title: Characterisation of a setup for mixed beam exposures of cells to 241Am alpha particles and X-rays.
abstract: Exposure of humans to mixed fields of high- and low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation occurs in many situations-for example, in urban areas with high levels of indoor radon as well as background gamma radiation, during airplane flights or certain forms of radiation therapy. From the perspective of health risk associated with exposure to mixed fields, it is important to understand the interactions between different radiation types. In most cellular investigations on mixed beams, two types of irradiations have been applied sequentially. Simultaneous irradiation is the desirable scenario but requires a dedicated irradiation facility. The authors have constructed a facility where cells can be simultaneously exposed to (241)Am alpha particles and 190-kV X-rays at 37°C. This study presents the technical details and the dosimetry of the setup, as well as validates the performance of the setup for clonogenic survival in AA8 Chinese hamster ovary cells. No significant synergistic effect was observed. The relative biological effectiveness of the alpha particles was 2.56 for 37 % and 1.90 for 10 % clonogenic survival.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Radiation Protection Research, GMT Department, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. elina.staaf@gmt.su.se
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Staaf
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brehwens
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haghdoost
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pachnerová-Brabcová
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Czub
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braziewicz
authors.forename: Sander
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nievaart
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wojcik
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D000576:Americium; D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: C034018:americium oxide; D000576:Americium