Dose-Response: An International Journal: Volume 11, Issue 4
No Thumbnail Available
Volume
Number
Issue Date
2013-31-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Journal Volume
Articles
Dose-Response, Vol 11, no 4
(2013-12-01)
COMMENTARY ON FUKUSHIMA AND BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF LOW RADIATION1
(2013-12-01) Cuttler, Jerry M.
Approximately 160,000 people evacuated the area around the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP shortly after it was damage by the earthquake and tsunami. The evacuation order applied to 70,000 of them, while the other 90,000 left voluntarily and returned soon afterward. After more than two years, most of the 70,000 are still not allowed to return to their homes. The 1100 disaster-related deaths caused by the evacuation order show that this pre- cautionary action, taken to minimize cancer risks, was not “conservative.” In this paper, recent studies are reviewed on the consequences of the radioactive releases and on the benefits of many medical treatments with low doses of radiation that were carried out until the 1950s, before the radiation scare was created. Recent research has shed light on the high rate of spontaneous double-strand breaks in DNA and the adaptive protections in cells, tissues and humans that are up-regulated by low radiation. These defences prevent, repair, remove and replace damage, from all causes including external agents. Cancer mortality is reduced. The ICRP’s concept of radiation risk is wrong. It should revert to its 1934 concept, which was a tolerance dose of 0.2 roentgen (r) per day based on more than 35 years of medical experience.
A COMPARISON OF IN VIVO CELLULAR RESPONSES TO CS-137 GAMMA RAYS AND 320-KV X RAYS
(2013-12-01) Scott, B.R.; Gott, K.M.; Potter, C.A.; Wilder, J.
Research reported here relates to comparing the relative effectiveness of 320-kV X rays compared to Cs-137 gamma rays for two in vivo endpoints in C.B-17 mice after whole-body exposure: (1) cytotoxicity to bone marrow cells and splenocytes evaluated at 24-hours post exposure and (2) bone marrow and spleen reconstitution deficits (repopulation short- falls) evaluated at 6 weeks post exposure. We show that cytotoxicity dose-response rela- tionships for bone marrow cells and splenocytes are complex, involving negative curvature (decreasing slope as dose increases), presumably implicating a mixed cell population com- prised of large numbers of hypersensitive, modestly radiosensitive, and resistant cells. The radiosensitive cells appear to respond with 50% being killed by a dose < 0.5 Gy. The X-ray relative biological effectiveness (RBE), relative to gamma rays, for destroying bone mar- row cells in vivo is > 1, while for destroying splenocytes it is < 1. In contrast, dose-response relationships for reconstitution deficits in the bone marrow and spleen of C.B-17 mice at 6 weeks after radiation exposure were of the threshold type with gamma rays being more effective in causing reconstitution deficit.
LOW-DOSE γ-IRRADIATION AFFECTS THE SURVIVAL OF EXPOSED DAPHNIA AND THEIR OFFSPRING
(2013-12-01) Sarapultseva, Elena I.; Gorski, Anton I.
Purpose: To analyze the long-term effects of exposure to low-dose γ-irradiation on sur- vival and life span in directly irradiated Daphnia magna and their offspring. Materials and methods: One-day-old Daphnia magna were exposed to 10, 100 and 1000 mGy of acute γ-rays. The life-span of irradiated and control animals, as well as their non-exposed progeny was analyzed. Results: Irradiation at dose of 100 and 1000 mGy resulted in a significant decrease in the life span of irradiated Daphnia. The data presented here also show that the survival of non-exposed first-generation offspring of irradiated parents is significantly compromised, thus implying the presence of transgenerational effects. Conclusion: The results of our study show that low-dose irradiation significantly reduces the life-span of directly exposed Daphnia and their first-generation offspring. The observed compro- mised viability is most likely attributed to non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation.
THE HISTORICAL USE OF RADIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SINUS INFECTIONS
(2013-12-01) Calabrese, Edward J.; Dhawan, Gaurav
The aim of this paper is to assess the historical role of radiotherapy in the treatment of sinus infections. This assessment involved a literature-based review of how radiotherapy was used to treat sinus infections in the first half of the 20th century. Low doses of x-rays were used with considerable success to treat nearly 3,000 patients of sinus infection in a span of 12 years with these cases being reported in leading medical journals as case stud- ies. The mechanism of x-ray induced reduction of inflammation and increased tissue repair is uncertain but appears to be related to the development of a multifactorial and integrative anti-inflammatory phenotype.