• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2016

This study presented an analytical method for detecting radium in soils using a liquid scintillation counter (LSC). The isotope ²²⁶Ra was extracted from soil using the fusion method and then separated from interfering radionuclides using the precipitation method. Radium was coprecipitated as sulfate salts with barium (Ba) and then converted into Ba(Ra)CO₃, which is soluble in an acidic solution. The isotope ²²²Rn, the decay progeny of ²²⁶Ra, was trapped in a water immiscible cocktail and analyzed by LSC. The pulse shape analysis (PSA) level was estimated using ⁹⁰Sr and ²²⁶Ra standard solutions. The figure of merit was the highest at PSA 80, while the alpha spillover was the lowest at PSA 80. The counting efficiency was 243 ± 2% in a glass vial. This analytical method was verified with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reference materials, including IAEA-312, IAEA-314, and IAEA-315. The recovery ranged from 60–82%, while the relative bias between the measured value and the recommended value was less than 10%. The minimum detectable activity was 2.1 Bq kg⁻¹ with dry mass 1 g, the background count rate of 0.02 cpm, the recovery rate of 70% and counting time of 30 min.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.1460-1467
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• 2023

A robust approach was conducted to determining the absolute oral bioavailable (f_ab) fractions of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in rats exposed to contaminated soil along with their hematotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The soil sample is the International Atomic Energy Agency-312 (IAEA-312) certified reference material, whereas blood, bones, and kidneys of in vivo female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats estimate ²³⁸U- and ²³²Th-f_ab fractions post-exposure. We predict the bioavailable concentration (C_ab) and f_ab values of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th after acute soil ingestion. The blood ²³⁸U (0.750%) and ²³²Th (0.028%) reach their maximum f_ab values after 48 h. The ²³⁸U (f_ab: 0.169-0.652%) accumulates mostly in the kidney, whereas the ²³²Th (f_ab: 0.004-0.021%) accumulates primarily in the bone. Additionally, ²³⁸U is more bioavailable than ²³²Th. Post 48 h acute ingestion demonstrates noticeable histopathological and hematological alterations, implying that intake of ²³⁸U in co-contaminated soil can lead to erythrocytes and proximal tubules damage, whereas, ²³²Th intake can harm erythrocytes. Our study provides new directions for future research into the health implications of acute oral exposures to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in co-contaminated soils. The findings offer significant insight into the utilization of in vivo SD rat testing to estimate ²³⁸U and ²³²Th bioavailability and toxicity in exposure assessment.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.279-283
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• 2011

This study was compared microbiological safety with gamma-irradiated porcine tendon and skin, as materials for the development of xenografts to regenerate damaged tissues and protect secondary contamination. The porcine tendon and skin were gamma-irradiated after inoculation of bacteria and virus to evaluate irradiation sensitivity of microorganisms. The result showed that the porcine tendon and skin were not different on the sensitivity of microorganisms by gamma irradiation. Bacteria inoculated in the porcine tendon and skin were confirmed that E. coli was the $D_{10}$ values of $0.32{\pm}0.082$ and $0.25{\pm}0.1kGy$ on tendon and skin, and B. subtilis was $4.00{\pm}0.312$ and $3.88{\pm}0.3kGy$ on gamma irradiation, respectively. Moreover, Virus inoculated in the porcine tendon and skin was observed that poliovirus (PV) was $6.26{\pm}0.332$ and $6.88{\pm}0.3kGy$, and porcine parvovirus (PPV) was $1.75{\pm}0.131$ and $1.73{\pm}0.2kGy$ and bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) was $3.70{\pm}0.212$ and $3.81{\pm}0.2kGy$ on gamma irradiation, respectively. Virus showed higher resistance compared to bacteria on gamma irradiation, but was not detected CPE (cytopathic effect) by virus both tendon and skin at 25 kGy, a standard dose recommended from IAEA for sterilization of medical products. Therefore, These results were considered that gamma irradiation could control effectively bacteria and virus to develop safe porcine xenograft, and apply same irradiation doses to all tissues including tendon and skin of porcine.