International Journal of Radiation Research
Volume:11 Issue: 2, Apr 2013

The earlier Atomic Bomb explosion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and three worth mentioning nuclear accidents - detonation at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Chernobyl nuclear fallout and an accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant have made us more worried about the secure exploitation of nuclear energy. The central focus of this paper is to review radiation-mediated health effects on human beings based on past and present incidences of nuclear detonations and/or accidents. The Data used in this review were mainly from PubMed and Medline in English, and recent data were taken from different types of renowned international organizations and newspapers. The study selection involves articles related to Fukushima nuclear detonation and radiation risks, health hazards due to radiation from Chernobyl nuclear fallout, Three Mile Island nuclear accident and radiation impacts and Atomic Bomb explosion and radiation-related health effects were selected. The epidemiological studies based on past and present incidences of nuclear detonations and/or accidents entail both radiations mediated immediate and protracted effects and/or risks over human health. The individuals affected by radiation exposure, survivors of nuclear radiations and their subsequent generations are arrested by varying sorts of cancers and non-cancer diseases along with psychological implications and genetic disorders. Among the worst sufferers are pregnant women, fetus and children; though it affects all ages and sexes of people. Since the safely and peaceful usage of nuclear energy is in question, today’s global health is at risk and none of us free from it.

Alpinia galanga L. belonging to the family Zingiberaceae is widely grown in the state of Kerala, India. They are effective antioxidant and free radical scavenger under both in vitro and in vivo condition. The efficacy of the isolated flavonoids in conferring protection from radiation induced damages to genomic DNA was studied. The bioflavonoids, galangin and kaempferide were isolated from the AE fractions Alpinia galanga. The isolated flavanoids - galangin and kaempferide, and the crude extracts (AE and EE) were assayed for their various free radical scavenging activities like DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl), hydroxyl and superoxide radical scavenging activities. The in vitro DNA damage was monitored by assessing the radiation induced relaxation of supercoiled plasmid DNA (pBR 322). Damage to cellular DNA of human peripheral blood leukocytes induced by γ-radiation (4 Gy) was monitored by alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay. The extracts and pure compounds scavenged hydroxyl radicals in a concentration dependent manner. The compounds demonstrated a concentration dependent scavenging capacity by neutralizing the superoxide radicals. A considerably lower concentration (400-1000 ppm) of the pure flavonoids showed good antioxidant capacity. The presence of 10 mM kaempferide helped in reducing the extent of DNA damage following 4 Gy gamma irradiation (P<0.001). Galangin (10 mM) also facilitated in reduction of comet parameters. The extracts of Alpinia galanga or the isolated bioflavonoids - galangin and kaempferide can protect DNA from radiation induced lesions resulting from radiation exposures under in vitro and ex vivo conditions.

˝Radioadaptive Response˝ is well-documented phenomenon appeared in low dose ionizing radiation received in vitro and in vivo. Occupational exposure has always been a great concern for radiation workers; therefore this study was performed to study radioadaptive response in terms of residual DNA double strand breaks as an endpoint in peripheral blood leukocytes of occupationally exposed persons. Peripheral blood leukocytes of medical staff as well as control subjects were obtained, separate cultures were set up and irradiation was performed at a challenge dose of 4 Gy of gamma rays. After 48-hour incubation, the neutral comet assay was performed according to the standard method. After single cell gel electrophoresis, cells were stained with ethidium bromide and observed by the fluorescence microscope for DNA damage. Although there was no statistical difference between baseline DNA damages in two examined exposed and control groups, radiation induced adaptive response was observed in occupational exposure significantly (p<0.001). The obtained results indicate that adaptive response in occupational exposures could be induced in doses lower than detection limit of personal dosimeters leading to enhanced repair mechanism of DNA double strand breaks after irradiation.

To evaluate the radioprotective potential of Punica granatum fruit rind extract (PGRE) in mouse testes. Adult male mice were divided into four groups. Group I was kept without any treatment. Group II was irradiated with 8Gy Co60 gamma irradiation and Group III was given PGRE one hour before irradiation. Group IV was fed with PGRE at the rate of 10 mg/kg body weight. Mice were sacrificed at various post irradiation intervals and testes were removed, weighed and analysed biochemically for reduced glutathione content, Lipid peroxidation, Total protein, DNA and RNA content. Results were subjected to students ‘t’ test. Testes weight of both the II group and III group decreased till 3rd post irradiation day. Protein and RNA contents increased up till the 3rd post irradiation day and decreased till 28th day in group II. Group IV maintains a higher level of protein and RNA content in comparison to II group. GSH and DNA content decreased in II group in comparison to normal and in III group they are found to be significantly higher at all the post irradiation intervals. Punica granatum fruit rind extract pretreatment renders protection against biochemical changes in mouse testes.

To investigate the effect of zinc sulphate for prophylaxis of radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. In the department of Radiation Oncology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, 40 patients with head and neck cancer were selected randomly to receive either Zinco-C 25 mg, four tablets daily or control group who did not receive any drug. The patients were treated with Cobalt 60 teletherapy unit with conventional fractionation of 2 Gy/fraction. Oral mucositis were assessed by using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring criteria, before treatment, once a week during treatment and after treatment. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS for Windows software package. In all patients, rates of grade 0, 1, 2, 3 mucositis were found 37.5%, 32.5%, 27.5% ve 2.5% respectively. Grade 0, 1, 2, 3 esophagitis were found 20%, 40%, 32.5%, 7.5%, respectively. Grade 4 mucositis and esophagitis were not detected in any patients. Between two groups, no relation was found between giving zinc and mucositis/esophagitis. Before radiotherapy, plasma zinc levels were lower in 20 patients (%50). In control group patients, post treatment serum zinc levels were significantly lower than zinc sulphate group (p=0.05). Incidence of mucositis and esophagitis was decreased when serum zinc levels were normal before and after treatment, though this was not statistically significant (p=0.476, p= 0.351 respectively). We found that zinc sulphate prophylaxis does not reduce incidence of mucositis and esophagitis. This may be due to before radiotherapy serum zinc levels in the patients who were given zinc were generally lower than control group. In other hand we showed that in control group patients, post treatment serum zinc levels were significantly lower than zinc sulphate group (p=0.05).

Mucositis is an important adverse effect of cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ice cubes on oral mucositis following head and neck radiotherapy. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 40 head and neck cancer patients who underwent radiotherapy. The patients were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups of 20 each. The patients in the experimental group received instructions for sucking ice cubes before and after each radiotherapy session for five minutes during the study period. Oral examinations were performed on the 1st, 7th, and 14th days of the study. Pain severity and mucositis were evaluated by a checklist and self-reported assessment by the patients at the above-mentioned intervals. As time passed, the mean of pain intensity in the control group significantly increased (p<0.001), whereas the experimental group showed no significant difference during the study period (p>0.05). Patients’ self-assessment in the control group showed significantly higher oral discomfort during the study period (p=0.012). In contrast, self-assessment of patients in the experimental group exhibited no significant changes during the study (p>0.05). Although no significant difference was observed in mucositis intensity between the experimental and control groups, patients using ice cubes during radiotherapy sessions felt more comfort in their oral cavity.

The thyroid gland absorbs nearly all the iodine in the blood, independently of its isotopic composition. When a large enough activity of radioactive iodine like 131I, 132I, 133I is taken into the body, it can destroy the healthy thyroid gland cells as well as the cancer’s cells. In fact, as it is well known, some isotopes of iodine are used not only for acquiring thyroid images but also for curing thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease. Moreover, some of them are released in nuclear accidents. The aim of this work is to evaluate the absorbed fraction of beta rays from different iodine radioisotopes in thyroid lobe, using Monte Carlo method. We have applied the MCNPX code to calculate the beta absorbed fractions for the most important iodine radioisotopes in the thyroid lobes, supposed to have an ellipsoidal shape, with the volume varying from 1 ml to 25 ml and the material composition suggested by ICRP. The beta rays spectra of iodine isotopes have been taken from the LBNL website. The result showed that the volume lobe variation had a significant effect on the absorbed fraction for beta rays in thyroid gland, up to 25% for 124I. The absorbed fractions of beta rays were decreasing from 123I to 131I, 130I, 126I, 135I, 133I and 124I respectively. Decreasing of the absorbed fraction might be related to the beta rays energy spectra of the isotopes. Moreover, for 131I results obtained for beta absorbed fraction in spheres was in agreement with previously published results.

In this case we report the detection of lymph node metastases in a 52 years old patient with mycosis fungoides utilising 18F- FDG-PET/CT which led to a change in the management of the patient.