Narrow Results

Development of a number of diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer has been related with abnormalities of certain trace elements in some tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of trace elements in breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy controls. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was employed to measure the hair trace element concentrations in 30 cancer patients and 30 healthy controls. A 2.2 MeV proton beam was employed to excite the biological samples. The concentrations of Fe and Cu ($p<0.05$) in the hair of cancer patients were found to be higher compared to those of healthy controls, while the concentration of Zn ($p<0.05$) was found to be lower. No significant difference was observed for sulfur concentration between the two groups. Also, no meaningful difference was observed in the concentrations of K, Ca, Ti as well as ratios of Cu/Zn and Cu/Fe in the hair of the two groups ($p<0.05$). These abnormalities could potentially be used as a means of breast cancer screening in women.

The quantitative changes of elements in blood plasma were observed with the passage of time after X-ray whole body irradiation with 12 Gy on C57BL/6J mice by PIXE method. From 4 days after irradiation, dead mouse was found and all mice died by 8 days. Hematocrit (Ht) values indicated a decrease from the 1st day, but on days 3 and 4 there was a small rise. Finally the values became 64 % of that of non-irradiated control on day 7, it was just before death. By analysis with PIXE method, 15 elements were observable in blood plasma of control mice. The elements such as P, S, Cl, K, Ca and Cr were abundant and Fe and Br followed. As trace elements, the peaks of Zn, Cu and Ni were clearly observed. After irradiation, K and Ca decreased on day 1st, afterwards increased gradually. On the contrary, the elements, S, Cl, were rather stable. While Fe decreased from 1st day, Cu increased from the day 2. Zn and Ni showed intensely down and rise in amount, and decreased on day 7. The results of possible measurement of the changes in amount of these elements of blood plasma suggest PIXE method is an easy and useful way for diagnosis.

The quantitative changes in the elements, amounts of Cl, K, Ca, in blood plasma were measured by PIXE method. The samples were obtained at appropriate intervals after transplantation of EL-4 tumor cells in three strains of mice, C57BL/6J (H-2^b), C57BL/10J (abbreviation: B10; H-2^b) and A/J (H-2^a). Transplanted EL-4 tumor cells proliferated in both strains of C57BL/6J and B10. In A/J mice, transplanted EL-4 cells proliferated about 10 days and then were rejected completely by the immunological reaction according to the difference of major histocompatibility antigens. The amounts of Cl in plasma remained at similar level in the time course in any strains, but K fluctuated in C57BL/6J and B10, and less in A/J. On the other hand, Ca showed always higher values in C57BL/6J than other two strains of mice. In B10 mice, Ca increased just before death, but in A/J it decreased at the time of healing by rejection. These changes of Ca in the three strains of mice were related quantitatively 10 the hematocrit values of these strains of mice after transplantation of EL-4 cells.