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Abstract RadioLab is an Italian project, addressed to school-age people, and designed for the dissemination of scientific culture on the theme of environmental radioactivity, with particular regards to the importance of knowledge of radon gas exposure. The project is a nationwide initiative promoted by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics- INFN. First tool used by the project, and of immediate impact to assess the public awareness on radon, is the administration of the survey “do you know the radon gas?”. In the survey, together with the knowledge of radon and of its sources, information on personal, cultural and territorial details regarding the interviewees are also taken. Reasonably, the survey invests not only young people, but also their relatives, school workers and, gradually, the public. The survey is administrated during exhibitions or outreach events devoted to schools, but also open to the public. The survey is in dual form: printed and online. The online mode clearly leads RadioLab project even outside the school environment. Based on the results of the survey, several statistical analyses have been performed and many conclusions are drawn about the knowledge of the population on the radon risk. The RadioLab benefit and the requirement to carry on the project goals, spreading awareness of environmental radioactivity from radon, emerge. The dataset involves all twenty Italian regions and consists of 28,612 entries covering the 5-year period 2018–2022.

Defining homogeneous subgroups of bipolar disorder (BD) is a major goal in personalized psychiatry and research. According to the neurodevelopmental theory, age at onset may be a key variable. As potential trait markers of neurodevelopment, cognitive and functional impairment should be greater in the early form of the disease, particularly type 1 BD (BD I). The age at onset was assessed in a multicenter, observational sample of 4190 outpatients with BD. We used a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess six domains of cognition. Functioning was measured using the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST). We studied the potential moderation of the type of BD on the associations between the age at onset and cognitive and functioning in a subsample of 2072 euthymic participants, controlling for potential clinical and socio-demographic covariates. Multivariable analyses showed cognition to not be impaired in individuals with early (21-30 years) and very early-life (before 14 years) onset of BD. Functioning was equivalent between individuals with early and midlife-onset of BD II and NOS but better for individuals with early onset of BD I. In contrast, functioning was not worse in individuals with very early-onset BD I but worse in those with very early-onset BD II and NOS. Early-life onset BDs were not characterized by poorer cognition and functioning. Our results do not support the neurodevelopmental view that a worse cognitive prognosis characterizes early-life onset BD. This study suggests that functional remediation may be prioritized for individuals with midlife-onset BD I and very early life onset BD 2 and NOS., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: None. Ethical approval: The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committees on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. All procedures involving human subjects were approved by the local ethics committee (Comité de Protection des Personnes Ile de France IX) on January 18, 2010., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

RadioLab is an Italian project, addressed to school-age people, and designed for the dissemination of scientific culture on the theme of environmental radioactivity, with particular regards to the importance of knowledge of radon gas exposure. The project is a nationwide initiative promoted by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics- INFN. First tool used by the project, and of immediate impact to assess the public awareness on radon, is the administration of the survey "do you know the radon gas?". In the survey, together with the knowledge of radon and of its sources, information on personal, cultural and territorial details regarding the interviewees are also taken. Reasonably, the survey invests not only young people, but also their relatives, school workers and, gradually, the public. The survey is administrated during exhibitions or outreach events devoted to schools, but also open to the public. The survey is in dual form: printed and online. The online mode clearly leads RadioLab project even outside the school environment. Based on the results of the survey, several statistical analyses have been performed and many conclusions are drawn about the knowledge of the population on the radon risk. The RadioLab benefit and the requirement to carry on the project goals, spreading awareness of environmental radioactivity from radon, emerge. The dataset involves all twenty Italian regions and consists of 28,612 entries covering the 5-year period 2018-2022., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Human navigation of social interactions relies on the processing of emotion on faces. This meta-analysis aimed to produce an updated brain atlas of emotional face processing from whole-brain studies based on a single emotional face-viewing paradigm (PROSPERO CRD42022251548)., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of Embase, MEDLINE and PsycINFO from May 2008 to October 2021. We used seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images to conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging contrasts between emotional (e.g., angry, happy) and neutral faces. We conducted agglomerative hierarchical clustering of meta-analytic map contrasts of emotional faces relative to neutral faces. We investigated lateralization of emotional face processing., Results: From 5549 studies identified, 55 data sets (1489 healthy participants) met our inclusion criteria. Relative to neutral faces, we found extensive activation clusters by fearful faces in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right fusiform area, left putamen and amygdala, right parahippocampalgyrus and cerebellum; we found smaller activation clusters by angry faces in the right cerebellum and right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and by disgusted faces in the left MTG. Happy and sad faces did not reach statistical significance. Clustering analyses showed similar activation patterns of fearful and angry faces; activation patterns of happy and sad faces showed the least correlation with other emotional faces. Emotional face processing was predominantly left-lateralized in the amygdala and anterior insula, and right-lateralized in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex., Limitations: Reliance on discretized effect sizes based on peak coordinate location instead of statistical brain maps, and the varying level of statistical threshold reporting from original studies, could lead to underdetection of smaller clusters of activation., Conclusion: Processing of emotional faces appeared to be oriented toward identifying threats on faces, from highest (i.e., angry or fearful faces) to lowest level (i.e., happy or sad faces), with a more complex lateralization pattern than previously theorized. Emotional faces may be processed in latent grouping but organized by threat content rather than emotional valence., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Paolo Fusar-Poli has received research funds or personal fees from Lundbeck, Angelini, Menarini, Sunovion, Boehringer Ingelheim, Proxymm Science, outside the current study. No other competing interests were declared., (© 2023 CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors.)

We present an investigation of the effects on BxPC3 pancreatic cancer cells of proton therapy combined with hyperthermia, assisted by magnetic fluid hyperthermia performed with the use of magnetic nanoparticles. The cells' response to the combined treatment has been evaluated by means of the clonogenic survival assay and the estimation of DNA Double Strand Breaks (DSBs). The Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production, the tumor cell invasion and the cell cycle variations have also been studied. The experimental results have shown that the combination of proton therapy, MNPs administration and hyperthermia gives a clonogenic survival that is much smaller than the single irradiation treatment at all doses, thus suggesting a new effective combined therapy for the pancreatic tumor. Importantly, the effect of the therapies used here is synergistic. Moreover, after proton irradiation, the hyperthermia treatment was able to increase the number of DSBs, even though just at 6 h after the treatment. Noticeably, the magnetic nanoparticles' presence induces radiosensitization effects, and hyperthermia increases the production of ROS, which contributes to cytotoxic cellular effects and to a wide variety of lesions including DNA damage. The present study indicates a new way for clinical translation of combined therapies, also in the vision of an increasing number of hospitals that will use the proton therapy technique in the near future for different kinds of radio-resistant cancers.

A new instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for the simultaneous determination of titanium (TiO 2 ) and silica (SiO 2 ) dioxide as UV-filters in sunscreens is described. Samples are encapsulated, neutron irradiated (30 s) and after a suitable decay (3 min), the induced 51 Ti (T 1/2  = 5.76 min) and 29 Al (T 1/2  = 6.56 min) radionuclides are measured for the emitted γ-ray fingerprint. Three applications were carried out: (i) screening study (analysis of commercial sunscreens in combination with single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS); (ii) research study (development of innovative UV-filters such as titanium dioxide or bismuth titanate loaded inorganic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MSN); (iii) validation study (intercalibration of a spectrochemical method - inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, ICP-OES). Collectively, the nuclear method appears a powerful tool adequate for quantifying TiO 2 and SiO 2 in the above studies. The limited accessibility at the nuclear reactor for neutron activation is probably one of the reasons why the excellent characteristics of the nuclear technique are not always fully known and exploited in the industrial and research chemical world., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Riccardo Magarini and Renato Riscassi have an actual competing financial interest as employed in Perkin Elmer Italia, a company committed to commercializing the sp-ICP-MS and ICP-OES technology., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present article describes the decommissioning of a self-shielded 18 MeV medical cyclotron IBA Cyclone 18/9 after 14 years of operation. A Monte Carlo simulation of the possible nuclear reactions was performed in order to plan the decommissioning activities. During the cyclotron dismantling, the activities of the cyclotron components, concrete wall and floor samples were measured. Residual activities were analysed by means of an HPGe detector and liquid scintillation counting, and compared with simulation data. Dosimetry of the staff involved in the decommissioning procedure was monitored by individual TL dosimeters and/or digital dosimeter. The cyclotron component analysis confirmed the presence of gamma and pure beta emitters, 22 Na, 54 Mn, 60 Co, 65 Zn, 207 Bi, 55 Fe, 63 Ni at different values of specific activity, depending on the positioning of the sample point and on the alloy of the sampled part. In these components the presence of gamma and pure beta emitters was measured 5 years after the shutdown at levels far above clearance limits as defined by the 'Recommended radiological protection criteria for the recycling of metals from the dismantling of nuclear installations' (RP89) guidelines. The simulation, carried out by FLUKA Code (version 2020.0.5) on the cyclotron components, provided good agreement with measurements, with a maximum discrepancy of the same order as the uncertainties. Four engineers of the cyclotron maintenance staff were involved in the dismounting of the hottest components and rigging of the cyclotron in the deposit 6 months after shutdown and two engineers were involved during the drilling phase 3.5 years after shutdown. The measured dose from external exposure of the involved staff was lower than 100 μ Sv person -1 during the first phase and lower than 20 μ Sv person -1 during the final drilling phase. Measured doses from intake were negligible. In conclusion, the decommissioning of the 18 MeV cyclotron does not represent a risk for the involved staff, but, due to the presence of long-lived radioisotopes, the cyclotron components are to be treated as low level radioactive waste, and stored in an authorised storage area for at least 25 years after shutdown., (© 2021 Society for Radiological Protection. Published on behalf of SRP by IOP Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.)

Background: The number of the applications of bismuth (Bi) is rapidly and remarkably increasing, enhancing the chance to increase the levels to which humans are normally daily exposed. The interest to Bi comes also from the potential of Bi-based nanoparticles (BiNPs) for industrial and biomedical purposes. Like other metal-based NPs used in nanomedicine, BiNPs may release ultratrace amounts of Bi ions when injected. The metabolic fate and toxicity of these ions still needs to be evaluated. At present, knowledge of Bi metabolism in laboratory animals refers almost solely to studies under unnatural "extreme" exposures, i.e. pharmacologically relevant high-doses (up to thousand mg kg -1 ) in relation to its medical use, or infinitesimal-doses (pg kg -1 as non-carrier-added Bi radioisotopes) for radiobiology protection, diagnostic and radiotherapeutic purposes. No specific study exists on the "metabolic patterns" in animal models exposed to levels of Bi, i.e. at "environmental dose exposure" that reflect the human daily exposure (μg kg -1 )., Methodology: Rats were intraperitoneally injected with 0.8 μg Bi kg -1 bw as 205+206 Bi(NO) 3 alone or in combination with 59 Fe for radiolabelling of iron proteins. The use of 205+206 Bi radiotracers allowed the detection and measurement down to pg fg -1 of the element in the blood biochemical compartments and protein fractions as isolated by differential centrifugation, size exclusion- and ion exchange chromatography, electrophoresis, solvent extraction, precipitation and dialysis., Results: 24 h after the administration, the blood concentration of Bi was 0.18 ng mL -1 , with a repartition plasma/red blod cells (RBC) in a ratio of 2:1. Elution profiles of plasma from gel filtration on Sephadex G-150 showed four pools of Bi-binder proteins with different molecular sizes (> 300 kDa, 160 kDa, 70 kDa and < 6.5 kDa). In the 70 kDa fraction transferrin and albumin were identified as biomolecule carriers for Bi. In red blood cells, Bi was distributed between cytosol and membranes (ghosts) in a ratio of about 5:1. In the cytosol, low molecular components (LMWC) and the hemoglobin associated the Bi in a ratio of about 1.8:1. In the hemoglobin molecule, Bi was bound to the beta polypeptide chain of the globin. In the ghosts, Bi was detected at more than one site of the protein fraction, with no binding with lipids. Dialysis experiments and the consistently high recovery (80-90 %) of 206 Bi from chromatography of 206 Bi-containing biocomponents suggest that Bi was firmly complexed at physiological pH with a low degree of breaking during the applications of experimental protocols for the isolation of the 206 Bi-biocomplexes. These latter were sensitive to acid buffer pH 5, and to the presence of complexing agents in the dialysis fluid., Conclusions: On the basis of an environmental biochemical toxicology approach, we have undertaken a study on the metabolic patterns of Bi 3+ ions in rats at tissue, subcellular and molecular level with the identification of cellular Bi-binding components. As a first part of the study the present work reports the results concerned with the metabolic fate of ultratrace levels of 205+206 Bi(NO) 3 in the blood., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Knowledge on Bi metabolism in laboratory animals refers to studies at "extreme" exposures, i.e. pharmacologically relevant high-doses (mg kg -1 b.w.) in relation to its medical use, or infinitesimal doses (pg kg -1 b.w.) concerning radiobiology protection and radiotherapeutic purposes. There are no specific studies on metabolic patterns of environmental exposure doses (ultratrace level, μg kg -1 b.w.), becoming in this context Bi a "heavy metal fallen into oblivion". We previously reported the results of the metabolic fate of ultratrace levels of Bi in the blood of rats [1]. In reference to the same study here we report the results of the retention and tissue binding of Bi with intracellular and molecular components., Methods: Animals were intraperitoneally injected with 0.8 μg Bi kg -1 b.w. as 205+206 Bi(NO) 3 , alone or in combination with 59 Fe for the radiolabeling of iron proteins. The use of 205+206 Bi radiotracer allowed the determination of Bi down to pg fg -1 in biological fluids, tissues, subcellular fractions, and biochemical components isolated by differential centrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, solvent extraction, precipitation, immunoprecipitation and dialysis., Main Findings: At 24 h post injection the kidney contained by far the highest Bi concentration (10 ng g -1 wt.w.) followed by the thymus, spleen, liver, thyroid, trachea, femur, lung, adrenal gland, stomach, duodenum and pancreas (0.1 to 1.3 ng g -1 wt.w.). Brain and testis showed smaller but consistently significant concentrations of the element (0.03 ng g -1 wt.w). Urine was the predominant route of excretion. Intracellularly, liver, kidney, spleen, testis, and brain cytosols displayed the highest percentages (35%-58%) of Bi of homogenates. Liver and testis nuclei were the organelles with the highest Bi content (24 % and 27 %). However, when the recovered Bi of the liver was recorded as percent of total recovered Bi divided by percent of total recovered protein the lysosomes showed the highest relative specific activity than in other fractions. In the brain subcellular fractions Bi was incorporated by neuro-structures with the protein and not lipidic fraction of the myelin retaining 18 % of Bi of the total homogenate. After the liver intra-subcellular fractionation: (i) 65 % of the nuclear Bi was associated with the protein fraction of the nuclear membranes and 35 % with the bulk chromatin bound to non-histone and DNA fractions; (ii) about 50 % of the mitochondrial Bi was associated with inner and outer membranes being the other half recovered in the intramitochondrial matrix; (iii) in microsomes Bi showed a high affinity (close to 90 %) for the membranous components (rough and smooth membranes); (iv) In the liver cytosol three pools of Bi-binding proteins (molecular size > 300 kDa, 70 kDa and 10 kDa) were observed with ferritin and metallothionein-like protein identified as Bi-binding biomolecules. Three similar protein pools were also observed in the kidney cytosol. However, the amount of Bi, calculated in percent of the total cytosolic Bi, were significantly different compared to the corresponding pools of the liver cytosol., Conclusions: At the best of our knowledge the present paper represents the first in vivo study, on the basis of an environmental toxicology approach, aiming at describing retention and binding of Bi in the rat at tissue, intracellular and molecular levels., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite thorough and validated clinical guidelines based on bipolar disorders subtypes, large pharmacological treatment heterogeneity remains in these patients. There is limited knowledge about the different treatment combinations used and their influence on patient outcomes. We attempted to determine profiles of patients based on their treatments and to understand the clinical characteristics associated with these treatment profiles., Methods: This multicentre longitudinal study was performed on a French nationwide bipolar cohort database. We performed hierarchical agglomerative clustering to search for clusters of individuals based on their treatments during the first year following inclusion. We then compared patient clinical characteristics according to these clusters., Results: Four groups were identified among the 1795 included patients: group 1 ("heterogeneous" n = 1099), group 2 ("lithium" n = 265), group 3 ("valproate" n = 268), and group 4 ("lamotrigine" n = 163). Proportion of bipolar 1 disorder, in groups 1 to 4 were: 48.2%, 57.0%, 48.9% and 32.5%. Groups 1 and 4 had greater functional impact at baseline and a less favorable clinical and functioning evolution at one-year follow-up, especially on GAF and FAST scales., Limitations: The one-year period used for the analysis of mood stabilizing treatments remains short in the evolution of bipolar disorder., Conclusions: Treatment profiles are associated with functional evolution of patients and were not clearly determined by bipolar subtypes. These profiles seem to group together common patient phenotypes. These findings do not seem to be influenced by the duration of disease prior to inclusion and neither by the number of treatments used during the follow-up period., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the current study, we provide the list of pharmacological interventions applied during the one-year follow-up period of the Pharmacological treatment profiles in the FACE-BD cohort study. These data show the treatments used in the new clusters formed in this previous study and also in usual bipolarity subtypes. The proportion of each treatment used during the follow-up was calculated. Days on each treatment were also included in this dataset. The complete clinical and paraclinical data analyzed for clusters and bipolar subtypes were included in this dataset. Socio-demographic self-administered and clinician-administered scales, clinical evaluation during the follow-up, psychiatric and somatic comorbidities, and blood tests are shown in this material., Competing Interests: Dr. Brodeur, H. Terrisse, Dr. Pouchon, O. Godin, Dr. Aubin, Dr. Bellivier, Dr. Belzeaux, Dr. Bougerol, Dr. Courtet, Dr. Dubertret, Dr. Gard, Dr. Henry, Dr. Leboyer, Dr. Roux, Dr. Schwan, Dr. Bosson have nothing to disclose. Dr. Aouizerate reports personal fees from Janssen-Cilag, personal fees from Lilly, personal fees from Sanofi, during the conduct of the study. Dr. Haffen reports personal fees and non-financial support from Janssen, personal fees and non-financial support from Lundbeck, personal fees and non-financial support from Otsuka, outside the submitted work. Dr. Olié reports personal fees from Janssen-Cilag, outside the submitted work. Dr. Samalin reports personal fees and non-financial support from Janssen, personal fees and non-financial support from Lundbeck, personal fees and non-financial support from Otsuka, outside the submitted work. Dr. Etain reports grants from INSERM, grants from Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, grants from Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, grants from Fondation de France, grants from Research Council of Norway, personal fees from SANOFI, outside the submitted work. Dr. Polosan reports personal fees from Lundbeck, personal fees from Janssen-Cilag, outside the submitted work. The FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise in Bipolar Disorders (FACE-BD) Collaborators have no conflicts of interest to disclose except PM Llorca. PM Llorca has received grants, honoraria, or consulting fees from ESAI, Gedeon Richeter, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka and Sanofi., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: TiO 2 nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) are the nanomaterial most produced as an ultraviolet (UV) filter. However, TiO 2 is a semiconductor and, in nanoparticle size, is a strong photocatalyst, raising concerns about photomutagenesis. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) were synthetized incorporating TiO 2 NPs (TiO 2 @MSN) to develop a cosmetic UV filter. The aim of this study was to assess the toxicity of TiO 2 @MSN, compared with bare MSN and commercial TiO 2 NPs, based on several biomarkers. Materials and Methods: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were exposed to TiO 2 @MSN, bare MSN (network) or commercial TiO 2 NPs for comparison. Exposed PBMC were characterized for cell viability/apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), nuclear morphology, and cytokines secretion. Results: All the nanoparticles induced apoptosis, but only TiO 2 NPs (alone or assembled into MSN) led to ROS and micronuclei. However, TiO 2 @MSN showed lower ROS and cytotoxicity with respect to the P25. Exposure to TiO 2 @MSN induced Th2-skewed and pro-fibrotic responses. Conclusions: Geno-cytotoxicity data indicate that TiO 2 @MSN are safer than P25 and MSN. Cytokine responses induced by TiO 2 @MSN are imputable to both the TiO 2 NPs and MSN, and, therefore, considered of low immunotoxicological relevance. This analytical assessment might provide hints for NPs modification and deep purification to reduce the risk of health effects in the settings of their large-scale manufacturing and everyday usage by consumers.

The positron emitter 52g Mn is used for the Positron Emission Tomography - PET imaging.In this work we investigate the nuclear reactions for production of 52g Mn and 54 Mn induced by deuteron beams on natural chromium targets at energies up to E d  = 28 MeV using the stacked-foils activation technique. We calculate the thick target yields for 52g Mn and for the radionuclidic impurity 54 Mn, and we compare the radionuclidic purity of 52g Mn with that achievable in proton activation of Cr. The cross-sections of the reactions nat Cr(d,pxn) 51 Cr and nat Cr(d,x) 48 V are also presented., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A combination of carbon ions/photons irradiation and hyperthermia as a novel therapeutic approach for the in-vitro treatment of pancreatic cancer BxPC3 cells is presented. The radiation doses used are 0-2 Gy for carbon ions and 0-7 Gy for 6 MV photons. Hyperthermia is realized via a standard heating bath, assisted by magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) that utilizes magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) exposed to an alternating magnetic field of amplitude 19.5 mTesla and frequency 109.8 kHz. Starting from 37 °C, the temperature is gradually increased and the sample is kept at 42 °C for 30 min. For MFH, MNPs with a mean diameter of 19 nm and specific absorption rate of 110 ± 30 W/g Fe3 o 4 coated with a biocompatible ligand to ensure stability in physiological media are used. Irradiation diminishes the clonogenic survival at an extent that depends on the radiation type, and its decrease is amplified both by the MNPs cellular uptake and the hyperthermia protocol. Significant increases in DNA double-strand breaks at 6 h are observed in samples exposed to MNP uptake, treated with 0.75 Gy carbon-ion irradiation and hyperthermia. The proposed experimental protocol, based on the combination of hadron irradiation and hyperthermia, represents a first step towards an innovative clinical option for pancreatic cancer.

Evaluation of the radioisotopic purity of technetium-99m ( 99m Tc) produced in GBq amounts by proton bombardment of enriched molibdenum-100 ( 100 Mo) metallic targets at low proton energies (i.e. within 15-20 MeV) is conducted. This energy range was chosen since it is easily achievable by many conventional medical cyclotrons already available in the nuclear medicine departments of hospitals. The main motivation for such a study is in the framework of the research activities at the international level that have been conducted over the last few years to develop alternative production routes for the most widespread radioisotope used in medical imaging. The analysis of technetium isotopes and isomeric states ( 9x Tc) present in the pertechnetate saline Na 99m TcO 4 solutions, obtained after the extraction/purification procedure, reveals radionuclidic purity levels basically in compliance with the limits recently issued by European Pharmacopoeia 9.3 (2018 Sodium pertechnetate ( 99m Tc) injection 4801-3). Moreover, the impact of 9x Tc contaminant nuclides on the final image quality is thoroughly evaluated, analyzing the emitted high-energy gamma rays and their influence on the image quality. The spatial resolution of images from cyclotron-produced 99m Tc acquired with a mini-gamma camera was determined and compared with that obtained using technetium-99m solutions eluted from standard 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generators. The effect of the increased image background contribution due to Compton-scattered higher-energy gamma rays (E γ   >  200 keV), which could cause image-contrast deterioration, was also studied. It is concluded that, due to the high radionuclidic purity of cyclotron-produced 99m Tc using 100 Mo(p,2n) 99m Tc reaction at a proton beam energy in the range 15.7-19.4 MeV, the resulting image properties are well comparable with those from the generator-eluted 99m Tc.

Deuteron-induced nuclear reactions for the generation of 103 Pd were investigated using the stacked-foil activation technique on rhodium targets at deuteron energies up to E d =33MeV. The excitation functions of the reactions 103 Rh(d,xn) 101,103 Pd, 103 Rh(d,x) 100g,cum,101m,g,102m,g Rh and 103 Rh(d,2p) 103 Ru have been measured, and the Thick-Target Yield for 103 Pd has been calculated., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Potential environmental impacts of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) can be understood taking into consideration phytotoxicity. We reported on the effects of ionic (FeCl3), micro- and nano-sized zerovalent iron (nZVI) about the development of three macrophytes: Lepidium sativum, Sinapis alba and Sorghum saccharatum. Four toxicity indicators (seed germination, seedling elongation, germination index and biomass) were assessed following exposure to each iron concentration interval: 1.29-1570mg/L (FeCl3), 1.71-10.78mg/L (micro-sized iron) and 4.81-33,560mg/L (nano-iron). Exposure effects were also observed by optical and transmission electron microscopy. Results showed that no significant phytotoxicity effects could be detected for both micro- and nano-sized zerovalent irons, including field nanoremediation concentrations. Biostimulation effects such as an increased seedling length and biomass production were detected at the highest exposure concentrations. Ionic iron showed slight toxicity effects only at 1570mg/L and, therefore, no median effect concentrations were determined. By microscopy, ENPs were not found in palisade cells or xylem. Apparently, aggregates of nZVI were found inside S. alba and S. saccharatum, although false positives during sample preparation cannot be excluded. Macroscopically, black spots and coatings were detected on roots of all species especially at the most concentrated treatments., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The use of platinum, palladium and rhodium (Platinum Group Elements - PGEs) and the possibility of exposure to their ultratrace levels is increasing. In fact, the exponential development of metallic PGE-based nanoparticles (<100 nm in size) opens extraordinary perspectives in the areas of electrocatalysts and catalytic converters, magnetic nanopowders, polymer membranes, cancer therapy, coatings, plastics, nanofibres and textiles. Like other metal-based nanoparticles, exposure to PGEs nanoparticles may result in a release of ultratrace amounts of Pt, Pd, Rh ions in the body whose metabolic fate and toxicity still need to be evaluated. Furthermore, PGEs can act as allergic sensitizers by acting as haptens and inducing both type I and IV allergic reactions. In this work we studied the in vivo metabolic patterns of ultratrace levels of potent allergens and sensitizers PGE halogenated salts. (191)Pt, (103)Pd and (101m)Rh radioisotopes were prepared via cyclotron irradiation and used for radiolabelling Na2(191)PtCl4, Na2(103)PdCl4 and Na2(101m)RhCl6 salts. These anionic chlorocomplexes were intraperitoneally injected into rats (114 ng Pt kg(-1) bodyweight; 24 ng Pd kg(-1) b.w.; 16 ng Rh kg(-1) b.w.). At 16 h post-exposure, PGEs were poorly but significantly retained in all tissues analysed. Kidneys, spleen, adrenal gland, liver, pancreas and small intestine were the organs with the highest Pt, Pd, Rh concentrations. In the blood 30-35% of (103)Pd and (191)Pt and 10% of (101m)Rh were recovered in the plasma, mainly bound to albumin and to a less extent to transferrin. The hepatic and renal intracellular distribution showed the highest recovery of (191)Pt, (103)Pd and (101m)Rh in the nuclear fraction (liver) and in the cytosol (kidney). Chromatographic separation and ultrafiltration experiments on kidney and liver cytosols showed the strong ability of biochemical macromolecules to bind (191)Pt, (103)Pd and (101m)Rh, and being responsible for the retention of the three elements in the body. The link to macromolecules is the basis for the sensitizing capacity of PGEs.

The (75)Se internal bioavailability was investigated in microalgae, mussels and rats as biological experimental models. The (75)Se accumulation from freshwater to microalgae [Scenedesmus obliquus (Turpin) Kützing], from freshwater to mussels (Unio mancus Lamark) and, finally, per os to rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout) was followed using (75)Se-labelled selenite looking at (75)Se uptake, retention, intracellular distribution and binding with cellular biocomplexes. After exposure to 10, 50 and 500 μg Se L(-1), the microalgae showed an inhibitory effect on population growth only at the highest concentration. Mussels exposed to 105 μg Se L(-1) showed an accumulation of the element with time in all tissues. Intracellularly, Se was present in all subcellular fractions, especially in the cytosol. Rats were treated via oral administration with 5 μg Se rat(-1). After 24 h, liver and kidney showed the highest Se concentration.

(75)Se-selenite transfer was investigated in a phytoplankton-mussel-rat food chain model consisting of Scenedesmus obliquus (Turpin) Kützing, Unio mancus Lamark and Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout. (75)Se-metabolized forms were investigated in order to identify potential critical steps in the food chain, as well as its relative bioavailability looking also at intracellular, cellular and organ partitioning. Tissue and intracellular distribution of (75)Se in mussels fed with (75)Se-S. obliquus was different compared to those exposed only to inorganic (75)Se-selenite. The intracellular distribution of (75)Se in the hepatopancreas and mantle of mussels fed (75)Se-microalgae was similar to hepatic and renal distributions in rats, suggesting that their stomach dissociated larger (75)Se-containing molecules. The (75)Se partitioned from water (culture medium) to microalgae showing a bioconcentration factor of 435. The bottleneck in the trophic transfer of (75)Se occurred between S. obliquus-U. mancus. From microalgae to mussels and subsequently to rats no bioaccumulation was verified.

Proton-induced nuclear reactions for generation of (99)Mo and (99m)Tc radionuclides were investigated using the stacked-foil activation technique on 99.05% enriched (100)Mo targets at energies up to Ep=21MeV. Excitation functions of the reactions (100)Mo(p,x)(99)Mo and (100)Mo(p,2n)(99m)Tc have been measured., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Deuteron-induced nuclear reactions for generation of no-carrier-added (NCA) Lu isotopes were investigated using the stacked-foil activation technique on natural Yb targets at energies up to Ed=18.18MeV. The decay curve of ¹⁷⁷Yb, the growth curve of the cumulative (direct and indirect) and the direct production of (177g)Lu were determined. The analysis of these curves conducts to the evidence that the predominant route for the production of (177g)Lu is the indirect reaction ¹⁷⁶Yb(d,p)¹⁷⁷Yb, which decays to (177g)Lu. In the spectra acquired one year from the EOB the γ lines of (177m)Lu are not evident. A comparison between the calculated activity of (177g)Lu produced with a cyclotron and with a nuclear reactor is given., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)