Search results for "chernobyl"
showing 10 items of 25 documents
Chernobyl exposure as stressor during pregnancy and behaviour in adolescent offspring.
2007
Objective: Research in animals has shown that exposure to stressors during pregnancy is associated with offspring behavioural disorders. We aimed to study the effect of in utero exposure to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and maternal anxiety presumably associated with that exposure, on behaviour disorder observed at age 14. Method: Exposed (n = 232) and non-exposed Finnish twins (n = 572) were compared. A semi-structured interview was used to assess lifetime symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms. Results: Adolescents who were exposed from the second trimester in pregnancy o…
Levels of 137Cs in game and soil in Opole Anomaly, Poland in 2012–2020
2021
Abstract Once deposited, radiocesium remains in the environment for a long time, and constantly enters the food chain. Over time, game species tend to accumulate 137Cs by two orders of magnitude more than farm animals. This occurs especially in places heavily contaminated, thus meat products made out of local game should be treated with caution. One of such areas, known as the Opole Anomaly, is located in South-Western Poland and represents one of most 137Cs contaminated regions across Europe after the Chernobyl accident. The aim of the study was to find out the 137Cs activity in soil and local game, the value of the soil-to-game aggregated transfer factor and to assess the effective dose o…
Exposure to environmental radionuclides associates with tissue-specific impacts on telomerase expression and telomere length
2019
International audience; Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, can be shortened when individuals are exposed to stress. In some species, the enzyme telomerase is expressed in adult somatic tissues, and potentially protects or lengthens telomeres. Telomeres can be damaged by ionizing radiation and oxidative stress, although the effect of chronic exposure to elevated levels of radiation on telomere maintenance is unknown for natural populations. We quantified telomerase expression and telomere length (TL) in different tissues of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an environment heterogeneously contaminated with radionuclides,…
Fitness costs of increased cataract frequency and cumulative radiation dose in natural mammalian populations from Chernobyl
2015
AbstractA cataract is a clouding of the lens that reduces light transmission to the retina and it decreases the visual acuity of the bearer. The prevalence of cataracts in natural populations of mammals and their potential ecological significance, is poorly known. Cataracts have been reported to arise from high levels of oxidative stress and a major cause of oxidative stress is ionizing radiation. We investigated whether elevated frequencies of cataracts are found in eyes of bank voles Myodes glareolus collected from natural populations in areas with varying levels of background radiation in Chernobyl. We found high frequencies of cataracts in voles collected from different areas in Chernob…
Fibroblasts from bank voles inhabiting Chernobyl have increased resistance against oxidative and DNA stresses
2018
Background Elevated levels of environmental ionizing radiation can be a selective pressure for wildlife by producing reactive oxygen species and DNA damage. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that are affected are not known. Results We isolated skin fibroblasts from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) inhabiting the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident site where background radiation levels are about 100 times greater than in uncontaminated areas. After a 10 Gy dose of gamma radiation fibroblasts from Chernobyl animals recovered faster than fibroblasts isolated from bank voles living in uncontaminated control area. The Chernobyl fibroblasts were able to sustain significantly higher do…
Frequency of dicentrics and contamination levels in Ukrainian children and adolescents from areas near Chernobyl 20 years after the nuclear plant acc…
2013
International audience; Purpose To survey the possible presence of chromosomal damage and internal contamination in a group of Ukrainian children and adolescents, 20 years after the Chernobyl accident at the Nuclear Power Plant. Materials and methods Cytogenetical procedures were performed according to dicentric assay in 55 Ukrainian children and adolescents (29 boys and 26 girls), living near Chernobyl. In addition, a whole body detector and urinalysis were used to detect internal contamination. Results 36 dicentrics were found in a total of 53,477 metaphases scored in these children, which reflected a frequency of dicentrics below the background level. On the other hand, internal contamin…
Increased radiation from Chernobyl decreases the expression of red colouration in natural populations of bank voles (Myodes glareolus)
2014
AbstractPheomelanin is a pink to red version of melanin pigment deposited in skin and hair. Due to its bright colour, pheomelanin plays a crucial function in signalling, in particular sexual signalling. However, production of pheomelanin, as opposed to its dark alternative, eumelanin, bears costs in terms of consumption of antioxidants important for protection of DNA against naturally produced reactive oxidative species. Therefore, decreased expression of pheomelanin is expected in organisms exposed to severe oxidative stress such as that caused by exposure to chronic ionizing radiation. We tested if variable exposure to radiation among natural populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus in …
The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
2020
Purpose: Animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (IR) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. Internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. Chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. The effects of environmental IR contamination on organ masses was studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Material and Methods: The masses of brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver and lung were assessed from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured from areas across r…
Chernobyl exposure as stressor during pregnancy and hormone levels in adolescent offspring
2008
Background: Animal research suggests a programming effect of prenatal stress in the fetal period, resulting in disruptions in behavioural and neuromotor development. Physiological changes that mediate these effects include alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and in testosterone levels. This human study focuses on changes related to these physiological systems after prenatal stress exposure. Methods: We examined the potential effect of prenatal stress associated with the Chernobyl disaster in an ongoing genetic epidemiological study in Finland. One birth cohort of twins (n = 121 twin pairs) was exposed in utero to maternal stress, and their saliva cortisol and testosterone…
Ageing and production of the cytokines in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia
2009
Ageing and production of the cytokines in Chernobyl clean-up workers from Latvia Chronic low-grade inflammation with subsequent impairment of immune system function promotes the development of age-related diseases, such as cancers, degenerative and infection diseases. It is not yet clear, if exposure to ionising radiation accelerates the aging process. The aim of the present work was to estimate the production of several cytokines by peripheral blood cells of Latvia's Chernobyl clean-up workers depending on age. ELISA was employed to determine the plasma level of sIL-1β and sIL-6 as well as level of IL-4 and TNF-α spontaneous and 24h and 96h after in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mo…