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Frontiers in Public Health 2024Radiological science and nuclear technology have made great strides in the twenty-first century, with wide-ranging applications in various fields, including energy,... (Review)
Review
Radiological science and nuclear technology have made great strides in the twenty-first century, with wide-ranging applications in various fields, including energy, medicine, and industry. However, those developments have been accompanied by the inherent risks of exposure to nuclear radiation, which is a source of concern owing to its potentially adverse effects on human health and safety and which is of particular relevance to medical personnel who may be exposed to certain cancers associated with low-dose radiation in their working environment. While medical radiation workers have seen a decrease in their occupational exposure since the 1950s thanks to improved measures for radiation protection, a concerning lack of understanding and awareness persists among medical professionals regarding these potential hazards and the required safety precautions. This issue is further compounded by insufficient capabilities in emergency response. This highlights the urgent need to strengthen radiation safety education and training to ensure the well-being of medical staff who play a critical role in radiological and nuclear emergencies. This review examines the health hazards of nuclear radiation to healthcare workers and the awareness and willingness and education of healthcare workers on radiation protection, calling for improved training programs and emergency response skills to mitigate the risks of radiation exposure in the occupational environment, providing a catalyst for future enhancement of radiation safety protocols and fostering of a culture of safety in the medical community.
Topics: Humans; Radiation Protection; Health Personnel; Occupational Exposure; Radioactive Hazard Release; Radiation Injuries; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Awareness
PubMed: 38952739
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1410722 -
Ecology and Evolution Jul 2024Melanism, the process of heavier melanin deposition, can interact with climate variation at both micro and macro scales, ultimately influencing color evolution in...
Melanism, the process of heavier melanin deposition, can interact with climate variation at both micro and macro scales, ultimately influencing color evolution in organisms. While the ecological processes regulating melanin production in relation to climate have been extensively studied, intraspecific variations of melanism are seldom considered. Such scientific gap hampers our understanding of how species adapt to rapidly changing climates. For example, dark coloration may lead to higher heat absorption and be advantageous in cool climates, but also in hot environments as a UV or antimicrobial protection mechanism. To disentangle such opposing predictions, here we examined the effect of climate on shaping melanism variation in 150 barred grass snakes () and 383 green whip snakes () across Italy. By utilizing melanistic morphs (charcoal and picturata in , charcoal and abundistic in ) and compiling observations from 2002 to 2021, we predicted that charcoal morphs in would optimize heat absorption in cold environments, while offering protection from excessive UV radiation in within warm habitats; whereas picturata and abundistic morphs would thrive in humid environments, which naturally have a denser vegetation and wetter substrates producing darker ambient light, thus providing concealment advantages. While picturata and abundistic morphs did not align with our initial humidity expectations, the charcoal morph in is associated with UV environments, suggesting protection mechanisms against damaging solar radiation. is associated with high precipitations, which might offer antimicrobial protection. Overall, our results provide insights into the correlations between melanin-based color morphs and climate variables in snake populations. While suggestive of potential adaptive responses, future research should delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms regulating this relationship.
PubMed: 38952653
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11627 -
Heliyon Jun 2024Radiotherapy causes apoptosis mainly through direct or indirect damage to DNA via ionizing radiation, leading to DNA strand breaks. However, the efficacy of radiotherapy... (Review)
Review
Radiotherapy causes apoptosis mainly through direct or indirect damage to DNA via ionizing radiation, leading to DNA strand breaks. However, the efficacy of radiotherapy is attenuated in malignant tumor microenvironment (TME), such as hypoxia. Tumor vasculature, due to the imbalance of various angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors, leads to irregular morphology of tumor neovasculature, disordered arrangement of endothelial cells, and too little peripheral coverage. This ultimately leads to a TME characterized by hypoxia, low pH and high interstitial pressure. This deleterious TME further exacerbates the adverse effects of tumor neovascularization and weakens the efficacy of conventional radiotherapy. Whereas normalization of blood vessels improves TME and thus the efficacy of radiotherapy. In addition to describing the research progress of radiotherapy sensitization and vascular normalization, this review focuses on the strategy and application prospect of modulating vascular normalization to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy sensitization.
PubMed: 38952362
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32598 -
Nature Genetics Jul 2024Pubertal timing varies considerably and is associated with later health outcomes. We performed multi-ancestry genetic analyses on ~800,000 women, identifying 1,080...
Pubertal timing varies considerably and is associated with later health outcomes. We performed multi-ancestry genetic analyses on ~800,000 women, identifying 1,080 signals for age at menarche. Collectively, these explained 11% of trait variance in an independent sample. Women at the top and bottom 1% of polygenic risk exhibited ~11 and ~14-fold higher risks of delayed and precocious puberty, respectively. We identified several genes harboring rare loss-of-function variants in ~200,000 women, including variants in ZNF483, which abolished the impact of polygenic risk. Variant-to-gene mapping approaches and mouse gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuron RNA sequencing implicated 665 genes, including an uncharacterized G-protein-coupled receptor, GPR83, which amplified the signaling of MC3R, a key nutritional sensor. Shared signals with menopause timing at genes involved in DNA damage response suggest that the ovarian reserve might signal centrally to trigger puberty. We also highlight body size-dependent and independent mechanisms that potentially link reproductive timing to later life disease.
PubMed: 38951643
DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01798-4 -
Nature Medicine Jul 2024There are large differences in premature mortality in the USA by race/ethnicity, education, rurality and social vulnerability index groups. Using existing...
There are large differences in premature mortality in the USA by race/ethnicity, education, rurality and social vulnerability index groups. Using existing concentration-response functions, published particulate matter (PM) air pollution estimates, population estimates at the census tract level and county-level mortality data from the US National Vital Statistics System, we estimated the degree to which these mortality discrepancies can be attributed to differences in exposure and susceptibility to PM. We show that differences in PM-attributable mortality were consistently more pronounced by race/ethnicity than by education, rurality or social vulnerability index, with the Black American population having the highest proportion of deaths attributable to PM in all years from 1990 to 2016. Our model estimates that over half of the difference in age-adjusted all-cause mortality between the Black American and non-Hispanic white population was attributable to PM in the years 2000 to 2011. This difference decreased only marginally between 2000 and 2015, from 53.4% (95% confidence interval 51.2-55.9%) to 49.9% (95% confidence interval 47.8-52.2%), respectively. Our findings underscore the need for targeted air quality interventions to address environmental health disparities.
PubMed: 38951636
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03117-0 -
Revista Espanola de Medicina Nuclear E... Jun 2024In recent years, concern about the effects of ionizing radiation on exposed individuals has led to the need to regulate and quantify the use of diagnostic and...
In recent years, concern about the effects of ionizing radiation on exposed individuals has led to the need to regulate and quantify the use of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Geopolitical events in recent times have also increased the population's perception of insecurity regarding ionizing radiation, and we increasingly face patients reluctant to undergo certain types of scans in our nuclear medicine services and, albeit less frequently, in radiology services. This article aims to summarise the extent to which ionizing radiation is present in our daily lives and how diagnostic and therapeutic procedures can affect our health, particularly from the perspective of their effects on the thyroid gland, one of the body's most radiation-sensitive organs.
PubMed: 38950775
DOI: 10.1016/j.remnie.2024.500026 -
Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology Jul 2024Recently, kafirins from white sorghum [ (L) Moench] grain have shown promise as a source of biopeptides with anti-skin aging effects (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and...
Recently, kafirins from white sorghum [ (L) Moench] grain have shown promise as a source of biopeptides with anti-skin aging effects (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and inhibition of photoaging-associated enzymes). This study employed response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the extraction and enzymatic hydrolysis of kafirins (KAF) for the production of peptides with anti-skin aging properties. The optimization of conditions (reaction time and enzyme/substrate ratio) for liquefaction with α-amylase and hydrolysis of KAF with alcalase was performed using 3 complete factorial designs. Subsequently, ultrafiltered peptide extracts were obtained with molecular weights of 1-3 kDa (KAF-UF) and lower than 1 kDa (KAF-UF), which mainly contain hydrophobic amino acids (proline, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and valine) and peptide fractions with molecular weights of 0.69, 1.14, and 1.87 kDa. Consequently, the peptide extracts protected immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) from ultraviolet B radiation (UVB)-induced damage by preventing the decrease and/or restoring the activity of antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)]. Furthermore, KAF-UF and KAF-UF inhibited (20-29%) elastase and collagenase overactivity in UVB-exposed murine fibroblasts (3T3 cells). Thus, KAF-UF and KAF-UF exhibited behavior similar to that observed with glutathione (GSH), suggesting their potential as functional peptide ingredients in skincare products.
PubMed: 38949113
DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2024.2366994 -
International Journal of Nanomedicine 2024Mitochondrial oxidative stress is an important factor in cell apoptosis. Cerium oxide nanomaterials show great potential for scavenging free radicals and simulating...
PURPOSE
Mitochondrial oxidative stress is an important factor in cell apoptosis. Cerium oxide nanomaterials show great potential for scavenging free radicals and simulating superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. To solve the problem of poor targeting of cerium oxide nanomaterials, we designed albumin-cerium oxide nanoclusters (TPP-PCNLs) that target the modification of mitochondria with triphenyl phosphate (TPP). TPP-PCNLs are expected to simulate the activity of superoxide dismutase, continuously remove reactive oxygen species, and play a lasting role in radiation protection.
METHODS
First, cerium dioxide nanoclusters (CNLs), polyethylene glycol cerium dioxide nanoclusters (PCNLs), and TPP-PCNLs were characterized in terms of their morphology and size, ultraviolet spectrum, dispersion stability and cellular uptake, and colocalization Subsequently, the anti-radiation effects of TPP-PCNLs were investigated using in vitro and in vivo experiments including cell viability, apoptosis, comet assays, histopathology, and dose reduction factor (DRF).
RESULTS
TPP-PCNLs exhibited good stability and biocompatibility. In vitro experiments indicated that TPP-PCNLs could not only target mitochondria excellently but also regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS)levels in whole cells. More importantly, TPP-PCNLs improved the integrity and functionality of mitochondria in irradiated L-02 cells, thereby indirectly eliminating the continuous damage to nuclear DNA caused by mitochondrial oxidative stress. TPP-PCNLs are mainly targeted to the liver, spleen, and other extramedullary hematopoietic organs with a radiation dose reduction factor of 1.30. In vivo experiments showed that TPP-PCNLs effectively improved the survival rate, weight change, hematopoietic function of irradiated animals. Western blot experiments have confirmed that TPP-PCNLs play a role in radiation protection by regulating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.
CONCLUSION
TPP-PCNLs play a radiologically protective role by targeting extramedullary hematopoietic organ-liver cells and mitochondria to continuously clear ROS.
Topics: Cerium; Animals; Mitochondria; Reactive Oxygen Species; Mice; Apoptosis; Hematopoiesis; Oxidative Stress; Cell Survival; Radiation-Protective Agents; Humans; Radiation Protection; Cell Line
PubMed: 38946882
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S459607 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jun 2024The extraction of TcO from radioactive effluents is extremely crucial for the purposes of nuclear disposal and environmental remediation. Herein, utilizing a facile and...
The extraction of TcO from radioactive effluents is extremely crucial for the purposes of nuclear disposal and environmental remediation. Herein, utilizing a facile and low-cost synthesis method, we report a pyridinium-based cationic polymer network, CPP-Cl, with impressive adsorption performance and ultrafast adsorption kinetics towards ReO. The structure featuring highly density of charged pyridinium units was synthesized, making it an effective adsorbent for capturing ReO. The material showed fast ReO adsorption kinetics reaching adsorption equilibrium within 30 s, an excellent capture capability of 1069.7 mg/g, and exceptional separation efficiency of 94.3% for removing 1000 ppm ReO. Furthermore, it possessed excellent reusability in multiple sorption/desorption trials and good uptake capacity within a widely ranging pH values. It is noteworthy that the extraction efficiency of CPP-Cl for ReO from simulated nuclear waste can be up to 94.2%. The favorable performance of the material in multiple tests revealed that CPP-Cl has tremendous potential as a high-efficiency sorbent for capturing TcO/ReO in complex nuclear associated environmental systems.
PubMed: 38944180
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124442 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) technology offers a green and sustainable strategy for cooling, eliminating the need for external energy sources through its...
Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) technology offers a green and sustainable strategy for cooling, eliminating the need for external energy sources through its exceptional efficiency in heat radiation and sunlight reflection. Despite its benefits, the widespread usage of non-biodegradable PDRC materials has unfortunately caused environmental pollution and resource wastage. Furthermore, the effectiveness of outdoor PDRC materials can be significantly diminished by rainfall. In this work, a superhydrophobic composite aerogel composed of stereocomplex-type polylactide and ultra-fine glass fiber has been successfully developed through simple physical blending and freeze-drying, which exhibits low thermal conductivity (36.26 mW m K) and superhydrophobicity (water contact angle up to 150°). Additionally, its high solar reflectance (91.68 %) and strong infrared emissivity (93.95 %) enable it to effectively lower surface temperatures during daytime, resulting in a cooling effect of approximately 3.8 °C below the ambient temperature during the midday heat of summer, with a cooling power of 68 W/m. This aerogel offers an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for the utilization of radiative refrigeration materials, paving the way for environmental protection and sustainable development.
PubMed: 38942401
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133470