removal of excess metal ions from the body using com-... 

Chemical composition is another factor which determines quality, particularly in chemical and medical applications but also in paints and coatings where it affects brightness. Barium is highly toxic but only in the form of water soluble salt therefore in every application the water soluble barium must be controlled. Other usual admixtures contain iron, copper, manganese, and lead, and depending on application, their concentration is also restricted. Natural products contain 94-99% BaSO4, whereas blanc fixe contains horn 97.5 to over 99%. 

There are many applications for conductimetric measurements, some of which are very specific. For example, in a medical application, a conductivity sensor has been used to determine levels of ammonia in human breath In the same article, the authors also demonstrated a second sensor for breath analysis of carbon dioxide. In environmental analysis, a samarium iron oxide (SmFeOs) gas sensor has been developed for the detection of ozone based on conductance at sub-ppm levels ". ... 

The previous paragraph might suggest that micro-analytical techniques are only used in medical applications when complications occur. However, increasingly these techniques are being used beneficially as research tools. ESI has been used to track the effect of phlebotomy on iron deposits in hemochromatosis patients. Another area in which much... 

Numerous iron-containing polymers have been synthesized and studied for biomedical application. Here we will look at simple iron(II) chelating polymers developed for medical applications. 

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