How well does dual photon absorptiometry predict osteoporosis? A comparison between neutron activation analysis and DEXA

The accuracy of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for measurement of bone mass carried out by quantitative digital radiography (Hologic Inc.) was compared to results with neutron activation analysis (NAA) on 106 subjects. The accuracy with DEXA was further investigated by measurements on aluminium samples of known composition. DEXA measured 4 lumbar vertebrae by spine scan. The central third of the skeleton also was measured by whole body scan to obtain data on the same large part of the skeleton as measured by NAA. Results suggested that DEXA spine scans were more reliable than whole body scans. In addition, the measurement of total mineral content (BMC) was more reliable than the normalization of BMC to bone surface area (BMC/Area) or bone mineral density (BDM). Since the proportion of bone below detection would increase with development of osteoporosis, with osteoporosis the BMC would be increasingly underestimated, but to only a small extent, while the BMD would be more significantly overestimated.     

Skeletal calcium/phosphorus ratio measuring techniques by neutron activation and X-ray absorptiometry

Summary An approach to the problem of bone disorders is the measurement of the skeletons’ static and dynamic strength, an estimate of the bone mineral density. A decrease in the bone density may be due to the decrease in either Ca or P content, or to dissimilar decreases in both. Consequently, the determination of the Ca/P ratio may provide a sensitive measure of bone mineral changes and may add to our understanding of the changes occurring in bone diseases. This paper reviews the instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray absorptiometry techniques, which have been developed for the in vitro or in vivo assessment of the Ca, P content and the Ca/P ratio in bones, respectively. Their main aspects and results are presented, regarding the referred values.     

Precision of a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry device

The standard method to diagnose and follow-up osteoporosis is the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Manufacturers' manuals of DEXA devices state the intrascanner coefficient of variance is less than 0.01 g/cm². The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo coefficient of variance of a Lunar DPX scanner in male and female healthy adult subjects. Average BMD for females and males were 1.170±0.091 g/cm² and 1.272±0.115 g/cm², respectively. Monthly phantom measurements provided and controlled by the manufacturer were 1.243±0.008 g/cm² (range 1.222 to 1.257) and the coefficient of variance was 0.006. It is concluded that the in vivo coefficient of variance of DEXA devices can slightly be higher than that proposed by the manufacturer. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Total body calcium by neutron activation analysis: Reference data for children

There is a paucity of data on the chemical composition of the humanbody during growth. Total body calcium (TBCa) has been reported for only onemale child, aged 41/2 yr. We have obtained TBCa values for 25 children and27 young women using in vivo neutron activation analysis. Our TBCa resultswere lower than those reported for the one male cadaver, as well as the estimatesderived for the Reference Man model. We conclude that the referencevalues for TBCa may need to be adjusted to appropriately describe skeletalmineralization of contemporary children.     

Substoichiometric determination of tungsten by neutron activation analysis

A method for the substoichiometric determination of tungsten by thermal neutron activation analysis has been developed based on the selective extraction of the tungsten dithiol complex into amyl acetate. The method is simple, rapid and accurate. It has been used in the determination of tungsten in alloy steel, meteorites and biological standard kale.     

Substoichiometric determination of gold by neutron activation analysis

A rapid method has been developed for the determination of gold in catalyst samples by thermal neutron-activation analysis incorporating substoichiometric solvent extraction of Au/III/ with 1,2,3-benzotriazole /1,2,3-BT/ into n-butanol. The time required for radiochemical purification and counting of two samples and a standard was 1 h.     

Substoichiometric determination of chromium by neutron activation analysis

A method of radioactivation analysis has been developed for the determination of chromium. It is based on the substoichiometric extraction of chromium diethyldithio-carbamate into methyl-isobutyl-ketone from acetate buffer solution in the presence of EDTA and potassium cyanide. The method has been applied for the determination of chromium in high-purity calcium carbonate and NBS glasses as standard reference materials.     

Substoichiometric determination of palladium by neutron activation analysis

A method is described for the substoichiometric determination of traces of palladium by neutron activation analysis involving the extraction of palladium with isonitrosoacetophenone. The sensitivity of the method is 0.005 μg of Pd. With 200 mg of silver alloy containing 0.0005% palladium, the average of three determinations of Pd is 0.98 μg, which varies between 1.07 μg and 0.91 μg at 95% confidence limit. The time required for radiochemical purification and counting of the sample does not exceed 12 minutes. Part of this work was presented at the International Conference on Modern Trends Activation Analysis, held in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, October 7–11, 1968.     

Substoichiometric determination of mercury by neutron activation analysis

A method has been developed for the substoichiometric determination of mercury by thermal neutron activation analysis, based on the selective extraction of the Hg(II)—Bindschedler's Green complex into 1,2-dichloroethane. The method has been applied for the determination of trace amounts of mercury in geological standards such as W-1, GR, Sye-1, and T-1, meteorite Allende de Publito, and biological materials such as kale, IR1 standard tobacco, and human blood serum.     

Substoichiometric determination of Cd by neutron activation analysis

A rapid method has been developed for the determination of cadmium in environmental samples by thermal neutron activation analysis involving substoichiometric extraction with 1,2,3-benzotriazole /1,2,3-BT/. Cd was radiochemically separated as CdS using 1-amidino-2-thiourea. The time required for radiochemical purification containing two samples and a standard was about 2 h. 4.63 g of Cd can be determined with an accuracy of 6.69% and precision of 6.25%. Mash potatoes, animal bones, raw sludge and cattle manure have been analyzed by this method.     

Simultaneous determination of three components by X-ray spectrometry after neutron activation

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of cadmium, antimony and praseodymium by 14-MeV neutron activation analysis based on characteristic X-ray spectrometry. The results of analysis show a relative error not higher than ±5%, when diluted with H₃BO₃ /90%/ and utilizing the internal standard method to minimize the interelement effects.     

Comparison of glass fragments by neutron activation analysis

A method of comparing glass fragments of potential application to forensic sicence has been developed and evaluated. A representative sample of window glass from England and Wales has been collected and analysed for about 25 elements. An automated radiochemical separation followed by gamma-spectroscopy was used in order to determine the concentration of the maximum number of elements. Frequency distributions of the elemental concentration are shown and used to assess the discrimination of the technique and compare it with the measurement of refractive index. A few simulated cases have been included to demonstrate the possible application to forensic science problems.     

Determination of carrier yields for neutron activation analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry

A new method is described for determining carrier yield in the radiochemical neutron activation analysis of rare-earth elements in silicate rocks by group separation. The method involves the determination of the rare-earth elements present in the carrier by means of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis, eliminating the need to re-irradiate samples in a nuclear reactor after the gamma ray analysis is complete. Results from the analysis of USGS standards AGV-1 and BCR-1 compare favorably with those obtained using the conventional method.     

Fast determination of molybdenum and tellurium by neutron activation analysis

The utilization of 14.6-min ¹⁰¹Mo and 25-min ^101gTe for the determination of molybdenum and tellurium in biological materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis is described for the first time. Radioisotopes were separated from the samples activated in a thermal neutron flux of about l0¹⁴n cm^-2 s^-1. The radiochemical procedure for molybdenum involves extraction of Mo⁺⁺ from 6 M HCl into diethylether, re-extraction into water, precipitation as oximate, and measurement of the gamma activity of ¹⁰¹Tc. The tellurium was separated by reduction to the element with SO₂ in 3 M HCl, dissolution in HNO₃, and reprecipitation as the element for the measurement of radioactivity. The sensitivity was estimated at ca. 10 ng at the level of confidence of 95%. The methods were tested by analyzing NBS- standard Bovine Liver and Orchard Leaves for molybdenum; the concentrations found were 3.2 ± 0.1 μg g^-1 and 300 ± 60 ng g^-1, respectively. The tellurium content of bovine liver was estimated at 90 ± 15 ng g^-1.     

Substoichiometric determination of Hg by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

A rapid method has been developed for the determination of mercury in environmental samples by thermal neutron activation analysis. Radiochemical separation involves the extraction of Hg/II/ with substoichiometric amounts of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole /2-HMBT/ into chloroform¹. The time required for radiochemical purification and counting of two samples and a standard is about 2 h. Water, sludge and IAEA standard samples were analyzed for Hg concentration by this method.     

Simultaneous determination of aluminium and phosphorus by neutron activation analysis

With the use of the pneumatic tube system of the BER II reactor, the irradiation position of which is equipped with a movable cadmium shield, the aluminium and phosphorus levels in bone powder and in human bone biopsies were determined. The contribution of aluminium and phosphorus to the²⁸Al activity could be separated mathematically after the samples had been irradiated with and without cadmium shielding. The sensitivity and limit of quantitative determination of the analytical procedure were determined using the addition method and the fact that the levels of each element measured was independent of the amount of the other element was proved.     

The determination of sampling constants by neutron activation analysis

It has been found that sampling constants vary greatly not only from major elements to trace elements, but also between individual trace elements. A comprehensive investigation of a potential reference material therefore requires the determination of sampling constants for all elements to be certified, and other analytical methods therefore have to be included. For methods in statistical control the described strategy can be applied.     

Non-destructive determination of niobium in steel by neutron activation followed by X-ray spectrometry

Neutron activation followed by X-ray spectrometry and magnetic deflection of interfering β particles is applied to the non-destructive determination of niobium in steels. AMS 5643 (17-4PH) and B.C.S. No. 320–330 steel samples containing Nb in the range of 0.02–0.3% were analyzed. By using Nb₂O₅ in cellulose as standard, an overall error of ±20% was obtained.     

Comparison of neutron activation analysis methods

This work shows that nuclear data and neutron flux parameters can be applied to calculate directly the elemental concentrations. Techniques for extracting neutron flux parameters pertaining to the irradiation positions and nuclear data pertaining to the isotopes concerned from measured reaction rates have been previously developed. This method is compared to the comparator and relative methods of activation analysis. The principles, advantages and disadvantages of each method and sources of errors are discussed. It also briefly discusses other factors such as accuracy and precision, sensitivity, detection limits and limit of quantitative determination. The three methods are applied to the analysis of five environmental reference materials. The concentrations of more than 20 elements are determined. The results show a good agreement with the certified and/or literature values.     

Trace determination of nickel (and cobalt) in biological reference materials by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

Summary Very few biological reference materials are certified for nickel below 1 mg · kg^–1. Neutron activation analysis was only rarely considered as a possible approach; reported sensitivities were usually not very good, unless preconcentration was applied.In the present work, the relatively high fast neutron flux of our TRIGA reactor was used to induce the ⁵⁸Ni(n, p)⁵⁸Co reaction, and ⁵⁸Co (E =811 keV) was radiochemically separated from other radionuclides by classical anion-exchange chromatography in hydrochloric acid. ⁵⁷Co was added to the irradiated sample before decomposition as a radioisotopic yield monitor. By concentrating the final sample fraction and measurement in a well-type HP Ge detector, Ni concentrations down to the 10-g · kg^–1 level could be determined for samples irradiated for 1 day. ⁶⁰Co, produced by neutron capture on ⁵⁹Co, is also coseparated and quantified from the gamma spectrum, so that both elements Ni and Co are determined. Results are reported for a series of NBS and other biological reference materials in the concentration range 10 g-10 mg · kg^–1. Possibilities for further increases in sensitivity are discussed.

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Spurenbestimmung von Nickel (und Cobalt) in biologischen Referenzmaterialien durch radiochemische Neutronenaktivierungsanalyse