The Threat of Plant Toxins and Bioterrorism: A Review

The intentional use of highly pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses or their toxins, to spread mass-scale diseases that destabilize populations (with motivations of religious or ideological belief, monetary implications, or political decisions) is defined as bioterrorism. Although the success of a bioterrorism attack is not very realistic due to technical constraints, it is not unlikely and the threat of such an attack is higher than ever before. It is now a fact that the capability to create panic has allured terrorists for the use of biological agents (BAs) to cause terror attacks. In the era of biotechnology and nanotechnology, accessibility in terms of price and availability has spread fast, with new sophisticated BAs often being produced and used. Moreover, there are some BAs that are becoming increasingly important, such as toxins produced by bacteria (e.g., Botulinum toxin, BTX), or Enterotoxyn type B, also known as Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB)) and extractions from plants. The most increasing records are with regards to the extraction / production of ricin, abrin, modeccin, viscumin and volkensin, which are the most lethal plant toxins known to humans, even in low amounts. Moreover, ricin was also developed as an aerosol biological warfare agent (BWA) by the US and its allies during World War II, but was never used. Nowadays, there are increasing records that show how easy it can be to extract plant toxins and transform them into biological weapon agents (BWAs), regardless of the scale of the group of individuals

A 610-MHz Galactic Plane Pulsar Search with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope

We report on the discovery of three new pulsars in the first blind survey of the north Galactic plane (45 < l < 135 ; |b| < 1) with the Giant Meterwave Radio telescope (GMRT) at an intermediate frequency of 610 MHz. The timing parameters, obtained in follow up observations with the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory and the GMRT, are presented.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to be published in conference proceedings of "40 years of pulsars ..", replaced figure

Effects of ionizing radiation on flora ten years after the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster

: The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of ionizing radiation and radionuclides (like 137Cs) in several higher plants located around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), evaluating both their adaptive processes and evolution. After the FNPP accident in March 2011 much attention was focused to the biological consequences of ionizing radiation and radionuclides released in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. This unexpected mishap led to the emission of radionuclides in aerosol and gaseous forms from the power plant, which contaminated a large area, including wild forest, cities, farmlands, mountains, and the sea, causing serious problems. Large quantities of 131I, 137Cs, and 134Cs were detected in the fallout. People were evacuated but the flora continued to be affected by the radiation exposure and by the radioactive dusts' fallout. The response of biota to FNPP irradiation was a complex interaction among radiation dose, dose rate, temporal and spatial variation, varying radiation sensitivities of the different plants' species, and indirect effects from other events. The repeated ionizing radiations, acute or chronic, guarantee an adaptation of the plant species, demonstrating a radio-resistance. Consequently, ionizing radiation affects the genetic structure, especially during chronic irradiation, reducing genetic variability. This reduction is associated with the different susceptibility of plant species to chronic stress. This would confirm the adaptive theory associated with this phenomenon. The effects that ionizing radiation has on different life forms are examined in this review using the FNPP disaster as a case study focusing the attention ten years after the accident

Cytogenetic bio-dosimetry techniques in the detection of dicentric chromosomes induced by ionizing radiation: A review

Ionizing radiation is ubiquitous in the environment. Its source can be natural, such as radioactive materials present in soil and cosmic rays, or artificial, such as the fuel for nuclear power plants. Overexposure to ionizing radiation may damage living tissue and could cause severe health problems (i.e., mutations, radiation sickness, cancer, and death). Cytogenetic bio-dosimetry has the great advantage to take into account the inter-individual variation, and it is informative even when physical dosimetry is not applicable; moreover, it is the definitive method to assess exposure to ionizing radiation recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Such a procedure involves counting the frequency of dicentric chromosomes (DCs), which are the most studied chromosomal aberrations used as absorbed radiation biomarkers, during the metaphase of cells. A set of algorithms, tested on different programming languages to automatically identify DCs, is analyzed by the authors together with an Automated Dicentric Chromosome Identifying software (ADCI) mostly based on OpenCV programming libraries. The purpose of this work is to review the main results regarding the correlation between ionizing radiation and dicentric chromosomes in cytogenetic bio-dosimetry

Predictive value of VEGF gene polymorphisms for metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving first-line treatment including fluorouracil, irinotecan, and bevacizumab

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of germline vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms (VGPs) on the efficacy of the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab (Bev) in metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) patients

A compact light readout system for longitudinally segmented shashlik calorimeters

The longitudinal segmentation of shashlik calorimeters is challenged by dead zones and non-uniformities introduced by the light collection and readout system. This limitation can be overcome by direct fiber-photosensor coupling, avoiding routing and bundling of the wavelength shifter fibers and embedding ultra-compact photosensors (SiPMs) in the bulk of the calorimeter. We present the first experimental test of this readout scheme performed at the CERN PS-T9 beamline in 2015 with negative particles in the 1-5~GeV energy range. In this paper, we demonstrate that the scheme does not compromise the energy resolution and linearity compared with standard light collection and readout systems. In addition, we study the performance of the calorimeter for partially contained charged hadrons to assess the $e/\pi$ separation capability and the response of the photosensors to direct ionization.Comment: To appear in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research,

Response of a radiology department to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: the experience of the hospital “Policlinico Tor Vergata” in Rome

The dissemination of severe acute respiratory syndrome linked to the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, prompted all health services to provide adequate measures to limit new cases that could affect healthcare professionals. Due to the large number of suspected patients subjected to CT scans and the proximity of radiologists to the patient during exams, radiologists as well as the entire staff of the radiology department are particularly exposed to SARS-CoV-2. This article includes the emergency management procedures, the use of personal protective devices, and the rearrangement of exam rooms and of human resources in the department of radiology at “Policlinico Tor Vergata” in Rome performed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We introduce the management measures that our department has taken to cope with the influx of patients while still ensuring the proper management of other emergencies and time-sensitive exams

A narrow band neutrino beam with high precision flux measurements

The ENUBET facility is a proposed narrow band neutrino beam where lepton production is monitored at single particle level in the instrumented decay tunnel. This facility addresses simultaneously the two most important challenges for the next generation of cross section experiments: a superior control of the flux and flavor composition at source and a high level of tunability and precision in the selection of the energy of the outcoming neutrinos. We report here the latest results in the development and test of the instrumentation for the decay tunnel. Special emphasis is given to irradiation tests of the photo-sensors performed at INFN-LNL and CERN in 2017 and to the first application of polysiloxane-based scintillators in high energy physics.Comment: Poster presented at NuPhys2017 (London, 20-22 December 2017). 5 pages, 2 figure