Biodistribution studies of boronophenylalanine-fructose in melanoma and brain tumor patients in Argentina.

A study of the (10)B-enriched p-boronophenylalanine-fructose complex ((10)BPA-F) infusion procedure in potential BNCT patients, including four melanoma of extremities and two high-grade gliomas (glioblastoma and ganglioglioma) was performed. T/B and S/B ratios for (10)B concentrations in tumor (T), blood (B) and skin (S) were determined. The T/B ratio for the glioblastoma was in the 1.8-3.4 range. The ganglioglioma did not show any significant boron uptake. For the nodular metastasic melanoma T/B values were between 1.5 and 2.6 (average 2.1+/-0.4), corresponding to the lower limit of the mean values reported for different melanoma categories. This result might suggest a lower boron uptake for nodular metastasic melanomas. S/B was 1.5+/-0.4. An open two-compartment pharmacokinetic model was applied to predict the boron concentration during the course and at the end of a BNCT irradiation.

First BNCT treatment of a skin melanoma in Argentina: dosimetric analysis and clinical outcome.

A Phase I/II protocol for treating cutaneuos melanomas with BNCT was designed in Argentina by the Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica and the medical center Instituto Roffo. The first of a cohort of thirty planned patients was treated on October 9, 2003. This article depicts the protocol-based procedure and describes the first clinical case, treatment regime and planning, patient irradiation, retrospective dosimetric analysis and clinical outcome. Considering the low acute skin toxicity and the complete response in 21 of the 25 subcutaneous melanoma nodules treated, a second irradiation was performed in a different location of the extremity of the same patient. The corresponding clinical outcome is still under evaluation.

Comparative assessment of two sequential chemical extraction schemes for the fractionation of cadmium, chromium, lead and zinc in surface coastal sediments.

Two existing sequential chemical extraction schemes, involving respectively five and six leaching steps with solutions of increasing dissolving power, were compared. The methods have been applied to surface sediment samples collected in a marine estuary zone potentially exposed to contamination arising from nearby industrial activities. A certified reference material (MURST-ISS-A1) consisting of an Antarctic bottom sediment for which no information regarding phase dependent concentration is available, was also analyzed. In order to evaluate the partition of metals among different geochemical forms, the concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead and zinc were measured in the liquid extracts by Zeeman-corrected flame atomic absorption and by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The total metal concentrations were determined after strong acid attack, and the adequacy of this total digestion/dissolution technique was verified by its application to the reference material. Comparison of total metal concentrations with the sum of concentrations associated with the individual phases was employed to assess possible analyte losses or contaminations. Precisions for both sequential procedures were comparable, but some inconsistencies in mass balances were found in one of the samples for the distribution of Zn in the soluble/exchangeable fractions and for Cd in the bound to carbonates form. In addition, the six steps procedure produced lower concentration values in the case of elements associated to the residual fraction. For the five steps method mass balances showed acceptable agreement, with average recoveries in the 87 to 106% range. On the whole, differences in metal distributions were observed, being more marked for the bottom sediment. Significant proportions of the studied elements, with the exception of Cr, were found as easily extractable forms. X-ray diffraction and petrographic observation of the surface sediments allowed qualitative correlation between the leaching results obtained and the presence of defined geochemical phases.

Determination of inorganic and organic anionic arsenic species in water by ion chromatography coupled to hydride generation-inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

The development of an analytical methodology for the specific determination of arsenite, arsenate and the organic species monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), is described. The method is based on an ion chromatographic separation, coupled on-line to post-column generation of the gaseous hydrides by reaction with sodium tetrahydroborate in acidic medium. Detection and measurement were performed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry operated in the atomic emission mode. Arsenic emission was monitored at 193.7 nm. Different types and sizes of anion-exchange columns, silica and polymeric, were tested using EDTA as eluent. Composition, acidity and flow-rate of the mobile phase were optimized in order to obtain the required resolution. Complete elution and resolution of the four species was achieved in about 6 min. Linear calibration curves were obtained in the 0.05-2 microg ml(-1) range for As(III), As(V) and MMA, and between 0.1 and 2.0 microg ml(-1) for DMA. The absolute limits of detection for 200-microl sample injections were in the ng range, with DMA the compound measured with less sensitivity. Results of the analyses of natural samples, such as river and ground waters spiked with the studied species, suggested that analyte recoveries might be dependent on the sample composition.

Evaluation of hydrogen line emission and argon plasma electron concentrations resulting from the gaseous sample injection involved in hydride generation-ICP-atomic emission spectrometric analysis.

The simultaneous injection of volatile hydride species and hydrogen gas, originating in reagent decomposition, was monitored during the operation of a continuous hydride generation manifold employed for the determination of trace arsenic by HG-ICP-AES. Line and background intensities as well as the FWHM of the hydrogen Hgamma and Hdelta lines were measured, and electron number densities (ne) estimated from Stark broadening of the line profiles. Results were compared with those obtained by conventional pneumatic injection of aqueous solutions. Overlapping with atomic nitrogen lines at 410 nm and 411 nm tends to distort the Hdelta line profile for the hydrogen-seeded plasma, rendering unreliable results. The N I lines seem to be quenched by the presence of water aerosol. More consistent results were obtained with the Hgamma line. When no solutions are pumped through the hydride generation manifold ("dry" plasma), the measured ne value was (1.57 +/- 0.22) x 10(15)cm(-3). Conversely, when the reducing reagent flow was replaced by pure water (corresponding to the injection of water vapor in equilibrium that is swept by the argon carrier gas passing through the phase separator), the electron concentration is 25% higher. In that case the ne value agrees between the experimental error with that obtained for a plasma in which a water aerosol is introduced at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. An enhancement of 52% relative is observed in ne when the system is operated under optimized conditions for arsine generation, employing sodium tetrahydroborate in acidic medium as reducing agent (i.e. hydrogen seeded plasma). It was also observed that the continuum emission near 410 nm for the hydrogen containing plasma correlates with the measured electron number density, suggesting that the background enhancement under hydride generation conditions may respond to the ion-electron recombination mechanism.

Eriochrome Black T as a post-column reagent for the ion chromatographic determination of rare earths.

The use of Eriochrome Black T in an alkaline, 40% methanol solution was found to be appropriate as post-column reagent for the determination of rare earths by ion chromatography. Detection of individual lanthanides and lanthanum was carried out at 512 nm and 650 nm after separation by dynamic cation exchange chromatography with gradient elution on C18 column and employing a solution containing alpha-hydroxyisobutiric acid/sodium octanesulfonate at pH 3.8 as eluent. The effect of the presence of micelles in the post-column reagent was studied. Sensitivities obtained by the addition of the cationic surfactants cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were lower than those measured without surfactant addition. In some cases, the signal was totally suppressed. No change in sensitivity was observed with non-ionic (Triton X-100) or anionic (sodium dodecylsulphate, SDS) surfactants but a slight improvement in the baseline noise was observed with the SDS. An evaluation of the influence of chemical and operational variables on the post column reaction (PCR) reagent was carried out either by spectrophotometric tests or by chromatographic experiments. A comparison was performed between three PCR reagents: Eriochrome Black T and xylenol orange in the presence of a cationic surfactant and arsenazo III. Calibration response was linear up to an analyte concentration of 5.0 micrograms ml-1. Absolute detection limits lower than 7 and 17 ng were obtained at the detection wavelengths of 650 nm and 512 nm respectively, for all the natural lanthanides and lanthanum.

Atomic-absorption spectrometric determination of trace metals in zirconium and zircaloy by discrete sample nebulization.

A discrete sample nebulization technique was employed to determine trace metals in nuclear grade zirconium and Zircaloy by flame atomic-absorption spectrometry. With 10% (w v ) sample solutions, detection limits for Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb were 0.6, 2, 1,3, and 10 mug g . Micro standard-addition procedures and background correction were employed to minimize matrix interferences produced by the high salt content of the aspirated solutions.