Abstract
Fluorine is an element that can be either beneficial or harmful, depending on the total amount accumulated in the teeth or bones. In our laboratory, we have developed a non-invasive technique for the in vivo measurement of fluoride in bone using neutron activation analysis and performed the first pilot human study. Fluoride in humans is quantified by comparing the γ-ray signal from a person to the γ-ray signal obtained from appropriate anthropomorphic calibration phantoms. An identified problem with existing fluoride phantoms is contamination with aluminum. Aluminum creates an interfering γ-ray signal which, although it can be subtracted out, increases the uncertainty in the measurement and worsens the detection limit. This paper outlines a series of studies undertaken to develop a better calibration phantom for fluorine measurement, which does not have aluminum contamination.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 503-512 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Physiological Measurement |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- bone-fluorine
- delayed neutron activation analysis
- phantom
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Physiology (medical)