Gual Maritza R, Milian Felix M, Deppman Airton, Coelho Paulo R P
Instituto Superior de Tecnologías y Ciencias Aplicadas, InSTEC; Avenida Salvador Allende y Luaces, Quinta de Los Molinos, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, AP 6163, Cuba.
Appl Radiat Isot. 2011 Feb;69(2):373-6. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.10.025. Epub 2010 Oct 29.
In this paper, we report results of a quantitative analysis of the effects of neutrons on DNA, and, specifically, the production of simple and double breaks of plasmid DNA in aqueous solutions with different concentrations of free-radical scavengers. The radiation damage to DNA was evaluated by electrophoresis through agarose gels. The neutron and gamma doses were measured separately with thermoluminescent detectors. In this work, we have also demonstrated usefulness of a new system for positioning and removing samples in channel BH#3 of the IEA-R1 reactor at the Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (Brazil) without necessity of interrupting the reactor operation.
