Chemical Elements in Medicine

A brief review of chemical elements, compounds from which find application in medicine, ranging from the commonly occurring organogenic elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus), composing the structure of proteins and nucleic acids of the cells of living organisms and determining the genetic transmission, to native rarely encountered organic fluorine compounds, synthetic derivatives of which have become firmly ingrained in the arsenal of modern pharmaceutical drugs, is given. Strong emphasis is put on metalloproteins, which play a significant role in the biochemistry of vitally essential processes, as well as metal compounds that are widely used in medicine. Of particular importance are the chemical elements and the isotopes, compounds of which are employed in nuclear medicine for diagnostics and treatment of a wide range of diseases, oncological and cardiovascular in particular.