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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Thyroid disease in northern Italian children born around the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

BACKGROUND: The Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 caused a dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid cancers in exposed children in Belarus. Airborne radioactivity from the reactor spread over northern Italy, where rainout gave rise to low levels of radioactivity at ground level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: As the latency between exposure to ionising radiation and development of thyroid cancer is thought to be about 10 years, in 1996/1997 all children born in 1985 and 1986 and attending school in an area of Milan, Italy were examined for thyroid nodules. A total of 3949 children were examined by two physicians blinded to the examination and diagnosis of the other. The children were to be reassessed in 2001/2002. RESULTS: In total, 1% had palpable nodules. The nodule diagnoses were: Hurtle cell adenoma (one), thyroglossal duct cyst (one), thyroid cyst (four) and thyroiditis (four). The prevalence of thyroid disease in the cohort was indistinguishable from that of populations not exposed to radioactive pollution. Only 10 children re-presented for examination 5 years later; all were negative. The direct costs of the study were estimated at 21,200 Euros. CONCLUSION: The high cost of the study in relation to reassuring lack of increase in thyroid nodule prevalence suggests that further studies are not justified.

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident↗
PubMed1995

Oncogenic rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene in papillary thyroid carcinomas from children exposed to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, a striking increase of thyroid carcinoma has been reported in children exposed to radiation in Belarus. Because of its unprecedented scale and its emotional implications, this finding has raised concern and called the attention of the scientific community to this major health problem. Although epidemiologically documented, a direct correlation between thyroid cancer and radiation exposure has not been definitely proven at the molecular level. On the assumption that ionizing radiation could cause specific and common cancer-associated genetic lesions, an analysis of oncogene activation and/or tumor suppressor gene inactivation would help to define radiation-induced thyroid carcinomas. Therefore, we have analyzed by different molecular approaches, including Southern blotting, DNA transfection assay on NIH-3T3 cells, and reverse transcription-PCR analysis, six papillary carcinomas from children living in the region of Belarus at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident to identify tumor-specific gene rearrangements of the proto-oncogenes RET and TRK, previously found activated in a tumor type-specific manner in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Using Southern blot analysis in four cases, we could detect specific rearranged bands indicating an oncogenic activation of RET that in three cases resulted in rearranged sequences provided by the same activating gene. Moreover, the DNA of the last three cases showed a biological activity in transforming NIH-3T3 cells after the DNA-mediated transfection assay, and the respective NIH-3T3 transfectants were found to express the oncogenic fusion transcripts. These results support the possibility that RET oncogenic activation could represent a major genetic lesion associated with thyroid carcinoma in children exposed to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1987

Soviet medical response to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

The nuclear accident at Chernobyl was the worst in the history of nuclear power. It tested the organized medical response to mass radiation casualties. This article reviews the Soviet response as reported at the 1986 postaccident review meeting in Vienna and as determined from interviews. The Soviets used three levels of care: rescue and first aid at the plant site; emergency treatment at regional hospitals; and definitive evaluation and treatment in Moscow. Diagnosis, triage, patient disposition, attendant exposure, and preventive actions are detailed. The United States would be well advised to organize its resources definitively to cope with future nonmilitary nuclear accidents.

Accidents↗
PubMed1997

129I, 131I and 127I in animal thyroids after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

A small number of animal thyroids from Bad Hall, Austria; Ulm, Germany; and Steinkjer, Norway had 131I (half-life 8.06 d) measured between 21 and 72 d following the nuclear accident at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986. Nine years later 129I (half-life 1.57 x 10(7) y) fission product and natural 127I were measured in the same thyroids. The mass ratios, 129I/131I were calculated to the date of the Chernobyl accident and they ranged between 13 and 71. These ratios are compared to the expected ratios within an operating nuclear reactor during 2 y of operation, where the 129I/131I(-1) ratio never exceeded 30. The observed ratio of 129I to natural 127I in thyroids ranged from 5 to 200 times the ratio before the accident, except that the Norwegian thyroids had 129I/127I ratios which were less than the ratios of pre-Chernobyl thyroids from Ulm. These studies show the 129I and 131I from the Chernobyl accident were accumulated with natural 127I in animal thyroids but the isotope ratios, calculated to the release date, had wide ranges. The 131I radioactive exposure might be estimated from a fission product mixture by measuring 129I in thyroids long after the exposure to 131I, but the results would probably show a wide range of possibilities. The determining variables should be evaluated. We know of no previous data regarding both 131I and 129I in thyroid glands during the first 3 mo after the Chernobyl accident.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Thyroid carcinoma in children and adolescents in Ukraine after the Chernobyl nuclear accident: statistical data and clinicomorphologic characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The increase in the number of childhood thyroid carcinoma cases in Ukraine after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 prompted the development of a registry of thyroid carcinoma cases at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism in Kiev. In the current study, the authors report the statistical data and clinicomorphologic features of the cases included in this registry. METHODS: To study the incidence, and age and gender distribution of thyroid carcinoma in Ukraine, the authors compiled complete clinical information from cases diagnosed and treated at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism and statistical reports submitted to the registry from 27 regions of Ukraine. Morphologic features of the resected tumors were examined and were included in the database. RESULTS: During the 5 years preceding the Chernobyl nuclear accident, a total of 59 cases of thyroid carcinoma were identified in the birth to 18 years age group (25 in children age < or = 14 years and 34 in adolescents ages 15-18 years). Between 1986 and 1997, the total number of thyroid carcinomas in Ukrainian children and adolescents was 577 (358 children and 219 adolescents). Morphologically, the thyroid tumors overwhelmingly were papillary carcinomas, and the majority of these also showed a follicular and/or solid growth pattern. Lymph node metastases and other extrathyroidal spread were common, thus necessitating total thyroidectomy and lymph node dissections in many patients. CONCLUSIONS: Between 1990 and 1997, a significant increase in the incidence of thyroid carcinoma was noted in children and adolescents in Ukraine; the group most affected was comprised of the individuals who were age < or = 5 years in 1986 (the year of the Chernobyl nuclear accident). The largest number of cases occurred in patients living in areas of thyroid radiation doses of > or =0.50 grays. The morphologic features of those thyroid tumors suggest that they are aggressive tumors with a high frequency of lymph node metastases, venous invasion, and extrathyroidal spread.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Longitudinal neurocognitive assessments of Ukrainians exposed to ionizing radiation after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

A 4-year longitudinal study of the cognitive effects of the Chernobyl nuclear accident was conducted from 1995 to 1998. The controls were healthy Ukrainians residing several hundred kilometers away from Chernobyl. The exposed groups included Eliminators, Forestry workers and Agricultural workers living within 150 km of Chernobyl. Accuracy and efficiency of cognitive performance were assessed using ANAMUKR, a specialized subset of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) battery of tests. Analyses of variance, followed by appropriate pairwise comparisons, indicated that the 4-year averaged levels of performance of the exposure groups (especially the Eliminators) were significantly lower than those of the controls on most measures; further, analyses of performance across time revealed significant declines in accuracy and efficiency, as well as psychomotor slowing, for all exposed groups over the 4-year period. These findings strongly indicate impairment of brain function resulting from both acute and chronic exposure to ionizing radiation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Bone marrow transplantation after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

On April 26, 1986, an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union exposed about 200 people to large doses of total-body radiation. Thirteen persons exposed to estimated total-body doses of 5.6 to 13.4 Gy received bone marrow transplants. Two transplant recipients, who received estimated doses of radiation of 5.6 and 8.7 Gy, are alive more than three years after the accident. The others died of various causes, including burns (the cause of death in five), interstitial pneumonitis (three), graft-versus-host disease (two), and acute renal failure and adult respiratory distress syndrome (one). There was hematopoietic (granulocytic) recovery in nine transplant recipients who could be evaluated, six of whom had transient partial engraftment before the recovery of their own marrow. Graft-versus-host disease was diagnosed clinically in four persons and suspected in two others. Although the recovery of endogenous hematopoiesis may occur after exposure to radiation doses of 5.6 to 13.4 Gy, we do not know whether it is more likely after the transient engraftment of transplanted stem cells. Because large doses of radiation affect multiple systems, bone marrow recovery does not necessarily ensure survival. Furthermore, the risk of graft-versus-host disease must be considered when the benefits of this treatment are being weighed.

Accidents↗
PubMed1989

Cesium-137 urinary excretion by northeastern (Pordenone) Italian people following the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

To estimate the radiological consequences in humans due to the Chernobyl nuclear accident (5 May 1986), we have determined both the 137Cs concentration in food and the 137Cs daily urinary excretion on 198 residents of the Pordenone area. The resulting experimental data have been compared with those estimated from the International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 10A model (ICRP 1971) using a suitable dietary intake, and they were found to be in reasonable agreement.

Accidents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An increased incidence of tumour bearing Swiss albino mice in Durham after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Mice which were alive in Durham at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident presented a highly significant increase in the incidence of those which bore tumours. The comparison is based upon mice which were studied over the previous 4 years. In males and females the increase amounted to 19 and 100 per cent respectively. The most frequent neoplasms to increase were malignant tumours of the reticuloendothelial system and of the reticuloses, lymphosarcoma and reticulum cell sarcoma were prevalent in mice kept after Chernobyl. The incidence of reticuloses increased by 24 and 18 per cent in males and females respectively.

Accidents↗
PubMed1992

Behavioral differences of irradiated persons associated with the Kyshtym, Chelyabinsk, and Chernobyl nuclear accidents.

Three nuclear accidents besides Chernobyl have occurred in the former Soviet Union. The accidents occurred around Kyshtym and Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains between 1949 and 1967 and contaminated over one-half million people. The health ministries are now interested in the data previously collected on these irradiated populations in order to examine the health (e.g., psychological, hereditary, genome damage, etc.) implications of long-term radiation exposure.

Accidents↗
PubMed1987

Distribution of fission products in dust samples from the region of Thessaloniki, Greece, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

The distribution of the fission products (95)Zr, (95)Nb, (103)Ru, (106)Ru (determined through (106)Rh), (125)Sb, (129m)Te, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, (140)Ba, (140)La, (141)Ce and (144)Ce has been determined in dust samples from the region of Thessaloniki, Greece, after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. The samples studied also included (110m)Ag, not belonging to the products of (235)U fission. Samples showing higher concentrations of radionuclides also show a higher content in clay minerals, whereas samples having low concentrations of radionuclides usually contain large amounts of quartz and feldspars. Desorption and leaching experiments using solutions of chlorides of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium (0.5 N), as well as distilled and tap water, were also performed. Sodium and potassium chloride solutions were found to be efficient in desorbing and/or leaching of caesium and ruthenium isotopes to an extent of about 30%.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Carcinoma of the stomach following the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Medical consequences of many nuclear accidents on humans are well studied, but the results pertaining to gastric cancer patients who were exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident have not been analysed. In this study, the outcome of the surgical treatment of 68 gastric cancer patients who were exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident was compared with that of 117 consecutive gastric cancer patients from uncontaminated areas of the Ukraine. Patients in the study group was significantly younger than that of the control group. Comparative analysis showed the same frequency of regional metastases (65.7% versus 71.1%, P > 0.05), but a smaller number of distant metastases (23.8% versus 38.1%, P < 0.05) in the study group. 41.2% of patients in the study group underwent total gastrectomy compared to 19.6% of patients in the control group (P = 0.002). Postoperative complications developed in 13.2% of patients in the study group, while postoperative mortality in the study group was 7.3% compared to 1.7% in the control group. A significant decrease in CD16 cells was noted in patients from the study group following the operative procedure. Young age, invasive tumours with smaller number of distant metastases, frequent necessity for total gastrectomy and combined operations with adjacent organs, a higher level of postoperative morbidity and mortality and low levels of natural killer cells (CD16+) with a tendency to decrease after surgery are characteristic of patients with carcinoma of the stomach affected by the Chernobyl accident.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Epidemiological aspects and methodological difficulties in establishing the causal relationship of Chernobyl nuclear accident with cancer].

The epidemiological, etiologic and clinical polymorphism of the morbid states, those accounted by radioactivity included, create major obstacles in the standardization of the methods for assessing the incidence of some diseases and their lethality. The many risk factors that can associate to radiations from various sources make the epidemiological data difficult to evaluate. The Chernobyl nuclear accident has revived the concerns and research in the field of prevention, early diagnosis and intervention of the effects of nuclear radiations by development of comparative, spatial and temporal, researches based on standardized methods, thus comparable results being provided. In Romania, the multidisciplinary epidemiological researches on the effects of Chernobyl accident upon health are still limited, and consequently insignificant for global conclusions.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Cytogenetic features of leukaemias diagnosed in residents of areas contaminated after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

A comparison of chromosomal abnormalities in bone marrow leukaemic cells and of stable and unstable aberrations in lymphocytes of patients with hematological malignancies who live in areas with or without contamination by the Chernobyl nuclear accident has been made using FISH and G-banding. Healthy residents of these areas comprised the control group. No systematic cytogenetic differences of leukaemic cells between patients from contaminated and uncontaminated areas were observed. Lymphocyte aberrations, however, were generally higher in all subjects from contaminated areas. Comparison has been made with specific cytogenetic features of leukaemic cells and a high level of stable aberrations in lymphocytes of patients with secondary leukaemias that had developed after chemo- and/or radio-therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Tritium precipitation in European cities and in Osaka, Japan owing to the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Tritium precipitations in European cities and in Osaka, Japan were analyzed before and after the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident by the time series analysis code Census IIX11 developed by US Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census. Results of this analysis showed no significant tritium precipitation was produced by the accident although marked amounts of other radioactive nuclides were detected in Europe and Japan immediately after the accident.

Accidents↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence of mutations of ras and p53 in benign and malignant thyroid tumors from children exposed to radiation after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Starting 4 years after the Chernobyl accident, a dramatic increase in incidence of thyroid carcinoma was noticed in children from contaminated areas. The incidence of benign thyroid lesions in the exposed population was also increased. To study the possible role of ras and p53 genes in radiation-induced thyroid tumorigenesis, 33 papillary carcinomas, one follicular carcinoma and 22 benign lesions removed from children aged 5-19 were screened for point mutations of H-, K-, and N-ras, as well as of p53 (exons 5-8) using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Ras point mutations were detected in 1/1 case of follicular carcinoma (N-ras codon 61 CAAgln-->AAAlys), and in 3/7 follicular adenomas (N-ras codon 61 CAAgln-->CGAarg x 2, CAAgln-->AAAlys). None of the cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma was positive for ras oncogene abnormalities. The lack of K-ras mutations was confirmed by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization (ASOH), and by sequencing in five cases. Somatic point mutations in p53 were found by SSCP in 2/33 papillary thyroid carcinomas, with one missense mutation (exon 5, codon 160 ATGmet-->GTGval) and another silent mutation (codon 182, TGCcys-->TGTcys). Immunohisto-chemically, focally positive p53 staining was found in four papillary carcinomas being primarily confined to solid and poorly-differentiated areas in tumors. These data demonstrate that as opposed to the few reports on tumors arising after therapeutic external irradiation, ras mutations are not primary events in the development of post-Chernobyl thyroid papillary carcinomas. p53 mutations do not appear to be important in the development of these tumors, but may in some cases have a role in progression to a more aggressive phenotype that has not yet fully manifested in these pediatric neoplasms.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effects of the agricultural countermeasures on the irradiation of the population in the areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident].

Radiological results were evaluated from the introduction of protective agricultural measures in the collective sector of the agroindustrial complex in the Chernobyl affected areas for the period of 1987-2005. The averted collective doses due to the reduction of 137Cs concentration in farm products were estimated, including the contribution to the averted collective dose of different food stuffs consumption.

Agriculture↗