Lognormal distribution of cellular uptake of radioactivity: statistical analysis of alpha-particle track autoradiography.
Recently, the distribution of radioactivity among a population of cells labeled with 210Po was shown to be well described by a lognormal (LN) distribution function (J Nucl Med. 2006;47:1049-1058) with the aid of autoradiography. To ascertain the influence of Poisson statistics on the interpretation of the autoradiographic data, the present work reports on a detailed statistical analysis of these earlier data.


METHODS
The measured distributions of alpha-particle tracks per cell were subjected to statistical tests with Poisson, LN, and Poisson-lognormal (P-LN) models.


RESULTS
The LN distribution function best describes the distribution of radioactivity among cell populations exposed to 0.52 and 3.8 kBq/mL of 210Po-citrate. When cells were exposed to 67 kBq/mL, the P-LN distribution function gave a better fit; however, the underlying activity distribution remained lognormal.


CONCLUSIONS
The present analysis generally provides further support for the use of LN distributions to describe the cellular uptake of radioactivity. Care should be exercised when analyzing autoradiographic data on activity distributions to ensure that Poisson processes do not distort the underlying LN distribution.
Neti
Prasad V S V
PV
Division of Radiation Research, Department of Radiology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey 07103, USA.
Howell
Roger W
RW
D000512:Alpha Particles; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods*; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018499:Linear Energy Transfer / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011059:Polonium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods
D011059:Polonium