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PubMed2000

Analysis of thyroid cancer data from the Ukraine after 'Chernobyl' using a two-mutation carcinogenesis model.

The thyroid cancer data of children in the northern regions of the Ukraine after the reactor accident at Chernobyl were combined with thyroid dose measurements in the same regions and analysed using a two-mutation carcinogenesis model. The best fit was obtained for radiation acting as an initiating agent, i.e. on the first mutation of the model. The observed relatively high increase of thyroid cancer incidence after 1990 in children exposed to radiation released after the reactor accident could be ascribed to the high thyroid doses and the relatively low background thyroid cancer incidence in children. The maximum annual incidence is predicted to occur fairly soon after the reactor accident, i.e. about 10 years. For adults, the predicted relative increase of annual thyroid cancers is much lower than for children younger than 20 years. The modelling results are used to derive risk estimates for radiation-induced thyroid cancer. These risk estimates are dependent on age at exposure, follow-up time and the background thyroid cancer incidence. The calculated excess absolute risk for a population of all ages is about one-third of that currently used by ICRP, but for children the calculated absolute risks are about a factor of 3 higher than derived in other epidemiological studies. The model results indicate that the excess absolute radiation risk per unit dose for children is about the same as or a little lower than that for adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Health care in the CIS countries : the case of hospitals in Ukraine.

The study analyses the technical efficiency of community hospitals in Ukraine during 1997-2001. Hospital cost amount to two-thirds of Ukrainian spending on health care. Data are available on the number of beds, physicians and nurses employed, surgical procedures performed, and admissions and patient days. We employ data envelopment analysis to calculate the efficiency of hospitals and to assess productivity changes over time. The scores calculated with an output-oriented model assuming constant returns to scale range from 150% to 110%. Average relative inefficiency of the hospitals is initially above 30% and later drops to 15% or below. The average productivity change is positive but below 1%; a Malmquist index decomposition reveals that negative technological progress is overcompensated by positive catching-up.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1994

Strontium-90 concentrations in human teeth in south Ukraine, 5 years after the Chernobyl accident.

Approximately 1000 human teeth, collected in South Ukraine, in 1990-1991, were measured for 90Sr concentration. The teeth were grouped into 18 samples according to the age and sex of the donors. Measured levels of 90Sr concentrations were lower by a factor of 10 than measurements taken in the mid-1960s and mid-1970s. An interesting feature of the data is a 3-fold enhancement of contamination levels in the 25-45 year-old age group of the male population. A possible explanation for this anomaly is that this age group contains a significant number of men who were mobilized immediately after the Chernobyl accident for clean-up operations within the 30-km zone around the damaged nuclear power plant.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The effective source area of 90Sr for a stream near Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Remediation of streams impacted by non-point source contaminants requires an understanding of both the areas within a watershed that are contributing contamination to streams and the pathways of contaminant migration to streams. From 1998 to 2002, we studied the migration of 90Sr in the Borschi watershed, a small (8.5 km2) catchment three km south of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine. Fuel particles, distributed in a heterogeneous pattern across the watershed, are weathering and releasing 90Sr from the fuel matrix. Depletion of (90)Sr, evaluated in comparison to the immobile fission product europium-154, is occurring in the channel and wetland sediment. Channel sediments are uniformly depleted in 90Sr with depth. In wetland sediments, there is a zone of depletion in the top 10 cm and a zone of accumulation at depths from 10 to 25 cm. Estimates of 90Sr depletion are used to map the effective source area that has contributed (90)Sr loading to the main channel. The effective source area includes channel bottom sediments, a wetland in the central region of the watershed, and periodically flooded soils surrounding the wetland. The total depletion from the effective source area is estimated to be 36 +/- 7 x 10(10) Bq. Based on observations of stream flow rate and water quality in 1999-2001, the annual 90Sr removal rate from the watershed is estimated to be 1.4 +/-0.2 x 10(10) or 1.5% of the inventory per year. When extrapolated over a 15-year period following the Chernobyl accident, the last value is in reasonable agreement with the estimated depletion of the source area based on 90Sr/154Eu ratios. The 90Sr yearly leaching rate considering the whole watershed is 0.2% while the 90Sr leaching rate considering the effective source area is an order of magnitude higher. Most of the 90Sr release in the watershed has originated from an effective source area of 0.62 km2, or 7% of the watershed area.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2004

Spatial assessment of the economic feasibility of short rotation coppice on radioactively contaminated land in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. I. Model description and scenario analysis.

The economic feasibility of short rotation coppice (SRC) production and energy conversion in areas contaminated by Chernobyl-derived (137)Cs was evaluated taking the spatial variability of environmental conditions into account. Two sequential GIS-embedded submodels were developed for a spatial assessment, which allow for spatial variation in soil contamination, soil type, and land use. These models were applied for four SRC production and four energy conversion scenarios for the entire contaminated area of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia and for a part of the Bragin district, Belarus. It was concluded that in general medium-scale SRC production using local machines is most profitable. The areas near Chernobyl are not suitable for SRC production since the contamination levels in SRC wood exceed the intervention limit. Large scale SRC production is not profitable in areas where dry and sandy soils predominate. If the soil contamination does not exceed the intervention limit and sufficient SRC wood is available, all energy conversion scenarios are profitable.

Bioelectric Energy Sources↗
PubMed2004

Histopathologic verification of acute leukemia (AL) in a cohort of 463 post-Chernobyl patients from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

Seven morphologists examined 382 slide and 82 non-slide, post-Chernobyl pediatric acute leukemia (AL) cases in radiation-exposed areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine; part of a case-control study by the International Consortium for Research on the Health Effects of Radiation. Among the slide cases, 99% were confirmed as AL: 92% acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and 86% acute myeloid leukemia (AMD demonstrating the utility of FAB classification for distinguishing ALL and AML. Among the non-slide cases, 79% were confirmed as AL: 84% ALL, and 71% AML. This study affirms AL diagnostic accuracy during a time of social upheaval in the former Soviet Union.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Fluxes of radiocaesium in selected rural study sites in Russia and Ukraine.

Food production and food harvesting systems common in the areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident in Russia and Ukraine can be grouped into three major categories: collective farm produce, private farming produce and foods collected from natural ecosystems. The contribution of each of these sources to radiocaesium intake by people living in rural settlements in the mid 1990s has been estimated at two major study sites, one in each country. The collective farm system provided the smallest contribution (7-14%) to the intake of radiocaesium at both sites. Natural food was the major contributor to intake at the Russian site (83%). Whereas private farm produce was the major contributor (68%) at the Ukrainian study site. The difference between the two sites was mainly because private milk production was stopped at the Russian site due to the contamination in 1986. A retrospective assessment of the situation 1 year after the accident shows that collective farming could have been a minor contributor to radiocaesium intake (8%), whilst private farming would have been the major contributor wherever private milk production and consumption continued. The extent to which inhabitants consume natural foods from forests has a considerable effect on their radiocaesium intake. The comparative importance of food products from natural ecosystems increases with time due to the long effective ecological half-lives of radiocaesium in unimproved pastures and forests. Estimation of the fluxes of radiocaesium from the different production and harvesting systems showed that the contribution from private farming and food harvesting from natural ecosystems may be significant, contributing 14-30% to the total fluxes of radiocaesium from an area even if the quantity of food produced in these systems is small. However, the major contributor to the flux exported from an area was the collective farming system, accounting for about 70-86% of the total.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

Accumulation of 137Cs by fungal mycelium in forest ecosystems of Ukraine.

During 1996-1998, 16 fruit bodies of different species and 204 soil samples down to 10 cm in the close vicinity of the fruit body sites were collected in a coniferous forest in the Ovruch region of Ukraine. The soil samples were sliced into 1 or 2 cm layers and the fungal mycelium was prepared from each of the layers. The 137Cs activity concentration was determined in both soil and mycelium. The mean weight of fungal mycelium was 13.8 mg g(-1) of soil in the upper 4 cm and 7.3 mg g(-1) when measured for the upper 10 cm. At the sites of Paxillus involutus and Sarcodon imbricatus, the mycelium was rather homogeneously distributed in the upper 10 cm and at sites of Xerocomus subtomentosus and Cantharellus cibarius, the mycelium was distributed mostly in the upper layers. The highest 137Cs activity concentrations were found in the upper layers of the soil profile. The 137Cs activity concentrations were usually higher in the fruit bodies compared with the mycelium, with ratios ranging from 0.1 to 66 and a mean of 9.9. The percentage of the total inventory of 137Cs in the soil found in the fungal mycelium ranged from 0.1 to 50%, with a mean value of 15%.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed2004

Monitoring of radionuclides contamination of soils in Shatsk National Natural Park (Volyn region, Ukraine) during 1994-2001.

The results of studies of radionuclide contamination of the soils in the western part of the territory of Shatsk National Natural Park (ShNNP), Volyn region, Ukraine, performed during 1994-2001 are presented. Based on the experimental results, the three-dimensional plot of the 137Cs density contamination for the soils at the territory under investigation has been constructed. The monitoring during 1994-2001 of the 137Cs vertical distributions in the different kinds of soils from the Park and the forecasting of the distribution changes of the depth down to 50 cm for the sod loamy sandy gleyed loamy sand soil of the Park up to 2086 have been performed.

Cesium Radioisotopes↗
PubMed1997

Glutathione status of placentae from differently polluted regions of Ukraine.

A study of the glutathione status as a prerequisite of the detoxifying activity of the fetoplacental barrier was undertaken in different regions of the Ukraine that have been judged either 'clean', chemically polluted or radioactively contaminated with different summary effective equivalent annual expositional doses (SEEAED). In the samples from clean regions, cytosolic glutathione transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GSSG-R) activities and contents of total SH-groups were higher than in contaminated areas and corresponded to 50.4 +/- 9.0. 13.6 +/- 1.8 mU/mg cytosolic protein and 30.2 +/- 5.7 mumol/g tissue, respectively. In heavily radioactively exposed women, e.g. 'liquidators' (SEEAED in 1986: > 5 mSv), low GST activity, 17.0 +/- 3.0 mU/mg cytosolic protein and high malonic dialdehyde concentration, 128.8 +/- 13 nmol/g tissue were found; the latter serves as a measure of lipid peroxidation. In the placental specimens from heavily exposed women, the distribution of GST pi-specific antigen along the villi was irregular and differed from specimens of unexposed women. Malonic dialdehyde concentrations in all other groups of women were in the range 37.1-69.2 nmol/g tissue. In less exposed women, e.g. Kiev citizens and those from some rural areas (SEEAED in 1986: 4.9 and < 1 mSv, respectively), GST activity, 19.1 +/- 2.1 and 33.7 +/- 5.0 mU/mg cytosolic protein, increased concomitantly with the total content of SH-groups, 7.4 +/- 1.0 and 15.3 +/- 1.6 mumol/g tissue, and with the decreasing values of the first year SEEAED. GST activity, 49.6 +/- 8.8 mU/mg cytosolic protein, and total SH-group content, 19.8 +/- 0.5 mumol/g tissue, were even higher in the women evacuated on the second day after the catastrophe. Placental GST activity in chemically exposed women. 18.0 +/- 2.0 mU/mg cytosolic protein, was in the range of the lowest obtained values but the differences in the placental glutathione status between radioactively contaminated and chemically polluted areas point to different pathogenetic mechanisms of this reduction. The inverse correlation between the mean values of GSSG-R activities and the concentration of low-molecular weight thiols appears to be true for all groups. The indices of the placental glutathione status seem to be sensitive to environmental pollution.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Hazardous materials in the environment of Dnepropetrovsk region (Ukraine).

The investigations were aimed at assessment of environmental pollution in one of the most industrialized regions of Ukraine - Dnepropetrovsk Region. The following types of environmental contamination were considered in the study: emissions and concentrations of 16 air pollutants; content and distribution of 15 elements in soils and plants at the polluted and unpolluted territories. The investigations were conducted at 28 urban sites and 18 rural sites of the Region during 1991-1998 years. Level and character of air, soil and plants contamination were investigated. Statistical methods were used to describe quantitatively the relationships between contents of hazardous materials in the environment. It was found that concentrations of fluoride, iron, copper, zinc, and lead in the soil and contents of fluoride, iron, nickel, cadmium, and aluminum in plants were several times higher than normal.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1978

The influence of water-logging stage upon the paddy soil mycoflora in the Ukraine.

The soil fungal flora of paddy soils from the southern districts of the Ukraine was investigated. From 287 soil samples 170 species were isolated. They belonged to the following genera: Oomycetes 1.2%, Zygomycetes 8.8%, Ascomycetes 5.8%, Deuteromycetes 84.2%. Certain fungi were found to be dominant forms, among them Mortierella alpina Peyron., Penicillium funiculosum Thom, P. rugulosum Thom, P. chrysogenum Thom, Acremonium strictum W. Gams, Acr. breve W. Gams, Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Riessler, Cladosporium brevi-compactum Pidopl. et Deniak, Gliocladium roseum (Link) Thom, Harposporium sp., Fusarium oxysporum Schlect. var. orthoceras (App. et Wr.) Bilai, Trichoderma lignorum (Tode) Harz etc. The total number of fungi decreased in the paddy fieldsoils. It was found low frequency of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and high frequency of Mucorales.

Ecology↗
PubMed2001

Basic gerontology research in Ukraine: main trends.

The main trends of basic research in gerontology in Ukraine are presented in this paper. The greatest attention is paid to the directions of research which have been traditionally followed in Ukrainian gerontology, such as neurohumoral regulation of the activities of different organs and systems and mechanisms of its age-related changes, metabolism in ageing, age-related immunology, elaboration of the ways and approaches to life-span prolongation. In recent years, more attention has been paid to research into the molecular--genetic mechanisms of ageing, the development of genetic and gene-regulatory therapy methods, the study of the mechanisms of accelerated and, above all, radiation-induced ageing and the elaboration of prophylactic methods against it.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Plutonium and other alpha emitters in mushrooms from Poland, Spain and Ukraine.

The paper presents results on Pu, U and Th isotope activity concentration measurements in some mushroom samples collected in Poland, Spain and Ukraine. The sampling sites differ a lot with regard to observed levels of Pu, its origin and isotope ratios as well as the environmental properties. Some of the Polish samples were collected in the northeastern part of the country with up to 30 Bq/m2 of Chernobyl Pu deposition. Other Polish and the Spanish samples are from areas with almost exclusively global fallout Pu present. Ukrainian samples were collected in a highly contaminated area with a deposition of about 3.7 kBq/m2 of Chernobyl (239-240)Pu. The maximum (239+240)Pu activity concentration was found equal to (54+/-4) Bq/kg (dw--dry weight) for a Ukrainian Cantharellus cibarius sample. Ukrainian samples have an extremely high radiocesium level, with maximum of (51+/-4) MBq/kg (dw). The maximum (239+240)Pu activity concentration for Polish samples was (81+/-5) mBq/kg (dw) for Xerocomus badius. From the isotopic ratio in this sample it can be concluded that Chernobyl fallout is the origin of Pu. More than twice as large was the Spanish maximum for Hebeloma cylindrosporum but with only global fallout Pu. Some aspects of the transfer of nuclides to fruit bodies is discussed and in some cases the transfer factors or aggregation coefficients were calculated. Especially high transfer factors were found for Hebeloma cylindrosporum from Spain.

Agaricales↗
PubMed1999

Nucleotide variation in the p53 tumor-suppressor gene of voles from Chernobyl, Ukraine.

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster contaminated vast regions of Ukraine and Belarus with a variety of radioactive isotopes and heavy metals. While over 90% of the radioactive isotopes have decayed into stable compounds, radiation levels in contaminated areas are still extraordinarily high. In fact, some rodents living near the reactor have internal 134,137Cs concentrations approaching 80 000 Bq/g. Several recent genetic analyses of vertebrates have illustrated that mutation rates of organisms exposed to radiation from Chernobyl are higher than in control groups, but none have studied DNA sequences. Nucleotide sequences of rodent mitochondrial genes were originally reported to have been hypervariable, but those results were subsequently retracted. Herein, I report the results of a pilot study to determine the extent of nucleotide variation at the p53 gene in four species of rodents (voles) from Chernobyl and from control sites. I sequenced a 788 bp region (coding and non-coding) of p53 in 30 different mice comprising four different species of Microtus. Nucleotide variation at the population level was due to deletions and substitutions; both were limited to introns. There were no significant differences between the number of haplotypes in radioactive and control populations (p=0.60). Rare or private alleles might have arisen due to unique mutational pressures at Chernobyl. Alternatively, natural selection might have favored one allele over others (i.e., a selective sweep). Neither scenario is strongly supported by these data. Thus, no apparent genetic effects of the Chernobyl disaster on the p53 gene of resident voles were revealed; more extensive surveys will be necessary to determine if mutation rates are indeed elevated in mice from Chernobyl. However, two salient points emerge; the first involves the utility of introns as markers for mutations in coding regions and the second considers the relative merits of cloning in mutation detection studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Suicide in the Ukraine.

The suicide rates of the 24 provinces (oblasts) of the Ukraine were found to be strongly associated with indices of social disintegration (such as divorce and illegitimacy rates), with the Western provinces incorporated in the USSR later than other Ukrainian territories having lower suicide rates and lower levels of social disintegration.

Demography↗
PubMed2002

Successful model of suicide prevention in the Ukraine military environment.

The article deals with the problem of suicidal behavior in the Ukraine military environment and gives an example of the successful prevention approach. The model of prevention is based on (1) education of the responsible officers, (2) training of the representatives of the most vulnerable risk groups, and (3) follow-up procedures based on distribution of pocket books for soldiers, educational booklets, and sets of helpful materials for officers. One of the main conclusions is that the prevention activity must be organized as a continuum of actions, seminars, consultations, and materials distribution.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Histological validation of diagnoses of thyroid cancer among adults in the registries of Belarus and the Ukraine.

In order to evaluate the diagnostic reliability of the thyroid cancers listed in adult registries from the Ukraine and Belarus, a histological review was organised of 327 randomly selected thyroid carcinoma cases diagnosed between 1980 and 1999. A final diagnosis was reached at a 5-day consensus conference by six pathologists who met around a multiheaded microscope. The study concluded with a comparison between the final diagnosis and the initial diagnosis. The pathologists agreed with the initial diagnosis of malignancy in 286 cases (88%). A final diagnosis of papillary, follicular or medullary thyroid carcinoma was reached in 86, 4, and 6% of the cases respectively. In 2.8% of the cases reviewed, diagnostic discrepancies persisted. The percentage of agreement between the final diagnosis and the initial diagnosis was 93%, with a weighted kappa-statistic of 0.61 (confidence interval 95% (CI(95%)): [0.45-0.77]). In all, 89% of the 286 confirmed cancer cases were in agreement for the type of cancer, with a kappa-statistic of 0.56 (CI(95%): [0.43-0.69]). The level of agreement differed according to cancer categories, with concordance rates of 94, 40 and 33% for papillary, follicular and medullary thyroid carcinomas respectively. The low prevalence of follicular thyroid carcinomas in the adult population studied calls for further exploration. The discrepancies and classification difficulties encountered were analysed.

Adolescent↗