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Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of a radiopharmaceutical?
What is the primary purpose of a radiopharmaceutical?
Which organizations have overlapping jurisdictions in the regulation of radiopharmaceuticals?
Which organizations have overlapping jurisdictions in the regulation of radiopharmaceuticals?
What is the name of the first pharmacy specialty recognized by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties?
What is the name of the first pharmacy specialty recognized by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties?
What is a radioisotope?
What is a radioisotope?
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How are radioisotopes produced?
How are radioisotopes produced?
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What is the composition of an alpha particle?
What is the composition of an alpha particle?
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What is the typical range of beta particles in air?
What is the typical range of beta particles in air?
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What is the half-life (t1/2) of a radioisotope?
What is the half-life (t1/2) of a radioisotope?
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What is the unit of radioactivity that represents the amount of radiation produced from one disintegration per second?
What is the unit of radioactivity that represents the amount of radiation produced from one disintegration per second?
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What type of radiation has the shortest wavelength and highest energy?
What type of radiation has the shortest wavelength and highest energy?
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What is the unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation?
What is the unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation?
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What is the unit of dose equivalent that expresses the biological effect of ionizing radiation on living tissue?
What is the unit of dose equivalent that expresses the biological effect of ionizing radiation on living tissue?
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Study Notes
Radiopharmaceuticals
- A radioactive agent used for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures
- Overlapping jurisdictions: FDA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Nuclear Pharmacy
- First specialty in pharmacy recognized by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialities (1978)
- Focuses on the safe and effective use of radioactive drugs or radiopharmaceuticals
Radioisotopes/Radionuclides
- Artificially produced unstable atoms of a naturally occurring element
- Same number of electrons and protons as the naturally occurring element, but different number of neutrons
- Over 1000 radioisotopes known, but only 50 are naturally occurring
Production
- Produced by bombarding atoms of stable, naturally occurring elements with fast-moving neutrons
- Produced in a nuclear reactor or particle accelerator
Half-Life (t1/2)
- Rate of conversion of an isotope to its stable elemental composition
Types of Radiation
- Alpha radiation: result of excess energy dissipation by unstable nuclei in the form of alpha particles
- Alpha particles: 2 positive charges, 2 neutrons, and a total mass of 4 units, identical to a helium nucleus
- Alpha particles: travel about 1-4 inches in the air, ejected at about 1/10th the speed of light
Beta Radiation
- Produced through beta decay of unstable nuclei
- Follows electron emission, positron emission, or electron capture
- Beta particles: either electrons with negative charge (negatrons) or positive electrons (positrons)
- Beta particles: travel up to about 1 mm in tissue, have a range of more than 100 feet in air, and possess a lot of kinetic energy
Gamma Rays
- Most penetrating electromagnetic radiation of shortest wavelength and highest energy
- Produced by the decay of radioactive nuclei or certain subatomic particles
- Gamma rays: just below the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum
Units of Radiation
- Curie (Ci): measures radioactivity/unit mass of material
- Becquerel (Bq): one Bq represents the amount of radiation produced from one disintegration/second
- One Ci is equal to 37 billion Bq or 37 GBq
- Rad: expresses the absorbed dose of ionizing radiation
- One Rad represents the amount of radiation that releases energy of 100 ergs/gm of matter
- Rem: expresses the dosage in Rads that causes the same amount of biological injury as 1 Rad of X-rays or gamma rays
- Roentgen (R): quantitates the exposure to radiation
- Erg: represents the amount of radiation that releases energy or work that equals 10-7 Joules
- SI system of units: Bq is the unit of radioactivity, Gray (Gy) is the unit of expression of absorbed dose, Sievert (Sv) is the dose equivalent unit, and exposure is represented in coulomb/kg body weight
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Description
This quiz covers the definition and use of radiopharmaceuticals, the role of the FDA and NRC, and the specialty of nuclear pharmacy. Learn about the safe and effective use of radioactive drugs.
