Natural Radioactivity in Raw Building Materials for Underground Parking Lots and Assessment of Radiological Health Risk for the Population.

This article reports the results of an investigation into the activity concentration of natural radionuclides in raw building materials for underground parking lots, together with the assessment of the radiation hazard for the public related to exposure to ionizing radiations. To this purpose, high-purity germanium (HPGe) γ-ray spectrometry was employed in order to quantify the average specific activity of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K natural radioisotopes. With the aim to assess any possible radiological health risk for the population, the absorbed γ-dose rate (D), the annual effective dose equivalent outdoor (AEDEout) and indoor (AEDEin), the activity concentration index (I), and the alpha index (Iα) were also estimated, resulting in values that were lower than the maximum recommended ones for humans. Finally, the extent of the correlations existing between the observed radioactivity and radiological parameters and of these parameters with the analyzed samples was quantified through statistical analyses, including Pearson's correlation, a principal component analysis (PCA), and a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). As a result, three clusters of the investigated samples were recognized based on their chemical composition and mineralogical nature. Noteworthily, this paper covers a certain gap in science since its topic does not appear in literature in this form. Thus, the authors underline the importance of this work to global knowledge in the environmental research and public health fields.

Multivariate Statistics, Mineralogy, and Radiological Hazards Assessment Due to the Natural Radioactivity Content in Pyroclastic Products from Mt. Etna, Sicily, Southern Italy.

In this article, an investigation of the natural radioactivity content of pyroclastic products from Mt. Etna, eastern Sicily, Southern Italy, was carried out. In particular, the assessment of the average activity concentration of the investigated radionuclides, related to the mineralogical phase composition of the analyzed samples, and the radiological health risk for the population, was performed. High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometry was employed in order to quantify the average specific activity of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K natural radioisotopes. The absorbed gamma dose rate (D), the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the hazard indices (Hin and Hex), the annual effective dose equivalent outdoor (AEDEout), and the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were also estimated in order to assess any possible radiological hazard for the population. In our case, they were found to be lower than the maximum recommended values for the population members, thus reasonably excluding radiological hazard effects. Moreover, the identification of the source of the aforementioned naturally occurring radionuclides was attempted by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Micro-Raman Scattering (MRS), thereby recognizing the main radioisotope-bearing minerals present in the investigated pyroclastic products. Finally, Pearson correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) were performed by processing observed radioactivity and radiological parameters in order to determine their correlation with the sampling locations.

Assessment of the Radiological Health Risk Due to the 226Ra Content in Drinking Water from the Calabria Region, Southern Italy.

In this article, the authors report experimental results obtained for the assessment of the 226Ra content in 80 drinking water samples from the Calabria region, Southern Italy. The activity concentration, measured with the Perkin Elmer Tricarb 4910 TR Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) setup, was compared with the reference values reported in the Italian Legislative Decree 28/2016 in order to evaluate any possible radiological health hazards for the population in terms of 226Ra content due to the ingestion of the investigated drinking water. The obtained results put in evidence that the average 226Ra specific activity is lower than the LSC minimum detectable activity (MDA) in all cases, thus, excluding any radiological risk. They also represent the main reference for the investigated area and can be used as a baseline to extend this investigation to the whole region.

Radioactivity, Metals Pollution and Mineralogy Assessment of a Beach Stretch from the Ionian Coast of Calabria (Southern Italy).

In the present article, a case study is reported regarding an investigation carried out in order to assess radioactivity concentration, heavy metals pollution and mineralogy of a beach stretch extending from Soverato to Squillace municipalities of the Ionian coast of Calabria, South of Italy, a popular tourist destination, especially in summer. The analysis of radionuclides contents was performed by using a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray detector, in order to quantify the average specific activity of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K natural radionuclides and 137Cs anthropogenic radioisotope. The absorbed dose rate and the annual effective dose equivalent radiological hazard indices were also estimated. Furthermore, X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry measurements were carried out for the quantitative elemental analysis of the sand, in order to investigate any possible chemical pollution by heavy metals. For this aim, different indices such as Enrichment Factor (EF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo), Contamination Factor (CF) and Pollution Load Index (PLI) were applied to estimate the level of toxicity imposed on the ecosystem by the detected heavy metals. Finally, in order to identify the crystalline mineral components of the investigated sand samples, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Micro-Raman Scattering (MRS) measurements were carried out.

Valor predictivo del ecodoppler color peneano con inyección de droga vasoactiva en pacientes con disfunción eréctil / Penile color Doppler US predictive value after vasoactive drug injection in patients with erectile disfunction

A fin de demostrar la utilidad del eco Doppler con drogas vasoactivas para definir la terapéutica en pacientes con disfunción eréctil se estudiaron 54 pacientes con tumescencia nocturna insuficiente, a quienes se les realizó ecografía peneana y Doppler color de las materias cavernosas en condiciones basales y con inyección intracavernosa de 1 cm3 de Trimix, registrándose las velocidades sistólicas basales y postinyección temprana, tardía y postestímulo y evaluando las velocidades sistólicas, distólicas y los índices de resistencia. Los estudios permitieron clasificar a los pacientes en 5 grupos de acuerdo a la etiología de la disfunción y de ese modo brindarles la terapéutica adecuada