Accelerator mass spectrometry measurements of U in groundwater, soil and vegetation at a legacy radioactive waste site.

Low-level radioactive wastes were disposed at the Little Forest Legacy Site (LFLS) near Sydney, Australia between 1960 and 1968. According to the disposal records, U contributes a significant portion of the inventory of actinide activity buried in the LFLS trenches. Although the presence of U in environmental samples from LFLS has been previously inferred from alpha-spectrometry measurements, it has been difficult to quantify because the U and U α-peaks are superimposed.

Treating COVID-19: are we missing out the window of opportunity?

Severe COVID-19 is a biphasic illness, with an initial viral replication phase, followed by a cascade of inflammatory events. Progression to severe disease is predominantly a function of the inflammatory cascade, rather than viral replication per se. This understanding can be effectively translated to changing our approach in managing the disease.

Radionuclides in sea turtles at the Montebello Islands former nuclear test sites: Current and historical dose rates for adults and embryos.

Radionuclides from 1950s weapons testing at the Montebello Islands, Western Australia, may impact sea turtle embryos incubating within eggs laid in contaminated sands or be taken up into adult body tissues where they can contribute to radiation dose over a turtles' 60+ year lifespan. We measured plutonium in all local samples including turtle skin, bones, hatchlings, eggshells, sea sediments, diet items and beach sands. The amount of Pu in developing embryos/hatchling samples was orders of magnitude lower than that in the surrounding sands.

Immune status against diphtheria in healthy adults.

Unlabelled: Outbreaks of diphtheria continue to occur in Kerala with an age shift to older population. Antibody seroprevalence studies are essential to understand the immune status of the community and to develop an effective immunization strategy.

Aim: To assess the necessity of diphtheria vaccination among adults.