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Studies were conducted in the Moscow region. The object of research is leek (Allium porrum L.). As a result of carrying out an experiment with ten grades of leek of domestic and foreign selection high-quality reaction on accumulation of radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr is revealed. It is found out that leek is not the fissile accumulator of accumulation of pollyutant in the conditions of the Central Non-black zone. On the average on ten varieties accumulation 137Cs 13.5 made Bq/kg, at a grade 4. However at the study of high quality standards forms that contained less radionuclides in comparison with others were allocated. On maintenance 90Sr distribution on the groups of accumulation of sorts approaches normal. A group is most representative with the middle level of accumulation of radionuclide 90Sr: from 15.4 to 16.5 Bq/kg. It contains two standards from ten studied forms by the high level of maintenance 90Sr sorts differ Goliath and Kazimir. In the conditions of vegetation of 2016 and 2017 indicators on morphological features are received: number of leaves, plant height, leaves length, leaves width. By us it is defined that the varieties of Giraffes, accumulating 137Cs in less as compared to other standards of varieties, excels substantially all standards of varieties 137Cs on such quantitative sign as a "number of leaves". It should be noted that the analysis of the received results demonstrates that at a high level of accumulation 137Cs of a plant created larger leaves and had higher chance stalk in comparison with plants with low level of accumulation of an element (137Cs).

Cesium is a radioactive fission product generated in nuclear power plants and is disposed of as liquid waste. The recent catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has increased the 137Cs and 134Cs concentrations in air, soil and water to lethal levels. 137Cs has a half-life of 30.4 years, while the half-life of 134Cs is around two years, therefore the formers’ detrimental effects linger for a longer period. In addition, cesium is easily transported through water bodies making water contamination an urgent issue to address. Presently, efficient water remediation methods towards the extraction of 137Cs are being studied. Prussian blue (PB) and its analogs have shown very high efficiencies in the capture of 137Cs+ ions. In addition, combining them with magnetic nanoparticles such as Fe3O4 allows their recovery via magnetic extraction once exhausted. Graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNT) are the new generation carbon allotropes that possess high specific surface areas. Moreover, the possibility to functionalize them with organic or inorganic materials opens new avenues in water treatment. The combination of PB-CNT/Graphene has shown enhanced 137Cs+ extraction and their possible applications as membranes can be envisaged. This review will survey these nanocomposites, their efficiency in 137Cs+ extraction, their possible toxicity, and prospects in large-scale water remediation and succinctly survey other new developments in 137Cs+ extraction.

Nuclear accidents of tremendous magnitude, such as those of Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011), mean that individuals living in the contaminated areas are potentially exposed to ionizing radiation (IR). However, the dose-response relationship for effects of low doses of radiation is not still established. The present study was aimed at investigating in mice the early effects of low-dose internal radiation exposure on the kidney. Adult male (C57BL/6 J) mice were divided into three groups. Two groups received a single subcutaneous (s.c.) doses of cesium ( 137 Cs) with activities of 4000 and 8000 Bq/kg bw. A third group (control group) received a single s.c. injection of 0.9% saline. To evaluate acute and subacute effects, mice (one-half of each group) were euthanized at 72 h and 10 days post-exposure to 137 Cs, respectively. Urine samples were collected for biochemical analysis, including the measurement of F2-isoprostane (F2-IsoP) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels. Moreover, the concentrations of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a sensitive marker of oxidative DNA damage, were measured in renal tissue. Urinary excretion of total protein significantly increased at 72 h in mice exposed to Cs4000. Uric acid and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) decreased significantly at both times post-exposure in animals exposed to Cs8000. After 72 h and 10 d of exposure to Cs4000, a significant increase in the γ-glutamil transferase (GGT) and N-acetyl-β- D -glucosaminidase (NAG) activities was observed. In turn, F2-IsoP levels increased -mainly in the Cs4000 group- at 72 h post-exposure. Following irradiation ( 137 Cs), the highest level of KIM-1 was corresponded to the Cs4000 group at 72 h. Likewise, the main DNA damage was detected in mice exposed to Cs4000, mainly at 10 d after irradiation. The alterations observed in several biomarkers suggest an immediate renal damage following exposure to low doses of IR (given as 137 Cs). Further investigations are required to clarify the mechanisms involved in the internal IR-induced nephrotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation therapy is a major cause of long-term complications observed in survivors of pediatric brain tumors. However, the effects of low-doses of ionizing radiation (IR) to the brain are less studied. On the other hand, tobacco is one of the most heavily abused drugs in the world. Tobacco is not only a health concern for adults. It has also shown to exert deleterious effects on fetuses, newborns, children and adolescents. Exposure to nicotine (Nic) from smoking may potentiate the toxic effects induced by IR on brain development. In this study, we evaluated in mice the cognitive effects of concomitant exposure to low doses of internal radiation ( 137 Cs) and Nic during neonatal brain development. On postnatal day 10 (PND10), two groups of C57BL/6J mice were subcutaneously exposed to 137-Cesium ( 137 Cs) (4000 and 8000 Bq/kg) and/or Nic (100 μg/ml). At the age of two months, neurobehavior of mice was assessed. Results showed that exposure to IR-alone or in combination with Nic-increased the anxiety-like of the animals without changing the activity levels. Moreover, exposure to IR impaired learning and spatial memory. However, Nic administration was able to reverse this effect, but only at the low dose of 137 Cs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most important plasticizer used in many household products such as polycarbonate plastics or epoxy resins. Public and scientific concerns exist regarding the possibility that the neonatal exposure to BPA may contribute to neurobehavioral disorders. On the other hand, there is little information on the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation during critical phases of postnatal brain development, as well as the combination of radiation and environmental chemicals. In this study, C57BL/6J mice were exposed to low doses of internal radiation ( 137 Cs), and/or BPA on postnatal day 10 (PND10). At the age of two months, animals were submitted to several tests to assess anxiety, activity, learning, and memory. Results showed that exposure to 137 Cs, alone or in combination with BPA, increased the anxiety-like of the animals without changing the activity levels. Animals exposed to 137 Cs showed impaired learning, and spatial memory, an impairment that was not observed in the groups co-exposed to BPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty five soil samples collected in the Lithuania teritory in 2011 and 2012 were analyzed for 129 I, 137 Cs and Pu isotopes in order to investigate the level and distribution of artificial radioactivity in Lithuania. The activity and atomic ratio of 238 Pu/ 239,24 0 Pu, 129 I/ 127 I and 131 I/ 137 Cs were used to identify the origin of these radionuclides. The 238 Pu/ 239+240 Pu and 240 Pu/ 239 Pu ratios in the soil samples analyzed varied in the range of 0.02–0.18 and 0.18–0.24, respectively, suggesting the global fallout as the major source of Pu in Lithuania. The values of 10 −9 to 10 −6 for 129 I/ 127 I atomic ratio revealed that the source of 129 I in Lithuania is global fallout in most cases though several sampling sites shows a possible impact of reprocessing releases. Estimated 129 I/ 131 I ratio in soil samples from the southern part of Lithuania shows negligible input of the Chernobyl fallout. No correlation of the 137 Cs and Pu isotopes with 129 I was observed, indicating their different sources terms. Results demonstrate uneven distribution of these radionuclides in the Lithuanian territory and several sources of contamination i.e. Chernobyl accident, reprocessing releases and global fallout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge of the absorbed radiation dose is essential in order to interpret the results of animal experiments with chronic ingestion of radionuclides by rodents. In order to evaluate this absorbed dose, we applied the dose conversion factors proposed by ICRP publication 108 to mouse chronic ingestion experiments with 20 kBq.L-1 137Cs- or 90Sr-contaminated water. The results indicated that wholebody absorbed doses were 9 mGy and 10 mGy by the end of 20 weeks of 137Cs or 90Sr ingestion, respectively. These results of dose calculations were compared with results obtained with a more refined method using published organ-specific absorbed fractions of energy. There was good agreement between the two methods, indicating that, despite the simple hypotheses used to apply the ICRP 108 dose conversion factors to our mouse model, this method allows one to calculate in a simple and reliable way the absorbed radiation dose received by the rodents during long-term experiments on chronic ingestion of radionuclides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the land use change data and by using 137Cs tracer technique, this paper studied the change process of soil erosion intensity in Yangjuangou watershed in Loess Hilly Region. Since the 1980's, the land use intensity in the watershed decreased gradually. In 1980-2006, the slope arable land decreased from 94.9 hm2 to 0.2 hmb2, while the forest land, shrub land, orchard land, and grassland increased from 0 to 51.1 hm2, from 0 to 19.2 hm2, from 0 to 18.0 hm2, and from 76.9 hm2 to 80.1 hmb2, respectively. The soil erosion intensity was in the order of slope arable land > shrub land > orchard land > grass land > forest land. In 1980, 1984, 1996, and 2006, the soil erosion intensity was 6408.9, 5362.4, 4903.9, and 3641.4 t · km-2 · a-1, respectively, being changed from intense to moderate. Soil and water conservation and vegetation restoration were the main causes of the decrease of soil erosion intensity in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A radionuclide that accumulates in the central nervous system is likely to exert both a chemical and a radiological effect. The present study aimed at assessing the behavioral effect of two radionuclides previously shown to accumulate in the central nervous system after chronic exposure – uranium and cesium. Materials and methods: Rats were exposed for 9 months to drinking water contaminated with either enriched uranium at a dosage of 40 mg U · l-1 or 137-cesium at a dosage of 6500 Bq · l-1, which correspond to the highest concentrations measured in some wells in the south of Finland (uranium) or in the milk in Belarus in the year following the Chernobyl accident (137-cesium). Results: At this level of exposure, 137-cesium had no effect on the locomotor activity measured in an open-field, on immobility time in a forced swimming test, on spontaneous alternation in a Y-maze and on novel object exploration in an object recognition test. Enriched uranium exposure specifically reduced the spontaneous alternation measured in the Y-maze after 3 and 9 months exposure although it did not affect the other parameters. Conclusion: Enriched uranium exposure altered the spatial working memory capacities and this effect was correlated with previously described accumulation of uranium in the hippocampus which is one of the cerebral areas involved in this memory system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cesium is a radioactive fission product generated in nuclear power plants and is disposed of as liquid waste. The recent catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has increased the 137Cs and 134Cs concentrations in air, soil and water to lethal levels. 137Cs has a half-life of 30.4 years, while the half-life of 134Cs is around two years, therefore the formers' detrimental effects linger for a longer period. In addition, cesium is easily transported through water bodies making water contamination an urgent issue to address. Presently, efficient water remediation methods towards the extraction of 137Cs are being studied. Prussian blue (PB) and its analogs have shown very high efficiencies in the capture of 137Cs+ ions. In addition, combining them with magnetic nanoparticles such as Fe3O4 allows their recovery via magnetic extraction once exhausted. Graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNT) are the new generation carbon allotropes that possess high specific surface areas. Moreover, the possibility to functionalize them with organic or inorganic materials opens new avenues in water treatment. The combination of PB-CNT/Graphene has shown enhanced 137Cs+ extraction and their possible applications as membranes can be envisaged. This review will survey these nanocomposites, their efficiency in 137Cs+ extraction, their possible toxicity, and prospects in large-scale water remediation and succinctly survey other new developments in 137Cs+ extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]