Measurement and comparison of individual external doses of high-school students living in Japan, France, Poland and Belarus-the 'D-shuttle' project

Twelve high schools in Japan (of which six are in Fukushima Prefecture), four in France, eight in Poland and two in Belarus cooperated in the measurement and comparison of individual external doses in 2014. In total 216 high-school students and teachers participated in the study. Each participant wore an electronic personal dosimeter 'D-shuttle' for two weeks, and kept a journal of his/her whereabouts and activities. The distributions of annual external doses estimated for each region overlap with each other, demonstrating that the personal external individual doses in locations where residence is currently allowed in Fukushima Prefecture and in Belarus are well within the range of estimated annual doses due to the terrestrial background radiation level of other regions/countries.

[Hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with extensive asynergy of the left ventricular wall: a case report]

This is a report of a case of the hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with extensive asynergy of the left ventricular wall. This 41-year-old man's hospital admission in March, 1982 was for congestive heart failure, with marked eosinophilia (34%). Slight depression of the ST segments and flatness of the T waves were observed in electrocardiographic leads I, II, III, a VF, and V 5-6. Digitalis and diuretics were ineffective, but supplementary prednisone therapy resulted in a decrease in eosinophilia and improvement of congestive heart failure. He was transferred to our hospital for further examination in May, 1982. There were no signs of congestive heart failure, but a third heart sound was detected on admission. Marked ST segment depression and inverted T waves were observed in the left precordial leads. Echocardiography cardiography showed extensive asynergy of the left ventricular wall, and progressive enlargement of the left atrium and left ventricle. High density area near the apex of the left ventricle suggested the presence of mural thrombi. A left endocardial biopsy showed organized thrombi sparsely invaded by eosinophils. There were no signs nor symptoms of peripheral emboli. Tapering of the dose of prednisone was attempted twice, but each time eosinophilia resulted. The patient is now free of symptoms, and is being maintained on 25 mg of prednisone daily.

The effect of RES blockade on red blood cell survival

The effect of RES blockade on the survival of heat-damaged and antibody coated red blood cells was evaluated in C3H mice. RES function of C3H mice was determined by the survival of 59Fe-labeled, heat-damaged red blood cells at 49 degrees C for 30 min. When animals were treated with an intravenous injection of non-labeled, heat-damaged red blood cells for the blockade of RES, red blood cell destruction was depressed in non-splenectomized and splenectomized mice. In the survival or organ distribution of 59Fe-labeled, antibody-coated red blood cells, no difference was noted between animals with and without blockade. These findings suggest that heat-damaged red blood cells were destructed predominantly in the splenic RES and antibody coated cells were not broken down only by the splenic RES.