Influence of age on the discrimination of barium in comparison with strontium during their incorporation into compact bone.

This work describes the results of investigations on whole body discrimination of 133Ba as compared to 85Sr and discrimination in specific portions of long bones. The examinations, conducted in two groups of rabbits young and adult ones, were aimed at determination whether the discrimination of heavy alkaline earth element 133Ba is greater or smaller in young rabbits than in adults ones. It was found that whole body discrimination of 133Ba, as well as the discrimination in specific portions of bones, is greater in young than in adult animals. The study shows, therefore, that the discrimination predominates in the addition process, i.e. in the process of formation of new bone mineral, and is not predominating in the process of augmentation, i.e. in slow ion exchange in compact bone material. This conclusion was based on the fact that in young animals addition is a much more active process than in adults.