Medical diagnosis and therapy

In recent years, a number of chelate complexes of lanthanides have been proposed for use in other fields of medical diagnosis and therapy. The complexes of Gd3+ and some heavier lanthanides with the ligands used as MRI CAs are investigated as potential CAs in radiography [3]. The complexes formed with certain radioactive isotopes, e.g. 153Sm, are used in pain palliation therapy in patients with metastatic bone cancer [4,5], while the complexes of 90Y, attached to monoclonal antibodies or certain proteins, are proposed for use in the treatment of cancer [5-7]. 

For the application of lanthanide complexes in medical diagnosis and therapy, a general requirement is that the ion Ln3+ and the ligand should remain associated while the complex is in the body, i. e. their dissociation should be minimal, since the free ligand and Ln3+ are toxic. For the dissociation to be negligible, the complexes must be kinetically inert under physiological conditions. Since the complexation properties of the lanthanide ions and Y3+ are quite similar, it is of interest to compare the results obtained as concerns the kinetic behavior of Gd3+ complexes with those known for the complexes of other lanthanides and Y3+. 

Morrison 1989). Cost-intensive environmental protection and even medical diagnosis and therapy of patients may be impacted without sufficient quality - and/or reliability - of analytical speciation data. 

CNTs themselves are of interest because of their electrical and mechanical properties, and functionally modified ones are being examined in applications ranging from medical diagnosis and therapy to photovoltaic systems. The methods used to add functionality to a CNT include among others (1) covalent attachment of a reactive group to the CNT via a chemical reaction, and (2) noncovalent coating of the outer surface of the CNT with a substance that itself bears a functional substituent. 

The world textile industry is moving rrq)idly toward the manufacture of high-added value textile structures and products such as medical textiles, protective textiles and smart textiles. Textile materials used in medical devices are an important and growing part of the textile industry. Textiles present an excellent interface between the human body and medical treatment, and thus their continued development is an important part of medical diagnosis and therapy. 

Radioactive waste Waste material containing radioactive elements in amounts greater than those normally present in the environment. Such waste is generated in large amounts by nuclear reactors used for production of electric power or of plutonium for weapons manufacture. Much low-level waste also results from uranium and phosphate mining and milling, industrial processes, laboratory research, and discarded materials that were used in medical diagnosis and therapy. 

Optical fiber endoscopes are minimally invasive tools used in medical diagnosis and therapy. Optical fibers facilitate the combination of low power diagnostic functions (imaging and sensing) with high power for therapeutic functions (surgery) in the one device. Optical sources with very different characteristics in both wavelength and peak and... 

Mornet, S. Vasseur, S. Grasset, F. Duguet, E. Magnetic nanoparticle design for medical diagnosis and therapy. J. Mater. Chem. 2004,14, 2161-2175. 

C. S. S. R. Kumar, d... Nanomaterials for Medical Diagnosis and Therapy, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, 2007. 

In particular, luminescent and magnetic nanoparticles attract the utmost attention in biology, medical diagnosis and therapy, where they aheady find many applications. 

---