PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SUSPENSION CRITERIA SCENARIOS: RADIOTHERAPY.

In 2007, the European Commission (EC) commissioned a group of experts to undertake the revision of Report RP91 'Criteria for Acceptability of Radiological (including Radiotherapy) and Nuclear Medicine Installations' written in 1997. The revised draft report was submitted to the EC in 2010, which issued it for public consultation. The EC commissioned the same group of experts to consider the comments of the public consultation for further improvement of the revised report. The EC intends to publish the final report under its Radiation Report Series as RP162. This paper presents a selection of practical applications of suspension criteria scenarios in radiotherapy, mostly in brachytherapy, with special emphasis on the critical roles and responsibilities of qualified radiotherapy staff (radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiotherapy technicians)

Impact of chronic inflammation, assessed by hs-CRP, on the association between red cell distribution width and arterial cardiovascular disease: the Tromso Study

Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of variability in size of circulating erythrocytes, is associated with arterial cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of chronic inflammation as measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on this relationship, and explore whether RDW could be a mediator in the causal pathway between inflammation and arterial CVD. Baseline characteristics, including RDW and hs-CRP, were obtained from 5,765 individuals attending a population-based cohort study. We followed up participants from inclusion in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994/1995) until December 31, 2012. Multivariable Cox-regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke across quintiles of hs-CRP and RDW. Subjects with hs-CRP in the highest quintile had 44% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.14–1.80), and 64% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.20–2.24) compared with subjects in the lowest quintile. RDW mediated 7.2% (95% CI: 4.0–30.8%) of the association between hs-CRP and ischemic stroke. Subjects with RDW in the highest quintile had 22% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.98–1.54) and 44% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06–1.97) compared with subjects in the lowest quintile. These risk estimates were slightly attenuated after adjustments for hs-CRP. Our findings suggest that chronic inflammation is not a primary mechanism underlying the relationship between RDW and arterial CVD

Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features

Private gardens provide vital opportunities for people to interact with nature. The most popular form of interaction is through garden bird feeding. Understanding how landscape features and seasons determine patterns of movement of feeder-using songbirds is key to maximising the well-being benefits they provide. To determine these patterns we established three networks of automated data loggers along a gradient of greenspace fragmentation. Over a 12-month period we tracked 452 tagged blue tits Cyantistes caeruleus and great tits Parus major moving between feeder pairs 9,848 times, to address two questions: (i) Do urban features within different forms, and season, influence structural (presence-absence of connections between feeders by birds) and functional (frequency of these connections) connectivity? (ii) Are there general patterns of structural and functional connectivity across forms? Vegetation cover increased connectivity in all three networks, whereas the presence of road gaps negatively affected functional but not structural connectivity. Across networks structural connectivity was lowest in the summer when birds maintain breeding territories, however patterns of functional connectivity appeared to vary with habitat fragmentation. Using empirical data this study shows how key urban features and season influence movement of feeder-using songbirds, and we provide evidence that this is related to greenspace fragmentation.This work was funded under the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Sustainability (BESS) thematic programme for the “Fragments Functions and Flows in Urban Ecosystems” project (Reference: NE/J015237/1; http://bess-urban.group.shef.ac.u

Surface–rain interactions: Differences in copper runoff for copper sheet of different inclination, orientation, and atmospheric exposure conditions

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High iodine content in local animal milk and risk of exceeding EFSA upper intake level for iodine among Saharawi women

Excessive iodine intake is a major public health problem in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria, where animal milk is an important source of iodine. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between iodine concentrations in locally produced animal milk and in animal drinking water and further to assess the risk of exceeding European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) tolerable upper intake level for iodine (600 μg/d) among Saharawi women. In 2009 and 2010, 202 milk samples from goats and sheep and 52 milk samples from camel were collected. Iodine in milk was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). In addition, iodine in 56 water samples from the general water system and 54 water samples from wells, was determined by modified Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. Animal milk is generally consumed mixed with water. The median (min, max) iodine intake from goat/sheep milk mixed with water in camps with high iodine content in human drinking water was 284 (57, 2889) μg/d and 19% of participants exceeded EFSA upper intake level for iodine. The median (min, max) iodine intake from camel milk mixed with water in all camps was 2100 (210, 11100) and 47% of participants exceeded the EFSA upper intake level. The median (min, max) iodine content in goat/sheep milk from camps with moderate and high iodine content in water was 507 (101, 4791) μg/L and 1612 (487, 9323) μg/L, respectively (p < 0.001). The iodine content in goat/sheep milk was positively associated with iodine content in animal drinking water (regression coefficient, B 5.71, 95% CI 4.03, 7.39). In conclusion, consumption of camel milk and living in camps with high water iodine content increased the risk of exceeding the EFSA upper intake level for iodine. We suggest that purified water for both human and animal consumption should be provided.publishedVersio

Metal bioaccessibility in synthetic bodyfluids–A way to considerpositive and negative alloying effects in hazard assessments

Hazard classification of metal alloys is today generally based on their bulk content, an approach that seldom reflects the extent of metal release for a given environment. Such information can instead be achieved via bioelution testing under simulated physiological conditions. The use of bioelution data instead of bulk contents would hence refine the current hazard classification of alloys and enable grouping. Bioelution data have been generated for nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) released from several stainless steel grades, one low-alloyed steel, and Ni and Co metals in synthetic sweat, saliva and gastric fluid, for exposure periods from 2 to 168 h. All stainless steel grades with bulk contents of 0.11–10 wt% Ni and 0.019–0.24 wt% Co released lower amounts of Ni (up to 400-fold) and Co (up to 300-fold) than did the low-alloyed steel (bulk content: 0.034% Ni, 0.015% Co). They further showed a relative bioaccessibility of Ni and Co considerably less than 1, while the opposite was the case for the low-alloyed steel. Surface oxide- and electrochemical corrosion investigations explained these findings in terms of the high passivity of the stainless steels related to the Cr(III)-rich surface oxide that readily adapted to the fluid acidity and chemistry

The uses of Kenyan aloes: an analysis of implications for names, distribution and conservation

Background The genus Aloe is renowned for its medicinal and cosmetic properties and long history of use. Sixty-three Aloe species occur in Kenya, of which around 50 % are endemic. Several species of aloes are threatened with extinction and knowledge about their use is of major importance for sound conservation strategies. The main aims of this study were to assess the biocultural value of Aloe in Kenya by documenting local uses of aloes and evaluating how the vernacular names reflect the relative importance in different ethnic groups. Methods Ethnobotanical and ethnotaxonomical data were collected using field observations and semi-structured interviews. Information was collected by interviewing 63 respondents from nine different ethnic groups, representing different ages, gender and occupations. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.1.2. Results A total of 19 species of Aloe were found in the study area, of which 16 were used. On the generic level Aloe was easily distinguished. At species level, the local and scientific delimitation were almost identical for frequently used taxa. Aloe secundiflora, with 57 unique use records was the most important species. The two most frequently mentioned Aloe treatments, were malaria and poultry diseases. In our study area neither age nor gender had a significant influence on the level of knowledge of Aloe use. Finally, no correlation was found between extent of use and people’s perception of decrease in local aloe populations. The aloes are highly appreciated and are therefore propagated and transported over large areas when people relocate. Conclusion Biocultural value is reflected in the ethnotaxonomy of Aloe in Kenya. Different ethnic groups recognise their most-valued Aloe at the genus level as “the aloe” and add explanatory names for the other species, such as the “spotted aloe” and the “one-legged aloe”. Widespread species of Aloe have the highest number of uses. There is no obvious correlation with high use and decrease in abundance of aloes locally, and we found no compelling evidence for local uses causing devastating damage to populations of the 19 species in use, whereas habitat loss and commercial harvesting appear to be of urgent concern for these important plants