A compact solvent extraction based 99Mo/99mTc generator for hospital radiopharmacy.

A compact and portable 99Mo-99 mTc generator based on solvent-extraction, mimic to the conventional 99Mo-99 mTc alumina column generator is much-needed commodity for use in hospital radiopharmacy setup. The present study includes the development of a portable, simple and low cost 99Mo/99 mTc-generator based on MEK solvent extraction technique to obtain a very high concentration of no-carrier added (nca) 99 mTc solution, where low specific activity 99Mo source is obtained through 98Mo(n, γ)99Mo reaction in a research reactor. The unit is intended for operation under the conditions of medical radiological laboratories. Technical trials showed that the mean time of preparation of sodium [99mTc] pertechnetate radiopharmaceutical did not exceed 15 min. The quality and yield of 99 mTc-pertechnetate is upto the mark for formulation of radiopharmaceuticals.

Radioactive ion beams of 111In using ECR plasma sputtering method.

Radioactive ion beams of 111In (indium-111, half-life 2.8 days) have been produced using the plasma sputtering method in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source at the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre RIB facility. Indium isotopes were first produced by bombarding a natural silver target with a 32 MeV, 40 µA alpha particle beam from the K-130 cyclotron. After radio-chemical separation, about 25 mCi In-chloride was deposited on an aluminum electrode and inserted in the plasma chamber of the ECR. Indium ions produced by ion induced sputtering in the plasma were extracted from the ion source, isotopically separated, and a pure 111In beam was measured at the focal plane of the separator. The measured 111In beam intensity was 2.67 × 105 particles/s for a beam energy of 5 keV.

Management of amlodipine-induced gingival enlargement: Series of three cases.

Gingival enlargement is one of the side effects associated with certain drugs. Amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker, used as antihypertensive drug has been found associated with gingival hyperplasia. This case series presents diagnosis and management of amlodipine-induced gingival hyperplasia. Amlodipine-induced gingival enlargement was diagnosed and managed by thorough scaling and root planning. Drug substitution and surgical intervention was performed in first two cases. The pathogenesis of gingival enlargement is uncertain and the treatment is still largely limited to the maintenance of an improved level of oral hygiene and surgical removal of the overgrown tissue. Several factors may influence the relationship between the drugs and gingival tissues as discussed by Seymour et al. Meticulous oral hygiene maintenance, switchover to alternative drug, professional scaling and root planning and surgical excision of enlarged gingival tissue may help overcome the effect of these drugs.