Isotopic evidence of plutonium release into the environment from the Fukushima DNPP accident

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (DNPP) accident caused massive releases of radioactivity into the environment. The released highly volatile fission products, such as 129mTe, 131I, 134Cs, 136Cs and 137Cs were found to be widely distributed in Fukushima and its adjacent prefectures in eastern Japan. However, the release of non-volatile actinides, in particular, Pu isotopes remains uncertain almost one year after the accident. Here we report the isotopic evidence for the release of Pu into the atmosphere and deposition on the ground in northwest and south of the Fukushima DNPP in the 20–30 km zones. The high activity ratio of 241Pu/239+240Pu (> 100) from the Fukushima DNPP accident highlights the need for long-term 241Pu dose assessment, and the ingrowth of 241Am. The results are important for the estimation of reactor damage and have significant implication in the strategy of decontamination

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Effects of chronic γ-irradiation on growth and survival of the Tohoku hynobiid salamander, Hynobius lichenatus

The Tohoku hynobiid salamanders, Hynobius lichenatus, were chronically irradiated with γ-rays from embryonic to juvenile stages for 450 days. At 490 μGy h−1 or lower dose rates, growth and survival were not significantly affected by irradiation, and any morphological aberrations and histological damages were not observed. At 4600 μGy h−1, growth was severely inhibited, and all the individuals died mostly at the juvenile stage. Chronic LD50 was 42 Gy as a total dose. In the liver, the number of hematopoietic cells was significantly reduced in the living juveniles, and these cells disappeared in the dead juveniles. In the spleen, mature lymphocytes were depleted in the living larvae, and almost all the heamtopoietic cells disappeared in the dead juveniles. These results suggest that this salamander died due to acute radiation syndrome, i.e., hematopoietic damage and subsequent sepsis caused by immune depression. The death would be also attributed to skin damage inducing infection. At 18,000 μGy h−1, morphological aberrations and severe growth inhibition were observed. All the individuals died at the larval stage due to a multiple organ failure. Chronic LD50 was 28 Gy as a total dose. Assuming that chronic LD50 was 42 Gy at lower dose rates than 4600 μGy h−1, a chronic median lethal dose rate could be estimated to be 14 years). These results suggest that, among guidance dose rates, i.e., 4–400 μGy h−1, proposed by various organisations and research programmes for protection of amphibians and taxonomic groups or ecosystems including amphibians, most of them would protect this salamander but the highest value may not on the whole life scale

Effects of pneumoperitoneum on the vectorcardiogram obtained with the Frank lead system

Vectorcardiograms were recorded with the Frank lead system during laparoscopy. Pneumoperitoneum produced the following significant vectorcardiographic changes: (1) The maximum spatial QRS vector increased in magnitude and shifted horizontally and slightly anteriorly. (2) The L/W ratio of the frontal QRS loop decreased. (3) The scalar data of each X, Y, Z lead of the QRS loop increased. In particular, the increases in R of all three leads and in S of lead Z were significant. These results suggest that the changes in the cardiac anatomic position due to lift of the diaphragma and a decrease of left ventricular end-diastolic volume might produce these vectorcardiographic changes during laparoscopy

¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs Isotopic Ratio as a New Tracer of Radiocesium Released from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011, intensive studies of the distribution of released fission products, in particular ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs, in the environment have been conducted. However, the release sources, that is, the damaged reactors or the spent fuel pools, have not been identified, which resulted in great variation in the estimated amounts of ¹³⁷Cs released. Here, we investigated heavily contaminated environmental samples (litter, lichen, and soil) collected from Fukushima forests for the long-lived ¹³⁵Cs (half-life of 2 × 10⁶ years), which is usually difficult to measure using decay-counting techniques. Using a newly developed triple-quadrupole inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry method, we analyzed the ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs isotopic ratio of the FDNPP-released radiocesium in environmental samples. We demonstrated that radiocesium was mainly released from the Unit 2 reactor. Considering the fact that the widely used tracer for the released Fukushima accident-sourced radiocesium in the environment, the ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs activity ratio, will become unavailable in the near future because of the short half-life of ¹³⁴Cs (2.06 years), the ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs isotopic ratio can be considered as a new tracer for source identification and long-term estimation of the mobility of released radiocesium in the environment

Dose rate estimation of the Tohoku hynobiid salamander, Hynobius lichenatus, in Fukushima

The radiological risks to the Tohoku hynobiid salamanders (class Amphibia), Hynobius lichenatus due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident were assessed in Fukushima Prefecture, including evacuation areas. Aquatic egg clutches (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 4 in total), overwintering larvae (n = 1 - 5 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total), and terrestrial juveniles or adults (n = 1 or 3 for each sampling date and site; n = 12 in total) of H. lichenatus were collected from the end of April 2011 to April 2013. Environmental media such as litter (n = 1 - 5 for each sampling date and site; n = 30 in total), soil (n = 1 - 8 for each sampling date and site; n = 31 in total), water (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total), and sediment (n = 1 for each sampling date and site; n = 17 in total) were also collected. Activity concentrations of 134Cs + 137Cs were 1.9 - 2800, 0.13 - 320, and 0.51 - 220 kBq (dry kg) -1 in the litter, soil, and sediment samples, respectively, and were 0.31 - 220 and <0.29-40 kBq (wet kg)-1 in the adult and larval salamanders, respectively. External and internal absorbed dose rates to H. lichenatus were calculated from these activity concentration data, using the ERICA Assessment Tool methodology. External dose rates were also measured in situ with glass dosimeters. There was agreement within a factor of 2 between the calculated and measured external dose rates. In the most severely contaminated habitat of this salamander, a northern part of Abukuma Mountains, the highest total dose rates were estimated to be 50 and 15 μGy h-1 for the adults and overwintering larvae, respectively. Growth and survival of H. lichenatus was not affected at a dose rate of up to 490 μGy h-1 in the previous laboratory chronic gamma-irradiation experiment, and thus growth and survival of this salamander would not be affected, even in the most severely contaminated habitat in Fukushima Prefecture. However, further studies of the adult salamanders may be required in order to examine whether the most severe radioactive contamination has any effects on sensitive endpoints, since the estimated highest dose rate to the adults exceeded some of the guidance dose rates proposed by various organisations and programmes for the protection of amphibians, which range from 4 to 400 μGy h-1. Conversely, at one site in Nakadori, a moderately contaminated region in Fukushima Prefecture, the dose rate to the adult salamanders in spring of 2012 was estimated to be 0.2 μGy h-1. Estimated dose rates to the overwintering larvae in spring of 2012 were 1 and 0.2 μGy h-1 at one site in Nakadori, and in Aizu, a less contaminated region in Fukushima Prefecture, respectively. These results suggest that there is a low risk that H. lichenatus will be affected by radioactive contamination in these districts, though further studies on dose rate estimation are required for definitive risk characterisation

A case of cardiac lipoma

We reported a case of primary cardiac lipoma in a 74-year-old woman who had a 23-year history of cardiomegaly. The chest roentgenogram showed an enlargement of the cardiac silhouette. The electrocardiogram showed slight abnormalities including mild low voltage of R wave in V6 and flat T wave in V5 and V6. M-mode and cross-sectional echocardiography revealed a low echoic mass which mainly situated between left ventricular posterior wall and the pericardium. The left and right ventricular wall motion was not affected. Computed tomography of the heart revealed a large mass backward of the left ventricle and right side of the right atrium. The attenuation values of the mass ranged around-118HU and was compatible to lipoma. We diagnosed as a lipoma of the heart possibly arising from the pericardium. Computed tomography may be of use for a very specific diagnosis of cardiac lipoma