Abstract
AbstractThe proton induced x‐ray emission (PIXE) technique was used for localized analysis of trace elements in small quantities of medical samples. Both white and gray matter of the human brain were studied. The tissue samples were taken at autopsy from patients aged from 17 to 88 years. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed. NIST SRM 1577b Bovine Liver and SRM 1566a Oyster Tissue were used as external standards for the determination of trace element mass fractions in the brain specimens. The main goal of these preliminary studies was to evaluate approaches for the quantitative analysis of medical materials using PIXE taking into account the effect of patient age on the accumulation of elements and the regional distribution of elements in human brain. Detection and quantification limits were calculated for selected elements. Elevation of Zn concentration with age of patients was observed for white mater of the human brain. Elements such as S, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn clearly exhibit higher mass fractions in grey matter than in white matter in all cases. This investigation confirms that PIXE is a useful technique for multielement analysis of tissue samples with good sensitivity. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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