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In the frame of the site radiation monitoring program at the Euratom Research Establishment at Ispra, Italy, the natural levels of zz6Ra in some environmental materials and in the population diet have been studied.Determinations of the radionuclide have been carried out, by the emanation technique, on samples of vegetation, milk, animal bones, lake waters, fishes and foods, in an attempt to estimate the zzeRa intake by the population living in the area. Another purpose of this study was that of gaining information about the transfer of radium through the different environmental chains, and to compare the behaviour of radium with that of calcium.The mean 226Ra concentration in the soil is 0.72 pCi/g, and the estimated daily intake by a person consuming foods of local origin is 1.4 pCi of 226Ra, or 2.8 pCi/g Ca.

SARS-CoV-2 is still a health problem worldwide despite the availability of vaccines. Therefore, there is a need for effective and safe antiviral. SARS-CoV-2 and HCV necessitate RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for replication; therefore, it has been hypothesized that RdRp inhibitors used to treat HCV may be effective treating SARS-CoV-2. Accordingly, we evaluated the effect of the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) combination in early SARS-CoV-2 infection. A multicenter case–control study was conducted, enrolling 120 patients with mild or moderate COVID-19, of whom 30, HCV coinfected or not, received SOF/VEL tablets (400/100 mg) once daily for 9 days within a median of 6 days from the beginning of infection and 90 controls were treated with standard care. The primary endpoint was the effect on viral clearance, and the secondary endpoint was the improvement of clinical outcomes. Nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR were performed every 5–7 days. Between 5–14 days after starting SOF/VEL treatment, SAS-CoV-2 clearance was observed in 83% of patients, while spontaneous clearance in the control was 13% (p < 0.001). An earlier SARS-CoV-2 clearance was observed in the SOF/VEL group than in the control group (median 14 vs 22 days, respectively, p < 0.001) also when the first positivity was considered. None of the patients in the SOF/VEL group showed disease progression, while in the control group, 24% required more intensive treatment (high flow oxygen or noninvasive/invasive ventilation), and one patient died (p < 0.01). No significant side effects were observed in the SOF/VEL group. Early SOF/VEL treatment in mild/moderate COVID-19 seems to be safe and effective for faster elimination of SARS-CoV-2 and to prevent disease progression.

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Measurements of 22Na concentration in fallout, herbage and milk samples are described together with the method employed, which consists of gamma spectrometry in coincidence with the sum pulses of the gamma rays in cascade.From the data obtained, the ratio of activity of 22Na to 13'Cs in fallout appears to be less than the same ratio in milk, which is probably due to greater uptake from soil of the former isotope than of the latter. There are difficulties in calculating the enhancement factors, but they may be estimated to be about 4 in the step herbage-milk and I0 or more in the complete step fallout-milk.