@article{0eb3df53c3594e4ab77479b96000e97d,
title = "Effects of radioactive caesium on bull testes after the Fukushima nuclear plant accident",
abstract = "We aimed to investigate the effect of chronic radiation exposure associated with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant accident on the testis from 2 bulls. Estimated dose of internal exposure in one bull was 0.7-1.2{\^a}.mGy (134 Cs) and 0.4-0.6{\^a}.mGy (137 Cs) and external exposure was 2.0{\^a}.mGy (134 Cs) and 0.8{\^a}.mGy (137 Cs) (196 days). Internal dose in the other was 3.2-6.1{\^a}.mGy (134 Cs) and 1.8-3.4{\^a}.mGy (137 Cs) and external dose was 1.3{\^a}.mGy (134 Cs) and 0.6{\^a}.mGy (137 Cs) (315 days). Sperm morphology and spermatogenesis were within normal ranges. 134, 137 Cs radioactivity was detected but Cs was not detectable in the testis by electron probe microanalysis. Thus, adverse radiation-induced effects were not observed in bull testes following chronic exposure to the above levels of radiation for up to 10 months. Since we could analyse a limited number of testes, further investigation on the effects of ionizing radiation on spermatogenesis should be extended to more animals.",
author = "Hideaki Yamashiro and Yasuyuki Abe and Tomokazu Fukuda and Yasushi Kino and Isao Kawaguchi and Yoshikazu Kuwahara and Motoi Fukumoto and Shintaro Takahashi and Masatoshi Suzuki and Jin Kobayashi and Emi Uematsu and Bin Tong and Takahisa Yamada and Satoshi Yoshida and Eimei Sato and Hisashi Shinoda and Tsutomu Sekine and Emiko Isogai and Manabu Fukumoto",
note = "Funding Information: We express our gratitude to the Iwaki Livestock Hygiene Service Centre in Fukushima Prefecture, especially to DVM. Yuji Kobayashi and livestock farmers in the 20-km FNPP evacuation zone. We would also like to thank Drs. M. Chiba, Y. Suzuki, A. Shumizu, A. Takahashi, H. Hotta, H. Tamura, and graduate and medical students of Tohoku University. This work was partly supported by a grant for Manabu Fukumoto of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Emergency Budget for the Reconstruction of Northeastern Japan, MEXT, Japan, Discretionary Expense of the President of Tohoku University and Nippon Life Insurance Foundation supported this study. This work was also supported by the Programme for Promotion of Basic and Applied Researches for Innovations in Bio-oriented Industry. Funding Information: Ethics. This study is one of the national projects associated with the Great East Japan Earthquake and has been entirely endorsed and supported by the Japanese government through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. The Japanese government ordered Fukushima prefecture to euthanize cattle in the evacuation zone on 12 May 2011 to prevent radio-contaminated beef products from entering the human food chain. We obtained organs and testes from the euthanized bull collected by the combined unit of veterinary doctors belonging to the Livestock Hygiene Service Centre (LHSC) of Fukushima prefecture and those belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan. These veterinarians euthanized the bulls by using the following method according to the Regulation for Animal Experiments and Related Activities at Tohoku University (Regulation No 122). The ear tag of the cattle identified the owner of each bull, and informed consent from the owner was obtained by the veterinary doctors of Fukushima prefecture. Control testes were obtained at a castration operation for fattening of a feeder. The procedure of euthanasia was entirely carried out by the veterinary doctors of LHSC. The Ethics Committee of Animal Experiments, Tohoku University approved this study.",
year = "2013",
doi = "10.1038/srep02850",
language = "English",
volume = "3",
journal = "Scientific Reports",
issn = "2045-2322",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
}