Design and development of a detector system and software tool installed on a mobile laboratory to provide both radiological characterisation of large areas and a simple tool for localising radioactive sources.

In emergency situations where an immediate response is required to make appropriate decisions by the competent authorities, it is essential to have measurement tools that provide results as accurate as possible in real-time. This paper presents the description of the upgrade of the mobile laboratory of the Radiological Alert Network of Extremadura, focusing on the characterisation of radioactive-contaminated land during emergency situations and the detection of radioactive sources. The detector system is based on two scintillation detectors and a car-borne dose rate monitor. Additionally, a software tool has been developed to collect information from the different devices involved (detectors, GPS, etc) and display it in an intuitive manner. This system has been tested in an area of a former phosphate facility where soils remain contaminated to varying degrees with radionuclides of TE-NORM origin.

Development of an advanced radioactive airborne particle monitoring system for use in early warning networks.

Automatic real-time warning networks are essential for the almost immediate detection of anomalous levels of radioactivity in the environment. In the case of Extremadura region (SW Spain), a radiological network (RARE) has been operational in the vicinity of the Almaraz nuclear power plant and in other areas farther away since 1992. There are ten air monitoring stations equipped with Geiger-Müller counters in order to evaluate the external ambient gamma dose rate. Four of these stations have a commercial system that provides estimates of the total artificial alpha and beta activity concentrations in aerosols, and of the 131I activity (gaseous fraction). Despite experience having demonstrated the benefits and robustness of these commercial systems, important improvements have been made to one of these air monitoring systems. In this paper, the analytical and maintenance shortcomings of the original commercial air monitoring system are described first; the new custom-designed advanced air monitoring system is then presented. This system is based mainly on the incorporation of gamma spectrometry using two scintillation detectors, one of NaI:Tl and the other of LaBr3:Ce, and compact multichannel analysers. Next, a comparison made of the results provided by the two systems operating simultaneously at the same location for three months shows the advantages of the new advanced air monitoring system. As a result, the gamma spectrometry analysis allows passing from global alpha and beta activity determinations due to artificial radionuclides in aerosols, and the inaccurate measurement of the gaseous 131I activity concentration, to the possibility of identifying a large number of radionuclides and quantifying each of their activity concentrations. Moreover, the new station's dual capacity is designed to work in early warning monitoring mode and surveillance monitoring mode. This is based on custom developed software that includes an intelligent system to issue the necessary warnings when radiological anomalies or technical problems are identified. Implicitly, for the construction of the advanced station, substantial mechanical and electronic developments have been required. They have essentially consisted of integrating a new replacement device, whose operation has reduced the maintenance tasks.

Lessons learnt from the radiological measures performed by the Radiological Emergency Network of Extremadura in the International Emergency Exercise CURIEX 2013.

In late 2013 (5th-7th of November), the Cáceres Urgent Response International Exercise (CURIEX 2013) took place to test the Nuclear Emergency Plan of Cáceres (PENCA) with the collaboration of both national and international support teams. The theme of the exercise was the simulation of a nuclear accident at the Almaraz Nuclear Power Plant located in Extremadura (Spain) with release of radioactive plume. From the point of view of radioactive contamination, the CURIEX exercise objective was to assess the capability of the different radiological teams to quantify the radioactive impact that would occur in this environment, a goal in which the Radiological Emergency Network of Extremadura (RARE) is directly implicated. The present paper analyses in detail the environmental radiological and dosimetrical results obtained by the Radiological Emergency Network of Extremadura during the CURIEX exercise. The rapid radioactivity measurement techniques on air and soil samples performed by the RARE's mobile lab involves great uncertainties. However, the results show a relative good effectiveness both in dose rate car-borne measurements and gamma soil spectrometry with uncertainties over 40%. It also shows a good correlation between the dose rate values measured by car-borne apparatus and those calculated from gamma spectrometry measurements. The capability of the RARE's facilities are evaluated in both the measurements, showing whether or not there is a radiological problem, and the transmission of that data to the decision centres in the shortest time. Although the results were highly satisfactory, some shortcomings were detected and therefore some improvements are proposed in the paper, in order to achieve a greater capacity in response to an event with the characteristics simulated in the CURIEX exercise.

Proposed improvements to existing water monitoring systems in automatic radiological warning networks.

The main objective of automatic environmental radiation warning networks is to quantify a set of radiological parameters corresponding to the medium being monitored (water, air, etc) in the shortest possible time so as to be able to provide rapid and precise information on the medium's radiological status, and on any alterations that may occur and their severity. Specifically, in this paper we present the substantial improvements that have been carried out in an automatic near-real-time radiation monitoring of a water system belonging to Radiation Alert Network of Extremadura (RARE) in southwest Spain. These improvements are based on the incorporation of (i) a gamma spectrometry system with solid scintillation detectors and compact digital electronics, (ii) continuous measurement of the water flow that is being monitored, (iii) improvements in the maintenance tasks required to optimise the operation of this type of equipment and (iv) the controlled and automated collection of water samples so that, in the case of a possible radiological anomaly, it will be possible to perform ulterior specific complementary determinations in a low-background laboratory.

Assessment of environmental radiological impact in former metallic mines in Extremadura (Spain): A case study.

Metal mining in the Extremadura region was very important in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, due to different reasons the great majority of mines ceased operations, leading to plenty of abandoned mining sites, most of them with on-site waste dumps. Although metal extraction is not radioactive per se, it is considered a NORM activity. In this study, three former mining sites, in which Pb-V-Zn-Ag, Pb-Ag, and Pb-Zn were extracted, were selected to assess the radiological impact on the population and the environment. The external γ exposure was estimated by determining the effective dose and elaborating isodose maps of the sites. The presence of the mining sites increased up to 0.41 mSv/y the effective dose over the surrounding background, which is below the reference value of 1 mSv/y. In only one mining site, the uranium and radium activity concentration of waste dumps were higher than the surrounding soil. The soil to plant (wild grass) transfer factors were similar to other reported values without the influence of NORM activities. So, no enhanced transfer of radionuclides was observed. The radiological impact on the environment was assessed by the risk to non-human biota using the tiered approach developed in ERICA Tool. The sum of the risk quotients of all considered radionuclides in the most conservative Tier 1 was below 1. Total dose rates for several terrestrial Reference Animal and Plants (RAPs) were estimated using Tier 3, obtaining values below 40 µGy/h. Therefore, the impact on non-human biota can be considered as negligible.

Susceptibility and PK/PD relationships of Staphylococcus aureus strains from ovine and caprine with clinical mastitis against five veterinary fluoroquinolones.

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and mutant prevention concentration (MPC) of veterinary fluoroquinolones as enrofloxacin, its metabolite ciprofloxacin, danofloxacin, difloxacin and marbofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus strains (n=24) isolated from milk of sheep and goats affected by clinical mastitis were evaluated. The authors have used the MIC and MPC, as well as the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships in plasma and milk. MIC values were significantly different between drugs, unlike MPC values. Lower MIC values were obtained for danofloxacin and difloxacin, middle and higher values for enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and marbofloxacin. However, differences in MPC values were not found between drugs. At conventional doses, the AUC24/MIC and AUC24/MPC ratios were close to 30-80 hours and 5-30 hours, with exception of danofloxacin, in plasma and milk. The time inside the mutant selection window (TMSW) was close to 3-6 hours for enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and marbofloxacin, near to 8 hours for danofloxacin and 12-22 hours for difloxacin. From these data, the mutant selection window could be higher for danofloxacin and difloxacin compared with the other fluoroquinolones tested. The authors concluded that enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin, at conventional doses, could prevent the selection of bacterial subpopulations of S aureus, unlike danofloxacin and difloxacin, where higher doses could be used.

Factors Affecting Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi Plant Inoculations and Their Use for Evaluation of Olive Cultivar Susceptibility.

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi causes olive knot disease, which is present in most countries where olive trees are grown. Although the use of cultivars with low susceptibility may be one of the most appropriate methods of disease control, little information is available from inoculation assays, and cultivar susceptibility assessments have been limited to few cultivars. We have evaluated the effects of pathogen virulence, plant age, the dose/response relationship, and the induction of secondary tumors in olive inoculation assays. Most P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi strains evaluated were highly virulent to olive plants, but interactions between cultivars and strains were found. The severity of the disease in a given cultivar was strongly dependent of the pathogen dose applied at the wound sites. Secondary tumors developed in noninoculated wounds following inoculation at another position on the stem, suggesting the migration of the pathogen within olive plants. Proportion and weight of primary knots and the presence of secondary knots were evaluated in 29 olive cultivars inoculated with two pathogen strains at two inoculum doses, allowing us to rate most of the cultivars as having either high, medium, or low susceptibility to olive knot disease. None of the cultivars were immune to the disease.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ramipril and ramiprilat after intravenous and oral doses of ramipril in healthy horses.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) ramiprilat after intravenous (IV) and oral (PO) administration of ramipril have not been evaluated in horses. This study was designed to establish PK profiles for ramipril and ramiprilat as well as to determine the effects of ramiprilat on serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and to select the most appropriate ramipril dose that suppresses ACE activity. Six healthy horses in a cross-over design received IV ramipril 0.050 mg/kg, PO at a dose of 0 (placebo), and 0.050, 0.10, 0.20, 0.40 and 0.80 mg/kg ramipril. Blood pressures were measured and blood samples obtained at different times. Serum ramipril and ramiprilat concentrations and serum ACE activity were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and spectrophotometry, respectively. Systemic bioavailability of ramiprilat after PO ramipril was 6-9%. Percentages of maximum ACE inhibitions from baseline were 98.88 (IV ramipril), 5.31 (placebo) and 27.68, 39.27, 46.67, 76.13 and 84.27 (the five doses of PO ramipril). Blood pressure did not change during the experiments. Although oral availability of ramiprilat was low, ramipril has sufficient enteral absorption and bioconversion to ramiprilat to induce serum ACE inhibitions of almost 85% after a dose of 0.80 mg/kg ramipril. Additional research on ramipril administration in equine patients is indicated.

Analysis of IgG response to experimental infection with RH Toxoplasma gondii in goats.

The IgG response of goats experimentally infected with RH Toxoplasma gondii has been analysed using an indirect ELISA and Western-blot analysis. Specific IgG antibodies were first detected at 14 days post-inoculation (p.i.), reaching a peak by day 35 p.i. and showing slight fluctuations until the end of the experiment (91 p.i.). Specific IgG showed a reactivity over a whole range of peptides (125-24 kDa approximately), but the highest reactivity was observed against a group of antigens with a molecular weight between 34 and 28 kDa, in particular against a 30 kDa fraction which is considered to represent the major surface protein of T. gondii named p30 or SAG-1.

Use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serodiagnosis of clinical paratuberculosis in goats. Study by western blotting of false-positive reactions.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed for diagnosis of paratuberculosis in goats, using as antigen a protoplasmic extract (PPA-3). The test was developed on the basis of the results obtained with two serum reference pools, positive and negative respectively. To avoid day-to-day variations, dilutions of the positive serum pool were included in each plate to obtain an arbitrary system, transforming absorbance into immunoglobulin (Ig) G anti-Mycobacterium paratuberculosis units. The ELISA was used on sera of two reference groups of animals. One group consisted of 35 goats suspected of being infected with paratuberculosis, which was confirmed by histological findings and isolation of M. paratuberculosis. The negative group consisted of 61 healthy goats from a farm free of paratuberculosis. The test showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 91.8%. Absorption of sera with a Mycobacterium phlei suspension did not modify either the sensitivity or the specificity of the test. Sera from the negative group were analysed by Western blotting, and four of them recognized two fractions with a molecular weight of 17.3 and 28.1 kDa.

[Association between atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in schoolchildren aged 13-14 years old]. / Asociación entre dermatitis atópica, rinitis alérgica y asma en escolares de 13 y 14 años.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is closely related to other atopic diseases, especially asthma and allergic rhinitis. Although there is a certain agreement that suffering from atopic eczema predisposes to asthma and allergic rhinitis, the risk of developing these diseases should be quantified in populations following a standardized method, which is the objective of this study. METHOD: Using the questionnaire from the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC), we performed a cross-sectional study of all schoolchildren aged 13 and 14 years old in the city of Cartagena (Murcia, Spain). The relationship between atopic dermatitis and its severity with asthma, allergic asthma, and allergic rhinitis was analyzed. RESULTS: Quantification of risk showed that schoolchildren with atopic eczema had a 3-fold risk of allergic rhinitis (OR: 3.33; 95 % CI: 2.45-4.54), a 4-fold risk of asthma (OR: 3.85; 95 % CI: 2.74-5.42) and a 5-fold risk of allergic asthma (OR: 4.91; 95 % CI: 3.17-7.59) compared with schoolchildren without atopic eczema. The severity of eczema was also directly related to that of asthma and rhinitis.

[Prevalence of atopic dermatitis in schoolchildren from Cartagena (Spain) and relationship with sex and pollution]. / Prevalencia de la dermatitis atópica en escolares de Cartagena y su relación con el sexo y la contaminación.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis is favored by exogenous factors, such as air pollution interacting with a genetic predisposition. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of sex and air pollution in the city of Cartagena on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis. DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study using the ISAAC questionnaire in schoolchildren aged 13 and 14 years old from Cartagena (Murcia). The influence of sex and the schools' location in two distinct areas (polluted and unpolluted) on the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and its severity (described as being awakened by nocturnal itching) was analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of atopic eczema was 6.3 %. Atopic eczema was severe in 19 % of the cases. Risk factors for atopic eczema were female sex (OR 2.19 95 % CI: 1.59-3. 02) and attending school in a polluted area (OR: 1.83, 95 % CI 1.01-1.87) but these factors were not associated with greater severity. CONCLUSIONS: Air pollution is associated with a higher prevalence of atopic eczema and there is a trend that this eczema is more severe. The condition was more prevalent among girls.

[Acquired cystic renal disease associated with renal carcinoma: report of 3 cases]. / Asociación entre enfermedad quística renal adquirida y carcinoma renal: presentación de tres casos.

Presentation of three cases of haemodialysis patients with acquired cystic renal disease (ACRD) who, over the course of their illness, developed clear cells renal carcinoma. The paper emphasizes the common association of these two entities and the need to consider ACRD cases as patients at high risk of developing renal neoplasia.

[Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney in the adult]. / Tumor rabdoide maligno de riñón en el adulto.

Presentation of a malignant rhabdoid renal tumour. This type of sarcoma which occurs commonly during the paediatric age is exceptional in the adult, this being the reason for reviewing this clinical case and its management. The term rhabdoid includes several types of morphologically similar tumours which make analysis and pathological categorization difficult. A description of the classification criteria and likely origin of the tumour is included.

[Mannitol solution (M-400) vs. mannitol solution combined with allopurinol in the prevention of post-transfusion acute renal failure]. / Solución de manitol (M-400) versus solución de manitol y alopurinol en la prevención del fracaso renal agudo post-TR.

Evaluation on the incidence of Acute Renal Failure (ARF) from a total of 41 corpse renal graft receptors, 20 of which received perfusion with mannitol solution at 400 mOsm/kg (Group 1) and 21 the same mannitol solution plus allopurinol (Group 2). No significant differences were present between both groups when they were analyzed for ARF incidence (15% vs 23.8%); overall incidence was 19.5%. 24-hour initial diuresis was shown to be an excellent predictor for long-term graft functionality. We can conclude that the addition of mannitol to the perfusion solution contributes decisively to reduce post-transplantation ARF, while addition of allopurinol does not have further beneficial effects.

[Cyst of the prostatic utricle]. / Quiste de utrículo prostático.

Presentation of a case of prostatic utriculus cyst which due to its size and the patient's history suggested a differential diagnosis with a urethral or vesical diverticulum. Awareness of frequent association to urethral malformations and azoospermia would be very useful when choosing a treatment strategy in such cases.

[Idiopathic thrombosis of renal vein in adults: presentation of a case and review of clinico-diagnostic and therapeutic aspects]. / Trombosis idiopática de la vena renal en el adulto: aportación de un caso y revisión de los aspectos clínico-diagnósticos y terapéuticos.

Renal Vein Thrombosis is an uncommon entity associated to various clinical conditions which develop in hypercoagulant states. The paper describes one case of idiopathic thrombosis of the renal vein in an adult patient, also making a review of the literature on this clinical syndrome and its diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

Calibration of an air monitor prototype for a radiation surveillance network based on gamma spectrometry.

The objective of this work is to present the improvements that have been made in quasi-real-time air radioactivity concentration monitors which were initially based on overall activity determinations, by incorporating gamma spectrometry into the current prototype. To this end it was necessary to develop a careful efficiency calibration procedure for both the particulate and the gaseous fractions of the air being sampled. The work also reports the values of the minimum detectable activity calculated for different isotopes and acquisition times.

[Mineral composition of different types of Canarian gofio; factors affecting the presence of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cn and Zn]. / Composición mineral de los distintos tipos de gofio canario; factores que afectan a la presencia de Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu y Zn.

The contents of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn were analyzed and evaluated in 181 samples of various types of gofio produced from different roasted cereal grains. Samples were analyzed by ICP-OES. Based on a daily gofio intake of 30 g/day for adults and 15 g/day for children, the daily intake of each metal, and its percentage contribution to the RDAs established for the Spanish population, were estimated. The metal with the highest concentration was K (2189 ± 766 mg/kg). The lowest concentration was observed for Cu in corn gofio samples (2.05 ± 0.36 mg/kg). With respect to daily intake, it is noteworthy that gofio contributes significantly to the recommended allowance of copper (53.77%-71.45% of the RDI), depending on the population group considered and on the type of gofio.

En este trabajo se ha estudiado la composición mineral de Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu y Zn en 181 muestras de diversos tipos de gofio elaborados con diferentes cereales. Las muestras se analizaron mediante espectrometría de emisión óptica con plasma acoplado inductivamente (ICP-OES). Considerando un consumo medio diario de 30 g de gofio en adultos y de 15 g de gofio en niños, se estimaron las ingestas diarias de cada metal y sus contribuciones porcentuales a las IDRs establecidas para la población española. El elemento que presentó la mayor concentración de todos los estudiados fue el K en muestras de gofio de cereales, con una concentración media de 2189 ± 766 mg/kg. El de menor concentración fue el Cu en muestras de gofio de maíz, con 2,05 ± 0,36 mg/kg. Con respecto a la ingesta, cabe destacar que el gofio contribuye de manera significativa a la ingesta de cobre (53,77%- 71,45% de la IDR), en función del grupo de población que se trate y del tipo de gofio.