The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) is one of the US Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Nuclear Emergency Response Team (NEST) assets and has been responding to radiological incidents since 1976. REAC/TS is in the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). A critical part of the REAC/TS mission is to provide emergency response, advice, and consultation on injuries and illnesses caused from ionizing radiation. Fortunately, radiation injuries are not frequent, but when they occur, they are more likely to be cutaneous radiation injuries (CRI) or internal contamination. In this paper, we will review selected cases from the REAC/TS experience in order to illustrate cutaneous patterns of injury and treatment options.

Common bean and azuki bean are poor competitors with weeds and demonstrate sensitivity to herbicides used for weed control in soybean. S-metolachlor, flufenacet, and acetochlor are categorized as Group 15 herbicides and provide control of multiple annual grass and select small-seeded broadleaf weeds. By way of field trials near Exeter and Ridgetown, Ontario, in 2019, 2020, and 2021, four dry bean market classes (azuki, kidney, small red, and white bean) were evaluated for their tolerance to 1× established label rates and 2× rates of S-metolachlor (1,600 and 3,200 g ai ha−1), flufenacet (750 and 1,500 g ai ha−1) and acetochlor (1,700 and 3,400 g ai ha−1) applied preplant incorporated (PPI). Injury was evaluated by assessing visible injury symptoms, density, shoot biomass, height, seed moisture content, and seed yield. Azuki bean was more sensitive to the Group 15 herbicides than other dry bean market classes; the Group 15 herbicides caused a 12% reduction in azuki bean growth at 2 wk after emergence; growth reduction was ≤2% in the other bean classes. Flufenacet (2× rate) was the most injurious treatment, causing a 27% reduction in azuki bean yield. This study concludes that kidney, small red, and white bean have a sufficient margin of crop safety to flufenacet, acetochlor, and S-metolachlor applied PPI. Azuki bean was sensitive to flufenacet; additional research is needed to investigate azuki bean tolerance to acetochlor and S-metolachlor applied PPI.

Goosegrass control options in bermudagrass are limited. Topramezone is one option that offers excellent control of mature goosegrass, but application to bermudagrass results in unacceptable symptoms of bleaching and necrosis typical of hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitors. Previous research has shown that adding chelated iron reduced the phytotoxicity of topramezone without reducing the efficacy of the herbicide, resulting in safening when applied to bermudagrass. Our objective was to examine additional iron sources to determine whether similar safening effects occur with other sources. Field trials were conducted in the summers of 2016 to 2018 (Auburn University). Mixtures of topramezone and methylated seed oil were combined with six different commercial iron sources, including sodium ferric ethylenediamine di-o-hydroxyphenyl-acetate (FeEDDHA), ferrous diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (FeDTPA), iron citrate, FeSO4, and a combination of iron oxide/sucrate/sulfate, some of which contained nitrogen. Bermudagrass necrosis and bleaching symptoms were visually rated on a 0% to 100% scale. Reflectance (normalized difference vegetation index) and clipping yield measurements were also collected. Application of FeDTPA and FeSO4 reduced symptoms of bleaching and necrosis when applied with topramezone. Other treatments that contained nitrogen did not reduce injury but did reduce bermudagrass recovery time following the appearance of necrosis. Inclusion of small amounts of nitrogen often negated the safening effects of FeSO4. The iron oxide/sucrate/sulfate product had no effect on bleaching or necrosis. Data suggest that the iron source had a differential effect on bleaching and necrosis reduction when applied in combination with topramezone to bermudagrass. Overall, FeSO4 and FeDTPA safened topramezone the most on bermudagrass.

Tail biting is a major welfare and economic problem in intensive pig production. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine tail lesion prevalence at a German abattoir, (2) test for associations between meat inspection findings and tail lesions, (3) assess the agreement between tail necrosis recorded during meat inspection and scored from pictures and (4) test whether the tail biting management tool ‘Schwanzbeiß-Interventions-Programm’ (SchwIP) had an effect on tail lesion prevalence. A total of three observers scored tail lesions from pictures of 43 328 pigs from 32 farms where SchwIP had been applied, and of 36 626 pigs from 32 control farms. Tail lesions were classified as score 0: no visible lesion, score 1: mild lesion, score 2: severe lesion and score 3: necrosis. In addition, complete loss of tail (CL) was recorded. Tail necrosis was the only tail-related carcase finding recorded by meat inspectors. (1) Tail lesion prevalences in pigs from control farms were 23.6% for score 1, 1.02% for score 2, 0.55% for score 3 and 0.41% for CL. The combined prevalence of any lesion and/or CL was 25.4%. (2) Pleurisy, lung findings, signs of inflammation in the legs, arthritis and abscesses were the most frequent meat inspection findings (prevalences of 8.46%, 8.09%, 2.99%, 0.83% and 0.23%, respectively; n=79 954 pigs). Leg inflammation, arthritis and abscesses were more prevalent in pigs with tail lesions of any degree compared with pigs without tail lesions (3.39% v. 2.83%, 1.06% v. 0.75% and 0.39% v. 0.17%, respectively; all P<0.001, n=79 954 pigs). Pigs with severe tail lesions also had more lung findings (2.00% v. 0.17%, P<0.001). (3) Tail necrosis scored during meat inspection resulted in lower prevalence than scored from pictures (0.22% v. 0.69%; n=79 954 SchwIP and control farm pigs). (4) Although tail lesion prevalence was significantly higher in pigs from SchwIP than in pigs from control farms during the first 3 months (32.2% v. 23.8%, P=0.015), it was not significantly higher during the remainder of the year (22.6 v. 26.9, 24.4 v. 21.4 and 24.0 v. 28.0, second, third and fourth quarters, respectively). In conclusion, meat inspection results in much lower tail lesion prevalences than tail lesion assessment from pictures, even if only the category ‘necrosis’ is compared. Advising farms on tail biting using the management tool SchwIP helped to decrease the prevalence of tail lesions on problem farms.

Fifty-day-old jimsonweeds (Datura stramonium L.) were susceptible and tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) tolerant to soil-applied metribuzin [4-amino-6-tert-butyl-3-(methylthio)-as-triazin-5(4H)-one] at 0.25 and 0.50 kg/ha. Spray applications of 0.50 kg/ha metribuzin to jimsonweed foliage, or to both foliage and soil, reduced jimsonweed height growth 39 and 66%, respectively; whereas, tomato height was reduced 57 and 50% by the two placement methods, respectively. Metribuzin applied to a basal leaf appeared to move both basipetally and acropetally in jimsonweed, but only basipetally in tomato. Metribuzin applied to tomato leaves reduced growth 28% more when leaves had been abraded than when not abraded. Differential translocation appeared to be a major factor in selectivity. Directed sprays of metribuzin at 0.3 and 0.6 kg/ha on the lower 75% of jimsonweed leaves provided control in the field without injury to tomatoes.

Black medic is a troublesome weed in commercial strawberry fields in Florida. It emerges during crop establishment from the planting holes punched in plastic mulches that are installed on raised beds. Clopyralid is registered for posttransplant applications at 140 to 280 g ae ha−1 but growers typically report suppression, not control. An outdoor potted experiment was designed to model the black medic dose-response curve and determine the effect of plant size at application on control. Two plant sizes were selected: designated small (0.5- to 1-cm stem length) and large (3- to 6-cm stem length). Dose-response curves were generated using a log-logistic four-parameter model. At 22 d after treatment (DAT), there was a significant interaction between clopyralid rate and black medic growth stage on both epinasty (P = 0.0022) and chlorosis (P = 0.0055). The effective dosage to induce 90% (ED90) epinasty were 249.5 and 398.3 g ha−1 for the small and large growth stages, respectively. The ED90 for chlorosis was 748.2 for the small growth stage, whereas the estimated value for the large was outside the measured range. For necrosis there was no significant effect of growth stage, and the ED90 was 1,856.3 g ha−1. The aboveground dry biomass ED90 for the small growth stage was 197.3 g ha−1, and the estimated ED90 value for the large was not within the measured range. Results indicate that clopyralid adequately controls black medic when applied at maximum label rates when stems were 0.5 to 1 cm long but not when plants were larger. Poor efficacy typically observed in commercial fields is likely due to black medic plant size or lack of herbicide coverage via shielding by strawberry plants.

Aphid–plant interactions depend on genotypes of both organisms, which determine the two-way molecular exchange that leads to compatible or incompatible outcomes. The underlying genes are mostly unknown, making it difficult to predict likelihood of aphid success or host resistance, and hampering crop genetic improvement. Here we screened eight pea aphid clonal genotypes collected from diverse legume hosts, on a species-wide panel of Medicago truncatula (Mt) genotypes. Aphid virulence was measured by survival, fecundity and growth rate, together with scores for chlorosis and necrosis as host response indicators. Outcomes were highly dependent on the specific aphid–host genotype combinations. Only one Mt line was fully resistant against all clones. Aphid-induced host chlorosis and necrosis varied greatly, but correlated with resistance only in a few combinations. Bi-clustering analysis indicated that all aphid clones could be distinguished by their performance profiles across the host genotypes tested, with each clone being genetically differentiated and potentially representing a distinct biotype. Clones originating from Medicago sativa ranged from highly virulent to almost completely avirulent on both Medicago species, indicating that some were well adapted, whereas others were most likely migrants. Comparisons of closely related pairs of Australian Mt genotypes differing in aphid resistance revealed no enhanced resistance to European pea aphid clones. Based on the extensive variation in pea aphid adaptation even on unfamiliar hosts, most likely reflecting multiple biotype-specific gene-for-gene interactions, we conclude that robust defences require an arsenal of appropriate resistance genes.

Chagas disease, endemic in 21 countries across Latin America, kills more people in the region each year than any other parasite-borne disease. Therapeutic options have problems ranging from toxicity, poor efficacy, drug resistance and high cost. Thus, cheaper and less toxic treatments are necessary. From our in-house chemical library of agents against Trypanosoma cruzi the most relevant N-oxide-containing heterocycles were selected for mode of action and type of death studies. Also included in these studies were two active nitrofuranes. Epimastigotes of T. cruzi were used as the biological model in this study. The metabolic profile was studied by 1H NMR in association with the MTT assay. Excreted catabolites data, using 1H NMR spectroscopy, showed that most of the studied N-oxides were capable of decreasing both the release of succinate and acetate shedding, the compounds therefore possibly acting on mitochondria. Only quinoxalines and the nitrofurane Nf1 showed significant mitochondrial dehydrogenase inhibitions, but with different dose–time profiles. In the particular case of quinoxaline Qx2 the glucose uptake study revealed that the integrity of some pathways into the glycosome could be affected. Optic, fluorescence (TUNEL and propidium iodide) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed for type of death studies. These studies were complemented with 1H NMR to visualize mobile lipids. At low concentrations none of the selected compounds showed a positive TUNEL assay. However, both quinoxalines, one furoxan and one benzofuroxan showed a necrotic effect at high concentrations. Curiously, one furoxan, Fx1, one benzofuroxan, Bfx1, and one nitrofurane, Nf1, caused a particular phenotype, with a big cytoplasmatic vacuole being observed while the parasite was still alive. Studies of TEM and employing a protease inhibitor (3-methyladenine) suggested an autophagic phenotype for Bfx1 and Nf1 and a ‘BigEye’ phenotype for Fx1.

After traumatic injury, the brain undergoes a prolonged period of degenerative change that is paradoxically accompanied by cognitive recovery. The spatiotemporal pattern of atrophy and the specific relationships of atrophy to cognitive changes are ill understood. The present study used tensor-based morphometry and neuropsychological testing to examine brain volume loss in 17 traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and 13 controls over a 4-year period. Patients were scanned at 2 months, 1 year, and 4 years post-injury. High-dimensional warping procedures were used to create change maps of each subject's brain for each of the two intervals. TBI patients experienced volume loss in both cortical areas and white matter regions during the first interval. We also observed continuing volume loss in extensive regions of white matter during the second interval. Neuropsychological correlations indicated that cognitive tasks were associated with subsequent volume loss in task-relevant regions. The extensive volume loss in brain white matter observed well beyond the first year post-injury suggests that the injured brain remains malleable for an extended period, and the neuropsychological relationships suggest that this volume loss may be associated with subtle cognitive improvements. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–13)

Cell death mechanisms in Trypanosoma cruzi have not been disclosed in detail though different conventional techniques have been used in the classification of parasite-cell death type. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has successfully been used as a tool to evaluate the onset of apoptosis in a number of higher eukaryote-cell models analysing the ratio of CH2/CH3 integration from the visible mobile lipids (VML). Surprisingly, this versatile non-invasive spectroscopy technique has never been employed with this purpose in T. cruzi. In the present study it is shown that under different parasite death-conditions the ratio CH2/CH3 varied drastically. Thus, T. cruzi epimastigotes in apoptotic conditions increase significantly this ratio while in necrotic as well as in autophagic situations the parasites maintain the VML, CH2/CH3 ratio, in normal values. Additionally, other VML markers commonly used in these studies, such as the change in the region of methyl-choline moiety, -N+(CH3)3, exhibited different particular patterns according to the type of cell death. Our results suggest that the 1H NMR-VML technique is an adequate tool to discriminate different T. cruzi death pathways.