Indoor radon exposure and living conditions in patients with advanced lung cancer in Lublin region, Poland.

OBJECTIVE: Radon (Rn-222) is a noble gas formed in the uranium path (U-238) as a decay product of radium (Ra-226). It is estimated to cause between 3% to 14% of all lung cancers, depending on the national average radon level and smoking prevalence. Radon molecules emit alpha radiation, which is characterized by low permeability through tissues, but due to its remarkably high energy, it has a high potential for DNA damage. The aim of our research was to assess the radon concentration inside the houses of patients with advanced lung cancer and to analyze their socio-economics status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The measurements of radon concentration were performed in 102 patients with stage 3B or higher lung cancer in the region of Lublin, Poland. One month of radon exposure measurement was performed with alpha-track detectors. In addition, patients filled in a detailed survey about factors that might influence the concentration of radon inside their houses. RESULTS: The average concentration of radon during the exposure of the detector in the residential premises of the respondents was at the level of 69.0 Bq/m3 [37.0-117.0]. A few significant correlations were discovered, e.g., higher levels of radon in countryside houses or in houses equipped with air conditioning. CONCLUSIONS: As radon exposure is a modifiable risk factor for lung cancer, it is extremely important to find factors that may reduce its concentration in dwelling places. Since our research was performed in houses of people with lung cancer, taking corrective actions based on our findings could prevent new lung cancer incidence in patients' flatmates.

The Relativistic Proton Spectrometer: A Review of Sensor Performance, Applications, and Science.

The Relativistic Proton Spectrometer (RPS) on the Van Allen Probes spacecraft was a particle spectrometer designed to measure the flux, angular distribution, and energy spectrum of protons from ∼ 60 MeV to ∼ 2000 MeV . RPS provided new information about the inner Van Allen belt: a nearby region of space that had been relatively unexplored because of the difficulties of making charged particle measurements there and the associated hazards to satellite operations. We met the primary mission objective of providing accurate data for the AP9 radiation specification model at the high energies where there were little to no data prior to the Van Allen Probes mission. Along the way, we were able to demonstrate the long-term stability of parts of the Inner Belt by comparison with short-lived space science missions that operated decades prior to Van Allen Probes. The most significant surprises were the agreement between RPS and some of those historical measurements and the discovery of a trapped population of > 30 MeV leptons at the outer edge of the inner belt. This end-of-mission paper summarizes the instrument performance, calibration, data products, and specific science and engineering results, and includes suggestions for future investigations of intense radiation fields like those found within the inner belt.

The Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer: A Review of On-Orbit Sensor Performance, Data, Operations, and Science.

Measurements from NASA's Van Allen Probes have transformed our understanding of the dynamics of Earth's geomagnetically-trapped, charged particle radiation. The Van Allen Probes were equipped with the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometers (MagEIS) that measured energetic and relativistic electrons, along with energetic ions, in the radiation belts. Accurate and routine measurement of these particles was of fundamental importance towards achieving the scientific goals of the mission. We provide a comprehensive review of the MagEIS suite's on-orbit performance, operation, and data products, along with a summary of scientific results. The purpose of this review is to serve as a complement to the MagEIS instrument paper, which was largely completed before flight and thus focused on pre-flight design and performance characteristics. As is the case with all space-borne instrumentation, the anticipated sensor performance was found to be different once on orbit. Our intention is to provide sufficient detail on the MagEIS instruments so that future generations of researchers can understand the subtleties of the sensors, profit from these unique measurements, and continue to unlock the mysteries of the near-Earth space radiation environment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-021-00855-2.

Revising the self-report strengths and difficulties questionnaire for cross-country comparisons of adolescent mental health problems: the SDQ-R.

AIMS: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been used in many epidemiological studies to assess adolescent mental health problems, but cross-country comparisons of the self-report SDQ are scarce and so far failed to find a good-fitting, common, invariant measurement model across countries. The present study aims to evaluate and establish a version of the self-report SDQ that allows for a valid cross-country comparison of adolescent self-reported mental health problems. METHODS: Using the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, the measurement model and measurement invariance of the 20 items of the self-report SDQ measuring adolescent mental health problems were evaluated. Nationally representative samples of 11-, 13- and 15-year old adolescents (n = 33 233) from seven countries of different regions in Europe (Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia) were used. RESULTS: In order to establish a good-fitting and common measurement model, the five reverse worded items of the self-report SDQ had to be removed. Using this revised version of the self-report SDQ, the SDQ-R, partial measurement invariance was established, indicating that latent factor means assessing conduct problems, emotional symptoms, peer relationships problems and hyperactivity-inattention problems could be validly compared across the countries in this study. Results showed that adolescents in Greece scored relatively low on almost all problem subscales, whereas adolescents in Poland scored relatively high on almost all problem subscales. Adolescents in the Netherlands reported the most divergent profile of mental health problems with the lowest levels of conduct problems, low levels of emotional symptoms and peer relationship problems, but the highest levels of hyperactivity-inattention problems. CONCLUSIONS: With six factor loadings being non-invariant, partial measurement invariance was established, indicating that the 15-item SDQ-R could be used in our cross-country comparison of adolescent mental health problems. To move the field of internationally comparative research on adolescent mental health forward, studies should test the applicability of the SDQ-R in other countries in- and outside Europe, continue to develop the SDQ-R as a cross-country invariant measure of adolescent mental health, and examine explanations for the found country differences in adolescent mental health problems.

A Revised Look at Relativistic Electrons in the Earth's Inner Radiation Zone and Slot Region.

We describe a new, more accurate procedure for estimating and removing inner zone background contamination from Van Allen Probes Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) radiation belt measurements. This new procedure is based on the underlying assumption that the primary source of background contamination in the electron measurements at L shells less than three, energetic inner belt protons, is relatively stable. Since a magnetic spectrometer can readily distinguish between foreground electrons and background signals, we are able to exploit the proton stability to construct a model of the background contamination in each MagEIS detector by only considering times when the measurements are known to be background dominated. We demonstrate, for relativistic electron measurements in the inner zone, that the new technique is a significant improvement upon the routine background corrections that are used in the standard MagEIS data processing, which can "overcorrect" and therefore remove real (but small) electron fluxes. As an example, we show that the previously reported 1-MeV injection into the inner zone that occurred in June of 2015 was distributed more broadly in L and persisted in the inner zone longer than suggested by previous estimates. Such differences can have important implications for both scientific studies and spacecraft engineering applications that make use of MagEIS electron data in the inner zone at relativistic energies. We compare these new results with prior work and present more recent observations that also show a 1-MeV electron injection into the inner zone following the September 2017 interplanetary shock passage.

Determination of the thoron emanation coefficient using a powder sandwich technique.

Thoron (220 Rn) is a natural radioactive gas, tasteless, odourless, colourless, undetectable without proper equipment. This gas is carcinogenic, just like radon (222 Rn) but due to the short half-life (55.6s) and a small amount in the environment, its share in the absorbed radiation dose is often neglected. However, in areas rich in thorium (232Th), the radiation dose from the thoron can be much larger and quite significant. The problem is to measure the concentration of the thoron due to its short decay time as well as the fact that it is alpha-emitting as radon. An even greater challenge is to determine the emanation coefficient for the thoron. The method used in this experiment was developed by S.D. Kanse based on the work of D.J Greeman and adapted to the equipment used in Laboratory of Radiometric Expertise IFJ PAN. In the technique used to determine the thoron emanation coefficient, a closed loop system is used in which thoron is pushed out by means of a flow system from the sample and measured by a AlphaGuad DF2000 detector that is adapted to determine concentration of this gas. A sample of the material is placed between 2 filters in the geometry of the sandwich. This arrangement ensures that the thickness of the powder sample is significantly less than the length of the thoron diffusion, thus avoiding significant loss of the thoron due to intergranular absorption and facilitates the complete removal of this gas escaping from the powder. Using this technique, it is important to determine the concentration of 226Ra and the 232Th, since for the AlphaGuard detector, the ratio between thoron and radon should not exceed 5:1 for proper determination of the thoron concentration. Measurements of 226Ra and 232Th activity were carried out using gamma spectroscopy (HPGe detector). It was examined how the type of filter and grain size of sample affects the obtained results.

AN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION BY USING AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING PASSIVE RADON MONITOR.

The recently developed radon film-badge makes it possible to measure radon indoors, in soil, in water and/or in aqueous media (e.g. mud). As a result of its wide response linearity, this monitor has been successfully used to measure radon in-water with concentrations from 10 to ~10 000 Bq/L. By exploiting the unique characteristics of this badge, a mini-survey has been carried out by Health Canada in which radon in water was measured from 12 private wells, as well as in tap water originating from the Ottawa River. Due to the widespread interest of different laboratories in using these passive monitors, laboratories were provided with plastic films to construct their own badges by using in-house CR-39 detectors. Monitors were then irradiated by a known radon concentration at the National Institute of Radiation Metrology (ENEA)'s radon chamber and sent back to each laboratory for processing and counting. Even though these laboratories have been using different etching- and counting-procedures, the film-badge responses varied only within ~12%.

Subjective health of adolescents from families in receipt of social assistance.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the subjective health of adolescents from families in receipt and not in receipt of social assistance. STUDY DESIGN: Nationwide cross-sectional study of 1812 pupils aged 13-18 years in Poland in 2010-2011. METHODS: The analysis focused on two dimensions of the Child Health and Illness Profile - Adolescent Edition questionnaire: discomfort and satisfaction with health. Age, sex and seven socio-economic factors were considered as determinants. RESULTS: Overall, 10.8% of the respondents reported that their families were in receipt of social welfare benefits. Among the families of low socio-economic status and living in poor regions, the percentage in receipt of social welfare benefits increased to 22.1%; however, this figure was lower (4.4%) if both parents had a higher level of education. After adjustment for six sociodemographic variables, the standardized regression coefficient of the social welfare benefits variable amounted to 0.072 (P = 0.004) in the discomfort model and -0.044 (P = 0.079) in the satisfaction model. A significant three-level interaction was found (P = 0.007) between residential location, neighbourhood affluence and being in receipt of social welfare benefits as predicators of discomfort score (general linear model). CONCLUSIONS: Being in receipt of social welfare benefits has a stronger impact on experiencing discomfort than diminishing satisfaction with one's health. It also has a stronger effect on physical problems than on emotional problems. The item 'on social assistance' is recommended as it helps to identify families particularly exposed to the health consequences of poverty.

Preliminary results of indoor radon survey in V4 countries.

The measurements of radon activity concentration carried out in residential houses of V4 countries (Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) show that radon levels in these countries considerably exceed the world average. Therefore, the new radon data and statistical analysis are required from these four countries. Each partner chose a region in their own country, where radon concentration in residential buildings was expected to be higher. The results of the survey carried out in the period from March 2012 to May 2012 show that radon concentrations are <200 Bq m(-3) in ∼87% of cases. However, dwellings with radon concentration ∼800 Bq m(-3) were found in Poland and Slovakia. It was also found that the distribution of radon frequency follows that of houses according to the year of their construction.

Complementary system for long term measurements of radon exhalation rate from soil.

A special set-up for continuous measurements of radon exhalation rate from soil is presented. It was constructed at Laboratory of Radiometric Expertise, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN), Krakow, Poland. Radon exhalation rate was determined using the AlphaGUARD PQ2000 PRO (Genitron) radon monitor together with a special accumulation container which was put on the soil surface during the measurement. A special automatic device was built and used to raise and lower back onto the ground the accumulation container. The time of raising and putting down the container was controlled by an electronic timer. This set-up made it possible to perform 4-6 automatic measurements a day. Besides, some additional soil and meteorological parameters were continuously monitored. In this way, the diurnal and seasonal variability of radon exhalation rate from soil can be studied as well as its dependence on soil properties and meteorological conditions.

Postsurgical screening for psychosocial disorders in neurooncological patients.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of a brain tumor can cause severe psychosocial distress, which can have a variety of negative consequences on patients' physical and mental well-being. The detection of psychosocial distress in daily clinical routine is difficult and subsequent referral to mental health professionals is rare. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of psychological disorders of patients early postoperatively and to investigate both the Hornheide Screening Instrument (HSI) and Distress Thermometer (DT) as screening tools in neurooncological practice. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-four patients with brain tumors of different histology were postoperatively evaluated by the Distress Thermometer and Hornheide Screening Instrument. Additionally, correlation to gender, age, localization of the tumor, Karnofsky performance score and tumor entity were analyzed. RESULTS: After initial surgery 36 patients (26.9 %) showed pathologic results in the HSI and 50 patients (36.7 %) were severely distressed (DT Score≥6). Women had the highest rate of psychological disorders, followed by patients suffering from gliomas and meningiomas. Further highlighting the results of both tests, over 80 % of those patients who scored pathologically in both tests were in need of professional psychiatric help due to depression. CONCLUSION: Both the DT and HSI are suitable instruments for identifying patients in psychological distress after brain tumor surgery in neurooncological routine. Our results confirm that nearly one third of patients are unable to overcome the difficulties facing the diagnosis of a brain tumor in this early situation and should be supported by mental health professionals.

Determination of the minimum measurement time for estimating long-term mean radon concentration.

Radon measurements, as do any measurements, include errors in their readings. The relative values of such errors depend principally on the measurement methods used, the radon concentration to be measured and the duration of the measurements. Typical exposure times for radon surveys using passive detectors [nuclear track detectors, activated charcoal, electrostatic (E-perm), etc.)] may extend from a few days to months, whereas, in the case of screening methods utilising active radon monitors (AlphaGUARD, RAD7, EQF, etc.), the measurements may be completed quickly within a few hours to a few days. Thus, the latter may have relatively large error values, which affect the measurement accuracy significantly compared with the former measurements made over long time periods. The method presented in this paper examines the uncertainty of a short-term radon measurement as an estimate of the long-term mean and suggests a minimum measurement time to achieve a given margin of uncertainty of that estimate.

Correction factors for determination of annual average radon concentration in dwellings of Poland resulting from seasonal variability of indoor radon.

The method for the calculation of correction factors is presented, which can be used for the assessment of the mean annual radon concentration on the basis of 1-month or 3-month indoor measurements. Annual radon concentration is an essential value for the determination of the annual dose due to radon inhalation. The measurements have been carried out in 132 houses in Poland over a period of one year. The passive method of track detectors with CR-39 foil was applied. Four thermal-precipitation regions in Poland were established and correction factors were calculated for each region, separately for houses with and without basements.

The contribution of club participation to adolescent health: evidence from six countries.

BACKGROUND: Social networks have been recognised as an important factor for enhancing the health of people and communities. Bridging social capital, characterised by numerous and varied weak ties, exemplifies a particular type of network that can help people reach their goals and improve their health. This study seeks to contribute to the evidence base on the use of positive social networks for young people's health by exploring the importance of club participation in predicting the health and health-related behaviours of 15-year-old girls and boys across Europe and North America. METHODS: Data are derived from a 2005-6 World Health Organization collaborative study, to establish the relationships between different types of club and a range of health outcomes (self-perceived health, wellbeing and symptoms) and health-related behaviours (smoking, drinking). Multi-level logistic regression was used to assess the independent effects of club participation by controlling for gender and socioeconomic position. Data were compared across six countries. RESULTS: All the considered outcomes, both in terms of perceived health and wellbeing and health behaviours were associated with participation in formal associations. The associations are in the expected direction (participation corresponding to better health) except for some particular association types. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in formal associations seems supportive for good health and health behaviours in adolescence, and should be promoted in this age group.

Cell death induced by dexamethasone in lymphoid leukemia is mediated through initiation of autophagy.

Glucocorticoids are fundamental drugs used in the treatment of lymphoid malignancies with apoptotic cell death as the hitherto proposed mechanism of action. Recent studies, however, showed that an alternative mode of cell death, autophagy, is involved in the response to anticancer drugs. The specific role of autophagy and its relationship to apoptosis remains, nevertheless, controversial: it can either lead to cell survival or can function in cell death. We show that dexamethasone induced autophagy upstream of apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Inhibition of autophagy by siRNA-mediated repression of Beclin 1 expression inhibited apoptosis showing an important role of autophagy in dexamethasone-induced cell death. Dexamethasone treatment caused an upregulation of promyelocytic leukemia protein, PML, its complex formation with protein kinase B or Akt and a PML-dependent Akt dephosphorylation. Initiation of autophagy and the onset of apoptosis were both dependent on these events. PML knockout thymocytes were resistant to dexamethasone-induced death and upregulation of PML correlated with the ability of dexamethasone to kill primary leukemic cells. Our data reveal key mechanisms of dexamethasone-induced cell death that may inform the development of improved treatment protocols for lymphoid malignancies.

Dendritic cell regeneration in the bone marrow of children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Dendritic cells (DC) play a pivotal role in coordinating functions of the immune system. Little is known about DC levels in the bone marrow (BM) of patients receiving cytostatic treatment. We investigated DC levels by flow cytometry in BM at diagnosis, during and post-treatment in 76 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The levels of both plasmacytoid DC (pDC) and myeloid DC (mDC) were profoundly reduced at diagnosis. However, the levels of pDC and mDC were significantly higher in T-precursor ALL patients when compared with B-precursor ALL patient group (P = 0.044 and 0.041 respectively). Both subsets normalized in both standard-risk (SR) and high-risk patients after the end of induction at day 50. Patients with minimal residual disease (MRD) at day 50 had significantly higher pDC levels than MRD-negative patients (P = 0.021). In B-precursor SR ALL patients, mDC levels but not pDC levels decreased during prolonged maintenance treatment, remaining reduced at the end of treatment (P = 0.032) and at 6 months post-treatment (P = 0.028). In conclusion, levels of DC in BM normalize quickly in children treated for ALL. Long-term treatment may more profoundly affect mDC subset, which shows reduced levels several months after treatment.

High natural radiation exposure in radon spa areas: a detailed field investigation in Niska Banja (Balkan region).

The measurement campaigns have been done in the rural community of Niska Banja, a spa town located in southern Serbia, to evaluate population exposure to natural radioactivity. After a screening survey in 200 houses, annual radon and thoron concentrations were measured in 34 houses, and in 2004 a detailed investigation was carried out at six houses with elevated indoor radon concentrations. The paper presents the results of these detailed measurements. The complementary techniques were applied to determine radon and thoron concentrations in indoor air, in soil gas, radon exhalation from soil, soil permeability, and indoor and outdoor gamma doses. Soil and water samples were collected and analysed in the laboratory. Indoor radon and thoron concentrations were found to be more than 1kBqm(-3) and 200Bqm(-3), respectively. Extremely high concentrations of soil-gas radon (>2000kBqm(-3)) and radon exhalation rates (1.5mBqm(-2)s(-1)) were observed. These results will be utilised to set up the methodology for a more systematic investigation.

The epidemiology of non-fatal injuries among 11-, 13- and 15-year old youth in 11 countries: findings from the 1998 WHO-HBSC cross national survey.

The primary objective was to present a cross-country comparison of injury rates, contexts and consequences. The research design was the analysis of data from the 1998 cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey and 52955 schoolchildren from 11 countries, aged 11, 13 and 15 years, completed a self-administrated questionnaire. A total of 41.3% of all children were injured and needed medical treatment in the past 12 months. Injury rates among boys were higher than among girls, 13.3% reported activity loss due to injury and 6.9% reported severe injury consequences. Most injuries occurred at home and at a sport facility, mainly during sport activity. Fighting accounted for 4.1% of injuries. This paper presents the first cross-national comparison of injury rates and patterns by external cause and context. Findings present cross-country similarities in injury distribution by setting and activity. These findings emphasize the importance of the development of global prevention programmes designed to address injuries among youth.

Cross national study of injury and social determinants in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To compare estimates of the prevalence of injury among adolescents in 35 countries, and to examine the consistency of associations cross nationally between socioeconomic status then drunkenness and the occurrence of adolescent injury. DESIGN: Cross sectional surveys were obtained from national samples of students in 35 countries. Eight countries asked supplemental questions about injury. SETTING: Surveys administered in classrooms. SUBJECTS: Consenting students (n = 146 440; average ages 11-15 years) in sampled classrooms. 37 878 students (eight countries) provided supplemental injury data.Exposure measures: Socioeconomic status (material wealth, poverty) and social risk taking (drunkenness). OUTCOME MEASURES: Specific types and locations of medically treated injury. RESULTS: By country, reports of medically treated injuries ranged from 33% (1060/3173) to 64% (1811/2833) of boys and 23% (740/3172) to 51% (1485/2929) of girls, annually. Sports and recreation were the most common activities associated with injury. High material wealth was positively (OR>1.0; p<0.05) and consistently (6/8 countries) associated with medically treated and sports related injuries. Poverty was positively associated with fighting injuries (6/8 countries). Drunkenness (social risk taking) was positively (p<0.01) and consistently (8/8 countries) associated with medically treated, street, and fighting injuries, but not school and sports related injuries. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of adolescent injury confirms its importance as a health problem. Social gradients in risk for adolescent injury were illustrated cross nationally for some but not all types of adolescent injury. These gradients were most evident when the etiologies of specific types of adolescent injury were examined. Prevention initiatives should focus upon the etiologies of specific injury types, as well as risk oriented social contexts.