Increase in the Th1-Cell-Based Immune Response in Healthy Workers Exposed to Low-Dose Radiation - Immune System Status of Radiology Staff

Herbal medicine use for the management of COVID-19: A review article

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For many thousands of years, herbal products and dietary plants have been prescribed for various diseases by traditional healers. Thus, the aim of this review is to present main herbal products, their source, characteristics, and potential antiviral actions concerning COVID-19. Publications on herbal products related to antiviral effects were searched from different databases, such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, Medline, Scopus, and PubMed, until August 2021, using English key terms. According to different studies, there are so many important medicinal plants with antiviral activity, which can be used for viral infections or can be prescribed as supportive treatment. lack of information on the safety profile and amount of dose for different diseases is some of the limitations of medicinal plants. herbal medicine can interfere with COVID-19 pathogenesis by inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication and entry to host cells. Some of the antiviral medicinal plant species are citrus Spp., orange (C. Sinensis), Allium sativum, Allium cepa, Mentha piperita, and nigella sativa are the most desirable herbal drink or fruit that can introduce effective adjuvant components in COVID-19 management.

Low dose ionizing radiation effects on the immune system

Ionizing radiation interacts with the immune system in many ways with a multiplicity that mirrors the complexity of the immune system itself: namely the need to maintain a delicate balance between different compartments, cells and soluble factors that work collectively to protect, maintain, and restore tissue function in the face of severe challenges including radiation damage. The cytotoxic effects of high dose radiation are less relevant after low dose exposure, where subtle quantitative and functional effects predominate that may go unnoticed until late after exposure or after a second challenge reveals or exacerbates the effects. For example, low doses may permanently alter immune fitness and therefore accelerate immune senescence and pave the way for a wide spectrum of possible pathophysiological events, including early-onset of age-related degenerative disorders and cancer. By contrast, the so called low dose radiation therapy displays beneficial, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties in chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases. In this review, epidemiological, clinical and experimental data regarding the effects of low-dose radiation on the homeostasis and functional integrity of immune cells will be discussed, as will be the role of immune-mediated mechanisms in the systemic manifestation of localized exposures such as inflammatory reactions. The central conclusion is that ionizing radiation fundamentally and durably reshapes the immune system. Further, the importance of discovery of immunological pathways for modifying radiation resilience amongst other research directions in this field is implied.

The Efficacy of Periodic Complete Blood Count Tests in Evaluation of the Health Status of Radiation Workers in Iran: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Periodic medical examinations of radiation workers are routinely conducted in many countries. Although low dose radiation (LDR) is not expected to cause a significant effect on blood count, the periodic examination usually includes reviewing the work history, general medical history, a physical examination and collecting a blood sample. Despite lymphocytes are the most sensitive cells to radiation, their counts do not show any significant change as long as the radiation level is less than a few hundreds of millisievert (mSv). In spite of this, in Iran, radiation workers, even those who work in diagnostic radiology departments, are regularly examined for blood count changes.

METHODS

After a detailed search in PubMed, ISI, Scopus, SID and Google Scholar, only 12 out of 650 articles matched our criteria. A review of these 12 reports was conducted. The full texts were fully reviewed by the authors.

RESULTS

The complete blood count (CBC) test has a very low efficacy in evaluation of the adverse health effects of ionizing radiation in radiation workers. Therefore, finding alternative methods with a higher efficacy is recommended.

CONCLUSION

CBC tests cannot be introduced as valid markers of potential radiation effects in most occupational exposures. Given this consideration, in periodic tests of radiation workers, cytogenetic tests can be the gold-standard method. In particular, due to its relatively low cost and good sensitivity and specificity, the dicentric assay can be promising. Moreover, the simple and rapid evaluation of micronuclei by fast automated scoring systems can be a good alternative for current low efficacy CBC tests.