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Exposure to ionizing radiation, especially during childhood, is a well-established risk factor for thyroid cancer. Following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident the total number of cases of thyroid cancer registered between 1991 and 2015 in males and females who were less than 18 years old exceeded 19,000 (in Belarus and Ukraine, and in the most contaminated oblasts of the Russian Federation). However, as indicated by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation the fraction of the incidence of thyroid cancer attributable to radiation exposure among the non-evacuated residents of the contaminated regions of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia is of the order of 0.25. Apparently, the increased registration of thyroid neoplasms in the parts of these countries is a classical ‘screening effect’, i.e., massive diagnostic examinations of the risk-aware populations performed with modern eqipment resulting in detection of many occult neoplasms (incidentalomas). Moreover, one type of thyroid cancer previously called ‘encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma’ is non-invasive and instead of ‘carcinoma’ should now be recognized as ‘noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features.’ Other potential causes of overdiagnosing of thyroid tumors include increase of the spontaneous incidence rate of this disease with age, iodine deficiency among children from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, and/or consumption by these children of drinking water containing high levels of nitrates that likely coincides with the carcinogenic effect of radiation on the thyroid gland.

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Objectives: Health workers exposed to ionizing radiation account for + 50% of workers exposed to man-made radiation in France. Over the last decade, the use of radiation in medicine has increased due to the introduction of new practices. The EXposition des Professionnels de santE aux RayonnemenTs ioniSants study aims to evaluate and characterize the trends in radiation exposure of health workers in France between 2009 and 2019. Methods: This retrospective study includes all health workers with at least one dosimetric record in the system for occupational dosimetry registration (Système d'information de la surveillance de l'exposition aux rayonnements ionisants) database for each of the years 2009, 2014, and 2019, in the hospitals included in the study. Individual external doses and socio-professional data were collected. Statistical analyses include descriptions, graphs, and logistic regressions. Results: A total of 1457 workers were included (mean age: 39.8 years, 59% women). The average exposure significantly decreased between 2009 and 2019 (−0.008 mSv/year, p < 0.05). There were large discrepancies in trends according to professions, departments, hospitals, and gender. Over the 10-year study period, radiologic technologists and physicians were the most exposed (0.15 mSv (95%CI 0.14–0.16) and 0.13 mSv (0.06–0.21), respectively), but their exposure tended to decrease. Workers in nuclear medicine departments had the highest radiation exposure (0.36 mSv (0.33–0.39)), which remained stable over time. Thirty-eight percent of recorded doses were nonzero in 2009, decreasing to 20% in 2019. Conclusions: This study allowed to identify physicians and radiologic technologists in nuclear medicine departments as the most exposed medical workers in France, and to show an overall decrease trend in radiation exposure. This should be instructive for radiation monitoring and safety of exposed medical workers. Key Points: • Radiation exposure of healthcare workers in most medical departments has steadily decreased between 2009 and 2019 in several French hospitals. • The number of zero doses consistently increased during the study period. • Workers in nuclear medicine departments are the most exposed, especially radiologic technologists and physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network rule helps emergency physicians identify very low-risk children with minor head injury who can forgo head computed tomography. This rule contributes to reducing lifetime risk of radiation-induced cancers while minimizing missing clinically important traumatic brain injury. However, in intermediate-risk children, decisions on whether to perform computed tomography remain at the emergency physicians' discretion. To reduce this gray zone, this review summarizes evidence for risk stratification of intermediate-risk children with minor head injury.

Background: The Mentha-Pulegium essential oil (MP-EO) contains different antioxidant compounds and reduces the indirect effects of dispersed ionizing radiation on biological systems. Objective: The current study aimed to assess a possible radio-protective effect of MP-EO on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).Material and Methods: In this experimental study, MP-EO was firstly prepared and PBMCs were then irradiated in various groups with doses of 25 and 200 cGy of X-rays in the presence of IC10 of MP-EO. After incubation times of 48h and 72h, the survival, apoptosis, and necrosis percentages of PBMCs were determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry analyses; the radio-protective effect of MP-EO was examined. Results: In the presence of 80 µg/ml (IC10) MP-EO, the mean survival percentage of irradiated PBMCs by radiation doses of 25 and 200 cGy was significantly increased after 48h of incubation compared with the control. At 72h of incubation, the mean survival percentage of irradiated PBMCs was significantly increased only at 25 cGy. The percentage of apoptosis and necrosis of PBMCs was significantly reduced in the presence of the MP-EO at both incubation times and radiation doses; therefore, the highest reduction was at 200 cGy and 48h incubation compared to the control. Conclusion: MP-EO as a natural, non-toxic, and cost-effective compound can exhibit a favorable in-vitro radio-protective effect by increasing the survival and decreasing the percentage of apoptosis and necrosis of irradiated PBMCs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a single dose of ionizing radiation (30 Gy) on the osseointegration of implants in the rabbit tibia. Twenty rabbits received two dental Morse-tapered junction implants and one implant in each tibia. The animals were randomly divided into two groups (n=10), non-irradiated (NoIr) and irradiated (Ir), wherein the Ir group received a single dose of 30 Gy radiation 2 weeks after implant installation. Microtomographic analyses (BV/TV) and histomorphometric assessments (BIC and BABT) were performed 4 weeks after implant installation. One-way ANOVA, Tukey's test, and Student's t-test (α=0.05) were used for data analysis. The results showed that BV/TV did not differ significantly between the Ir and NoIr groups (P = 0.071). In the histomorphometric analysis, neither BIC nor BABT showed significant differences between the NoIr and Ir groups (p>0.05). In conclusion, ionizing radiation in dental implants does not appear to interfere with osseointegration when installed prior to irradiation.

Charged particle radiation can, directly and indirectly, affect cells by breaking DNA strands. This effect includes DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), which may cause cell death and mitotic failure. Thus, using short-range charged particles such as Auger electrons (AEs) not only leads to the destruction of the target cell but also prevents the nearby healthy cells from exposing to ionizing radiation. In this study, two spherical cells (C and C 2 ) and their cell nucleus, both made of liquid water, were modeled. An atomic DNA model constructed in the Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo (MC) simulation toolkit was placed inside the nucleus of the C and C 2 cells. The number of direct and indirect SSB, DSB, and hybrid DSB (HDSB), caused by some of the most widely-used Auger electron-emitting (AEE) radionuclides, including 99m Tc, 111 In, 123 I, 125 I, and 201 Tl, distributed within different compartments of the C cell, was calculated in the C and C 2 cells, considering the distance between the surface of the two cells ranges from 0 to 5 μm. The present work aimed to investigate the biological effects of AEE radionuclides and their potential for cancer treatment through targeted radiation therapy. The results indicate the impact of 201 Tl > 125 I > 123 I > 111 In > 99m Tc on DNA damage when the target is C (first spherical cell). On the other hand, for C 2 at distances of 0 to 5 μm, the impact of 99m Tc > 123 I > 111 In > 201 Tl > 125 I on DNA damage is observed., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Research involving human and animal rights: This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ionizing radiation (IR) can cause severe dysfunction of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leading to acute or prolonged myelosuppression. In recent years, physical exercise has been recognized as a healthy lifestyle as it can fight a variety of diseases. However, whether it provides protection against IR is not fully understood. In this study, we revealed that long-term moderate exercise mitigated IR-induced hematopoietic injury by generating carnosine from skeletal muscles. We found that exercised mice displayed reduced loss of HSC number and function after IR, accompanied by alleviated bone marrow damage. Interestingly, these effects were largely abrogated by specific deletion of carnosine synthase Carns1 in skeletal muscles. In contrast, carnosine treatment protected HSCs against IR-induced injury. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that exercise-generated carnosine was specifically transported to HSCs via Slc15a2 and then inhibited p53 transcriptional activity by directly interacting with its core DNA-binding domain, which led to downregulation of the p53 target genes p21 and Puma, thus promoting the proliferation and survival and inhibiting the senescence of irradiated HSCs. More importantly, a similar role of the carnosine/Slc15a2-p53 axis was observed in human cord blood-derived HSCs. Collectively, our data reveal that moderate exercise or carnosine supplementation may be potential antiradiation strategies., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Paediatric patients with congenital heart disease often undergo cardiac catheterisation procedures and are exposed to considerable ionising radiation early in life. This study aimed to develop a method for estimating the dose area product ( P KA ) from paediatric cardiac catheterisation procedures (1975-1989) at a national centre for paediatric cardiology and to evaluate trends in P KA and exposure parameters until 2021. Data from 2200 catheterisation procedures on 1685 patients (1975-1989) and 4184 procedures on 2139 patients (2000-2021) under 18 years of age were retrospectively collected. P KA values were missing for 1975-1989 but available from 2000 onward. The missing P KA was estimated from air kerma and beam area, based on exposure records and input from clinicians working at that time. P KA trends were analysed over time and age. There was a 71% reduction in median P KA from the period 1975-1989 (median 6.63 Gy cm 2 ) to 2011-2021 (1.91 Gy cm 2 ). The P KA increases significantly ( p = 0.0001) with patient age, which was associated with body weight. Approximately 80% of the total P KA was from cine acquisition in 1975-1989, while 20% was from fluoroscopy. The P KA estimate during 1975-1989 was considerably impacted by the assumptions of missing parameters such as tube filtration, focus-to-heart distance, beam area, and number of cine series. The decreasing trend in P KA values was attributed to advancements in both technologies and clinical practices. The high contribution of cine acquisition to the total dose during 1975-1989 was due to factors such as a high frame rate, multiple acquisitions, and high tube current. The estimated P KA values for the period 1975-1989 are of importance for the dose reconstruction and risk assessments in the EU epidemiology project Health Effects of Cardiac Fluoroscopy and Modern Radiotherapy in Pediatrics(HARMONIC)., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

RAS-selective lethal small molecule 3 (RSL3) is a small-molecule compound that triggers ferroptosis by inactivating glutathione peroxidase 4. However, its effect on the radioresistance of glioma cells and the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. In this study, we found that RSL3 sensitized glioma cells to ionizing radiation (IR) and enhanced IR-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Inhibition of ferroptosis pathways partly prevented the clonogenic death caused by the IR/RSL3 combination but did not alleviate the DNA DSBs, indicating that RSL3 promotes IR-induced DNA DSBs via a non-ferroptotic mechanism. We demonstrated that transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) plays a vital role in the radiosensitization effect of RSL3 on glioma cells. Treatment with RSL3 downregulated TGM2 in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of TGM2 not only alleviated DNA DSBs but also inhibited clonogenic death caused by the IR/RSL3 combination. Mechanistically, RSL3 triggered oxidative stress in glioma cells, which promoted the S-gluthathionylation of TGM2 via upregulation of glutathione S-transferase P1(GSTP1), culminating in the proteasomal degradation of TGM2. This process resulted in the suppression of DNA repair mechanisms by impeding the nuclear accumulation of TGM2 and disrupting the interaction between TGM2 and topoisomerase IIα after irradiation. We also found that RSL3 inhibited glioma cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in both IR-treated and non-IR-treated cells. Overexpression of TGM2 prevented, while knockdown of TGM2 aggravated the EMT inhibition caused by RSL3, indicating that RSL3 also sensitized glioma cells to IR by inhibiting EMT via a TGM2-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, in mice bearing human U87 tumor xenografts, RSL3 administration synergized with IR to inhibit tumor growth, accompanied by TGM2 inhibition, DNA DSBs, and EMT inhibition in tumor tissues. Taken together, we demonstrated that RSL3 sensitizes glioma cells to IR by suppressing TGM2-mediated DNA repair and EMT., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Natural polymer-based hydrogels have found extensive use in flexible sensing, energy storage, and other fields because of their environmental sustainability and biocompatibility. Nonetheless, numerous challenges persist in the development of hydrogels with outstanding conductivity solely from natural polymers. Herein, we have successfully synthesized hydrogels based on natural polymer (tragacanth gum) and ionic liquids (1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium bromide) using a convenient and efficient one-step ionizing radiation method (TG/PIL hydrogels). The TG/PIL hydrogels exhibit high ionic conductivity (7.1 S m -1 at 25 °C), and can be used for multimodal sensors, including strain and temperature sensors. It has exceptional capabilities in monitoring human motor behavior, capturing subtle facial expressions and pulses beat. TG/PIL hydrogel can also accurately sense changes in the temperature of the external environment, and have significant thermal sensitivity within the range of 40 to 60 °C (-3.22 % /°C). Furthermore, the high conductivity of TG/PIL hydrogels enables them to exhibit outstanding performance in supercapacitor electrolytes, it has good stability in a certain load bearing range, temperature range, folding angle range. This work offers a straightforward technique for creating a multimodal hydrogel sensor, with promising applications in flexible wearable devices, energy storage, and beyond., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Conventional mammography remains the primary imaging modality for state-of-the-art breast imaging practice and its benefit (both on diagnostic and screening) was largely reported. In mammography, the typical Mean Glandular Dose (MGD) from X-ray radiation to the breast spans, on average, from 1 to 10 mGy, depending on breast thicknesses, percentage of fibroglandular tissue, and on the examination purpose., Methods: The aim of this narrative review is to describe the extent of radiation risk in X-ray breast imaging and discuss the main steps and parameters (e.g. MGD, screening frequency and number of examination views) that may have an influence on the radiation risk assessment., Results: Even though the radiation doses used with these examinations are very low, as compared to other medical or natural radiation exposures, there is a non-negligible associated risk of radiation-induced cancer. Accurate radiation risk assessment permits to better balance the overall estimation of the benefit-to-risk ratio in X-ray breast imaging., Conclusions: It is expected that a better knowledge about radiation-induced cancer risk among population could improve the communications skills between patients and clinicians and could help to increase the awareness in women about radiation risk perception for a transparent and proper informed choice of imaging exam., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: As science and technology continue to evolve, the potential harm of radiation to the human body cannot be overlooked. Radiation has the capacity to inflict cellular and body-wide damage. Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds that are found in an array of plant foods. Scientific studies have demonstrated that these compounds possess noteworthy anti-radiation efficacy. Furthermore, they have been observed to be less toxic at higher doses. In the present review, we discussed the mechanisms of ionizing radiation damage and the progress in the research on the radiation resistance mechanism of polyphenol compounds, to provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of radiation related diseases., Recent Findings: Food polyphenols can reduce the oxidative damage caused by ionizing radiation, clear free radicals, reduce DNA damage, regulate NF-KB, MAPK, JAK/STAT, Wnt and other signaling pathways, improve immune function, and have significant protective effects on radiation-induced inflammation, fibrosis, cancer and other aspects. In addition, it also has significant dual effects on radiation sensitization and radiation protection. Food polyphenols come from a wide range of sources, are abundant in daily food, and have no toxic side effects, demonstrating that food polyphenols have great advantages in preventing and treating radiation-related diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is essential for DNA replication and repair, cell growth, and survival. PCNA also enhances androgen receptor (AR) signaling in prostate cancer (PC) cells. We identified a PCNA interaction protein (PIP) box at the N-terminal domain of AR and developed a small peptide PCNA inhibitor R9-AR-PIP containing AR PIP-box. We also identified a series of small molecule PCNA inhibitors (PCNA-Is) that bind directly to PCNA and interrupt PCNA functions. The present study investigated the effects of the PCNA inhibitors on the sensitivity of PC cells to X-ray radiation., Methods: The effects of targeting PCNA on radio sensitivity of PC cells were investigated in four lines of castration-resistant PC (CRPC) cells with different AR expression statuses. The cells were treated with the PCNA inhibitors and X-ray radiation alone or in combination. The effects of the treatment on expression of AR target genes, DNA damage response, DNA damage, homologous recombination repair (HRR), and cytotoxicity were evaluated., Results: We found that the androgen response element (ARE) occupancy of the DNA damage response gene PARP1 by AR is significantly attenuated by PCNA-I1S or R9-AR-PIP combined with X-ray radiation, while X-ray radiation alone does not enhance the ARE occupancy. PCNA-I1S or R9-AR-PIP alone significantly inhibits occupancy of the AR-occupied regions (AROR) in PRKDC and XRCC2 genes. R9-AR-PIP and PCNA-I1S inhibit expression of AR-Vs target gene cyclin A2 and show the additive effects with radiation in AR-positive CRPC cells. Targeting PCNA by PCNA-I1S and R9-AR-PIP downregulates expression of DNA damage response genes EXO1, Rad54L, Rad51, and/or PARP1 and shows the additive effects with radiation as compared with their respective controls in AR-positive CRPC LNCaP-AI, 22Rv1, and R1-D567 cells, but not in AR-negative PC-3 cells. R9-AR-PIP and PCNA-I1S elevate the levels of phospho-DNA-PKcs(S 2056 ) and γH2AX, indicating DNA damage in response to radiation in AR-positive cells. The HRR is significantly attenuated by PCNA inhibitors PCNA-I1S, R9-AR-PIP, and T2AA in all four CRPC cells examined, and inhibited by Enzalutamide (Enz) only in 22RV1 cells. The cytotoxicity induced by X-ray radiation in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells is enhanced by Enz and a lower concentration of R9-AR-PIP in the colony formation assay. R9-AR-PIP at higher concentration reduces the colony formation and has an additive effect with X-ray radiation in all AR expressing cells, regardless of AR-FL and AR-Vs, but does not significantly alter the colony formation in AR-negative PC-3 cells. PCNA-I1S attenuates colony formation and has an additive effect with ionizing radiation in all four CRPC cells, regardless of AR expression status., Conclusion: These data provide a strong rationale for the therapy studies using PCNA-I1S or R9-AR-PIP in combination with X-ray radiation against CRPC tumors in preclinical models., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Prostate published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Ionizing radiation is widely used in various industrial and medical applications, resulting in increased exposure for certain populations. Lessons from radiation accidents and occupational exposure have highlighted the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risks associated with radiation exposure. In addition, radiation therapy for cancer has been linked to numerous cardiovascular complications, depending on the distribution of the dose by volume in the heart and other relevant target tissues in the circulatory system. The manifestation of symptoms is influenced by numerous factors, and distinct cardiac complications have previously been observed in different groups of patients with cancer undergoing radiation therapy. However, in contemporary radiation therapy, advances in treatment planning with conformal radiation delivery have markedly reduced the mean heart dose and volume of exposure, and these variables are therefore no longer sole surrogates for predicting the risk of specific types of heart disease. Nevertheless, certain cardiac substructures remain vulnerable to radiation exposure, necessitating close monitoring. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the consequences of radiation exposure on the cardiovascular system, drawing insights from various cohorts exposed to uniform, whole-body radiation or to partial-body irradiation, and identify potential risk modifiers in the development of radiation-associated cardiovascular disease., Competing Interests: Competing interests J.C.W. is a co-founder of Greenstone Biosciences. The other authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. Springer Nature Limited.)

Senescent cells are typically characterized by a stable proliferation arrested in dividing cells accompanied with a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Skin cellular senescence is the primary cause of skin aging, whereas the lack of identified skin senescence markers limits our understanding of the mechanisms involved in skin aging. Recent studies have revealed that intracellular calcium signaling has emerged as a key player in regulating cellular senescence and aging. However, the implication and roles of calcium signaling in skin keratinocyte senescence remain only partially understood. In this study, we developed a model for skin keratinocyte senescence using ionizing radiation (I/R) stimulation and found that the calcium-associated gene transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) was significantly induced compared with normal control. Interestingly, inhibition of TGM2 was found to delay skin keratinocyte senescence by suppressing I/R-promoted intracellular calcium signaling, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, as well as NF-κB-mediated SASP secretion. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that inhibition of TGM2 contributes to bypassing I/R-induced skin keratinocyte senescence and sheds light on novel strategies against skin stresses caused by I/R., (© 2024 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Background: Physicians in certain specialities are routinely exposed to procedural ionizing radiation. Their risk of cancer is unknown, including by cancer sub-types., Aims: To assess cancer risk among exposed physicians., Methods: This population-based case-control study was completed in Ontario, Canada, where healthcare is universal, using linkage of physician billing claims to a province-wide cancer registry. Up to five cancer-free physician controls were matched to each cancer-affected physician, by sex, and both age at and year of, entry into practice. Cumulative exposure to procedural ionizing radiation was captured by physician billing claims. Conditional logistic regression generated an odds ratio (OR) of cancer per 1000 procedures performed and as a binary exposure comparing physicians above the upper 95th percentile cumulative number of procedures (≥200) to those below this cut point., Results: Mean (standard deviation) age of the 1265 cases and 5772 non-cancer controls was 39.7 (10.7) and 37.7 (9.0) years, and 45% and 49% were female, respectively. After a median (interquartile ranges) of 13.0 (6.9-20.4) and 12.5 (6.5-20.1) years of lookback among cases and controls, the OR of cancer was 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.99-1.05; P = NS) per 1000 additional procedures performed. Modelling the cumulative exposure to procedures nonlinearly did not change the observed association (P > 0.40 for each). Comparing physicians above versus below the upper 95th percentile cumulative number of procedures, the OR of cancer was 1.23 (95% confidence interval 0.75-2.01, P = NS)., Conclusions: Physician exposure to procedural ionizing radiation was not associated with a higher risk of cancer. Measures that minimize radiation exposure should continue., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The paper presents the results of dosimetric measurements routinely performed by the Radiation Protection Department of the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (NIOM) in Łódź in 2022 for people occupationally exposed to X and γ radiation., Material and Methods: The evaluation of the effective dose as part of individual dosimetry was provided using the film or thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD). Additionally, based exclusively on the TLD method, measurements of the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) and personal dose equivalents Hp(0.07) and Hp(3) were performed. In 2022, the dosimetric service of the Radiological Protection Department of the NIOM covered >30 000 workers employed in >4500 laboratories (mainly health care departments). All measurements were performed in accordance with accredited research procedures (number AB 327)., Results: In 2022, the average annual dose of Hp(10) was equal to 0.26 mSv, whereas Hp(0.07) measured using ring and wrist dosimetry was equal to 0.63 mSv and 0.78 mSv, respectively. In turn, the average Hp(3) value was 0.21 mSv. In 2022, there was not a single case of exceeding the annual dose limit among people measured by the NIOM., Conclusions: The data collected in the "Dosimetry" database of the NIOM and a detailed analysis of annual doses received by people occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation indicate a well-functioning radiological protection system in Poland. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2024;75(5):415-423., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Objective: To investigate the reasonable airflow organization and exhaust system facilities during the operation of the inspection workshop, and solve the problem of the accumulation of harmful gases such as ozone and nitrogen oxides in the workshop. Methods: In May 2023, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology was used to numerically simulate the diffusion of ozone and nitrogen oxides generated by industrial radiographic inspection operations, and the comparative detection method was used to analyze the ozone and nitrogen oxides concentrations before and after the renovation of the ventilation system of the inspection workshop. Results: After the renovation of ventilation system, the average concentration of ozone in the inspection workshop decreased from 0.81 mg/m(3) to 0.03 mg/m(3), and the average concentration of nitrogen oxides decreased from 0.42 mg/m(3) to 0.01 mg/m(3), and the differences were statistically significant ( t =20.51, 10.38, P <0.001) . Conclusion: The ventilation facilities of the inspection workshop are set up in the airflow organization mode of sending up and down the exhaust, and the ventilation pipes are scientifically designed through the calculation of ventilation hydraulic balance, which can effectively control the concentration of harmful gases in the inspection workshop.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant connective-tissue disorder affecting multiple systems, such as skeletal, cardiovascular, and ocular systems. MFS is predominantly caused by mutations in the FBN1 gene, which encodes the fibrillin-1 protein, crucial for connective-tissue integrity. FBN1 mutations lead to defective fibrillin, resulting in structurally compromised connective tissues. Additionally, these mutations cause aberrant TGF-β expression, contributing to vascular issues and increased susceptibility to radiation-induced fibrosis. Studies about the potential radiosensitivity of MFS are rare and generally limited to case reports. Here, we aimed to investigate the radiation-induced ATM nucleo-shuttling (RIANS) model to explore the molecular and cellular radiation response in fibroblasts from MFS patients. The results showed that the MFS fibroblast cell lines tested are associated with moderate but significant radiosensitivity, high yield of micronuclei, and impaired recognition of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by a diminished RIANS. The diminished RIANS is supported by the sequestration of ATM protein in the cytoplasm not only by mutated FBN1 protein but also by overexpressed TGF-β. This report is the first molecular and cellular characterization of the radiation response of MFS fibroblasts and highlights the importance of the FBN1-TGF-β complex after irradiation.

The radiation adaptive response (or radioadaptation) effect is a biophysical and radiobiological phenomenon responsible for, e.g. the enhancement of repair processes, cell cycle and apoptosis regulation or enhancement of antioxidant production in cells/organisms irradiated by low doses and low dose-rates of ionising radiation. This phenomenon, however, is not always present, which creates many problems both for experimenters and theoreticians. Here we propose a comprehensive and complete theoretical model of radioadaptation grounded in mathematical concept of dose- and time-related probability function of the adaptive response appearance. This can be used in the context of two special cases of the adaptive response: the Raper-Yonezawa (priming dose) effect or constant low-dose-rate irradiation (e.g. for high natural background). This complete theoretical approach is supported by Monte Carlo simulations and real-experimental data used for model calibration and validation., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This paper summarises key findings of United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2020/2021 Report on the evaluations of medical and occupational exposures to ionising radiation. Medical exposure remains by far the largest human-made source of radiation exposure of the population. In the period 2009-18, about 4.2 billion medical radiological examinations were performed annually, resulting in an effective dose per caput of 0.57 mSv. The worldwide annual number of workers exposed to natural and human-made sources of ionising radiation is estimated to be ~24 million in the period 2010-14. About 52% of those were employed in the sectors that involve exposure to natural sources of radiation. The annual effective dose was estimated to be around 2.0 mSv for workers exposed to natural sources (excluding radon exposure in workplaces other than mines) and 0.5 mSv for workers exposed to human-made sources. It is important to motivate United Nations Member States to fully participate in UNSCEAR's global surveys on radiation exposure. Future surveys will be relevant and useful and adapted to changing data sources and uses of radiation across the world., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: Vascular and interventional radiology procedures are characterized by high exposure of personnel to ionizing radiation. This study assessed the exposure of medical personnel to ionizing radiation during vascular radiology and mechanical thrombectomy procedures., Material and Methods: During vascular radiology procedures, the exposure of 4 groups of workers participating in the procedures was analyzed, i.e., the main operating physician, an assistant physician, a sterile nurse, and a nurse. Measurements of exposure to ionizing radiation were performed using thermoluminescent dosimetry., Results: The registered effective dose during 1 treatment in individual groups is, respectively: mean (M) ± standard deviation (SD) 75±15 μSv, 24±5 μSv, 13±3 μSv, and 8±2 μSv. During mechanical thrombectomy, the operating physician receives an effective dose of M±SD 9±2 μSv. The equivalent doses for the lenses for the operating physician and the doctor assisting during vascular radiology procedures are M±SD 1419±285 μSv and 987±198 μSv, respectively, and for the hands, including the left and right hands, M±SD 4605±930 μSv, 1420±284 μSv, 1898±380 μSv, 1371±274 μSv., Conclusions: If the principles of optimizing radiological protection are not applied during vascular radiology procedures, the permissible dose limits and operational limits equivalent to doses to lenses and hands may be exceeded. Exposure during vascular radiology procedures is comparable to exposure during nuclear medicine procedures in terms of the use of glucose labeled with radioactive fluorine. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2024;37(4):403-10., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

Public health and clinical medicine should identify and characterize modifiable risk factors for skin cancer in order to facilitate primary prevention. In existing literature, the impact of occupational exposure on skin cancer, including malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, has been extensively studied. This review summarizes the available epidemiological evidence on the significance of occupational risk factors and occupations associated with a higher risk in skin cancer. The results of this review suggest that there is sufficient epidemiological evidence to support the relationship between the increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancers and occupational exposure to solar radiation, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation, arsenic and its compounds, and mineral oils. Occupational exposure to pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls appears to provide sufficient epidemiological evidence for melanoma, and a higher risk of melanoma has been reported among workers in petroleum refining and firefighters. This comprehensive analysis will establish a foundation for subsequent investigations and developing targeted interventions of focused preventive measures against skin cancer among the working population., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)

In the treatment of industrial wastewater by electron beam technology, the flocculation process was frequently coupled with electron beam radiation to improve the water quality to meet the discharge standard. Iron-containing coagulant was widely used in the flocculation process. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of residual iron-containing coagulants on pollutant degradation by the ionizing radiation process. Results showed that the absorbed dose required for complete removal of 50 mg/L bisphenol A decreased from 5 kGy to 2.5 kGy in the presence of 100 μM typical iron coagulant (FeCl 3 ). BPA degradation efficiency increased with the increase of FeCl 3 dosage over a wide pH range (3.0-10.0), and the TOC removal efficiency increased from 20% to 45% with the addition of 300 μM Fe(III). The mechanistic investigation demonstrated that • OH was the primary reactive species responsible for BPA degradation. The residual iron coagulants (FeCl 3 ) significantly enhanced the degradation and mineralization efficiency. Under suitable pH conditions (3.0-6.0), the reducing reactive species (e aq ‒ and • H) could effectively reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II), which then reacted with H 2 O 2 , thus inducing in-situ Fenton reaction to generate more • OH, thus promoting the radiolysis degradation of micropollutants. This study explored the potential of using residual iron coagulants from the flocculation process to enhance the performance of electron beam technology for wastewater treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The accident that occurred at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (Ukraine, 1986) contaminated a large extension of territory after the deposition of radioactive material. It is still under debate whether the chronic exposure to the radiation levels currently present in the area has long-term effects on organisms, such as decreases in longevity. Here, we investigate whether current levels of radiation in Chornobyl negatively impact the age of the Eastern tree frog Hyla orientalis . We also explore whether radiation induces changes in an ageing marker, telomere length or the stress hormone corticosterone. We found no effect of total individual absorbed radiation (including both external and internal exposure) on frog age ( n = 197 individuals sampled in 3 consecutive years). We also did not find any relationship between individual absorbed radiation and telomere length, nor between individual absorbed radiation and corticosterone levels. Our results suggest that radiation levels currently experienced by Chornobyl tree frogs may not be high enough to cause severe chronic damage to semi-aquatic vertebrates such as this species. This is the first study addressing age and stress hormones in Chornobyl wildlife, and thus future research will confirm if these results can be extended to other taxa.

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) constitutes a challenge in radiotherapy. Ionizing radiation (IR) induces DNA and mitochondrial damage by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) is abundant in the gastrointestinal tract and the protective effects of inhibited SGLT1 in kidney and cardiovascular disease have been widely reported. However, the function of SGLT1 in RIII remains unclear. Herein, we reported that IR induced intestinal epithelial cell damage along with upregulation of SGLT1 in vivo and in vitro, which was alleviated by inhibition of SGLT1. Specifically, maintaining intestinal cell homeostasis was detected through cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and DNA damage assays, promoting epithelial regeneration and lifespan extension. Considering the importance of mitochondrial function in cell fate, we next confirmed that SGLT inhibition maintains mitochondrial homeostasis through enhanced mitophagy in intestinal epithelial cells. Finally, based on the bioinformatics analysis and cell validation, we demonstrated that inhibition of SGLT1 suppresses the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to enhance mitophagy activation post-irradiation. In addition, we preliminarily demonstrate that SGLT inhibitors do not affect the radiosensitivity of tumors. Hence, our findings suggest that inhibition of SGLT is a promising therapeutic strategy to protect against RIII. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the potential effect of SGLT1 inhibition in RIII., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82304082)., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Local exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) can induce changes in biological processes in distant tissues and organs. Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles that transport biomolecules, mediate communication between cells and tissues, and can affect the abscopal effects of radiotherapy., Methods: Mice were treated with 8.0 Gy doses of chest and abdomen IR, after which serum samples were taken 24 h after exposure. Their serum exosomes were then isolated via ultracentrifugation and the small RNA portions were extracted for sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Exosomes were injected intravenously into the mice to assess their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Glioma cells and glioma stem cells (GSCs) were examined for malignant biological behaviors, stemness, and tumorigenic capacity after co-culturing with different groups of exosomes., Results: We found that serum exosomes crossed the BBB in mice after local IR exposure-which induced decreases in the expression of BBB tight-junction proteins and increased brain endothelial cell apoptosis. Exosomes from the exposed groups promoted malignant biological behaviors, stemness, and tumorigenic capacity in glioma cells and GSCs by upregulating the expression of SOS1. Phospho-MEK1/2 and Phospho-ERK1/2, of the MAPK signaling pathway, were found to be up-regulated in cells that were co-cultured with the exposing groups of the exosomes. Further analyses demonstrated that differentially expressed levels of miR-93-5p in mouse serum exosomes regulated the cellular expression of SOS1., Conclusion: Following local IR exposure, serum exosomes cross the BBB to promote the progression of distant gliomas. Exosomal microRNAs play an important role in this process., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced intestinal injury remains a major limiting factor in abdominal radiation therapy, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, mouse models of IR-induced intestinal injury were established, and the effect of IR on nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was determined. More severe IR-induced intestinal damage was observed in Nrf2 knockout (KO) mice than in wild-type mice. Then, the negative regulation of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) signaling by Nrf2 was examined both in vivo and in vitro after IR. This was accompanied by alterations in the intestinal neutrophil and macrophage populations in mice. Subsequently, the effect of the cGAS/STING pathway on the intestinal toxicity of IR was also investigated. Moreover, the downregulation of cGAS/STING by Nrf2 via its target gene, Pirin, was confirmed using transfection assays. A rescue experiment with Pirin was also conducted using adeno-associated virus in Nrf2 KO mice. Finally, the protective effect of calcitriol against IR-induced intestinal injury, along with increased Nrf2 and Pirin levels and decreased cGAS, pSTING, and interferon-beta levels, were observed. Taken together, our results suggest that Nrf2 alleviates IR-induced intestinal injury through Pirin-mediated inhibition of the innate immunity-related cGAS/STING pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women in terms of incidence and mortality. The literature currently identifies several risk factors, some modifiable and others not. Because of its multifactorial nature, the combination of factors either increases or reduces the risk of cancer. Since 2004, the first commission's rapport of the French National Environmental Health Plan has recognized the significant impact of occupational exposure on the development of breast cancer. However, neither primary nor secondary preventive measures have yet been implemented in work environment., Method: Based on available literature, we reviewed current knowledge of breast cancer risk factors associated with occupational exposure., Results: The risk factors identified were ionizing radiation, magnetic fields, certain endocrine disruptors, ethylene oxide and night shift work., Conclusion: Recognition of breast cancer as an occupational disease is complicated. In some cases, however, it may be possible, particularly in cases of multifactorial exposure. This work should help to raise awareness among employers and reinforce preventive measures in the workplace., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and is frequently resistant to therapy, ultimately resulting in treatment failure. Clinical trials have demonstrated the potential of sensitizing radiation therapy (RT)-resistant TNBC through the combination of chemotherapy and RT. This study sought to explore the potential of CD151 as a therapy response marker in the co-treatment strategy involving ionizing radiation (IR) and the repurposed antiviral drug 2-Thio-6-azauridine (TAU) for sensitizing RT-resistant TNBC (TNBC/RR)., Methods: The investigation encompassed a variety of assessments, including viability using MTT and LDH assays, cell proliferation through BrdU incorporation and clonogenic assays, cell cycle analysis via flow cytometry, cell migration using wound scratch and Boyden chamber invasion assays, DNA damage assessment through γH2AX analysis, apoptosis evaluation through acridine-orange and ethidium bromide double staining assays, as well as caspase 3 activity measurement using a colorimetric assay. CD151 expression was examined through ELISA, flow cytometry and RT-qPCR., Results: The results showed a significant reduction in TNBC/RR cell viability following co-treatment. Moreover, the co-treatment reduced cell migration, induced apoptosis, downregulated CD151 expression, and increased caspase 3 activity in TNBC/RR cells. Additionally, CD151 was predicted to serve as a therapy response marker for co-treatment with TAU and IR., Conclusion: These findings suggest the potential of combination treatment with IR and TAU as a promising strategy to overcome RT resistance in TNBC. Furthermore, CD151 emerges as a valuable therapy response marker for chemoradiotherapy., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are responsible for intestinal homeostasis and are important for the regeneration of damaged intestine. We established an ionizing radiation (IR)-induced intestinal injury model and observed that Gelsolin KO mice had increased radiosensitivity. The deletion of Gelsolin aggravated intestinal damage and reduced the number of ISCs after lethal IR. The intestinal organoid experiments showed that Gelsolin deletion inhibited ISCs function after IR. Notably, RNA sequencing and RT-PCR results showed IL-17 signaling pathway was down-regulated and Th17 cells differentiation was inhibited in Gelsolin KO mice. Moreover, recombinant IL-17 A ameliorated IR-induced intestinal injury and promoted ISCs regeneration. To figure out the role of Gelsolin in Th17 cells differentiation, flow cytometry was used and we found that Gelsolin targets Th17 cells functionality via the p-STAT3/RORγt axis. By establishing the co-culture system, we proved that Th17 cells promoted self-renewal and budding abilities in Gelsolin-deficient organoids. Finally, we found that Gelsolin was protective against DSS-induced colitis and that this protective effect was not specific or limited to the IR induced intestinal injury model. Based on these results, we proved Gelsolin maintained the regeneration of ISCs by sustaining Th17 cells functions via the p-STAT3/RORγt axis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different scaling protocols on the morphology and roughness of the root dentin substrate exposure to ionizing radiation. One hundred and thirty extracted bovine incisors were randomly divided into two groups (n=65): non-irradiated (NIR) and irradiated (IR). Each group was initially subdivided into three subgroups according to the type of non-surgical periodontal protocol: NIT: no instrumentation; HS: hand scaling with 15 apical-coronal instrument movements; US: ultrasonic scaling with 15 apical-coronal cycles. Subsequently, all samples were subjected to the prophylaxis protocol, being subdivided into the following groups: NIT/PP: prophylaxis with a fine prophylactic paste using a rubber cup for 15 seconds; HS/PP: Hand scaling followed by the prophylaxis protocol; US/PP: Ultrasonic scaling followed by the prophylaxis protocol. The roughness of the root dentin surface was measured with a profilometer (Ra/Rz - μm), and the morphology of the dentin surfaces was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analyses were conducted before and after the prophylaxis protocol. In the absence of prophylaxis, the roughest surfaces were observed after ultrasonic instrumentation followed by hand instrumentation for both IR and NIR groups. No difference in Ra and RZ values between HS/PP and US/PP was observed for both substrates. For the IR group, the prophylaxis resulted in similar Ra and RZ values for both instrumentation groups in comparison to no instrumentation. Ordinal logistic regression showed that both HS and US resulted in higher scores than NIT, irrespective of IR presence. In conclusion, the IR showed a rougher root surface for both HS and US in comparison to NIR. However, the prophylaxis procedure significantly reduced the roughness of root surfaces after both instrumentation procedures.

Background: Radiotherapy is a treatment modality used for head and neck cancer patients. It has a negative influence on bonding strength of adhesives. Little information is available about the effect of radiotherapy on bonding strength of adhesives in primary teeth. Therefore, this in vitro study aimed to detect the best adhesive system and ideal time to apply restorations in primary irradiated teeth regarding adhesive shear bond strength., Methods: Dentin samples from primary teeth were randomly assigned to four groups based on restoration application time and radiation exposure, (G1: control, G2: preradiation, G3: 24 h postradiation, and G4: 6 months postradiation) with 20 samples per group. These groups were further divided into 2 subgroups according to the adhesive system used, with 10 samples per subgroup. (1) 3M™ Single Bond Universal Adhesive (SB), (2) 3M AdperSingle Bond 2 (AS). Samples were exposed to gamma radiation from a cobalt-60 machine. One shot of 60 Gy of radiation was delivered. Then samples were subjected to a shear bond strength test. The load was applied until failure and the maximum load was recorded. Numerical data are presented as mean and standard deviation values, then distributed according to Shapiro-Wilk test or Levene's test and analyzed via two-way ANOVA. The significance level was set at p < 0.05 for all tests. Statistical analysis was performed with R statistical analysis software version 4.4.1 for Windows (Team RC, R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R foundation for statistical computing, 2023)., Results: Compared with the AS subgroup, the SB subgroup presented significantly greater values (p < 0.001). For SB, there was no significant difference among the G1 and G4 groups (p > 0.001). However, there was a significant difference between G1, G2, and G3 (p < 0.001, P = 0.025, P = 0.265 ns respectively), and G3 presented the lowest values. For AS, there was no significant difference between groups G1 and G4 (p =  < 0.001). Compared with the other groups, G3 presented a significant difference (p = 0.265 ns) and the lowest results., Conclusion: Restorations performed 24 h after radiation had lower bond strength than those performed six months after radiation. Regardless of the adhesive system used, SB performed better than AS in terms of the shear bond strength., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Radiation liver injury is a common complication of hepatocellular carcinoma radiotherapy. It is mainly caused by irreversible damage to the DNA of hepatocellular cells directly by radiation, which seriously interferes with metabolism and causes cell death. AdipoRon can maintain lipid metabolism and stabilize blood sugar by activating adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1). However, the role of AdipoRon/AdipoR1 in the regulation of ionizing radiation (IR)-induced mitochondrial damage remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the roles of AdipoRon/AdipoR1 in IR-induced mitochondrial damage in normal hepatocyte cells. We found that AdipoRon treatment rescued IR-induced liver damage in mice and mitochondrial damage in normal hepatocytes in vivo and in vitro. AdipoR1 deficiency exacerbated IR-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dynamics, and biogenesis disorder. Mechanistically, the absence of AdipoR1 inhibits the activity of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα), subsequently leading to disrupted mitochondrial dynamics by decreasing mitofusin (MFN) and increasing dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) protein expression. It also controls mitochondrial biogenesis by suppressing the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC1α) and transcription factor A (TFAM) signaling pathway, ultimately resulting in impaired mitochondrial function. To sum up, AdipoRon/AdipoR1 maintain mitochondrial function by regulating mitochondrial dynamics and biogenesis through the AdipoR1-AMPKα signaling pathway. This study reveals the significant role of AdipoR1 in regulating IR-induced mitochondrial damage in hepatocytes and offers a novel approach to protecting against damage caused by IR.

This study focused on exploring the effect of peroxydisulfate (PDS) on the regulation of reactive species during water radiolysis process and its potential application for degrading organic pollutants. The results indicated that PDS was successfully activated by ionizing radiation for efficient removal of three typical phenolic compounds over a wide pH range (3.0∼12.0) at absorbed dose of 5 kGy. Chemical probe methods provided the evidence that the addition of PDS could introduce the sulfate radicals (SO 4 •- ) and enhance the production of hydroxyl radicals ( • OH). According to the quenching tests, • OH and SO 4 •- were the dominant reactive species responsible for the degradation of 4-NP, while hydrated electron (e aq - ) played a minor role. The regulatory effect of PDS on active species in the ionizing radiation process could divided by (i) PDS could be directly activated by ionizing radiation to produce • OH and SO 4 •- via energy transfer pathway; (ii) PDS could boost the conversion of e aq - to SO 4 •- via electron transfer pathway. Furthermore, we assessed the applicability of the IR and IR/PDS systems in treating mixed solutions containing various pollutants and actual coking wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The efficacy and side effects of radiotherapy (RT) depend on parameters like dose and the volume of irradiated tissue. RT induces modulations of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) that are dependent on the dose. Low dose RT (LDRT, i.e., single doses of 0.5-2 Gy) has been shown to promote immune infiltration into the tumor. Here we hypothesize that partial tumor irradiation combining the immunostimulatory/non-lethal properties of LDRT with cell killing/shrinkage properties of high dose RT (HDRT) within the same tumor mass could enhance anti-tumor responses when combined with immunomodulators. In models of colorectal and breast cancer in immunocompetent female mice, partial irradiation (PI) with millimetric precision to deliver LDRT (2 Gy) and HDRT (16 Gy) within the same tumor induces substantial tumor control when combined with anti-PD1. Using flow cytometry, cytokine profiling and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify a crosstalk between the TIME of the differentially irradiated tumor volumes. PI reshapes tumor-infiltrating CD8 + T cells into more cytotoxic and interferon-activated phenotypes but also increases the infiltration of pro-tumor neutrophils driven by CXCR2. The combination of the CXCR2 antagonist SB225002 with PD1 blockade and PI improves tumor control and mouse survival. Our results suggest a strategy to reduce RT toxicity and improve the therapeutic index of RT and immune checkpoint combinations., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In response to DNA double-strand damage, ongoing transcription is inhibited to facilitate accurate DNA repair while transcriptional recovery occurs after DNA repair is complete. However, the mechanisms at play and the identity of the transcripts being regulated in this manner are unclear. In contrast to the situation following UV damage, we found that transcriptional recovery after ionizing radiation (IR) occurs in a manner independent of the HIRA histone chaperone. Sequencing of the nascent transcripts identified a programmed transcriptional response, where certain transcripts and pathways are rapidly downregulated after IR, while other transcripts and pathways are upregulated. Specifically, most of the loss of nascent transcripts occurring after IR is due to inhibition of transcriptional initiation of the highly transcribed histone genes and the rDNA. To identify factors responsible for transcriptional inhibition after IR in an unbiased manner, we performed a whole genome gRNA library CRISPR/Cas9 screen. Many of the top hits on our screen were factors required for protein neddylation. However, at short times after inhibition of neddylation, transcriptional inhibition still occurred after IR, even though neddylation was effectively inhibited. Persistent inhibition of neddylation blocked transcriptional inhibition after IR, and it also leads to cell cycle arrest. Indeed, we uncovered that many inhibitors and conditions that lead to cell cycle arrest in G 1 or G 2 phase also prevent transcriptional inhibition after IR. As such, it appears that transcriptional inhibition after IR occurs preferentially at highly expressed genes in cycling cells., Competing Interests: ZC, XW, XG, NA, KC, JT No competing interests declared, (© 2024, Chen, Wang et al.)

Background/objectives: This study investigates consumer perceptions and acceptance of ionizing radiation (IoR) as a perishable food stabilisation technology. Consumers' preferences influence the success of emerging food technologies. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of consumers' behavioural responses and their development over time is essential., Methods: This research employs a mixed-methods approach, surveying 313 young adults in New Zealand on their views of both irradiated (IoR) and genetically modified (GM) highly perishable foods. This study explored both participants' attitudes towards these two technologies and also their willingness to consume these foods., Results: The qualitative research revealed a preponderance of "affective" associations over "cognitive" associations with regard to both IoR and GM technologies. The quantitative research indicated that where consumers were given time to reflect, evaluations of GM improved, while those of IoR did not ( p < 0.01). There was a gender divide, with females being more positively inclined towards GM and males towards IoR ( p < 0.01). Both technologies were significantly disfavoured compared to non-treated products ( p < 0.01). There was a significant discrimination when the two technologies were presented as concepts and as products. GM was more favourably received as a concept than as a product ( p < 0.01), while IoR was disfavoured in either form. The two food neophobia scales that were tested showed a divergence in performance, with the more affectively based scale showing a higher level of correlation with behaviour., Conclusions: This research reveals that a largely affective (visceral) distrust of both IoR and GM exists within this young food consumer sample. As it is affective in nature, this position will be very resistant to education efforts, particularly if they are "cognitively" based. However, a significant softening of these affective attitudes towards GM products indicates that such efforts may be effective, given time and investment.

The ionizing radiation (IR) represents a formidable challenge as an environmental factor to mitochondria, leading to disrupt cellular energy metabolism and posing health risks. Although the deleterious impacts of IR on mitochondrial function are recognized, the specific molecular targets remain incompletely elucidated. In this study, HeLa cells subjected to γ-rays exhibited concomitant oxidative stress, mitochondrial structural alterations, and diminished ATP production capacity. The γ-rays induced a dose-dependent induction of mitochondrial fission, simultaneously manifested by an elevated S616/S637 phosphorylation ratio of the dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) and a reduction in the expression of the mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin 2 (MFN2). Knockdown of DRP1 effectively mitigated γ-rays-induced mitochondrial network damage, implying that DRP1 phosphorylation may act as an effector of radiation-induced mitochondrial damage. The mitochondrial outer membrane protein voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) was identified as a crucial player in IR-induced mitochondrial damage. The VDAC1 inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS), counteracts the excessive mitochondrial fission induced by γ-rays, consequently rebalancing the glycolytic and oxidative phosphorylation equilibrium. This metabolic shift was uncovered to enhance glycolytic capacity, thus fortifying cellular resilience and elevating the radiosensitivity of cancer cells. These findings elucidate the intricate regulatory mechanisms governing mitochondrial morphology under radiation response. It is anticipated that the development of targeted drugs directed against VDAC1 may hold promise in augmenting the sensitivity of tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: This follow-up study of uranium processing workers at the Fernald Feed Materials Production Center examines the relationship between radiation exposure and cancer and non-cancer mortality among 6403 workers employed for at least 30 days between 1951 and 1985., Methods: We estimated cumulative, individual, annualised doses to 15 organs/tissues from external, internal and radon exposures. Vital status and cause of death were ascertained in 2017. The analysis employed standardised mortality ratios, Cox proportional hazards and Poisson regression models. Competing risk analysis was conducted for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk given several assumptions about risk independent of competing outcomes. Emphysema was examined to assess the potential for confounding by smoking., Results: Vital status was confirmed for 98.1% of workers, with 65.1% deceased. All-cause mortality was less than expected in salaried but not hourly workers when compared with the US population. A statistically significant dose response was observed between external (but not total or internal) lung dose and lung cancer mortality (HR at 100 mGy adjusted for internal dose=1.45; 95% CI=1.05 to 2.01). Significantly increased HRs at 100 mGy dose to heart were observed for CVD (1.27; 95% CI=1.07 to 1.50) and ischaemic heart disease (1.30; 95% CI=1.07 to 1.58). CVD risk remained elevated regardless of competing risk assumptions. Both external and internal radiation were associated with emphysema., Conclusions: Lung cancer was associated with external dose, though positive dose responses for emphysema imply residual confounding by smoking. Novel use of competing risk analysis for CVD demonstrates leveraging retrospective data for future risk prediction., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The trait of ionizing radiation (IR) tolerance is variable between bacterium, with species succumbing to acute doses as low as 60 Gy and extremophiles able to survive doses exceeding 10,000 Gy. While survival screens have identified multiple highly radioresistant bacteria, such systemic searches have not been conducted for IR-sensitive bacteria. The taxonomy-level diversity of IR sensitivity is poorly understood, as are genetic elements that influence IR sensitivity. Using the protein domain (Pfam) frequencies from 61 bacterial species with experimentally determined D 10 values (the dose at which only 10% of the population survives), we trained TolRad, a random forest binary classifier, to distinguish between radiosensitive ( D 10 < 200 Gy) and radiation-tolerant ( D 10 > 200 Gy) bacteria. On untrained species, TolRad had an accuracy of 0.900. We applied TolRad to 152 UniProt-hosted bacterial proteomes associated with the human microbiome, including 37 strains from the ATCC Human Microbiome Collection, and classified 34 species as radiosensitive. Whereas IR-sensitive species ( D 10 < 200 Gy) in the training data set had been confined to the phylum Proteobacterium , this initial TolRad screen identified radiosensitive bacteria in two additional phyla. We experimentally validated the predicted radiosensitivity of a Bacteroidota species from the human microbiome. To demonstrate that TolRad can be applied to metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), we tested the accuracy of TolRad on Egg-NOG assembled proteomes (0.965) and partial proteomes. Finally, three collections of MAGs were screened using TolRad, identifying further phyla with radiosensitive species and suggesting that environmental conditions influence the abundance of radiosensitive bacteria., Importance: Bacterial species have vast genetic diversity, allowing for life in extreme environments and the conduction of complex chemistry. The ability to harness the full potential of bacterial diversity is hampered by the lack of high-throughput experimental or bioinformatic methods for characterizing bacterial traits. Here, we present a computational model that uses de novo -generated genome annotations to classify a bacterium as tolerant of ionizing radiation (IR) or as radiosensitive. This model allows for rapid screening of bacterial communities for low-tolerance species that are of interest for both mechanistic studies into bacterial sensitivity to IR and biomarkers of IR exposure., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Adverse effects of ionizing radiation on normal tissues limit the radiation dose in cancer treatment, thereby compromising treatment efficiency. Among the consistently affected non-cancer cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exhibit high radiosensitivity and have the potential to induce systemic effects. PBMC-released extracellular vesicles (EVs), contribute to the communication of such systemic effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation on EVs as part of the systemic response of PBMCs in terms of microRNA cargo and biological functions.Therefore, whole blood samples from healthy donors were irradiated ex-vivo (0 Gy, 1 Gy, 2 Gy, 4 Gy) and EVs from PBMCs were isolated after 96 h by PEG precipitation or ultracentrifugation. Candidate microRNAs were examined in PBMC-derived EVs from individual donors. The uptake of membrane-stained fluorescent EVs by different recipient cells was quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. The biological effects of increased miR-34a-5p and of total EVs on recipient cells were assessed.Irradiation of PBMCs induced a dose-dependent upregulation of miR-34a-5p within EVs and PBMCs. However, interindividual differences between donors were noticed in the extent of upregulation, and small EVs displayed more pronounced changes in microRNA levels in comparison to large EVs. Irradiation in presence of the small molecule inhibitor KU-60019 demonstrated that this upregulation is dependent on ATM (Ataxia telangiectasia mutated) activation. Moreover, fibroblasts and keratinocytes were identified as preferred EV recipients. Increased miR-34a-5p levels led to a significant reduction in viability and induction of senescence in keratinocytes but not in fibroblasts, indicating a cell type-specific response.In conclusion, this study further elucidated the complex cellular response of normal tissue after radiation exposure. It confirmed radiation-induced modifications of microRNA expression levels in EVs from PBMCs and identified a robust upregulation of miR-34a-5p in the small EV subfraction, suggesting this microRNA as a potential novel candidate for the development of biomarkers for radiation exposure. Moreover, the different uptake efficiencies observed among specific cell types suggested that EVs induce cell type-specific responses in the intercellular communication of systemic radiation effects., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

These days, exposure to electromagnetic fields has become omnipresent in modern society. Not only the extremely-low frequency and radiofrequency, but also intermediate frequency (IF) magnetic field (MF) might be absorbed in the human body resulting in an ever-growing concern about their possible health effects. Devices, such as induction cooktops, chargers, compact fluorescent lamps, touchscreens and electric vehicles emit a wide range of intermediate frequency fields. We investigated the effects of 22 kHz or 250 kHz intermediate frequency magnetic field exposure on the human skin cells. We also examined the adaptive response phenomenon; whether IF MF exposure could possibly reduce the harmful genotoxic effects of ionizing radiation. To get answers to these questions, in vitro studies were carried out on fibroblast cells to investigate the effects on oxidative stress, DNA damage and micronucleus formation. We found a decreased micronucleus formation due to the 22 kHz IF MF exposure and significantly increased oxidative stress in fibroblast cells, which were exposed only to 250 kHz IF MF. We were unable to detect the protective or co-genotoxic effects of intermediate frequency magnetic field exposure combined with ionizing radiation, thus we found no evidence for the adaptive response phenomena., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Gyorgy Thuroczy reports financial support was provided by National Agency for Food Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: A major update to the International Nuclear Workers Study (INWORKS) was undertaken to strengthen understanding of associations between low-dose exposure to penetrating forms of ionising radiation and mortality. Here, we report on associations between radiation dose and mortality due to haematological malignancies., Methods: We assembled a cohort of 309 932 radiation-monitored workers (269 487 [87%] males and 40 445 [13%] females) employed for at least 1 year by a nuclear facility in France (60 697 workers), the UK (147 872 workers), and the USA (101 363 workers). Workers were individually monitored for external radiation exposure and followed-up from Jan 1, 1944, to Dec 31, 2016, accruing 10·72 million person-years of follow-up. Radiation-mortality associations were quantified in terms of the excess relative rate (ERR) per Gy of radiation dose to red bone marrow for leukaemia excluding chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), as well as subtypes of leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. Estimates of association were obtained using Poisson regression methods., Findings: The association between cumulative dose to red bone marrow, lagged 2 years, and leukaemia (excluding CLL) mortality was well described by a linear model (ERR per Gy 2·68, 90% CI 1·13 to 4·55, n=771) and was not modified by neutron exposure, internal contamination monitoring status, or period of hire. Positive associations were also observed for chronic myeloid leukaemia (9·57, 4·00 to 17·91, n=122) and myelodysplastic syndromes alone (3·19, 0·35 to 7·33, n=163) or combined with acute myeloid leukaemia (1·55, 0·05 to 3·42, n=598). No significant association was observed for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (4·25, -4·19 to 19·32, n=49) or CLL (0·20, -1·81 to 2·21, n=242). A positive association was observed between radiation dose and multiple myeloma (1·62, 0·06 to 3·64, n=527) whereas minimal evidence of association was observed between radiation dose and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (0·27, -0·61 to 1·39, n=1146) or Hodgkin lymphoma (0·60, -3·64 to 4·83, n=122) mortality., Interpretation: This study reports a positive association between protracted low dose exposure to ionising radiation and mortality due to some haematological malignancies. Given the relatively low doses typically accrued by workers in this study (16 mGy average cumulative red bone marrow dose) the radiation attributable absolute risk of leukaemia mortality in this population is low (one excess death in 10 000 workers over a 35-year period). These results can inform radiation protection standards and will provide input for discussions on the radiation protection system., Funding: National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Orano, Electricité de France, UK Health Security Agency., Translation: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Centrosomes are important organelles for cell division and genome stability. Ionizing radiation exposure efficiently induces centrosome overduplication via the disconnection of the cell and centrosome duplication cycles. Over duplicated centrosomes cause mitotic catastrophe or chromosome aberrations, leading to cell death or tumorigenesis. Pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can differentiate into all organs. To maintain pluripotency, PSCs show specific cellular dynamics, such as a short G1 phase and silenced cell-cycle checkpoints for high cellular proliferation. However, how exogenous DNA damage affects cell cycle-dependent centrosome number regulation in PSCs remains unknown. This study used human iPSCs (hiPSCs) derived from primary skin fibroblasts as a PSC model to address this question. hiPSCs derived from somatic cells could be a useful tool for addressing the radiation response in cell lineage differentiation. After radiation exposure, the hiPSCs showed a higher frequency of centrosome overduplication and multipolar cell division than the differentiated cells. To suppress the indirect effect of radiation exposure, we used the radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Combined treatment with radiation and DMSO efficiently suppressed DNA damage and centrosome overduplication in hiPSCs. Our results will contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of stem cells and the assessment of the risk of genome instability for regenerative medicine., (© 2024 by Radiation Research Society. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.)

Ionising γ radiation produces reactive oxygen species by water radiolysis, providing an interesting model approach for studying oxidative stress in plants. Three-week old plants of Arabidopsis thaliana were exposed to a low dose rate (25 mGy h -1 ) of γ radiation for up to 21 days. This treatment had no effect on plant growth and morphology, but it induced chronic oxidation of lipids which was associated with an accumulation of reactive carbonyl species (RCS). However, contrary to lipid peroxidation, lipid RCS accumulation was transient only, being maximal after 1 day of irradiation and decreasing back to the initial level during the subsequent days of continuous irradiation. This indicates the induction of a carbonyl-metabolising process during chronic ionising radiation. Accordingly, the γ-radiation treatment induced the expression of xenobiotic detoxification-related genes (AER, SDR1, SDR3, ALDH4, and ANAC102). The transcriptomic response of some of those genes (AER, SDR1, and ANAC102) was deregulated in the tga256 mutant affected in three TGAII transcription factors, leading to enhanced and/or prolonged accumulation of RCS and to a marked inhibition of plant growth during irradiation compared to the wild type. These results show that Arabidopsis is able to acclimate to chronic oxidative stress and that this phenomenon requires activation of a carbonyl detoxification mechanism controlled by TGAII. This acclimation did not occur when plants were exposed to an acute γ radiation stress (100 Gy) which led to persistent accumulation of RCS and marked inhibition of plant growth. This study shows the role of secondary products of lipid peroxidation in the detrimental effects of reactive oxygen species., (© 2024 The Author(s). Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A national Inter-Laboratory Comparisons (ILCs) programme was organized in Italy in 2022 by the Italian National Institute of Ionizing Radiation Metrology (INMRI), belonging to ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), under the auspices of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit ex MiSe). Within this ILCs programme, six inter-laboratory comparisons were organized, including the ILC-2 which focused on activity measurements carried out with radionuclide calibrators commonly used in the nuclear medicine departments of the participants. The focus was on three short-lived radionuclides - 99m Tc, 18 F, 177 Lu - commonly employed in nuclear medicine for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. All presented results were compared with the reference values provided by ENEA-INMRI to ensure the traceability of measurements to the national primary activity standards. The observed deviation from the reference values of the measured activity were mainly within ± 10% (100% for 18 F, 91.7% for 99m Tc, 100% for 177 Lu). The E n statistical estimator was used to assess the participants' ability to estimate uncertainty in the provided activity values. The obtained values revealed that, in certain instances, the involved laboratories did not achieve the correct results for E n (with failure rates of 22.7%, 16.7%, 12.5% for 18 F, 99m Tc, 177 Lu, respectively), despite deviations from the reference values falling within the ± 10%. The aim of ILC-2 was to harmonize the activity measurements in the country within the field of nuclear medicine for the specific radionuclides studied and enhance the measurement capabilities of the participants., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Medical procedures in the field of electrocardiology belong to a large group of cardiological procedures. Performing them involves exposure to ionizing radiation. In this study, five medical procedures in the field of electrocardiology performed in three medical facilities were analyzed in terms of patients' exposure to ionizing radiation. A total of 178 patients were analyzed. Depending on the type of procedure, the recorded doses ranged from 7.4 to 614.62 mGy. The majority of electrocardiological procedures are pacemaker implantations 38% and RF ablation 33%. The results obtained show a significant dispersion of the recorded dose values in the same type of treatment. This is reflected, for example, in the high coefficient of variation for doses in RF ablation. The type of X-ray machine used during the procedure also influences the dose values. Although the exposure of patients undergoing electrocardiological procedures to ionizing radiation is much lower than in the case of cardiac vascular procedures, it may reach a similar level, especially in the case of implantation of devices regulating the correct functioning of the heart., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.