Radiation doses of workers engaged in decontamination of the environment

After the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on 11 March 2011, radioactive materials were released into the atmosphere resulting in environmental contamination. Following the implementation of environmental decontamination efforts, the Radiation Dose Registration Centre of the Radiation Effects Association established the radiation dose registration system for decontamination and related workers to consolidate and prevent the loss of radiation records. This article presents statistics on the radiation doses of decontamination and related workers using official records. Since approximately 10 years have passed since the accident in Fukushima, the types of work conducted in the affected restricted areas have changed over time. Therefore, changes in radiation dose for each type of work and comparisons with nuclear workers are presented.

Environmental Clonal Spread of Azole-Resistant Candida parapsilosis with Erg11-Y132F Mutation Causing a Large Candidemia Outbreak in a Brazilian Cancer Referral Center

Clonal outbreaks due to azole-resistant Candida parapsilosis (ARCP) isolates have been reported in numerous studies, but the environmental niche of such isolates has yet to be defined. Herein, we aimed to identify the environmental niche of ARCP isolates causing unremitting clonal outbreaks in an adult ICU from a Brazilian cancer referral center. C. parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates recovered from blood cultures, pericatheter skins, healthcare workers (HCW), and nosocomial surfaces were genotyped by multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT). Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by the EUCAST (European Committee for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) broth microdilution reference method and ERG11 was sequenced to determine the azole resistance mechanism. Approximately 68% of isolates were fluconazole-resistant (76/112), including pericatheter skins (3/3, 100%), blood cultures (63/70, 90%), nosocomial surfaces (6/11, 54.5%), and HCW’s hands (4/28, 14.2%). MLMT revealed five clusters: the major cluster contained 88.2% of ARCP isolates (67/76) collected from blood (57/70), bed (2/2), pericatheter skin (2/3), from carts (3/7), and HCW’s hands (3/27). ARCP isolates were associated with a higher 30 day crude mortality rate (63.8%) than non-ARCP ones (20%, p = 0.008), and resisted two environmental decontamination attempts using quaternary ammonium. This study for the first time identified ARCP isolates harboring the Erg11-Y132F mutation from nosocomial surfaces and HCW’s hands, which were genetically identical to ARCP blood isolates. Therefore, it is likely that persisting clonal outbreak due to ARCP isolates was fueled by environmental sources. The resistance of Y132F ARCP isolates to disinfectants, and their potential association with a high mortality rate, warrant vigilant source control using effective environmental decontamination.

Coronavirus: the science behind infection control and human exposure

Coronavirus SARS-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for the disease known as COVID-19. The global community is struggling with the health and economic repercussions of this novel disease, and this article is part of a series that seeks to explore and explain the science behind the foci of infection control measures being considered at both the individual and population health levels. Understanding the factors influencing the ability of this virus to select an appropriate host, breach initial defences and successfully assume a new reservoir from which to disseminate and disperse infective viral particles is considered here. Brief reference is made to infection control measures such as effective hand hygiene, glove usage, environmental decontamination and social distancing guidance against the context of the specific evidence around COVID-19 transmission. Predictors of poorer outcome are introduced in the light of these being target themes for therapeutic development.

High effective enrichment of U(vi) from aqueous solutions on versatile crystalline carbohydrate polymer-functionalized graphene oxide

The highly effective enrichment of U(vi) on COF/GO was attributed to a huge void ratio and a variety of oxygen-containing functional groups. It could be used as a promising candidate for environmental decontamination and energy storage.

Effects of Maternal Fenbendazole on Litter Size, Survival Rate, and Weaning Weight in C57BL/6J Mice

Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole commonly used in laboratory animal medicine as an anthelmintic for elimination of pinworms. This drug is generally regarded as safe, with minimal side effects. Some data in rodent species indicate multiple physiologic effects of fenbendazole, including changes in immune parameters and behavior, but no studies to date have evaluated possible effects on reproduction in mice. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of several treatment regimens of fenbendazole on reproductive parameters in C57BL/6J mice. Uninfected mice were given fenbendazole-treated feed continuously or every other week until pups were born or weaned. This treatment also was combined with environmental decontamination. No significant differences in litter size, survival rate, or weaning weight were detected between groups. Under the conditions of this study, fenbendazole treatment does not affect reproduction in C57BL/6J mice.

Modeling the Potential Impact of Norovirus Vaccination Among DoD Forces

ABSTRACT Introduction Norovirus, a contagious disease that spreads rapidly in close-quartered communities, has a debilitating effect in military settings, affecting troops’ health, productivity, and mission-readiness. This research presents a model of norovirus transmission, testing the vaccination’s effectiveness in military training centers. Methods Transmission was modeled using structured ordinary differential equations, including symptomatic and asymptomatic infection, genetic resistance, vaccination, and herd-immunity effects, within a hypothetical cohort of trainees and support staff. The modeled vaccine had an efficacy of 72%, 4 weeks after a single dose in phase 2 clinical trials. The transmission model was calibrated against data from a norovirus outbreak in a university setting. Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were performed on 22 parameters. Results The greatest reduction in norovirus cases resulted from prophylactic environmental decontamination and vaccination of trainee and staff populations. These combined interventions prevented more than 6,800 cases of norovirus over the 10-year simulated period—a 15% reduction over the baseline scenario of no interventions. Implementing vaccination and environmental decontamination with an outbreak response threshold of 0.1%, prevented more than 5,300 infections; raising the threshold to 0.2% to 0.5% significantly reduced effectiveness. Environmental decontamination and contact reduction alone had little impact on overall norovirus cases. Conclusions Given vaccine characteristics, the model predicted that up to 15% of norovirus cases occurring in training settings over a 10-year period could be prevented by vaccinating all trainees and staff members immediately upon arrival on-base combined with continuous environmental decontamination. There was an impact on morbidity from implementing vaccination of trainees, alone and in combination with staff members. However, vaccinating staff alone prevented few cases over the simulation period, indicating the importance of trainees in norovirus transmission. Likewise, the negligible impact of environmental decontamination or contact reduction alone highlights the importance of addressing both person-to-person and environmental transmission together to minimize illnesses and training downtime.

Heterogenization of Homogeneous Photocatalysts Utilizing Synthetic and Natural Support Materials

Homogeneous photocatalysis has considerably contributed to the green applications such as energy production and environmental decontamination. Currently, researchers mainly focus on the search for sustainable processes that can generate valuable...