The effect of cis-DDP treatment with and without selenite and selenocistamine was studied on kidneys of tumor-bearing mice. The amounts of cis-DDP, selenite, and selenocistamine injected were chosen so as to be compatible with the treatment of humans. The animals were sacrificed at 7, 14, and 28 d after treatment. The kidneys were removed and subjected to trace element analysis by a novel X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method and for pathological assessment. The results show that following treatment with cis-DDP, K, Fe, Cu, and Zn reach a maximum level after 7 d; K, Fe, and Cu levels were significantly reduced by the addition of selenite. The level of Zn was reduced only in groups treated with selenite whereas that of K and Cu was reduced also in groups treated with selenocistamine with and without cis-DDP. The greatest increase in Pt and Se levels was reached 1 wk after injection with cis-DDP, with and without selenocompounds, and in the case of Pt was partly reduced by addition of selenite. Se returned to control values 2 wk after injection, although Pt was still high in all groups 2 and 4 wk after injection. The results corroborate the findings of our previous studies. The effect of selenocistamine in cis-DDP treated mice was partly insufficient. The pathological examination of the kidneys did not show any differences in the effect of various additives during the study.

No abstract

A new geometry for a radioactive source was developed for the XRF determination of trace elements in the range 0.1–50 μg in samples with diameters from 2–5 mm. The new set‐up was constructed with five 241Am (45mCi each) point sources. The shielding and configuration of the source, as well as the choice of appropriate collimators in the optimal shapes and dimensions, were investigated in detail. The study was carried out to establish the conditions for obtaining maximum sensitivity. The count rates and signal‐to‐background ratios were compared with those obtained with an annular source and showed an improvement of a factor of ∼2 in the signal‐to‐background ratio and of a factor of 2–9 in the peak intensity for the elements studied (29≤ Z ≤ 47).

No abstract

No abstract