Evaluation of low dose ionizing radiation effect on some blood components in animal model

Impact of Radiation Therapy on Biological Parameters in Cancer Patients: Sub-analysis from the RIT Prospective Epidemiological Study

Scarce data investigate the impact of radiotherapy (RT) on biology markers. An analysis of ancillary study of RIT (Radiation Impact on Thromboembolic events) prospective trial was carried out. All patients with non-metastatic solid tumors and treated with radiotherapy and/or brachytherapy in curative and consenting to have blood samples were included. A significant decrease in white blood count, (i.e. lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils and basophils) and platelet counts was observed after RT and maintained at 6 months. Whereas, eosinophils, D-dimers and hemoglobin levels were affected respectively 3 months and 6 months after RT initiation. Conversely, red cells count and CRP level were not affected by RT. This study is an advocacy to develop an understanding of basic immune system in relation with RT.

The Effect of Periapical Radiography X-Ray Radiation on the Number of Leukocytes in Mice (Mus musculus)

BACKGROUND: Periapical radiographic X-ray radiation has ionization energy which can cause cell damage in the body such as damage to the hematopoietic stem cell system in the bone marrow which results in inhibition or cessation of the hematopoiesis process, resulting in a decrease in the number of blood cells, especially leukocytes. A decrease in the number of leukocytes can make the body susceptible to infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other agents that can attack tissues in the oral cavity. AIM: This study aims to determine the effect of periapical radiographic X-ray radiation on the number of leukocytes in mice (Mus musculus). METHODS: This research is a true experimental study with a posttest-only design with a control group design. The sample in this study was 24 mice, male, bodyweight 25–30 g and age 3–4 months which were divided into four groups, namely, the control group and the treatment group, namely, 1, 7, and 10-times exposure to periapical radiography X-ray radiation. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a decrease in the leukocyte count of mice at 1, 7, and 10 times of exposure, which was obtained by comparing the leukocyte count of the control group and the treatment group. The number of leukocytes in the control group was 8.16 × 103/μL, the number of leukocytes in the treatment group with 1, 7, and 10 exposures in a row was 7.61 × 103/μL, 6.03 × 103/μL, and 5.20 × 103/μL. The results of statistical tests using One-Way Analysis of variance and post hoc Bonferroni showed a significant decrease in the number of leukocytes (p < 0.05), namely, in the control group with seven exposures, the control group with ten exposures, and the 1-time exposure group with the 10-time exposure group. CONCLUSION: There is a decrease in the number of leukocytes in mice due to periapical radiographic X-ray radiation.

Quantitative in vivo micro-computed tomography for monitoring disease activity and treatment response in a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model

A painful, chronic condition, Rheumatoid Arthritis, is marked by bone erosion and soft tissue swelling at the joint. As treatments are investigated in pre-clinical models, characterizing disease progression is integral to assessing treatment efficacy. Here, in vivo and ex vivo micro-computed tomography (µCT) are used in parallel with traditional caliper score measurement to quantify physiological changes in the tarsal region in a murine, collagen-induced arthritis model. In vivo imaging methods, which are validated here through comparison to ex vivo and caliper methods, afford longitudinal analysis of both bone and soft tissue through a single image acquisition. This method removes the subjectivity of swelling quantification which is inherently associated with traditional caliper measurements. Histopathology offers an additional assessment of bone erosion and inflammation by providing a microscopic characterization of disease activity. In comparison to untreated animals, daily prednisolone (glucocorticoid) treatment is shown to restore bone volume, as reflected through in vivo and ex vivo µCT images, as well as histopathology. Prednisolone-associated reduction in inflammation is shown through in vivo µCT soft tissue volume measurements, paw caliper measurements, and histopathology. The findings reported here provide a comprehensive validation of in vivo µCT with a sensitivity that enables characterization of pre-clinical disease assessment in response to treatment in a murine, collagen-induced arthritis model.

The effects of base station as an electromagnetic radiation source on flower and cone yield and germination percentage in Pinus brutia Ten

Electromagnetic radiation is a substantial pollution factor that most of the living things found almost everywhere are constantly exposed to with current technology. The number of studies conducted on the effects of this exposed radiation on the living things constantly is limited; and almost all of the studies conducted are aimed at measuring the effects of short-term exposure. In addition to this, most of the studies conducted on plants focus on herbaceous plant species. In this study, the effects of distance to base station on flower and cone yield and germination percentage were investigated in Pinus brutia individuals, one of the critical forest tree species. The study results revealed that being close to the base station significantly reduced the number of flowers and cones in P. brutia individuals, and that the values obtained in individuals at a distance of 800 m from the base station were 11 times more than the number of flowers and 7 times more than the number of cones compared to the individuals at a distance of 100 m. In the seeds subject to the study, there is a three-times difference in terms of the germination percentage among the individuals located at the furthest and closest distance to the base station. These results show that P. brutia individuals are considerably affected by the base station.

Novel iodinated quinazolinones bearing sulfonamide as new scaffold targeting radiation induced oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an integral role in the pathogenesis of most diseases. This work presents the design and synthesis of fourteen new diiodoquinazolinone derivatives bearing benzenesulfonamide moiety with variable acetamide tail and evaluation of their ability to activate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) using its classical target NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) in Hepa1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells. The N-(2-chloropyridin-3-yl)-2-((6,8-diiodo-4-oxo-3-(4-sulfamoylphenyl)-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)thio) acetamide 17 was the most potent NQO1 inducer (CD = 25 µM) with free radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 28 µM) and in vivo median lethal dose (LD50) of 500 mg/Kg. The possible radioprotective activity of compound 17 was evaluated in (7 Gy) irradiated mice. Compound 17 showed a reduction in radiation induced oxidative stress as evidenced by the lower levels of ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA) and NQO1 in liver tissues. Moreover, compound 17 showed improvement in the complete blood count (CBC) of irradiated mice and decreased mortality over 30 days following irradiation. Additionally, docking studies inside the Nrf2-binding site of Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1), the main negative regulator of Nrf2, confirmed that 17 revealed the same interactions with the key amino acids as those of the co-crystallized ligand. This study identifies 17 as a novel antioxidant that protects against the harmful effect of radiation.

The Effectiveness of Potential Probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus Vahe and Lactobacillus delbrueckii IAHAHI in Irradiated Rats Depends on the Nutritional Stage of the Host

Several species of eukaryotic organisms living in the high mountain areas of Armenia with naturally occurring levels of radiation have high adaptive responses to radiation. We speculate on the role of the gastrointestinal microbiota in this protection against radiation. Therefore, seventeen microorganisms with high antagonistic activities against several multi-drug-resistant pathogens were isolated from the human and animal gut microbiota, as well as from traditional Armenian fermented products. These strains were tested in vivo on Wistar rats to determine their ability to protect the eukaryotic host against radiation damages. The efficiency of the probiotics' application and the dependence on pre- and post-radiation nutrition of rats were described. The effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Vahe, isolated from a healthy breastfed infant, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii IAHAHI, isolated from the fermented dairy product matsuni, on the survival of irradiated rats, and their blood leucocyte and glucose levels, were considered to be the most promising, based on this study's results.

Acute radiation syndrome-related gene expression in irradiated peripheral blood cell populations

PURPOSE

In a nuclear or radiological event, an early diagnostic tool is needed to distinguish the worried well from those individuals who may later develop life-threatenFing hematologic acute radiation syndrome. We examined the contribution of the peripheral blood's cell populations on radiation-induced gene expression (GE) changes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

EDTA-whole-blood from six healthy donors was X-irradiated with 0 and 4Gy and T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, NK-cells and granulocytes were separated using immunomagnetic methods. GE were examined in cell populations and whole blood.

RESULTS

The cell populations contributed to the total RNA amount with a ratio of 11.6 for T-lymphocytes, 1.2 for B-cells, 1.2 for NK-cells, 1.0 for granulocytes. To estimate the contribution of GE per cell population, the baseline (0Gy) and the radiation-induced fold-change in GE relative to unexposed was considered for each gene. The T-lymphocytes (74.8%/80.5%) contributed predominantly to the radiation-induced up-regulation observed for FDXR/DDB2 and the B-lymphocytes (97.1%/83.8%) for down-regulated POU2AF1/WNT3 with a similar effect on whole blood gene expression measurements reflecting a corresponding order of magnitude.

CONCLUSIONS

T- and B-lymphocytes contributed predominantly to the radiation-induced up-regulation of FDXR/DDB2 and down-regulation of POU2AF1/WNT3. This study underlines the use of FDXR/DDB2 for biodosimetry purposes and POU2AF1/WNT3 for effect prediction of acute health effects.

Development of hematopoietic syndrome mice model for localized radiation exposure

Current models to study the hematopoietic syndrome largely rely on the uniform whole-body exposures. However, in the radio-nuclear accidents or terrorist events, exposure can be non-uniform. The data available on the non-uniform exposures is limited. Thus, we have developed a mice model for studying the hematopoietic syndrome in the non-uniform or partial body exposure scenarios using the localized cobalt⁶⁰ gamma radiation exposure. Femur region of Strain 'A' male mice was exposed to doses ranging from 7 to 20 Gy. The 30 day survival assay showed 19 Gy as LD₁₀₀ and 17 Gy as LD_50. We measured an array of cytokines and important stem cell markers such as IFN-γ, IL-3, IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-α, G-CSF, IL-1α, IL-1β, CD 34 and Sca 1. We found significant changes in IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF-α, G-CSF, and IL-1β levels compared to untreated groups and amplified levels of CD 34 and Sca 1 positive population in the irradiated mice compared to the untreated controls. Overall, we have developed a mouse model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome that might be useful for understanding of the non-uniform body exposure scenarios. This may also be helpful in the screening of drugs intended for individuals suffering from radiation induced hematopoietic syndrome.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy mitigates radiation induced lymphopenia in early stage non-small cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION

Radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) occurs during treatment with conventional radiation in multiple organ sites. Development of RIL portends poor prognosis. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) spares RIL in pancreatic cancer, but has not been examined in other sites commonly treated with SBRT. This work examines if SBRT similarly spares RIL in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis was done at a single institution on 40 distinct cases of SBRT for early stage NSCLC from 2006-2017. Incidentally collected lymphocyte counts collected within 6 months of SBRT treatment were analyzed to determine if RIL occurred. The presence of RIL was correlated with location of initial failure and survival endpoints. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed with significance defined at the level p < 0.05.

RESULTS

RIL was observed in 35% of the analyzed patients. Patterns of failure and survival data were comparable to prior SBRT literature. There was no observed association in two year local, nodal, or distant failure, progression free survival, or overall survival based on the presence of RIL.

DISCUSSION

SBRT spares RIL in NSCLC compared to historical rates observed with conventionally fractionated radiation. As understanding of the role of the immune system in cancer control continues to evolve, the importance of RIL sparing techniques take on increasing importance. This study represents further analysis of RIL sparing in SBRT in an early stage NSCLC cohort without the confounding influence of chemotherapy.

AN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK-BASED MODEL FOR PREDICTING ANNUAL DOSE IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS OCCUPATIONALLY EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF IONIZING RADIATION

We presented an artificial intelligence-based model to predict annual effective dose (AED) value of health workers. Potential factors affecting AED and the results of annual blood tests were collected from 91 radiation workers. Filter-based feature selection strategy revealed that the eight factors plate, red cell distribution width (RDW), educational degree, nonacademic course in radiation protection (hour), working hours per month, department and the number of procedures done per year and work in radiology department or not (0,1) were the most important predictors for AED. The prediction model was developed using a multilayer perceptron neural network and these prediction parameters as inputs. The model provided favorable accuracy in predicting AED value while a regression model did not. There was a strong linear relationship between the predicted AED values and the measured doses (R-value =0.89 for training samples and 0.86 for testing samples). These results are promising and show that artificial neural networks can be used to improve/facilitate dose estimation process.

Protective Effects of Biscoclaurine Alkaloids on Leukopenia Induced by 60Co-γ Radiation

Objective

Leukopenia, a common complication of tumor chemoradiotherapy, contributes serious damage to the hematopoietic, gastrointestinal, and immune systems of the body and can cause delay, discontinuation, or even failure to tumor treatment, thereby greatly threatening human health. The present study aims to investigate the protective effects of biscoclaurine alkaloids (BA) on leukopenia.

Methods

This study was conducted on 60 Kunming mice, which were randomly divided into six groups containing 10 animals each. A hematology analyzer was used to count white blood cells (WBC) in the peripheral blood cell. Mice serum was collected, and the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Pathological changes were detected through hematoxylin and eosin staining in the liver and spleen of mice. The spleen and liver ultrastructures were observed via electron microscopy.

Results

Results showed that BA ameliorated WBC, PLT reduction in the peripheral blood and significantly increased the levels of IFN-γ and VCAM-1 in mice serum. BA reduced ionizing radiation-induced injuries to spleen, mitigated the reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and significantly decreased the malonaldehyde (MDA) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) levels in the liver.

Conclusion

BA enhanced the immune and hematopoietic functions and ameliorated the oxidative stress induced by ⁶⁰Co-γ radiation, revealing its therapeutic potential both as a radioprotector and as a radiation mitigator for leukopenia induced by ⁶⁰Co-γ radiation.

Effects of silymarin and mesenchymal stem cells on hematological and some biochemical changes induced by gamma radiation in albino rats

Purpose: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the protective and therapeutic effects of silymarin and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to ameliorate the damage caused by gamma radiation.Materials and methods: MSCs were given by intravenous injection to male rats (1.4 × 10⁷ cells), 1 day next to gamma radiation (4Gy). While, silymarin was administered orally at a dose of 70 mg/kg b. wt., 3 days before irradiation and continued for 21 days post irradiation.Results: After 1 and 3 weeks post-irradiation, the results revealed a significant decline in red blood corpuscles (RBCs), white blood corpuscles (WBCs) and platelets count with rising in serum lipid profile [total lipids (TL), total glycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels] and total bilirubin; while significant decreases in serum total protein and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were observed. In irradiated animals receiving double treatment with MSCs and silymarin; amelioration of the changes observed in hematological and biochemical parameters when comparing with the irradiated group.Conclusions: Treatment with a radio-protector (such as silymarin) in addition to MSCs transplantation was recommended to protect against gamma radiation injury.

Aloe vera modulates X-ray induced hematological and splenic tissue damage in mice

The present study was premeditated to examine the radioprotective effects of aqueous Aloe vera gel extract against whole-body X-ray irradiation-induced hematological alterations and splenic tissue injury in mice. Healthy male balb/c mice were divided into four groups: group 1, control; group 2, A. vera (50 mg/kg body weight) administered per oral on alternate days for 30 days (15 times); group 3, X-ray exposure of 2 Gy (0.25 Gy twice a day for four consecutive days in the last week of the experimental protocol); and group 4, A. vera + X-ray. X-ray exposure caused alterations in histoarchitecture of spleen along with enhanced clastogenic damage as assessed by micronucleus formation and apoptotic index. Irradiation caused an elevation in proinflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6, total leucocyte counts, neutrophil counts and decreased platelet counts along with unaltered red blood cell counts and hemoglobin. Irradiation also caused an elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, lactate dehydrogenase activity and alterations in enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense mechanism in plasma and spleen. However, administration of A. vera gel extract ameliorated X-ray irradiation-induced elevation in ROS/LPO levels, histopathological and clastogenic damage. It also modulated biochemical indices, inflammatory markers, and hematological parameters. These results collectively indicated that the A. vera gel extract offers protection against whole-body X-ray exposure by virtue of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic potential.

Delineating the Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Erythropoietic Lineage-Implications for Radiation Biodosimetry

The overall lethality/morbidity of ionizing radiation exposure involves multiple forms of inhibitory or cytotoxic effects that may manifest in different tissues with a varying dose and time response. One of the major systemic effects leading to lethality of radiation includes its suppressive effect on hematopoiesis, which could be observed even at doses as low as 1-2 Gy, whereas effects on gastrointestinal and nervous systems appear at relatively higher doses in the same order. This article reviews the effects of radiation on the three distinct stages of erythropoiesis-formation of erythroid progenitor cells, differentiation of erythroid precursor cells, and terminal maturation. During these stepwise developmental processes, erythroid progenitor cells undergo rapid expansion to form terminally differentiated red blood cells that are continuously replenished from bone marrow into the circulating peripheral blood stream. Cellular radiation response depends upon many factors such as cell lineage, rate of proliferation, and differentiation status. Therefore, we discuss radiation-induced alterations during the progenitor, precursor, and terminal maturation stages and the implications thereof. Since biomarkers of ionizing radiation exposure in human populations are of great interest for assessing normal tissue injury as well as for biodosimetry in the event of accidental or incidental radiation exposures, we also highlight blood-based biomarkers that have potential utility for medical management.

IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report)

The IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) was created to familiarize students, teachers, and non-professionals with the existence and importance of isotopes of the chemical elements. The IPTEI is modeled on the familiar Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements. The IPTEI is intended to hang on the walls of chemistry laboratories and classrooms. Each cell of the IPTEI provides the chemical name, symbol, atomic number, and standard atomic weight of an element. Color-coded pie charts in each element cell display the stable isotopes and the relatively long-lived radioactive isotopes having characteristic terrestrial isotopic compositions that determine the standard atomic weight of each element. The background color scheme of cells categorizes the 118 elements into four groups: (1) white indicates the element has no standard atomic weight, (2) blue indicates the element has only one isotope that is used to determine its standard atomic weight, which is given as a single value with an uncertainty, (3) yellow indicates the element has two or more isotopes that are used to determine its standard atomic weight, which is given as a single value with an uncertainty, and (4) pink indicates the element has a well-documented variation in its atomic weight, and the standard atomic weight is expressed as an interval. An element-by-element review accompanies the IPTEI and includes a chart of all known stable and radioactive isotopes for each element. Practical applications of isotopic measurements and technologies are included for the following fields: forensic science, geochronology, Earth-system sciences, environmental science, and human health sciences, including medical diagnosis and treatment.

Response of rats to dose rates of ionizing radiation evaluated by dielectric properties of bone marrow

The response of adult Wistar albino female rats toward two dose rates of gamma radiation delivered as acute dose of 7 Gy is investigated using classical methodologies as chemical, hematological and histological parameters in comparison with newly introduced dielectric parameters. Two groups of rats were exposed to γ ray with dose rates 533.35 mGy/min and 325.89 mGy/min. Then the irradiated groups were followed up for two weeks after irradiation. In case of higher dose rate, high percentage of animals was lost and there were substantial alterations in the dielectric parameters in addition to massive damage in liver and bone marrow cells. On the other hand, a reduction of death rate of rats, different behavior in the dielectric parameters of bone marrow and lesser injury of liver tissue were well noticeable in case of lower dose rate. Moreover, the sensitivity of dielectric parameters toward the two different dose rates was well pronounced during the 1st and 2nd weeks after irradiation more than other parameters.