Preliminary study on the detection efficiency and estimation of minimum detectable activity for a NaI(Tl)-based seawater monitoring system.

To monitor radioactivity levels in seawater Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety has installed and been operating 18 NaI(Tl)-based gamma detectors around the Korean peninsula. This study was conducted to estimate the detector efficiency and MDA of 137Cs in seawater for measurement situations. For this purpose, experiments in the air and a water tank, and Monte Carlo simulations were performed using a seawater radioactivity monitor system with 3 in. × 3 in. NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. In the geometry reliability assessment using certified reference materials in a disc source, the validity of simulations was obtained by comparing measurement and Monte Carlo simulation results. The FWHM of the seawater radioactivity monitor were obtained from the results of the water tank measurement for applying a Gaussian Energy Broadening (GEB) option to Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) radiation transport code. In addition, the detection efficiency of 40K in the water tank was measured and compared with the Monte Carlo simulation results in order to estimate the MDA and the detection efficiency of the seawater radioactivity monitoring system. For the based condition of water tank, 40K concentration in water tank was controlled to 10.13±0.18 Bq/L, similar to that of real marine. In laboratory water tank experiments, the detection efficiency of the radioactivity monitor for 40K was measured at 0.184±0.005 cps/(Bq/L), the Monte Carlo simulations showed the similar result of 0.182±0.002 cps/(Bq/L), and the detection efficiency of 137Cs was estimated to be 0.224±0.009 cps/(Bq/L) from the simulations. For 3h measurement in the water tank based condition, the MDA of 137Cs was estimated to be 0.077±0.003 Bq/L. Future research will include detailed studies for detector sizes and seawater salinities.

Anti-cancer effects of enteric-coated polymers containing mistletoe lectin in murine melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. var. coloratum) coated with a biodegradable polymer (Eudragit(®)) wall on the growth of mouse melanoma in vivo. Oral administration of 4% (430 mg/kg/day) enteric-coated mistletoe resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume on day 14 compared to the negative control group in B16F10 melanoma-inoculated BDF1 mice. When we measured the survival rate, enteric-coated mistletoe-received mice had a higher survival rate after day 12. Also, we investigated the mechanism involving the cancer cell growth inhibition when melanoma cells were treated with Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album L. var. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) and its extract in vitro. As a result, a significant G0/G1 arrest was observed in both B16BL6 and B16F10 melanoma cells with VCA or mistletoe extract. In addition, VCA or mistletoe extract induced an increase in both early and late apoptosis in cells. When we studied the molecular mechanism, our results showed that VCA and mistletoe extract can increase activated multiple caspases (caspase-1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), dose-dependently. We also found out that VCA and mistletoe treatment causes a significant decrease in the expression of procaspase-3 and 8.

[Effects of passive upper arm exercise on range of motion, muscle strength, and muscle spasticity in hemiplegic patients with cerebral vascular disease].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of passive upper arm exercise on range of motion, muscle strength, and muscle spasticity in hemiplegic patients with cerebral vascular disease. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control group was utilized. According to inclusion criteria, 25 patients were assigned to the control group with routine care, followed by 25 to the intervention group with passive exercise for 30 minutes per session, twice a day for 2 weeks. Eighteen patients in the intervention group and 17 in the control group completed the posttest measurement, including range of motion for upper arm joints, manual muscle test, and Modified Ashworth Scale for muscle spasticity. RESULTS: The intervention group had a significantly improved range of motion in the shoulder and wrist joints. No interaction effect was found for the elbow joint. No significant differences were found in muscle strength or muscle spasticity between the groups. CONCLUSION: Results of the study indicate that passive exercise safely applied for two weeks improves range of motion in joints of the upper arm in these patients. Further study with long-term follow-up is needed to verify the role of passive exercise in preventing muscle spasticity in this population.

Efficient synthesis of 2,2-diaryl-1,1-difluoroethenes via consecutive cross-coupling reactions of 2,2-difluoro-1-tributylstannylethenyl p-toluenesulfonate.

2,2-Difluoro-1-tributylstannylethenyl p-toluenesulfonate (2) was reacted with aryl iodides in the presence of 10 mol % of Pd(PPh(3))(4) and 10 mol % of CuI in DMF at 80 °C for 10-20 h to give the cross-coupled products 3 in 35-97% yields. Further coupling reaction of 3 with arylstannanes in the presence of 5 mol % of Pd(PPh(3))(4) and 3 equiv of LiBr in DMF at 100 °C for 2-24 h afforded the desired products 5 in 25-78% yields.