Extremely high-frequency electromagnetic radiation enhances neutrophil response to particulate agonists

Advances in Millimeter-Wave Treatment and Its Biological Effects Development

This comprehensive review critically examines the current state of research on the biological effects of millimeter-wave (MMW) therapy and its potential implications for disease treatment. By investigating both the thermal and non-thermal impacts of MMWs, we elucidate cellular-level alterations, including changes in ion channels and signaling pathways. Our analysis encompasses MMW's therapeutic prospects in oncology, such as inducing apoptosis, managing pain, and modulating immunity through cytokine regulation and immune cell activation. By employing a rigorous methodology involving an extensive database search and stringent inclusion criteria, we emphasize the need for standardized protocols to enhance the reliability of future research. Although MMWs exhibit promising therapeutic potential, our findings highlight the urgent need for further elucidation of non-thermal mechanisms and rigorous safety assessments, considering the intricate nature of MMW interactions and inconsistent study outcomes. This review underscores the importance of focused research on the biological mechanisms of MMWs and the identification of optimal frequencies to fully harness their therapeutic capabilities. However, we acknowledge the challenges of variable study quality and the necessity for advanced quality control measures to ensure the reproducibility and comparability of future investigations. In conclusion, while MMW therapy holds promise as a novel therapeutic modality, further research is imperative to unravel its complex biological effects, establish safety profiles, and optimize treatment protocols before widespread clinical application.

Redox-Activation of Neutrophils Induced by Pericardium Scaffolds

Implantation of scaffolds causes a local inflammatory response whereby the early recruitment of neutrophils is of great importance not only for fighting the infection, but also for facilitating effective regeneration. We used luminol-dependent chemiluminescence, flow cytometry, ELISA, and confocal microscopy to assess the responses of neutrophils after the exposure to the scaffold-decellularized bovine pericardium (collagen type I) crosslinked with genipin (DBPG). We demonstrated that DBPG activated neutrophils in whole blood causing respiratory burst, myeloperoxidase (MPO) secretion, and formation of neutrophil extracellular trap-like structures (NETs). In addition, we studied platelets, another important player of the immediate immune host response. We found that platelets triggered redox-activation of isolated neutrophils by the pericardium scaffold, and likely participate in the NETs formation. Free radicals generated by neutrophils and hypochlorous acid produced by MPO are potent oxidizing agents which can oxidatively degrade biological structures. Understanding the mechanisms and consequences of redox activation of neutrophils by pericardium scaffolds is important for the development of new approaches to increase the efficiency of tissue regeneration.

[Biomarkers of system inflammation in local and diffuse peritonitis]

In cases of any acute surgical abdominal disease the progression of purulent inflammation can lead to local or diffuse peritonitis. The indicators of the degree and specificity of the inflammatory response in blood such as cytokine concentration, neutrophil activity, plasma antioxidant capacity (thiols concentration) could be considered as potential predictors of complications. The luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) response of blood activated by the phorbol ester (PMA), and the concentration of cytokines IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and thiols in plasma were measured in patients with uncomplicated condition (group 1, n=8), local peritonitis (group 2, n=9) or diffuse peritonitis (group 3, n=9) at admission to surgery (before surgical operation, b/o), immediately after surgical operation (a/o) and a day after surgery (1 day) as well as in healthy volunteers (norm, n=12). In all time-points the cytokines and MPO concentrations measured by ELISA, in group 3 were higher than in healthy volunteers and in patients in groups 1 and 2. Blood CL demonstrated a more than 5-fold increase above the normal values in all patients, and was also higher in group 2 as compared to group 1 (b/o and a/o). Patients in group 3 had shown both maximum and minimum of CL values, which could be a consequence of neutrophil priming or exhaustion ("immune paralysis"), respectively. The same patients' plasma exhibited low thiol concentration (≤30% vs normal values). In patients with fatal outcomes (group 3, n=2) within a day after surgery, either a decrease of the CL to zero values concurrently with elevated IL-8 and IL-6 concentrations and low thiol levels was observed, or CL exceeded normal values more than 20 times with concurrent complete exhaustion of the plasma thiol pool. No clear dependency between the plasma parameters and neutrophil activity was found. Hence a parameter set for prognosis and/or early diagnosis of infectious complications in acute abdominal pathology should include different biomarkers of the inflammatory response: cytokine profile (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10), MPO and neutrophil activity, antioxidant plasma capacity (e.g., total thiols concentration).

Evaluation of heart rate variability, blood pressure and lipid profile alterations from dual transceiver mobile phone radiation exposure

OBJECTIVES

Electromagnetic fields have been reported to alter electrical activities in the brain and heart. However, there is paucity of information on the potential functional alterations that magnetic fields from mobile phone could cause to the heart. This study investigated heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile in Wistar rats exposed to electromagnetic field radiation from a dual transceiver mobile phone (DTrMP).

METHODS

Twenty-one male albino Wistar rats (140-180 g) were randomly assigned to two major groups positioned 5 m apart as follows: control: no phone (n=7) and treatment group (n=14) continuously exposed to electromagnetic field from Tecno T312 DTrMP 900/1800 MHz set in silence mode. Experimental treatment consisted in 10 min calls/day, directed to this device for a period of six weeks. Seven animals from the treatment group were allowed to recover for a period of two weeks after exposure. HRV, systolic, diastolic and mean arterial BP were noninvasively investigated, while serum lipid profile and heart tissue nitric oxide (NO) activities were determined using standard procedures.

RESULTS

There was significant (p<0.05) increase in systolic, diastolic, mean arterial BP and a decrease in HRV. Serum high density lipoproteins decreased, while total cholesterol, atherogenic indices, and heart NO levels increased significantly in the radiation exposed animals. The alterations observed in exposed animals remained unchanged even after the recovery period.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that exposure to electromagnetic radiation from dual transceiver mobile phones could be a risk factor to increase in blood pressure.

The post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and changes in this ratio predict survival after treatment of stage III non-small-cell lung cancer with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy

Aim: To investigate the predictive potential of post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and changes in this ratio (ΔNLR) for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT). Patients & methods: The data of 168 NSCLC patients treated at the Shandong Cancer Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The relationship between progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and post-treatment NLR and ΔNLR were analyzed using both Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that post-treatment NLR and ΔNLR were associated with PFS (p < 0.001) and OS (p < 0.001) after CFRT. Multivariate analyses revealed that ΔNLR was an independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.001) and OS (p = 0.018). Post-treatment NLR can only be used as an independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.040). Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the prognostic value of the ΔNLR in predicting PFS and OS in stage III NSCLC patients undergoing CFRT. However, post-treatment NLR has predictive value only for PFS.

5G Wireless Communication and Health Effects-A Pragmatic Review Based on Available Studies Regarding 6 to 100 GHz

The introduction of the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication will increase the number of high-frequency-powered base stations and other devices. The question is if such higher frequencies (in this review, 6-100 GHz, millimeter waves, MMW) can have a health impact. This review analyzed 94 relevant publications performing in vivo or in vitro investigations. Each study was characterized for: study type (in vivo, in vitro), biological material (species, cell type, etc.), biological endpoint, exposure (frequency, exposure duration, power density), results, and certain quality criteria. Eighty percent of the in vivo studies showed responses to exposure, while 58% of the in vitro studies demonstrated effects. The responses affected all biological endpoints studied. There was no consistent relationship between power density, exposure duration, or frequency, and exposure effects. The available studies do not provide adequate and sufficient information for a meaningful safety assessment, or for the question about non-thermal effects. There is a need for research regarding local heat developments on small surfaces, e.g., skin or the eye, and on any environmental impact. Our quality analysis shows that for future studies to be useful for safety assessment, design and implementation need to be significantly improved.

Long-term exposure to a 40-GHz electromagnetic field does not affect genotoxicity or heat shock protein expression in HCE-T or SRA01/04 cells

Millimeter waves are used in various fields, and the risks of this wavelength range for human health must be carefully evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effects of millimeter waves on genotoxicity and heat shock protein expression in human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) and human lens epithelial (SRA01/04) cells. We exposed the cells to 40-GHz millimeter waves at 1 mW/cm2 for 24 h. We observed no statistically significant increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency or the level of DNA strand breaks in cells exposed to 40-GHz millimeter waves relative to sham-exposed and incubator controls. Heat shock protein (Hsp) expression also exhibited no statistically significant response to the 40-GHz exposure. These results indicate that exposure to 40 GHz millimeter waves under these conditions has little or no effect on MN formation, DNA strand breaks, or Hsp expression in HCE-T or SRA01/04 cells.