Search results for "ionizing"
showing 10 items of 149 documents
Evidence for a teratogenic risk in the offspring of health personnel exposed to ionizing radiation?!
2016
Background The evidence concerning safety of occupational exposure to ionizing radiation on teratogenic effects mainly relies on animal models, disaster epidemiology and experience in cancer etiology. Following an explorative result on maternal exposure in medical occupations we conducted a feasibility study, addressing congenital anomalies (CA) in the offspring of health workers potentially exposed to radiation. Methods In a prospective follow-up study, we enrolled women, identified by mandatory registration at the office of radiation protection as wearing a dosimeter. The participating women answered a questionnaire and if pregnant agreed to an examination of their infant. CA were diagnos…
The "Livio Scarsi" X-Ray Facility at University of Palermo for Device Testing
2015
In this work, we report on the characteristics of the Livio Scarsi X-ray facility at University of Palermo. The facility is able to produce low energy X rays, within the energy range of 0.1-60 keV, with fluence rates ranging from 105-108 photons/mm2 s. The laboratory is equipped with an innovative digital detection system, based on semiconductor detectors (Si and CdTe detectors), able to provide accurate and precise estimation of the fluence rate, the energy and the exposure of X rays, even at high counting rate conditions. Instrumentation for electrical characterization (DC-AC) of semiconductor devices, for both off-line and on-line (i.e. during the irradiation) measurements, is also avail…
Concentration-Dependent Protection by Ethanol Extract of Propolis against γ-Ray-Induced Chromosome Damage in Human Blood Lymphocytes
2010
Radioprotection with natural products may be relevant to the mitigation of ionizing radiation-induced damage in mammalian systems; in this sense, propolis extracts have shown effects such as antioxidant, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulant. We report for the first time a cytogenetic study to evaluate the radioprotective effect,in vitro, of propolis against radiation-induced chromosomal damage. Lymphocytes were cultured with increasing concentrations of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP), including 20, 40, 120, 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 2000 μg mL−1and then exposed to 2 Gyγ-rays. A significant and concentration-dependent decrease is observed in the frequency of chromosome aberr…
Evaluation of Mechanical and Structure Properties of Electron Beam Cross-Linked Ethylene-Octene Copolymer Nanocomposites with Multi-Walled Carbon Nan…
2016
Recently, ionizing radiation has found an application in nanotechnology especially attributed to the improvement of nanocomposites. In the present paper, we have developed and evaluated radiation cross-linked nanocomposites made of ethylene-octene copolymer (EOC) with 0-15 wt.% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and irradiated by 5 MeV accelerated electrons. The influence of combined factors of MWCNT filler content and the irradiation up to 150 kGy on the tensile stress-strain properties at 25–50°C was analysed. The cross-linking efficiency was also evaluated. The results indicated improvement in tensile properties with an increase of MWCNT content and the irradiation up to 150 kGy d…
Search for magnetic monopoles with the MoEDAL prototype trapping detector in 8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHC
2016
The MoEDAL experiment is designed to search for magnetic monopoles and other highly-ionising particles produced in high-energy collisions at the LHC. The largely passive MoEDAL detector, deployed at Interaction Point 8 on the LHC ring, relies on two dedicated direct detection techniques. The first technique is based on stacks of nuclear-track detectors with surface area $\sim$18 m$^2$, sensitive to particle ionisation exceeding a high threshold. These detectors are analysed offline by optical scanning microscopes. The second technique is based on the trapping of charged particles in an array of roughly 800 kg of aluminium samples. These samples are monitored offline for the presence of trap…
DNA double-strand breaks trigger apoptosis in p53-deficient fibroblasts
2001
DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are induced by ionizing radiation (IR) and various radiomimetic agents directly, or indirectly as a consequence of DNA repair, recombination and replication of damaged DNA. They are ultimately involved in the generation of chromosomal aberrations and were reported to cause genomic instability, gene amplification and reproductive cell death. To address the question of whether DSBs act as a trigger of apoptosis, we induced DSBs by means of restriction enzyme electroporation and compared the effect with IR in mouse fibroblasts that differ in p53 status [wild-type (+/+) versus p53-deficient (-/-) cells]. We show that (i) electroporation of PVU:II is highly effici…
Physiological Effects of Hyperthermia
1987
Hyperthermia as a modality for the treatment of malignant tumors, either alone or in combination with radiation or anticancer drugs, is rapidly becoming a clinical reality. Three different mechanisms of action have provided the rationale for considering the use of hyperthermia as an antitumor agent. At moderate hyperthermia (T=40˚ -42.5˚ C), heat can increase cell killing in a synergistic way following exposure of a tumor to ionizing radiation. This radiosensitization is probably based on, among other things, the inhibited repair of radiation-induced DNA lesions. Elevated tissue temperatures at 40˚ -42.5˚ C also sensitize tumor cells to certain chemotherapeutic drugs, particularly to alkyla…
Soft errors in commercial off-the-shelf static random access memories
2016
International audience; This article reviews state-of-the-art techniques for the evaluation of the effect of radiation on static random access memory (SRAM). We detailed irradiation test techniques and results from irradiation experiments with several types of particles. Two commercial SRAMs, in 90 and 65 nm technology nodes, were considered as case studies. Besides the basic static and dynamic test modes, advanced stimuli for the irradiation tests were introduced, as well as statistical post-processing techniques allowing for deeper analysis of the correlations between bit-flip cross-sections and design/architectural characteristics of the memory device. Further insight is provided on the …
Radiation synthesis of nanogels as therapeutic agent vectors
2015
Nanogels (NGs) are physically or chemically crosslinked polymer networks and are promising candidates in the development of therapeutic agent vectors. In fact, thanks to their tunable size and properties, they offer unique advantages, including a large and flexible surface for multivalent bio-conjugation, an internal 3D aqueous environment for incorporation and protection of (bio)molecular drugs, stimuliresponsiveness to achieve temporal and/or site control of the release function and biocompatibility. In order to develop effective NGs-based biomedical devices an inexpensive, robust and versatile synthetic methodology is required. In this perspective, we have produced NGs with high yields a…