Concern over radiation exposure and psychological distress among rescue workers following the Great East Japan Earthquake

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami that followed caused severe damage along Japans northeastern coastline and to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. To date, there are few reports specifically examining psychological distress in rescue workers in Japan. Moreover, it is unclear to what extent concern over radiation exposure has caused psychological distress to such workers deployed in the disaster area.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One month after the disaster, 424 of 1816 (24%) disaster medical assistance team workers deployed to the disaster area were assessed. Concern over radiation exposure was evaluated by a single self-reported question. General psychological distress was assessed with the Kessler 6 scale (K6), depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), fear and sense of helplessness with the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), and posttraumatic stress symptoms with the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Radiation exposure was a concern for 39 (9.2%) respondents. Concern over radiation exposure was significantly associated with higher scores on the K6, CES-D, PDI, and IES-R. After controlling for age, occupation, disaster operation experience, duration of time spent watching earthquake news, and past history of psychiatric illness, these associations remained significant in men, but did not remain significant in women for the CES-D and PDI scores.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings suggest that concern over radiation exposure was strongly associated with psychological distress. Reliable, accurate information on radiation exposure might reduce deployment-related distress in disaster rescue workers.</p

Effects of Tridocosahexaenoyl-Glycerol Emulsion on Proteinuria in Rats with Nephrotoxic Serum Nephritis

Background: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and an important component of cell membrane phospholipids (PL). Nephrotoxic serum (NTS) nephritis was a worldwide model of the Goodpasture syndrome. We investigated the effects of tridocosahexaenoyl-glycerol (DHA-TG) emulsion on proteinuria in rats with NTS nephritis. Methods: Sixteen male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 g were used. Twelve rats were treated with NTS via the tail vein and divided into 3 groups (groups A, B, and C). Another 4 rats treated with saline served as controls (group D). DHA-TG and soybean oil emulsions were intraperitoneally administered to the rats in groups A and B, respectively, 24 h prior to NTS injection, and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days after the injection. Saline was administered to the rats in groups C and D in the same manner. All rats were sacrificed on day 6 to obtain plasma and kidney samples. Analyses of urinary protein levels and fatty acid composition of plasma and kidney as well as histological examination of the kidneys were performed. Results: Urinary protein levels in group A were significantly lower than those in group C (35.0 ± 13.3 vs. 79.2 ± 11.8 mg/day on day 5, means ± SE, p Conclusions: These results suggest that the DHA-TG emulsion may have beneficial effects on NTS nephritis in the rat

Advanced Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposites and Hybrid Materials

The exploitation of naturally occurring polymers to engineer advanced nanocomposites and hybrid materials is the focus of increasing scientific activity, explained by growing environmental concerns and interest in the peculiar features and multiple functionalities of these macromolecules. Natural polymers, such as polysaccharides and proteins, present a remarkable potential for the design of all kinds of materials for application in a multitude of domains. This Special Issue collected the work of scientists on the current developments in the field of multifunctional biopolymer-based nanocomposites and hybrid materials with a particular emphasis on their production methodologies, properties, and prominent applications. Thus, materials related to bio-based nanocomposites and hybrid materials manufactured with different partners, namely natural polymers, bioactive compounds, and inorganic nanoparticles, are reported in the Special Issue Advanced Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposites and Hybrid Materials