Assessment of environmental public exposure from a hypothetical nuclear accident for Unit-1 Bushehr nuclear power plant

Unit-1 of the Bushehr nuclear power plant (BNPP-1) is a VVER-type reactor with 1,000-MWe power constructed near Bushehr city at the coast of the Persian Gulf, Iran. The reactor has been recently operational to near its full power. The radiological impact of nuclear power plant (NPP) accidents is of public concern, and the assessment of radiological consequences of any hypothetical nuclear accident on public exposure is vital. The hypothetical accident scenario considered in this paper is a design-basis accident, that is, a primary coolant leakage to the secondary circuit. This scenario was selected in order to compare and verify the results obtained in the present paper with those reported in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR 2007) of the BNPP-1 and to develop a well-proven methodology that can be used to study other and more severe hypothetical accident scenarios for this reactor. In the present study, the version 2.01 of the PC COSYMA code was applied. In the early phase of the accidental releases, effective doses (from external and internal exposures) as well as individual and collective doses (due to the late phase of accidental releases) were evaluated. The surrounding area of the BNPP-1 within a radius of 80 km was subdivided into seven concentric rings and 16 sectors, and distribution of population and agricultural products was calculated for this grid. The results show that during the first year following the modeled hypothetical accident, the effective doses do not exceed the limit of 5 mSv, for the considered distances from the BNPP-1. The results obtained in this study are in good agreement with those in the FSAR-2007 report. The agreement obtained is in light of many inherent uncertainties and variables existing in the two modeling procedures applied and proves that the methodology applied here can also be used to model other severe hypothetical accident scenarios of the BNPP-1 such as a small and large break in the reactor coolant system as well as beyond design-basis accidents. Such scenarios are planned to be studied in the near future, for this reactor.

Transient threshold shift after gunshot noise exposure

BACKGROUND

Many people, such as soldiers, are routinely exposed to gunshot noise during target practice. It is suspected that this high-intensity noise may affect audition through repeated Transient Threshold Shifts (TTS); it can also mechanically alter auditory components such as waves. This study investigates the scope of gunshot noise from the AK-47 rifle (Kalashnikov) and the impact on the shooters' audition.

METHODS

Forty soldiers (80 ears) were recruited in this study. They were all young and being exposed to gunshot noise for the first time. Gunshot characteristics were measured before exposure. The soldiers underwent auditory evaluation with Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) and Oto-Acoustic Emission (OAE) once before exposure and immediately (less than one hour) after exposure.

RESULTS

The AK-47 gunshot noise pressure level varied between L(AIm) = 73.7 dBA to L(AIm) = 111.4 dBA. Fourteen participants had subclinical hearing impairment in their pre-exposure evaluation; this number increased to 16 after the exposure. Six months post-exposure and later, the number of cases with impairment had fallen to eight (improvement in 50%). Both pre- and post-exposure OAE results were within normal values, while PTA results indicated a significant threshold alteration only at 6 kHz.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study confirm that exposure to gunshot noise with no ear protection can represent a significant hazard for auditory function, especially at higher frequencies.

Tehran dentists' self-reported knowledge and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and observed willingness to treat simulated HIV-positive patients

Dentists' self-reported attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS might not reflect their actual behaviour. In this study 2 observers posed as HIV-positive patients and directly evaluated the behaviour of 300 dentists in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Two months later another observer interviewed the same dentists at their offices regarding AIDS-related knowledge and self-reported attitudes. Only 14.9% of dentists agreed to treat the simulated HIV-positive patients, 78.5% referred and 6.6% rejected them. Older age, longer work experience, graduation from a non-Iranian university and not having additional degrees were significantly related to adverse behaviours. Mean scores were 8.3 (SD 9.7) (out of 18) for knowledge and 17.5 (SD 7.1) (out of 39) for attitude. There were no significant correlations between dentists' knowledge and attitude or between knowledge and behaviour, but there was a weak positive correlation between self-reported attitude and observed behaviour.

Treatment of Mandibular Molar Class II Furcation Defects in Humans With Bovine Porous Bone Mineral in Combination With Plasma Rich in Growth Factors

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present randomized clinical trial study was to compare the effectiveness of Bovine Porous Bone Mineral (BPBM) with and without Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) in the treatment of mandibular Class II furcation defects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In seven patients, nine pairs of symmetric buccal or lingual mandibular class II furcation defects were treated. In each patient, one defect received BPBM (control) and the other received BPBM/PRGF (test) by random assignment. Clinical measurements were made both at baseline and 6-month evaluation.

RESULTS

Similar improvements were observed with both treatment modalities. Significant reductions were gained in the gingival index, probing depth and relative vertical clinical attachment level. Plaque index and gingival recession changes were not significant in both groups. The mean probing depth reductions were 2.67±0.87 mm for the control group and 3.22±1.56 mm for the test group (p<0.001). The mean relative vertical clinical attachment level gains were 1.57±0.96 mm (p<0.001) and 1.65±1.24 mm (p<0.004) in the control and test groups, respectively. In the test group, the relative horizontal clinical attachment level reduced from 5.87±0.96 mm to 4.58±1.02 mm (p<0.02). No significant differences were observed in all clinical parameters 6 months postoperatively between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

The application of a combined technique using BPBM/PRGF, compared to the BPBM alone, resulted in greater healing, although not significant, in the treatment of mandibular class II furcation defects.

The Effect of Fig Tree Latex (Ficus carica) on Stomach Cancer Line

BACKGROUND

The therapeutic effect of herbal materials in inhibition of cancer cell growth was shown. This study investigates the effect of fig tree latex (Ficus carica) on stomach cancer line.

METHODS

The in vitro effect of different doses of fig tree latex on stomach cancer cell line and the peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated after 72 hours.

RESULTS

Fig tree latex could inhibit the proliferation of cancer cell line without any cytotoxic effect on human normal cells. Five mg/ml was the optimum concentration in inhibition of cell line growth.

CONCLUSION

Cancer cell line was more sensitive to Ficus carica latex than normal cells. This anticancer activity might be due to presence of its proteolytic enzymes.

Comparison of depression and anxiety disorders in patients with psoriasis and control group

Objective

Psoriasis is a common, genetically determined inflammatory and proliferative disease of the skin. Psychological stress can also exacerbate the disease. The goal of the present study was to compare depression and anxiety symptom in patients with psoriasis and control group.

Methods

One-hundred patients with psoriasis (case) referred to the dermatology department and 100 patients with Otolaryngology problems and dermatological healthy volunteers (control) who referred to the Otolaryngology department of Bouali Sina hospital in Sari/Iran in 2007 were studied. Demographic characteristics were recorded. Then the Beck Depression Inventory and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale I-II were administered to the patients in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and descriptive statistical tests.

Results

From 100 patients in each studied group, 44 (45%) were men. Patients with psoriasis and controls had depression scores of 67% and 12%, respectively. The Beck depression scores of patients with psoriasis were significantly higher than scores of the control group (P < 0.05). Based on Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale, anxiety was found in 45% of patients in case group and 18% of controls.

Conclusion

The results revealed that Psoriasis patients reported significantly higher degrees of depression and anxiety than controls. In addition, psoriatic women were more depressed than psoriatic men.

Addiction obsession

Obsessions include intrusive thoughts, phobias, images and impulses. In this presentation we are going to present an obsessive patient who was obsessed regarding using addictive substances.

Represented case is a 27 year's old married man with no previous history of cigarette and any substance abuse or dependence. He referred to our OPD clinic in Kerman psychiatric hospital / Iran. He had recurrent and intrusive thoughts which made him anxious and reported social function problems due to his thoughts. His obsessive thoughts began when he was eighteen at that time he continuously obsessed about smoking cigarette, but when was offered one by one of his friends, he scared and destroyed it. A few years later he had recurrent obsessive thoughts a bout using and marijuana and opium and the pleasure which could be occurred then after. Since a year before his referral he had the same thought about heroin. Other than this obsessive thought, he believed in magic and referred to faith healers several times. He also thought, he should sell his properties and spend the income for buying opium and heroin. This thought decreased obviously after taking 200 mg fluvoxamine during four weeks. He never used any substance even for one time. He was not smoking at all. We concluded that addiction obsession could bea separate type of obsession. It could be a variant of obsessive impulses. Availability of substances may play a role in forming his symptom.

Exophiala oligosperma involved in a refractory chronic rhinosinusitis

Fungal rhinosinusitis refers to a wide variety of conditions caused by fungal infections of the paranasal sinuses. Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and sinus fungus balls are mostly noted in healthy individuals. Aspergillus species are supposed to be the most common etiologic agents of the disorder, but melanized fungi also occur, and these potentially are able to lead to fatal dissemination into brain parenchyma. We report on a case of fungus ball in a 20-year-old female with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis (RCRS) and bronchial asthma due to the black yeast Exophiala oligosperma which was confirmed by mycological and molecular (sequences of ITS rDNA) investigations. Exophiala oligosperma has previously not been reported to cause fungus balls or invasive fungal rhinosinusitis. Patient underwent functional endoscopic sinusitis surgery and the hypertrophic mucosa was removed completely. Without antifungal therapy, successful cure was achieved after spray therapy with corticosteroids for 1 month, without any relapse after a 6 month-follow up.

Molecular epidemiology of zoonotic streptococcosis/lactococcosis in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) aquaculture in Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Streptococcosis/lactococcosis is a hyperacute systemic disease that can occur in marine and fresh waters of many species of fish. The aim of this work was to study the disease outbreak in the major rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) production of Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

108 Gram positive cocci isolates were obtained from diseased trout in seven provinces with major trout production during 2008 till 2009. These bacterial isolates were characterized using phenotypic and molecular studies. The isolates were also analysed phylogeneticaly and compared with the available data.

RESULTS

49 samples (45.37%) were identified as Streptococcus iniae, 37 samples (35.2%) matched with Lactococcus garvieae; and 22 samples (19.43%) were identified as members of Streptooccus genus by culture-based and biochemical tests of API 50 CH, API 20 STREP and rapid 32 STREP systems. Using universal primers for differentiation of Streptococcus sp. and Enterococcus sp, all 108 samples were identified as Streptococcus sp. with a target region of 500 bp. Single specific PCR resulted in identification of 64 (59.2%) isolates as S. iniae and 44 (40.8%) isolates as L. garvieae. The phylogenetic analysis of the S. iniae isolates resulted in maximal similarity to some strains reported from Taiwan and to all Brazilian strains. Also, one strain showed less sequence similarity values with other tested strains although this strain has high similarity with ATCC 29178 strain, all reported Chinese, and some Taiwanian strains. Also, analysis of S. iniae LctO gene sequence showed that this isolate clustered within the S. iniae group. The sequence analysis of L. garvieae strains also showed that they have maximum similarity to all Japanese and Chinese strains, but one strain has lower sequence similarity values with all other recorded strains.

CONCLUSION

[corrected] The results of this study clearly show that trout farming in Iran is severely affected by both species of S. Iniae and L. garvieae and requires serious preventive criteria.

NMDA receptor antagonists augment antidepressant-like effects of lithium in the mouse forced swimming test

Although there is evidence of the involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) in the action of lithium, its role in the antidepressant effects of lithium in a behavioural model remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of NMDAR antagonists on the antidepressant-like effects of lithium in the mouse forced swimming test. Lithium (30 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the immobility times of mice, whereas at lower doses (5 and 10 mg/kg) had no effect. NMDA antagonists ketamine (2 and 5 mg/kg, i.p.), MK-801 (0.1 and 0.25 mg/kg, i.p.) and ifenprodil (1 and 3 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the immobility time. Lower doses of ketamine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg) and ifenprodil (0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg) had no effect. Combined treatment of subeffective doses of lithium (10 mg/kg) and ketamine (1 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.05 mg/kg) or ifenprodil (0.5 mg/kg) robustly (P < 0.001) exerted an antidepressant-like effect. The noneffective dose of a NMDA agonist (NMDA, 75 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented the antidepressant-like effect of lithium (30 mg/kg). None of the drugs at subactive doses or in combination with lithium had significant effect on the locomotor activity in the open field test. We for the first time suggested a role for NMDAR signalling in the antidepressant-like effects of lithium, providing a new approach for treatment of depression.

Enaminone Compounds as Corrosion Inhibitors for Austenitic Stainless Steel in Sulphuric Acid Solution. javascript:filterformular(´3´)

Two newly synthesized Enaminone compounds ethyl-3-[(2-aminoethyl) amino]-2-butenoate (compound I) and ethyl-3-(2-aminoanilino)-2-butenoate (compound II)) in 0.5 M H2SO4 on AISI 316 have been investigated at 20 to 50 ºC using weight loss and potentiostatic polarization techniques. The percentage inhibition efficiencies and surface coverage degrees increase with increasing additive concentration. The inhibition is in both cases of a mixed anodic-cathodic nature. Differences in inhibition efficiency between compound I and II are correlated with their chemical structures. The inhibitors function through adsorption following Temkin isotherm in acid media. Activation energy (E a) and Gibbs free energy (∆G ads) for adsorption of inhibitors are calculated. The values of ∆G ads decreased (attained more negative values) with increasing temperature.