CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF A GENE MEDIATING γ-RADIATION-INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN HL-60 CELLS

Objective To identlfy the member of the caspase famlly proteases involved in Y-radiation-inducedapoptosis in HL-60 cells and to study the expression or the caspase gene in normal, apoptotic cells and in immortal tumor cells. Methods By using degenerate oligonucleotide primers encoding the highly conserved peptides that were present in all known caspases, we performed RT-PCR on poly(A)RNA from γ-radiation-induced apoptotic HL-6o cells.Caspase-3 mRNA in apoptotic HL-6o cells and in human tumor cell lines was analyzed by Northern blot. Results The amplified DNA fragment was identiried with caspase-3 cDNA by cloning and sequencing. The Northern blot analysis of caspase-3 mRNA of different human tumor cell lines showed that the caspase-3 gene transcript was more highly expressed in leukemia cell lines and the SH-SY5Y cell line than in HeLa and MCF-7 cells. It was more highly expressed in the radiation-induced apoptotic HL-6o cells than in control HL-6o cells. Conclusion These results indicated that caspase-3 was involved in γ-radiation-induced apoptosis in HL-6o cells. The high level of expression or caspase-3 may aid efforts to understand the insensitivity of some tumor cells to radlation, their inherent ability to survive, and apoptosis

γ-Radiation synthesis of nanocrystalline nickel powder from nickel (Ⅱ ) -ammonia complex solution

NANOCRYSTALLINE nickel is very important for its applications in the fields such as catalysis andmagnetic materials.The usual method used for preparing nanocrystalline nickel is inert gas e-vaporation,which requires high temperature.However,high temperature easily leads tothe growth or oxidation of nickel particles.Marignier et al.reported the nickel microaggre-gates dispersed in solution produced by γ-irradiating a dilute solution of Ni2+

^(103)Pd-induced apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in bile ducts of dogs:significance and effects on related genes

BACKGROUND:With the objective of developing a locally- produced radioactive stent,the present study used in vivo animal experiments to explore apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells resulting from facilitation of the expression of genes caused byγ-radiation in order to prevent bile duct restenosis.We therefore explored the effects and significance ofγ-radiation on the activity of caspase-3,Fas and Bcl-2 genes in apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile duct walls of dogs. METHODS:Twelve dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups(6 in each group).A postinjury bile duct stenosis model was established and radioactive 103 Pd( 103 palladium) or ordinary bile duct stents were implanted into the bile ducts.HE staining,RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of bile duct smooth muscle cells in proliferative endomembrane and the expression of related caspase-3,Bcl-2 and Fas genes. RESULTS:The expression of caspase-3 and Fas genes in the bile duct tissues of dogs with radioactive stents was higher than that of dogs with ordinary stents.There was significant apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile ducts.The expression of the Bcl-2 gene in the bile duct tissues of dogs with radioactive stents was lower than that in those with ordinary stents.There was significant apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the dogs with low Bcl-2 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS:Radiation increases the activity of caspase-3 and Fas genes and is associated with apoptosis. The radioactive 103 Pd stent may facilitate apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile ducts of dogs by activating these genes.The Bcl-2 gene expression level is correlated with the occurrence of apoptosis and the radiosusceptibility of cells.

Persea americana attenuates inflammatory response associated with hyperlipidemia in ovariectomized and irradiated rats by regulating MMP-3/TIMP-1 levels

Objective:To explore the effect of Persea americana supplementation on inflammation,oxidative stress,and lipid profiles in ovariectomized rats fed with a high-fat diet and exposed to radiation.Methods:The control group was sham operated,while groups 2-5 were ovariectomized and fed a high-fat diet.Groups 4 and 5 were exposed toγ-radiation(1 Gy/week for 5 weeks)after ovariectomy.Groups 3 and 5 were treated with 1 mL/250 g/day of Persea americana for one month.Serum levels of estrogen,alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,cholesterol,triglycerides and lipoproteins were measured.Additionally,hepatic oxidative stress,inflammatory and fibrogenic markers were evaluated.Results:Persea americana treatment reduced the oxidative stress markers as well as the levels of triglyceride,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,which in turn lowered hepatic fat accumulation.Moreover,it suppressed hepatic inflammatory mediators(interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor-α,and C-reactive protein)and downregulated pro-fibrogenic markers(transforming growth factor-βand tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1).Conclusions:Persea americana provides protection against ovariectomy,and gamma radiation-mediated hepatic inflammation not only through its antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,lipid-lowering effect but also by modulating the fibrogenic markers.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE SYNTHESIS OF ACRYLAMIDE HYDROGEL BY γ-RAY IRRADIATION

Hydrogels have been synthesized from 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% aqueous solutions of acrylamide monomer by gamma radiation employing doses in the range of 0.2-30 kGy from a Co-60 source. The effect of solution concentration, γ-ray dose, pH and time was studied in order to observe the optimizing conditions in the characterization of hydrogels. Gel fraction increases with dose for all concentrations indicating hundred-percentage conversion of gel at doses 5 kGy for homogenous solutions in the range of 20%-50% concentration. On the other hand, 10% solution provides conversion less than 86% even at 30 kGy, whereas 60% monomer makes an inhomogeneous solution which stile gives about 100% gel fraction. Swelling of hydrogels under water with respect to time varies with both the doses and concentrations due to the change of crosslinking density in the gels. The maximum volume change of hydrogels during swelling and water desorption mainly occurs within 24 h. Swelling is also enhanced with the rise of pH due to change of ionic content of the solvent. Considering the amount of gel fraction and the properties of hydrogel, the samples prepared from 20% solution at 5 kGy show better results. Moreover, the effect of bacteria on hydrogel was found to be nil, suggesting a prohibition of growth of microorganism in it.

Effect of PLA/ZnO Packaging and Gamma Radiation on the Content of Listeria innocua, Escherichia coil and Salmonella enterica on Ham during Storage at 4℃

The effect of ZnO and low y-radiation on PLA based-films was investigated to be used for food packaging application. Ham slices were inoculated with E. coli, L. innocua and S. enterica and then covered with PLA and PLA/5% ZnO films. The samples were irradiated with a y-radiation dose of 0.3 kGy at dose rate of 13.5 kGy/h. Microbiological analysis was performed at 0, 1 and 5 days on samples stored at 4 ℃. Results showed that no consistent reduction of bacteria was obtained, even at the fifth day of storage, when the ham was covered with PLA/5% ZnO film and no γ-radiation was performed. The use of γ-radiation results necessary to reduce the bacteria growth. In fact E. coli and S. enterica were not detected after 5 days of storage; whereas in the case of test with L. innocua a reduction of 1.3 log CFU/g was observed after 5 days of storage. The antibacterial results indicate that the presence of ZnO in PLA film is effective only for E. coll. The differences of the results obtained here with those reported in literature （where ZnO particles are reported to be very effective as antimicrobial material） are accounted for the different methodologies used. In conclusion considering the positive results, even if small, obtained here at least only for the E. Coli and considering that PLA/5% ZnO film shows, compared to plain PLA film, good tensile properties （especially Young＇s modulus and stress at yielding） and good permeability （to O2 and CO2） induce to consider the PLA/5% ZnO composite film usable for food packaging when long shelf life and food safety are required, considering also that it is biodegradable and compostable.

Effects of sterilization treatments on the analysis of TOC in water samples

Decomposition experiments conducted with and without microbial processes are commonly used to study the effects of environmental microorganisms on the degradation of organic pollutants.However,the effects of biological pretreatment （sterilization） on organic matter often have a negative impact on such experiments.Based on the principle of water total organic carbon （TOC） analysis,the effects of physical sterilization treatments on determination of TOC and other water quality parameters were investigated.The results revealed that two conventional physical sterilization treatments,autoclaving and 60 Co γ-radiation sterilization,led to the direct decomposition of some organic pollutants,resulting in remarkable errors in the analysis of TOC in water samples.Furthermore,the extent of the errors varied with the intensity and the duration of sterilization treatments.Accordingly,a novel sterilization method for water samples,0.45 μm micro-filtration coupled with ultraviolet radiation （MCUR）,was developed in the present study.The results indicated that the MCUR method was capable of exerting a high bactericidal effect on the water sample while significantly decreasing the negative impact on the analysis of TOC and other water quality parameters.Before and after sterilization treatments,the relative errors of TOC determination could be controlled to lower than 3% for water samples with different categories and concentrations of organic pollutants by using MCUR.

EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS IN THE PREPARATION OF POLYMER AND HYDROGEL FROM ACRYLAMIDE MONOMER

The formation of polymer and hydrogel from aqueous solutions having 20, 30 and 40% concentrations ofacrylamide monomer by γ-ray irradiation processing in the dose range 0.06-30 kGy using a Co-60 source and theircharacterization have been observed. Polymer conversion and gel fraction are found to depend on radiation doses. Polymerconversion increases with the increase of dose, depending on the solution concentration, where maximum conversion isachieved at 0.18, 0.16 and 0.10 kGy for 20%, 30% and 40% concentrations, respectively. On the other hand, gel fractionincreases with dose from the gel point (0.12 kGy) for all concentrations, where 100% conversion of gel occurs at doses≥5 kGy. Tensile strength, viscosity and molecular weight (M_w) of polymer samples increase with both the dose and theconcentration, showing a high value of M_w up to≈10~8. Swelling of hydrogels under water with respect to time varies due tothe variation of cross-linking density formed in the gels and the maximum swelling mainly occurs within 24 h. A remarkable change of surface morphology reveals characteristic features of monomer, polymer and hydrogel films.

<i>γ</i>-Ray Modifications of Optical/Chemical Properties of Polycarbonate Polymer

This work was aimed to investigate the changes brought about in the polymer polycarbonate irradiated to different doses of γ-radiation. Yellowing of the samples with the increase of γ-absorbed dose was observed. The changes in the optical properties were studied by recording UV-Visible absorbance spectra of the pristine and irradiated polycarbonate films. A simultaneous coexistence of direct and indirect band gaps was observed. The indirect band gap values were found lower in comparison to the corresponding values of direct band gap in the pristine and γ-irradiated poly-carbonate. Both types of the optical band gap energies had decreasing tendency with the increasing γ-radiation dose. Urbach energy was also determined from the tail of absorption edge which was found to have increasing tendency with progressive γ-radiation dose. Increase in carbon cluster size with the increasing γ absorbed dose was also shown. This increase in the number of carbon atoms (N) in a cluster can be correlated to the optical energy band gap (Eg). Moreover, the FTIR spectra of pristine and irradiated PC samples suggest chain scissoring with apparently the elimination of carbon di/monoxide.

Effect of Facet Displacement on Radiation Field and Its Application for Panel Adjustment of Large Reflector Antenna

Large reflector antennas are widely used in radars, satellite communication, radio astronomy, and so on. The rapid developments in these fields have created demands for development of better performance and higher surface accuracy. However, low accuracy and low effi- ciency are the common disadvantages for traditional panel alignment and adjustment. In order to improve the surface accuracy of large reflector antenna, a new method is pre- sented to determinate panel adjustment values from far field pattern. Based on the method of Physical Optics （PO）, the effect of panel facet displacement on radiation field value is derived. Then the linear system is constructed between panel adjustment vector and far field pattern. Using the method of Singular Value Decomposition （SVD）, the adjustment value for all panel adjustors are obtained by solving the linear equations. An experiment is conducted on a 3.7 m reflector antenna with 12 segmented panels. The results of simulation and test are similar, which shows that the presented method is feasible. Moreover, thediscussion about validation shows that the method can be used for many cases of reflector shape. The proposed research provides the instruction to adjust surface panels efficiently and accurately.

GRB 130310A: very high peak energy and thermal emission

The special GRB 130310 A was observed by Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor and Large Area Telescope,with T90~2.4 s.With a combination of a Band function and a blackbody(BB)function,the time-resolved spectral analysis of GRB 130310 A confirmed that there is a sub-dominate thermal component in the early period(e.g.,slice T0+[4.03-4.14]s)spectrum with BB temperature(kT)being~7~5 keV,which can be interpreted as photosphere emission.The precursor of GRB 130310 A can be fitted well with a BB component with kT~45 keV,which is higher than that of the main burst.It suggests that the radiation of GRB 130310 A is in transition from thermal to non-thermal.Such a transition is an indication of the change in jet composition from a fireball to a Poynting-flux-dominated jet.A very high peak energy is obtained in the first time bin,with the peak energy E_(p) of the Band component for Band+BB and Band model being~8.5~5.2 MeV and~11.1~7.4 MeV,respectively.Afterwards,the E_(p) drops to~1 MeV.The E_(p) evolution patterns with respect to the pulses in the GRB 130310 A light curves show a hard-to-soft evolution.The interpretation of the high peak energy E_(p) within the photosphere and internal shock model is difficult.It also suggests that at least for some bursts,the Band component must invoke a non-thermal origin in the optically thin region of a GRB outflow.Assuming the redshift is z~0.1~8,the radius of the jet base r_(0)~10^(9) cm to allow(1+σ_(15))>1 in line with the calculation results of the magnetization parameter at~1015 cm(σ_(15)).However,the value of(1+σ_(15))is■1 in the zone z around 3 for r_(0)~10^(9) cm,suggesting the non-excluded possibility that the origin is from ICMART with a low value.The photosphere-internal shock seems capable of interpreting the high peak energy,which requires electron Lorentz factorγe~60 andεe~0.06.

The updated Bulk Lorentz Factors of Gamma-Ray Burst X-Ray Flares

X-ray flares are the most common phenomena in the afterglow phase of gamma-ray bursts （GRBs） in the Swift era, and are known as a canonical component in X-ray afterglows. In this work, we constrain the Lorentz factor of X-ray flares with an updated sample. We extensively search for X-ray light curves showing flare and jet break simultaneously. A smooth broken power law function is used to fit the jet breaks in 11 GRBs. We also use a smooth broken power law function to fit the profile of X-ray flares, and the total number of the flares is 20. We obtain the lower and upper limits of Lorentz factor （Гx） with the timescale, half-opening angle and mean luminosity of the X-ray flares for interstellar medium （ISM） and wind cases. The lower limits on Px range from tens to a few hundred, and the upper limits are mainly about a few hundred. We also apply the limited Lorentz factor to test correlations of Г0 - γ,iso and Г0 - Lγ,iso for GRBs, and find X-ray flares in the ISM case are much more consistent with those of prompt emission than the wind case in a statistical sense for both correlations. X-ray flares are almost consistent with the trend in the correlations of Г0 - Eγ,iso（Lγ,iso） for prompt GRBs, indicating X-ray flares and prompt bursts may have the same physical origin.

Cytogenetic Effects of Low-Dose Tritiated Water in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes—Experimental Studies on the Relative Biological Effectiveness and Chromosome Aberration Rate and CBMN in Human Blood Lymphocyte Irradiated by Tritium Low Dose Tritium <i>β</i>-Rays and ⁶⁰Co <i>γ</i>-Rays

In this study, the yields of unstable chromosome aberrations in human lymphocytes induced by β particles from low-dose HTO have been measured. HTO was mixed with heparinized blood in varying amounts so that a dose of 6.24 × 10-4 Gy to 1.23 Gy were delivered in 24 and 48 h, respectively. After 72-h culture, the dicentric yield was measured as a function of dose to the blood and compared with data from 60Co γ-radiation. Using a linear-quadratic dose-effect relation to fit the experimental data, a significant linear contribution Y = 0.062D + 0.053D2 was found. The main difference between the coefficients for β and γ-radiation was in the a values, indicating that HTO β-rays were more efficient, particularly at low doses. As per the theory of dual radiation, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of HTO β-particles relative to γ-rays is 2.21 at 0.06 Gy and decreases with increasing dose. Micronucleus yield at low doses was fitted to a linear equation Y = C + αD, indicating that the RBE value of MN for HTO β-rays irradiation was between 1.46 and 2.17, which is similar in shape to the chromosome aberrations experiments. Thus, β-rays were found to be more efficient in producing two lesions with single ionizing tracks at low dose.