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Skelton M, Al-Mash'hadani AK, Abdul-Sater Z, Saleem M, Alsaad S, Kahtan M, Al-Samarai AH, Al-Bakir AM, Mula-Hussain L. War and oncology: cancer care in five Iraqi provinces impacted by the ISIL conflict. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1151242. [PMID: 37213303 PMCID: PMC10196689 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1151242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
War and cancer have been intertwined in Iraq for over three decades, a country where the legacies and ongoing impacts of conflict have been commonly associated with both increased cancer rates as well as the deterioration of cancer care. Most recently, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) violently occupied large portions of the country's central and northern provinces between 2014 and 2017, causing devastating impacts on public cancer centers across central and northern Iraq. Focusing on the five Iraqi provinces previously under full or partial ISIL occupation, this article examines the immediate and long-term impacts of war on cancer care across three periods (before, during, and after the ISIL conflict). As there is little published data on oncology in these local contexts, the paper relies primarily upon the qualitative interviews and lived experience of oncologists serving in the five provinces studied. A political economy lens is applied to interpret the results, particularly the data related to progress in oncology reconstruction. It is argued that conflict generates immediate and long-term shifts in political and economic conditions that, in turn, shape the rebuilding of oncology infrastructure. The documentation of the destruction and reconstruction of local oncology systems is intended to benefit the next generation of cancer care practitioners in the Middle East and other conflict-affected regions areas in their efforts to adapt to conflict and rebuild from the legacies of war.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mac Skelton
- Institute of Regional and International Studies, American University of Iraq-Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
- Global Oncology Group, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Zahi Abdul-Sater
- Global Health Institute, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- College of Public Health, Phoenicia University, Mazraat El Daoudiyeh, Lebanon
| | - Mohammed Saleem
- Medical Oncology Department, Kirkuk Oncology and Hematology Center, Kirkuk, Iraq
| | - Saad Alsaad
- Medical Oncology Department, Tikrit Oncology Center, Tikrit, Iraq
| | - Marwa Kahtan
- Medical Oncology Department, Diyala Cancer Center, Baqubah, Iraq
| | | | - Ahmed Moyed Al-Bakir
- Medical Oncology Department, Specialized Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Hospital, Mosul, Iraq
| | - Layth Mula-Hussain
- Radiation Oncology Department, Sultan Qaboos Comprehensive Cancer Care and Research Centre, Muscat, Oman
- Oncology Department, College of Medicine, Ninevah University, Mosul, Iraq
- *Correspondence: Layth Mula-Hussain,
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Al-Hamzawi AA, Jaafar MS, Tawfiq NF. Concentration of uranium in human cancerous tissues of Southern Iraqi patients using fission track analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-014-3682-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Wilson J, Zuniga MC, Yazzie F, Stearns DM. Synergistic cytotoxicity and DNA strand breaks in cells and plasmid DNA exposed to uranyl acetate and ultraviolet radiation. J Appl Toxicol 2014; 35:338-49. [PMID: 24832689 DOI: 10.1002/jat.3015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Depleted uranium (DU) has a chemical toxicity that is independent of its radioactivity. The purpose of this study was to explore the photoactivation of uranyl ion by ultraviolet (UV) radiation as a chemical mechanism of uranium genotoxicity. The ability of UVB (302 nm) and UVA (368 nm) radiation to photoactivate uranyl ion to produce single strand breaks was measured in pBR322 plasmid DNA, and the presence of adducts and apurinic/apyrimidinic sites that could be converted to single strand breaks by heat and piperidine was analyzed. Results showed that DNA lesions in plasmid DNA exposed to UVB- or UVA-activated DU were only slightly heat reactive, but were piperidine sensitive. The cytotoxicity of UVB-activated uranyl ion was measured in repair-proficient and repair-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells and human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The cytotoxicity of co-exposures of uranyl ion and UVB radiation was dependent on the order of exposure and was greater than co-exposures of arsenite and UVB radiation. Uranyl ion and UVB radiation were synergistically cytotoxic in cells, and cells exposed to photoactivated DU required different DNA repair pathways than cells exposed to non-photoactivated DU. This study contributes to our understanding of the DNA lesions formed by DU, as well as their repair. Results suggest that excitation of uranyl ion by UV radiation can provide a pathway for uranyl ion to be chemically genotoxic in populations with dermal exposures to uranium and UV radiation, which would make skin an overlooked target organ for uranium exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice Wilson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
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Wilson J, Young A, Civitello ER, Stearns DM. Analysis of heat-labile sites generated by reactions of depleted uranium and ascorbate in plasmid DNA. J Biol Inorg Chem 2013; 19:45-57. [PMID: 24218036 DOI: 10.1007/s00775-013-1057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to characterize how depleted uranium (DU) causes DNA damage. Procedures were developed to assess the ability of organic and inorganic DNA adducts to convert to single-strand breaks (SSB) in pBR322 plasmid DNA in the presence of heat or piperidine. DNA adducts formed by methyl methanesulfonate, cisplatin, and chromic chloride were compared with those formed by reaction of uranyl acetate and ascorbate. Uranyl ion in the presence of ascorbate produced U-DNA adducts that converted to SSB on heating. Piperidine, which acted on DNA methylated by methyl methanesulfonate to convert methyl-DNA adducts to SSB, served in the opposite fashion as U-DNA adducts by decreasing the level of SSB. The observation that piperidine also decreased the gel shift for metal-DNA adducts formed by monofunctional cisplatin and chromic chloride was interpreted to suggest that piperidine served to remove U-DNA adducts. Radical scavengers did not affect the formation of uranium-induced SSB, suggesting that SSB arose from the presence of U-DNA adducts and not from the presence of free radicals. A model is proposed to predict how U-DNA adducts may serve as initial lesions that convert to SSB or AP sites. The results suggest that DU can act as a chemical genotoxin that does not require radiation for its mode of action. Characterizing the DNA lesions formed by DU is necessary to assess the relative importance of different DNA lesions in the formation of DU-induced mutations. Understanding the mechanisms of formation of DU-induced mutations may contribute to identification of biomarkers of DU exposure in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice Wilson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5698, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011-5698, USA
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Fathi RA, Matti LY, Al-Salih HS, Godbold D. Environmental pollution by depleted uranium in Iraq with special reference to Mosul and possible effects on cancer and birth defect rates. Med Confl Surviv 2013; 29:7-25. [PMID: 23729095 DOI: 10.1080/13623699.2013.765173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Iraq is suffering from depleted uranium (DU) pollution in many regions and the effects of this may harm public health through poisoning and increased incidence of various cancers and birth defects. DU is a known carcinogenic agent. About 1200 tonnes of ammunition were dropped on Iraq during the Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003. As a result, contamination occurred in more than 350 sites in Iraq. Currently, Iraqis are facing about 140,000 cases of cancer, with 7000 to 8000 new ones registered each year. In Baghdad cancer incidences per 100,000 population have increased, just as they have also increased in Basra. The overall incidence of breast and lung cancer, Leukaemia and Lymphoma, has doubled even tripled. The situation in Mosul city is similar to other regions. Before the Gulf Wars Mosul had a higher rate of cancer, but the rate of cancer has further increased since the Gulf Wars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riyad Abdullah Fathi
- University of Mosul, College of Environmental Science and Technology, Mosul, Iraq.
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Alaani S, Tafash M, Busby C, Hamdan M, Blaurock-Busch E. Uranium and other contaminants in hair from the parents of children with congenital anomalies in Fallujah, Iraq. Confl Health 2011; 5:15. [PMID: 21888647 PMCID: PMC3177876 DOI: 10.1186/1752-1505-5-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2011] [Accepted: 09/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent reports have drawn attention to increases in congenital birth anomalies and cancer in Fallujah Iraq blamed on teratogenic, genetic and genomic stress thought to result from depleted Uranium contamination following the battles in the town in 2004. Contamination of the parents of the children and of the environment by Uranium and other elements was investigated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Hair samples from 25 fathers and mothers of children diagnosed with congenital anomalies were analysed for Uranium and 51 other elements. Mean ages of the parents was: fathers 29.6 (SD 6.2); mothers: 27.3 (SD 6.8). For a sub-group of 6 women, long locks of hair were analysed for Uranium along the length of the hair to obtain information about historic exposures. Samples of soil and water were also analysed and Uranium isotope ratios determined. RESULTS Levels of Ca, Mg, Co, Fe, Mn, V, Zn, Sr, Al, Ba, Bi, Ga, Pb, Hg, Pd and U (for mothers only) were significantly higher than published mean levels in an uncontaminated population in Sweden. In high excess were Ca, Mg, Sr, Al, Bi and Hg. Of these only Hg can be considered as a possible cause of congenital anomaly. Mean levels for Uranium were 0.16 ppm (SD: 0.11) range 0.02 to 0.4, higher in mothers (0.18 ppm SD 0.09) than fathers (0.11 ppm; SD 0.13). The highly unusual non-normal Fallujah distribution mean was significantly higher than literature results for a control population Southern Israel (0.062 ppm) and a non-parametric test (Mann Whitney-Wilcoxon) gave p = 0.016 for this comparison of the distribution. Mean levels in Fallujah were also much higher than the mean of measurements reported from Japan, Brazil, Sweden and Slovenia (0.04 ppm SD 0.02). Soil samples show low concentrations with a mean of 0.76 ppm (SD 0.42) and range 0.1-1.5 ppm; (N = 18). However it may be consistent with levels in drinking water (2.28 μgL-1) which had similar levels to water from wells (2.72 μgL-1) and the river Euphrates (2.24 μgL-1). In a separate study of a sub group of mothers with long hair to investigate historic Uranium excretion the results suggested that levels were much higher in the past. Uranium traces detected in the soil samples and the hair showed slightly enriched isotopic signatures for hair U238/U235 = (135.16 SD 1.45) compared with the natural ratio of 137.88. Soil sample Uranium isotope ratios were determined after extraction and concentration of the Uranium by ion exchange. Results showed statistically significant presence of enriched Uranium with a mean of 129 with SD5.9 (for this determination, the natural Uranium 95% CI was 132.1 < Ratio < 144.1). CONCLUSIONS Whilst caution must be exercised about ruling out other possibilities, because none of the elements found in excess are reported to cause congenital diseases and cancer except Uranium, these findings suggest the enriched Uranium exposure is either a primary cause or related to the cause of the congenital anomaly and cancer increases. Questions are thus raised about the characteristics and composition of weapons now being deployed in modern battlefields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Alaani
- Fallujah General Hospital, Althubbadh, Fallujah, 00964, Iraq
| | - Muhammed Tafash
- Fallujah General Hospital, Althubbadh, Fallujah, 00964, Iraq
| | - Christopher Busby
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Rd, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Malak Hamdan
- The Cancer and Birth Defects Foundation, Office 4, 219 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6DB, UK
| | - Eleonore Blaurock-Busch
- Laboratory for Clinical and Environmental Analysis, Microtrace Minerals, Rohrenstrasse 20, D-91217, Hersbruck, Germany
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Aouragh M, Inglis R, Inglis A, Mainwaring C, Tibbs G, Paulson S. Oxford University should stop investing in arms companies. Lancet 2011; 377:1900-2. [PMID: 21641464 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(11)60746-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miriyam Aouragh
- Divestment Committee of Oxford Anti-War Action, c/o Cetta Mainwaring, Wadham College, Oxford OX1 3PN, UK
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Abstract
This article describes uranium and depleted uranium (DU), their similar isotopic compositions, how DU arises, its use in munitions and armour-proofing, and its pathways for human exposures. Particular attention is paid to the evidence of DU's health effects from cell and animal experiments and from epidemiology studies. It is concluded that a precautionary approach should be adopted to DU and that there should be a moratorium on its use by military forces. International efforts to this end are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Fairlie
- Independent Consultant on Radioactivity in the Environment, London, UK.
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Coryell VH, Stearns DM. Molecular analysis ofhprt mutations generated in Chinese hamster ovary EM9 cells by uranyl acetate, by hydrogen peroxide, and spontaneously. Mol Carcinog 2005; 45:60-72. [PMID: 16299811 DOI: 10.1002/mc.20155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Naturally occurring uranium and depleted uranium (DU) are believed to be health hazards by virtue of both their chemical and radiological properties. The mechanism(s) behind uranium's chemotoxic effects has yet to be elucidated. Previous work has shown that DU, as uranyl acetate (UA), was mutagenic at the hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus in XRCC1-deficient CHO EM9 cells. The purpose of the current study was to characterize the mutations induced by UA at the hprt locus of CHO EM9 cells and compare the mutation spectrum of UA with those of hydrogen peroxide and spontaneous mutations in the same line. The hypothesis being tested was that if DU as UA is chemically genotoxic then the mutation spectrum induced by the heavy metal should be distinct from that produced spontaneously or by H2O2. A total of 59 UA-induced, 38 spontaneous, and 45 H2O2-induced mutations were identified. Base substitutions comprised 29%, 42%, and 16% of UA, spontaneous, and H2O2 mutants, respectively. The frequency of G --> T or C --> A substitutions was not significantly different in spontaneous or H2O2-induced mutants than in UA-induced mutants, suggesting a possible role for 8-oxodG damage in UA mutagenesis. However, the observation that UA produced significantly more major genomic rearrangements (multiexon insertions and deletions) than occurred spontaneously suggests the possibility that DNA strand breaks or crosslinks could also be UA-induced mutagenic lesions. The unique mutation spectrum elicited by exposure to UA suggests that UA generates mutations in ways that are different from spontaneous and free radical as well as radiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia H Coryell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5698, USA
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