Ecosystems reveal radiation secrets

The transfer of radioactive compounds is not straightforward

2012-07-31

(Press-News.org) A new study by Tiina Tuovinen, from the University of Eastern Finland, and her colleagues casts doubt over the validity of models used to assess the impact of radiation on human health. Their work is published online in Springer's journal Hydrobiologia.

The Chernobyl accident in 1986 led to a discharge of radioactive compounds into terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Over a period of time, these compounds have been taken up by organisms and have made their way into the food chain.

Since the accident, the fall-out from the power plant accident has been used as a major source of information for models which predict the transfer of these radioactive compounds into ecosystems, estimating their doses and assessing their potential effects on human health and wildlife.

The authors explain: "The ability of models to accurately predict concentrations and doses depends critically on the empirical data on the behavior of radioactive compounds in the biosphere and also on the correctness of basic assumptions used in the models."

Their analysis of the contamination of two Finnish lakes by radioactive compounds (137Cs in particular) suggests that the models used to predict consequences on human health are based on a false premise. Their work therefore questions the validity of the models used and the conclusions that can be drawn from them.

The researchers collected data from two lakes in Northern Finland to investigate the transfer of 137Cs from lake water into fish during a twenty-year period after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. Their results show that, contrary to what has been assumed until now, the transfer of the radioactive compounds is non-linear. In addition, the levels of these compounds appear to be three times higher in fish-eating species (piscivores) than in non-fish-eating species.

### Reference Tuovinen TS et al (2012). Transfer of 137Cs from water to fish is not linear in two northern lakes. Hydrobiologia; DOI 10.1007/s10750-012-1224-8

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Adolescents in substance abuse treatment report using someone else's medical marijuana

2012-07-31

Washington D.C., July 31, 2012 – A study published in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that diverted medical marijuana use among adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse is very common. Study participants from two adolescent substance abuse treatment programs in the Denver metropolitan area were asked questions about their medical marijuana use.121 of 164 adolescents (73.8%) reported using medical marijuana that had been recommended for someone else, also known as diverted medical marijuana, ...

Mental disorders impair economic success in developed countries

2012-07-31

Philadelphia, PA, July 31, 2012 – Mental disorders that emerge in childhood and adolescence, including attention-deficit disorder, depression, anxiety and substance abuse, constitute significant challenges to cognitive, emotional, and social development. As a result, it is perhaps not surprising that earnings and income are substantially reduced among people diagnosed with mental disorders. Is the association between mental disorders and earnings a correlation, or is low income a consequence of a disorder? Are mental disorders universally associated with reduced economic/social ...

'Flightless' molecule may prevent cancer from spreading from 1 tissue to another

2012-07-31

Thanks to the "flightless" molecule, the spread of cancer from one tissue to another may one day be grounded. In a new report published in the August 2012 print issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), laboratory experiments show that "flightless" (named after its effects on fruit flies) increases the "stickiness" that causes cells, including cancer cells, to attach to underlying tissue, which in turn, slows their movement throughout the body. "The study of flightless and its role in the control of cell movement offers the promise of developing new drugs and ...

Allergies? Your sneeze is a biological response to the nose's 'blue screen of death'

2012-07-31

Who would have thought that our noses and Microsoft Windows' infamous blue screen of death could have something in common? But that's the case being made by a new research report appearing online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). Specifically, scientists now know exactly why we sneeze, what sneezing should accomplish, and what happens when sneezing does not work properly. Much like a temperamental computer, our noses require a "reboot" when overwhelmed, and this biological reboot is triggered by the pressure force of a sneeze. When a sneeze works properly, it ...

Sick from stress? Blame your mom… and epigenetics

2012-07-31

If you're sick from stress, a new research report appearing in the August 2012 issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that what your mother ate—or didn't eat—may be part of the cause. The report shows that choline intake that is higher than what is generally recommended during pregnancy may improve how a child responds to stress. These improvements are the result of epigenetic changes that ultimately lead to lower cortisol levels. Epigenetic changes affect how a gene functions, even if the gene itself is not changed. Lowering cortisol is important as ...

Study: Methodology of determining financial viability of social security

2012-07-31

The Social Security Trust Fund is off on its prediction by $730 billion for needed benefits in 2030. That is because its forecasting methods have hardly been updated since 1935 when the program first started, according to a study in the August issue of Demography. Two researchers, Samir Soneji of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice and Gary King of Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science, in the article titled, "Statistical Security for Social Security," found that the financial viability of Social Security, the single largest U.S. ...

Stress during pregnancy leads to abdominal obesity in mice offspring

2012-07-31

A new report involving mice suggests that a relationship exists between maternal metabolic or psychological stress and the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in her offspring. What's more, the report shows that if the stress cannot be reduced or eliminated, manipulating the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system in visceral fat may prevent maternal stress-induced obesity from occurring in the next generation. This discovery is reported in the August 2012 issue of The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). "Obesity is a worldwide disease. Here we found ...

Opioid receptors as a drug target for stopping obesity

2012-07-31

Imagine eating all of the sugar and fat that you want without gaining a pound. Thanks to new research published in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), the day may come when this is not too far from reality. That's because researchers from the United States and Europe have found that blocking one of three opioid receptors in your body could turn your penchant for sweets and fried treats into a weight loss strategy that actually works. By blocking the delta opioid receptor, or DOR, mice reduced their body weight despite being fed a diet high in fat and sugar. The scientists ...

Asthma is the most common chronic disease among Olympic athletes

2012-07-31

Based on data from the last five Olympic games, a study by the University of Western Australia has identified those athletes with asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness. With a prevalence of around 8% they are the most common chronic conditions among Olympic athletes, and could be related to intense training. In summer and winter sports there is widespread suffering from asthma and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) among athletes who take part in endurance sports. Its relatively late onset in many older athletes suggests to the experts that the years of intense training ...

IL-10 from donor skin cells helps the body incorporate skin grafts

2012-07-31

Scientists have found that the anti-inflammatory molecule, IL-10, may improve success rates of skin autografts (skin moved from one site of the body to another). This information provides a valuable drug target that may benefit burn and accident victims. Specifically, researchers from Portugal and Brazil show that IL-10 plays an important role in whether or not an isogenic skin graft (skin from one individual grafted into another genetically identical) is successful and that the cells responsible for this effect are from the donor skin and not from any tissue of the recipient. ...

SNU researchers develop a new synthesis technology of single crystal 2D semiconductors, “Hypotaxy,” to enhance the commercialization of next-generation 2D semiconductors

Ecosystems reveal radiation secrets

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: