Redox status in workers occupationally exposed to long-term low levels of ionizing radiation: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide (O2(•-)), play an important role in the biological effects of ionizing radiation. The human body has developed different antioxidant systems to defend against excessive levels of ROS. The aim of the present study is to investigate the redox status changes in the blood of radiologic technologists and compare these changes to control individuals. METHODS: We enrolled 60 medical workers: 20 occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation (all radiologic technologists), divided in three subgroups: conventional radiography (CR), computerized tomography (CT), and interventional radiography (IR) and 40 age- and gender-matched unexposed controls. Levels of O2(•-) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in blood were measured as an index of redox status, as were the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Redox status was also assessed by measuring levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH, GSSG, respectively). RESULTS: Levels of O2(•-) and MDA, and SOD activity in the blood of IR and CT-exposed subjects were significantly higher than both the CR-exposed subjects and control individuals. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the levels of catalase, GSH and ratio of GSH/GSSG between exposed workers and control individuals. DISCUSSION: This study suggests that healthcare workers in CT and IR occupationally exposed to radiation have an elevated circulating redox status as compared to unexposed individuals.

A study of bacterial cultures obtained from MR imaging equipment.

All healthcare team members are responsible for delivering quality patient care and decreasing incidence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). This study sought to determine whether MR imaging equipment harbored pathogens that could lead to HAIs. Surface surveillance bacterial cultures were obtained from 8 MR units in Nebraska hospitals. Cultures were collected after completion of patient care each day from the unit bore, coil, table surface, and control panel. None of the MR cultures recovered clinically significant isolates that are established pathogens leading to HAIs. Standard disinfection protocols preliminarily appear to inhibit the colonization of microorganisms that lead to HAIs.

Addressing a radiation safety sentinel event alert: one state's experience.

The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert in August 2011 to address the radiation risks related to diagnostic medical imaging. The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety (NCPS) sent a survey to Nebraska hospital radiology departments in May 2012 to solicit responses regarding radiation safety management practices. Survey results demonstrate that Nebraska hospitals perform well in many radiation safety efforts, but lack in others, as well as the need for additional research to track or compare progress. Nebraska's experience can serve as a model for other states to perform similar radiation safety management research.