Estimation of natural radioactivity in the soil samples around the uranium site, royal village, Khandela, Sikar district, Rajasthan.

The measurements of activity concentration of radium ( 226Ra ), thorium ( 232Th) and potassium ( 40K ) natural radionuclides using high purity germanium ( HPGe ) detector to assess harmful effects on people residing around Royal Uranium Site, Sikar, Rajasthan, India. The activity concentrations range from 29.03 ± 3.72 to 69.95 ± 4.07 Bq/kg for 226Ra with a mean value of 47.01 Bq/kg, 57.99 ± 6.13 to 113.94 ± 6.54 Bq/kg with a mean value of 86.56 Bq/kg for 232Th,678.19 ± 76.36 to 1426.55 ± 81.32 Bq/kg for 40K with a mean value of 1195 Bq/kg. Average Radium Equivalent Activity was measured 261.59 ± 35.48 Bq/kg. The total outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate ranged from 78.42 to 157.91 nGy/h with a mean value of 122.12 nGy/h.The average annual effective dose equivalent outdoors and indoors was found 0.75 mSv.Mean external (Hex) and internal (Hin) hazard indices are measured 0.70 and 0.82, respectively, for the study area.

Evaluation of the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a new live-attenuated lumpy skin disease vaccine in India.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) was reported for the first time in India in 2019 and since then, it has become endemic. Since a homologous (LSD-virus based) vaccine was not available in the country, goatpox virus (GPV)-based heterologous vaccine was authorized for mass immunization to induce protection against LSD in cattle. This study describes the evaluation of safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a new live-attenuated LSD vaccine developed by using an Indian field strain, isolated in 2019 from cattle. The virus was attenuated by continuous passage (P = 50) in Vero cells. The vaccine (50th LSDV passage in Vero cells, named as Lumpi-ProVacInd) did not induce any local or systemic reaction upon its experimental inoculation in calves (n = 10). At day 30 post-vaccination (pv), the vaccinated animals were shown to develop antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses and exhibited complete protection upon virulent LSDV challenge. A minimum Neethling response (0.018% animals; 5 out of 26,940 animals) of the vaccine was observed in the field trials conducted in 26,940 animals. There was no significant reduction in the milk yield in lactating animals (n = 10108), besides there was no abortion or any other reproductive disorder in the pregnant animals (n = 2889). Sero-conversion was observed in 85.18% animals in the field by day 30 pv.