Rapid detection of heavy elements in blood extracted from wounds using x-ray fluorescence analysis.

In radiation emergency situations involving persons having plutonium (Pu)-contaminated wounds, rapid assessment of the degree of Pu contamination is required to determine the appropriate course of treatment. Currently, rapid on-site detection of Pu is usually performed by analysis of α-particles emitted from the adhesive tape peeled off the wound. However, the detection of α-particles is difficult, especially in traumatic skin lesions with oozing blood, because of the low permeability of α-particles in blood.

Low Cs/Cs ratio anomaly in the north-northwest direction from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station.

A low Cs/Cs ratio anomaly in the north-northwest (NNW) direction from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) is identified by a new analysis of the Cs/Cs ratio dataset which we had obtained in 2011-2015 by a series of car-borne surveys that employed a germanium gamma-ray spectrometer. We found that the Cs/Cs ratio is slightly lower (0.95, decay-corrected to March 11, 2011) in an area with a length of about 15 km and a width of about 3 km in the NNW direction from the FDNPS than in other directions from the station.

Radioactive contamination mapping of northeastern and eastern Japan by a car-borne survey system, Radi-Probe.

We constructed a new car-borne survey system called Radi-Probe with a portable germanium gamma-ray spectrometer onboard a cargo truck, to identify radionuclides and quantify surface contamination from the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station. The system can quickly survey a large area and obtain ambient dose equivalent rates and gamma-ray energy spectra with good energy resolution. We also developed a new calibration method for the system to deal with an actual nuclear disaster, and quantitative surface deposition densities of radionuclides, such as (134)Cs and (137)Cs, and kerma rates of each radionuclide can be calculated.

Methodology using a portable X-ray fluorescence device for on-site and rapid evaluation of heavy-atom contamination in wounds: a model study for application to plutonium contamination.

Workers decommissioning the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant damaged from the Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami are at risk of injury with possible contamination from radioactive heavy atoms including actinides, such as plutonium. We propose a new methodology for on-site and rapid evaluation of heavy-atom contamination in wounds using a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device. In the present study, stable lead was used as the model contaminant substitute for radioactive heavy atoms.

Development of target system for intense neutron source of p-Li reaction.

A target cooling system was developed for an intense neutron source of p-Li reaction. The system consists of target cooling devices and protection devices for lithium evaporation. A pin-structure cooling device was developed to enhance cooling power.

Uptake of CDDP-containing polymeric micelles by cells using particle induced X-ray emission.

Polymeric micelles loaded with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II), CDDP, (cisplatin micelles) enable higher accumulation in solid tumors and lower toxicities compared with CDDP alone. The combined use of cisplatin micelles with radiation is expected to enhance therapeutic effects and reduce side effects. The kinetics of cisplatin micelle uptake, however, have not been fully understood.

Microbeam irradiation facilities for radiobiology in Japan and China.

In order to study the radiobiological effects of low dose radiation, microbeam irradiation facilities have been developed in the world. This type of facilities now becomes an essential tool for studying bystander effects and relating signaling phenomena in cells or tissues. This review introduces you available microbeam facilities in Japan and in China, to promote radiobiology using microbeam probe and to encourage collaborative research between radiobiologists interested in using microbeam in Japan and in China.

Use of rubidium, manganese, and zinc as tracers to measure intestinal permeability by PIXE analysis: basal study in an experimental enteritis model.

Intestinal permeability has been suggested to be closely linked with the etiology or activity of Crohn's disease. However, current methods for measurement of intestinal permeability are too laborious for routine examination, as they require urine collection and/or use of radioisotopes. The present study was performed to develop a more convenient and safer method for assessing intestinal permeability using blood samples rather than urine.