A fire in one of the Windscale nuclear reactors at Sellafield (Cumbria, England) in October 1957 released 1,800 TBq of 131I (half-life, 8 days) to atmosphere. Measurements of 131I activity in thyroids of exposed children showed typical thyroid doses of tens of milligray, but with some exceeding 100 mGy. Radiation exposure in childhood is known to increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Consequently, an investigation was conducted into whether raised numbers of thyroid cancer cases occurred in those exposed to 131I as young children in Cumbria. A database of Cumbrian births from 1950 onwards allowed cohorts of 56,086 births during 1950-1958 and 137,444 births during 1959-1980 to be constructed, periods including children potentially exposed and unexposed, respectively, to 131I. Three areas of Cumbria with different 131I contamination levels were identified from monitoring data, and births assigned to these three areas for the two periods of birth. Members of these six sub-cohorts were linked to incident thyroid cancer cases in Great Britain during 1981-2020 using national cancer registration databases, providing thyroid cancer incidence rates. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs), with the lowest contamination area as a reference, were computed. No IRR differed discernibly from unity. For births during 1950-1958, the IRR for the combined highest and intermediate 131I contamination areas was 0.68 (95% confidence interval: 0.24, 1.56), and no case of thyroid cancer was found in the small cohort born in the highest contamination area. In conclusion, no increased risk of thyroid cancer in those exposed to 131I as young children in Cumbria in 1957 was detected. This study adds to the evidence on the long-term risk of thyroid cancer following childhood exposure to low and moderate levels of 131I, such as occurred following the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.

BACKGROUND: Radiological imaging has played an important role in diagnostic medicine for over a century, though it is known to contribute to dermatological conditions, cataracts, and cancer. The associated risk of harm has led to the introduction of protective regulations around the world. Present-day NHS clinicians are increasingly requesting and relying on diagnostic imaging. Knowledge surrounding the radiation doses of common radiological investigations and the associated risks is imperative, and on a global level has been found to be inadequate. Consequently, there is a need for the formal inclusion of teaching within training programmes.
OBJECTIVE: This prospective audit aims to establish the knowledge of radiation doses and risks of common radiological investigations of both medical students and referrers within four NHS Health Boards based in the North of Scotland. It also seeks to establish prior teaching and the preference for further educational interventions.
UNASSIGNED: Referrers should have adequate knowledge of radiation doses and the risks associated with common radiological investigations.
UNASSIGNED: The standard should be achieved by 90% of referrers.
METHODS: A 19-question online survey was devised to include subjective and objective questions on ionising radiation awareness, education preference, and respondent demographics, based on RCR (Royal College of Radiologists) audit criteria and previous studies. Data collection was conducted between the 22/02/23 to the 22/03/2023 and the questionnaire was distributed to senior medical students and radiological referrers of different grades within NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Shetland, and NHS Orkney. A descriptive analysis of the data was undertaken using Microsoft Excel Version 16.71.
RESULTS: Two hundred eight questionnaires were completed. 22.11% (n = 46) of the sample population had received no prior teaching on the topic of ionising radiation. Over half of the respondents (51.92%, n = 108) rated the importance of radiation risks as either important or extremely important, with 69.71% (n = 145) of participants rating their perceived knowledge as limited or average. Most correctly identified that a CT scan (n = 203), PET-CT scan (n = 199) and a chest x-ray (n = 196) exposed patients to ionising radiation. A small proportion of the participants incorrectly thought that an MRI scan (n = 21) and an ultrasound scan (n = 2) involved ionising radiation. The results obtained failed to meet the RCR audit target, which states that 90% of doctors should be aware of common radiological doses. It was observed that only 17.79% (n = 37) of survey respondents scored over 50% in the knowledge assessment, with the median knowledge score of the whole cohort being 2.5 out of 9 (27.78%). Respondents who had prior teaching on the topic performed better those who had no prior teaching, with average scores of 3.19 (35.44%) and 2.04 (22.67%) respectively. Senior clinicians performed better when compared to junior clinicians and medical students.
UNASSIGNED: This audit found that the knowledge of radiation risks within the North of Scotland in the selected sample population was insufficient across all levels of the clinical team. Further, continuous education around the topic and future audit opportunities may help to optimise knowledge and training.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. It has been known for some considerable time that radiation is associated with excess risk of CVD. A recent systematic review of radiation and CVD highlighted substantial inter-study heterogeneity in effect, possibly a result of confounding or modifications of radiation effect by non-radiation factors, in particular by the major lifestyle/environmental/medical risk factors and latent period.
METHODS: We assessed effects of confounding by lifestyle/environmental/medical risk factors on radiation-associated CVD and investigated evidence for modifying effects of these variables on CVD radiation dose-response, using data assembled for a recent systematic review.
RESULTS: There are 43 epidemiologic studies which are informative on effects of adjustment for confounding or risk modifying factors on radiation-associated CVD. Of these 22 were studies of groups exposed to substantial doses of medical radiation for therapy or diagnosis. The remaining 21 studies were of groups exposed at much lower levels of dose and/or dose rate. Only four studies suggest substantial effects of adjustment for lifestyle/environmental/medical risk factors on radiation risk of CVD; however, there were also substantial uncertainties in the estimates in all of these studies. There are fewer suggestions of effects that modify the radiation dose response; only two studies, both at lower levels of dose, report the most serious level of modifying effect.
CONCLUSIONS: There are still large uncertainties about confounding factors or lifestyle/environmental/medical variables that may influence radiation-associated CVD, although indications are that there are not many studies in which there are substantial confounding effects of these risk factors.

UNASSIGNED: Radiotherapy for head and neck can damage the salivary gland cells, which can easily result in xerostomia. No effective treatment for radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction currently exists. Thus, we aimed to study the protective effect of Dicliptera chinensis polysaccharides (DCP) on the prevention of submandibular gland (SMG) cell damage caused by radiotherapy in Sprague-Dawley rats.
UNASSIGNED: Mechanical enzyme digestion was used to extract primary rat SMG cells. A radiation injury model was established by treating these cells with a dose of 8 Gy, followed by intervention using different DCP concentrations. The cell counting kit 8 assay was used to determine the inhibition rate of SMG cells in each group. The rates of apoptosis and cell cycle progression were detected using flow cytometry. Expression of the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex (MRN) was detected using western blotting.
UNASSIGNED: DCP increased the proliferation of SMG cells after irradiation, and cell growth activity positively correlated with polysaccharide concentration. Flow cytometry analysis of SMG cell apoptosis revealed that DCP markedly reduced the total apoptosis rate after irradiation, especially the early apoptosis rate. Cell cycle results suggested that DCP reduced the number of cells in the S and G2 phases after irradiation and alleviated the S and G2 blocks. Western blot results indicated that the expression of Mre11, Rad50, and Nbs1 decreased in the radiation-injured group, whereas their expression increased after DCP treatment.
UNASSIGNED: DCP can protect the rat SMG cells after radiation and be used as a protective agent against salivary gland cell damage caused by radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Medical imaging examinations that make use of ionising radiation provide valuable information towards patient management. Literature suggests that there is a significant rise in the number of patient referrals for such examinations. The concept \"individual patient radiation dose tracking\" (IPRDT) is introduced to optimise radiation monitoring. Many countries across the globe explored and implemented methods to enhance and promote the justification and optimisation principles essential for patient radiation safety. In South Africa (SA), however, attention to IPRDT is limited.
METHODS: A qualitative research design was employed. Radiographers in the Western Cape Province of SA were purposefully sampled for participation in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed interview data.
RESULTS: This paper presents a theme developed from the radiographer cohort of ten (10) participants. The theme: the need for creating awareness and implementing legislative support structures, was developed from the data, with the following supporting subthemes: 1) stakeholder awareness and \'buy-in\' 2) continuous professional development and 3) mandated practice.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides findings that are of value for patient radiation safety in SA by giving a voice to local stakeholders. Other countries that are conducting similar research investigations toward the integration of an IPRDT model, method, or framework, may also benefit from these findings.
CONCLUSIONS: The effective integration of IPRDT into the clinical environment requires unison amongst the relevant stakeholders and clarity on the various professionals\' roles and responsibilities. The findings of this study furthermore suggest the involvement of regulatory organisations for the provision of a mandated form of practice at national and international levels.

Both cutaneous radiation injury and radiation combined injury (RCI) could have serious skin traumas, which are collectively referred to as radiation-associated skin injuries in this paper. These two types of skin injuries require special managements of wounds, and the therapeutic effects still need to be further improved. Cutaneous radiation injuries are common in both radiotherapy patients and victims of radioactive source accidents, which could lead to skin necrosis and ulcers in serious conditions. At present, there are still many challenges in management of cutaneous radiation injuries including early diagnosis, lesion assessment, and treatment prognosis. Radiation combined injuries are special and important issues in severe nuclear accidents, which often accompanied by serious skin traumas. Mass victims of RCI would be the focus of public health concern. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, as a versatile and favourable technique, offers effective approaches to fabricate biomimetic architectures with bioactivity, which provides potentials for resolve the challenges in treating radiation-associated skin injuries. Combining with the cutting-edge advances in 3D skin bioprinting, the authors analyse the damage characteristics of skin wounds in both cutaneous radiation injury and RCI and look forward to the potential value of 3D skin bioprinting for the treatments of radiation-associated skin injuries.

UNASSIGNED: Mini \'C\'-arm machine is an advanced medical imaging device used primarily for intraoperative imaging during surgical, orthopaedic and emergency care procedures. Since the technology is based on ionising radiation, safe usage of Mini \'C\'-arm machine is mandatory to protect patients and operating personnel.
UNASSIGNED: The main objective is to describe the various components related to patients, operator and equipment to ensure safe usage of Mini \'C\'-arm machine. A comprehensive search strategy using the PEO (Population, Exposure, Outcome) framework was conducted using Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar and ResearchGate databases to identify suitable literature. The keywords used for the search included \'Fluoroscopy\', \'Ionising Radiation\' and \'surgical safety\'.
UNASSIGNED: Safe usage of Mini \'C\'-arm equipment involves components of operator training, operator safety, patient safety, radiation dose, operating room logistics, handling of images and auditing of Mini \'C\'-arm use.
UNASSIGNED: Mini \'C\'-arm provides an invaluable, portable imaging tool in a spectrum of general surgical and orthopaedic interventional procedures. However, safe usage of Mini \'C\'-arm machine requires a multifaceted approach including operator responsibility and safety, patient protection, equipment maintenance, radiation dose awareness, documentation and sound reporting mechanisms.

An apical component of the cell cycle checkpoint and DNA damage repair response is the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) Ser/Thr protein kinase. A variant of ATM, Ser49Cys (rs1800054; minor allele frequency = 0.011), has been associated with an elevated risk of melanoma development; however, the functional consequence of this variant is not defined. ATM-dependent signalling in response to DNA damage has been assessed in a panel of patient-derived lymphoblastoid lines and primary human melanocytic cell strains heterozygous for the ATM Ser49Cys variant allele. The ATM Ser49Cys allele appears functional for acute p53-dependent signalling in response to DNA damage. Expression of the variant allele did reduce the efficacy of oncogene expression in inducing senescence. These findings demonstrate that the ATM 146C>G Ser49Cys allele has little discernible effect on the acute response to DNA damage but has reduced function observed in the chronic response to oncogene over-expression. Analysis of melanoma, naevus and skin colour genomics and GWAS analyses have demonstrated no association of this variant with any of these outcomes. The modest loss of function detected suggest that the variant may act as a modifier of other variants of ATM/p53-dependent signalling.

The development of adaptation strategies for crops under ever-changing climate conditions is a critically important food security issue. Studies of barley responses to ionising radiation showed that this evolutionarily ancient stress factor can be successfully used to identify molecular pathways involved in adaptation to a range of abiotic stressors. In order to identify potential molecular contributors to abiotic stress resilience, we examined the transcriptomic profiles of barley seedlings after exposure to γ-rays, electrons, and protons. A total of 553 unique differentially expressed genes with increased expression and 124 with decreased expression were detected. Among all types of radiation, the highest number of differentially expressed genes was observed in electron-irradiated samples (428 upregulated and 56 downregulated genes). Significant upregulation after exposure to the three types of radiation was shown by a set of ROS-responsive genes, genes involved in DNA repair, cell wall metabolism, auxin biosynthesis and signalling, as well as photosynthesis-related genes. Most of these genes are known to be involved in plant ROS-mediated responses to other abiotic stressors, especially with genotoxic components, such as heavy metals and drought. Ultimately, the modulation of molecular pathways of plant responses to ionising radiation may be a prospective tool for stress tolerance programmes.

The aim of the present study was to assess the risk of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumour incidence in a cohort of 22,377 Mayak Production Association workers chronically exposed to ionising radiation. There were 96 primary CNS tumours, including 42 cases of glioma and 44 cases of meningioma, registered during the whole follow-up period (1948-2018). The study demonstrated that the risk of primary CNS tumour incidence was associated with sex, attained age, calendar period, tall body height, age at the beginning of exposure, and facility type. There was no association found between risk of CNS tumour incidence and body mass index, smoking (males) and alcohol consumption status. The study did not find an effect of the total external gamma radiation dose absorbed in the brain on risk of CNS tumour incidence irrespective of whether an adjustment for the total external neutron dose absorbed in the brain was included or not. Excess relative risk per 1 Gy of external gamma brain dose was 0.05 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.30; 0.70) for all CNS tumours, -0.18 (95% CI -; 0.44) for gliomas, and 0.38 (95% CI -0.32; 2.08) for meningiomas without adjustment for total neutron brain dose. There was no effect modification by sex, attained age, age at hire or facility.