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Amir I, Eguchi Y, Saotome K, Ogawa S, Kojima Y, Tamaki T, Tsubokura M. The "GU-GU-RU" project to eliminate discrimination related to the health effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2050. [PMID: 37858066 PMCID: PMC10588131 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16883-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although 12 years have passed since Great East Japan Earthquake and following Fukushima nuclear accident, approximately 40% of Japanese citizen still believe that the current radiation exposure in Fukushima residents will likely/ very likely to cause genetic effects of radiation. This incorrect understanding could continue unexpected discrimination and prejudice towards those from Fukushima now and in the future. In order to provide updated knowledge and eliminate rumors related to radiation, Japanese Ministry of the Environment has launched "GU-GU-RU" project in 2021 with consisting of five sections. OBJECTIVE (1) To discuss the objectives and effects of the "GU-GU-RU" project (results after the first year), (2) to present administrative measures that may be effective in the long-term to prevent unjustified discrimination and prejudice, and (3) to eliminate rumors in the event of future large-scale disasters, including radiation disasters. METHODS We showed the contents of each sections carried out under the project and observed the result of first-year activities in each section. RESULTS Among the programs, the "Radiation College" has steadily produced positive results, with nearly 1,300 students participating and 50 students sharing their thoughts and ideas. In addition, the project has adopted strategies such as creating and broadcasting a TV program and collaborations with manga, which are expected to have a significant impact on society. CONCLUSIONS Compared to previous efforts on disseminating information related to health effect of radiation exposure, the "GU-GU-RU" project has taken a different approach in providing primary data of radiation and its health effects, which could become a better understanding of health effects of radiation for the general public, in order to eliminate rumors that may lead unjustified discrimination and prejudice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isamu Amir
- Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima-city, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan.
| | - Yuichiro Eguchi
- Loco-Medical General Institute, 1178-1 Kanada, Mikatsuki-cho, Ogi-city, 845-0032, Saga, Japan
| | - Kousaku Saotome
- Department of Radiological Sciences, Fukushima Medical University School of Health Sciences, 10-6 Sakae-machi, 960-8516, Fukushima-city, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Soichiro Ogawa
- Department of Urology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima-city, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Kojima
- Department of Urology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima-city, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Tamaki
- Department of Health Risk Communication, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima-city, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Masaharu Tsubokura
- Department of Radiation Health Management, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima-city, 960-1295, Fukushima, Japan
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Nishigori H, Fujimori K, Hosoya M, Nishigori T, Murata T, Kyozuka H, Ogata Y, Sato A, Shinoki K, Yasumura S, Hashimoto K. Congenital Anomalies in Infants in Fukushima from 2011 to 2014: The Japan Environment and Children's Study. JMA J 2023; 6:36-47. [PMID: 36793518 PMCID: PMC9908376 DOI: 10.31662/jmaj.2022-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction This study aimed to assess congenital anomalies among infants from 2011 to 2014 in Fukushima and compare the assessment with that from other geographical regions in Japan. Methods We used the dataset of the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS), which is a nationwide prospective birth cohort study. For the JECS, participants were recruited through 15 regional centers (RC), including Fukushima. Pregnant women were recruited between January 2011 and March 2014. The Fukushima RC recruited all municipalities in the Fukushima Prefecture, from where we compared congenital anomalies in infants from the Fukushima RC to those in the infants from 14 other RCs. Crude and multivariate logistic regression analyses were also performed, with the multivariate logistic regression analysis being adjusted for maternal age, maternal body mass index (kg/m2), infertility treatment, multiple pregnancies, maternal smoking, maternal alcohol consumption, pregnancy complications, maternal infection, and infant sex. Results In the Fukushima RC, 12,958 infants were analyzed, and 324 infants were diagnosed with major anomalies (2.50%). In the remaining 14 RCs, 88,771 infants were analyzed and 2,671 infants were diagnosed with major anomalies (3.01%). Crude logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the odds ratio for the Fukushima RC was 0.827 (95% confidence interval, 0.736-0.929) using the other 14 RCs as a reference. Multivariate logistic regression analysis also demonstrated that the adjusted odds ratio was 0.852 (95% confidence interval, 0.757-0.958). Conclusions Fukushima Prefecture was found not to be an area at high risk for the occurrence of congenital anomalies in infants compared nationwide in Japan from 2011 to 2014.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidekazu Nishigori
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Development and Environmental Medicine, Fukushima Medical Center for Children and Women, Fukushima Medical University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Keiya Fujimori
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Mitsuaki Hosoya
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Toshie Nishigori
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Murata
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Hyo Kyozuka
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yuka Ogata
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Akiko Sato
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Kosei Shinoki
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Seiji Yasumura
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Koichi Hashimoto
- Fukushima Regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, Fukushima, Japan,Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
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The Impact of Prenatal Diagnosis in the Evolution of Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease. J Crit Care Med (Targu Mures) 2023; 9:6-11. [PMID: 36890976 PMCID: PMC9987268 DOI: 10.2478/jccm-2023-0007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital heart malformations are cardiac and/or vascular structural abnormalities that appear before birth, the majority of which can be detected prenatally. The latest data from the literature were reviewed, with reference to the degree of prenatal diagnosis regarding congenital heart malformations, as well as its impact on the preoperative evolution and implicitly on mortality. Studies with a significant number of enrolled patients were included in the research. Prenatal congenital heart malformations detection rates were different, depending on the period in which the study took place, the level of the medical center, as well as on the size of enrolled groups. Prenatal diagnosis in critical malformations such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, transposition of great arteries and totally aberrant pulmonary venous drainage has proven its usefulness, allowing an early surgical intervention, thus ensuring improved neurological development, increasing the survival rate and decreasing the rate of subsequent complications. Sharing the experience and results obtained by each individual therapeutic center will definitely lead to drawing clear conclusions regarding the clinical contribution of congenital heart malformations prenatal detection.
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Ukai T, Tabuchi T, Ohira T, Nakano H, Maeda M, Yabe H, Takahashi A, Yasumura S, Iso H, Kamiya K. Associations between the perception of risk in radiation exposure and changes in smoking and drinking status after a disaster: The Fukushima Health Management Survey. Prev Med Rep 2022; 30:102054. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.102054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Folkers C, Gunter LP. Radioactive releases from the nuclear power sector and implications for child health. BMJ Paediatr Open 2022; 6:10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001326. [PMID: 36645750 PMCID: PMC9557777 DOI: 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Although radioactivity is released routinely at every stage of nuclear power generation, the regulation of these releases has never taken into account those potentially most sensitive-women, especially when pregnant, and children. From uranium mining and milling, to fuel manufacture, electricity generation and radioactive waste management, children in frontline and Indigenous communities can be disproportionately harmed due to often increased sensitivity of developing systems to toxic exposures, the lack of resources and racial and class discrimination. The reasons for the greater susceptibility of women and children to harm from radiation exposure is not fully understood. Regulatory practices, particularly in the establishment of protective exposure standards, have failed to take this difference into account. Anecdotal evidence within communities around nuclear facilities suggests an association between radiation exposure and increases in birth defects, miscarriages and childhood cancers. A significant number of academic studies tend to ascribe causality to other factors related to diet and lifestyle and dismiss these health indicators as statistically insignificant. In the case of a major release of radiation due to a serious nuclear accident, children are again on the frontlines, with a noted susceptibility to thyroid cancer, which has been found in significant numbers among children exposed both by the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine and the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. The response among authorities in Japan is to blame increased testing or to reduce testing. More independent studies are needed focused on children, especially those in vulnerable frontline and Indigenous communities. In conducting such studies, greater consideration must be applied to culturally significant traditions and habits in these communities.
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Gao A, Zou J, Mao Z, Zhou H, Zeng G. SUMO2-mediated SUMOylation of SH3GLB1 promotes ionizing radiation-induced hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through mitophagy activation. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 924:174980. [PMID: 35487252 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.174980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) is characterized by the enlargement of individual cardiomyocytes, which is a typical pathophysiological process that occurs in various cardiovascular diseases. Ionizing radiation (IR) is an important independent risk factor for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the role of IR in promoting cardiac hypertrophy and investigate the mechanism by which the SUMO2-mediated SUMOylation of SH3GLB1 affects mitophagy in IR-induced cardiac hypertrophy. In vivo, IR promoted cardiac hypertrophy by activating mitophagy. In vitro, IR upregulated PINK1 and Parkin protein expression and damaged mitochondrial morphological structure. We further demonstrated that SH3GLB1 deficiency inhibited mitophagy activation and restored mitochondrial cristae, revealing a regulatory role of SH3GLB1 in cardiac hypertrophy. IR promoted interactions between SH3GLB1 and mitochondrial membrane proteins, such as MFN1/2, TOM20 and Drp1, further indicating that the mechanism by which SH3GLB1 functions in cardiac hypertrophy might involve mitophagy. A bioinformatics prediction found that SUMO2 could SUMOylate SH3GLB1 at position K82. Consistent with this finding, both co-IP assays and laser confocal microscopy showed that IR promoted the interaction and colocalization of SUMO2 and SH3GLB1. In summary, our study identifies IR as an important factor that promotes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by accelerating the activation of mitophagy through the SUMO2-mediated SUMOylation of SH3GLB1; thus, IR exerts dual therapeutic effects in the treatment of thoracic tumours with long-term radiotherapy. Additionally, this study provides novel treatment strategies and targets for preventing the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy caused by thoracic tumour radiotherapy. Furthermore, SH3GLB1 may be a promising experimental target for the development of strategies for treating cardiovascular diseases caused by IR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anbo Gao
- Clinical Research Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China; Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Key Laboratory of Heart Failure Prevention & Treatment of Hengyang, Clinical Medicine Research Center of Arteriosclerotic Disease of Hunan Province, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China
| | - Jin Zou
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China
| | - Zhenjiang Mao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China
| | - Hong Zhou
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China.
| | - Gaofeng Zeng
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Key Laboratory of Heart Failure Prevention & Treatment of Hengyang, Clinical Medicine Research Center of Arteriosclerotic Disease of Hunan Province, Hengyang, 421002, Hunan, China.
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Large microsatellite shifts in wild boar after the Fukushima accident. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Nutrient Imbalance of the Host Plant for Larvae of the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly May Mediate the Field Effect of Low-Dose Radiation Exposure in Fukushima: Dose-Dependent Changes in the Sodium Content. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020149. [PMID: 33572324 PMCID: PMC7916146 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha is sensitive to low-dose radioactive pollution from the Fukushima nuclear accident in the field but is also highly tolerant to radioactive cesium (137Cs) in an artificial diet in laboratory experiments. To resolve this field-laboratory paradox, we hypothesize that the butterfly shows vulnerability in the field through biochemical changes in the larval host plant, the creeping wood sorrel Oxalis corniculata, in response to radiation stress. To test this field-effect hypothesis, we examined nutrient contents in the host plant leaves from Tohoku (mostly polluted areas including Fukushima), Niigata, and Kyushu, Japan. Leaves from Tohoku showed significantly lower sodium and lipid contents than those from Niigata. In the Tohoku samples, the sodium content (but not the lipid content) was significantly negatively correlated with the radioactivity concentration of cesium (137Cs) in leaves and with the ground radiation dose. The sodium content was also correlated with other nutrient factors. These results suggest that the sodium imbalance of the plant may be caused by radiation stress and that this nutrient imbalance may be one of the reasons that this monophagous butterfly showed high mortality and morphological abnormalities in the field shortly after the accident in Fukushima.
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Murase K, Murase J, Mishima A. Nationwide Increase in Complex Congenital Heart Diseases After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident. J Am Heart Assoc 2020; 8:e009486. [PMID: 30862223 PMCID: PMC6475040 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.118.009486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background After the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, an increase in the incidence of congenital heart disease ( CHD s) in the neighboring countries was reported. In 2011, Japan experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accidents at Fukushima. However, a nationwide study of their effects has not been conducted yet. Methods and Results We used data covering the period between 2007 and 2014 from the annual surveys conducted by the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, which included almost all of the operations pertaining to 46 types of CHD s in Japan. CHD s were divided into 2 groups based on complexity, the time of occurrence during heart development, and age at operation. We estimated the change in the number of the operations per 100 000 live births between pre- and postdisaster using a negative binomial generalized linear mixed model. Overall, a significant 14.2% (95% CI, 9.3-19.4) increase in the number of operations for complex CHD s in neonates and infants per 100 000 live births was found, whereas those performed for patients of 1 to 17 years old showed no significant change during the study period. Conclusions The number of operations for complex CHD s in neonates and infants in Japan significantly increased after the massive disaster, and its level was maintained thereafter. The number of operations for complex CHD was not equal but closely correlated to the live birth prevalence of complex CHD s. Therefore, some meaningful increase in the live birth prevalence can be assumed; however, the precise cause of the increase is unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Murase
- 1 Nagoya City University Graduate School of Natural Sciences Nagoya Japan
| | - Joe Murase
- 2 Goshawk Protection Fund Utsunomiya Japan
| | - Akira Mishima
- 3 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Nagoya Japan
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Scherb H, Hayashi K. Spatiotemporal association of low birth weight with Cs-137 deposition at the prefecture level in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents: an analytical-ecologic epidemiological study. Environ Health 2020; 19:82. [PMID: 32646457 PMCID: PMC7346451 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-020-00630-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Perinatal mortality increased in contaminated prefectures after the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accidents in Japan in 2011. Elevated counts of surgeries for cryptorchidism and congenital heart malformations were observed throughout Japan from 2012 onward. The thyroid cancer detection rate (2011 to 2016) was associated with the dose-rate at the municipality level in the Fukushima prefecture. Since the birth weight is a simple and objective indicator for gestational development and pregnancy outcome, the question arises whether the annual birth weight distribution was distorted in a dose-rate-dependent manner across Japan after Fukushima. METHODS The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare provides prefecture-specific annual counts for 26.158 million live births from 1995 to 2018, of which 2.366 million births (9.04%) with weights < 2500 g. Prefecture-specific spatiotemporal trends of the low birth weight proportions were analyzed. Logistic regression allowing for level-shifts from 2012 onward was employed to test whether those level-shifts were proportional to the prefecture-specific dose-rates derived from Cs-137 deposition in the 47 Japanese prefectures. RESULTS The overall trend of the low birth weight prevalence (LBWp) in Japan discloses a jump in 2012 with a jump odds ratio (OR) 1.020, 95%-confidence interval (1.003,1.037), p-value 0.0246. A logistic regression of LBWp on the additional dose-rate after the FDNPP accidents adjusted for prefecture-specific spatiotemporal base-line trends yields an OR per μSv/h of 1.098 (1.058, 1.139), p-value < 0.0001. Further adjusting the logistic regression for the annual population size and physician density of the prefectures, as well as for the counts of the dead, the missing, and the evacuees due to earthquake and tsunami (as surrogate measures for medical infrastructure and stress) yields an OR per μSv/h of 1.109 (1.032, 1.191), p-value 0.0046. CONCLUSIONS This study shows increased low birth weight prevalence related to the Cs-137 deposition and the corresponding additional dose-rate in Japan from 2012 onward. Previous evidence suggesting compromised gestational development and pregnancy outcome under elevated environmental ionizing radiation exposure is corroborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Keiji Hayashi
- Hayashi Children’s Clinic, 4-6-11-1F Nagata, Joto-ku Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 536-0022 Japan
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Hirata Y, Shimizu H, Kumamaru H, Takamoto S, Motomura N, Miyata H, Okita Y. Congenital Heart Disease After the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: The Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2020; 9:e014787. [PMID: 32613886 PMCID: PMC7670522 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.119.014787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Background In March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster inflicted radiation damage across the Tohoku region of Northern Japan. The consequent harm to pregnant mothers and newborns was a matter of concern. We performed a registry‐based analysis of the incidence of congenital heart disease during 2010 to 2013 using the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database. Methods and Results We selected patients who had complex congenital heart disease and who were born between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013 undergoing surgery, and assessed the trend in the number of first‐time surgeries performed for patients aged 2 years and younger by birth year over time. The numbers of first‐time surgeries for birth years 2010 to 2013 were 2978, 2924, 3077, and 2940, and no increasing trend was detected. Additionally, no increasing yearly trend was detected when the number of cases was divided by the total number of births in Japan in each birth month. The mortality of first‐time surgeries performed for complex diseases, which often involves multiple subsequent surgeries, decreased from 4.7% in 2010 to 2.2% in 2013. Conclusions Our analyses showed no increase in the number of patients with congenital heart disease during 2010 to 2013. The yearly increase in the total number of surgeries following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in a previous report can be explained by the decline in the mortality of first‐time surgeries for complex cases. Such use of only the increase in the total yearly number of surgeries to claim the effects of a nuclear disaster on the incidence of congenital heart disease is a far too simplistic and dangerous proposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasutaka Hirata
- The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery Tokyo Japan.,Department of Cardiac Surgery The University of Tokyo Hospital Tokyo Japan
| | - Hideyuki Shimizu
- The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery Tokyo Japan.,Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Keio University Hospital Tokyo Japan
| | - Hiraku Kumamaru
- Department of Healthcare Quality Assessment University of Tokyo Japan
| | | | - Noboru Motomura
- The Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database Organization Tokyo Japan.,Department of Cardiovascular Surgery Toho University Sakura Medical Center Sakura Japan
| | - Hiroaki Miyata
- Department of Healthcare Quality Assessment University of Tokyo Japan
| | - Yutaka Okita
- The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery Tokyo Japan.,Takatsuki General Hospital Cardio-Aortic Center Osaka Japan
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12
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Rosen E, Kryndushkin D, Aryal B, Gonzalez Y, Chehab L, Dickey J, Rao VA. Acute total body ionizing gamma radiation induces long-term adverse effects and immediate changes in cardiac protein oxidative carbonylation in the rat. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233967. [PMID: 32497067 PMCID: PMC7272027 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation-induced heart disease presents a significant challenge in the event of an accidental radiation exposure as well as to cancer patients who receive acute doses of irradiation as part of radiation therapy. We utilized the spontaneously hypertensive Wistar-Kyoto rat model, previously shown to demonstrate drug-induced cardiomyopathy, to evaluate the acute and long-term effects of sub-lethal total body gamma irradiation at two, four, and fifty-two weeks. We further examined irreversible oxidative protein carbonylation in the heart immediately following irradiation in the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat. Both males and females sustained weight loss and anemic conditions compared to untreated controls over a one-year period as reflected by reduced body weight and low red blood cell count. Increased inflammation was detected by elevated IL-6 serum levels selectively in males at four weeks. Serum cardiac troponin T and I analyses revealed signs of cardiomyopathy at earlier timepoints, but high variability was observed, especially at one year. Echocardiography at two weeks following 5.0Gy treatment revealed a significant decrease in cardiac output in females and a significant decrease in both diastolic and systolic volumes in males. Following 10.0Gy irradiation in the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat, the heart tissue showed an increase in total protein oxidative carbonylation accompanied by DNA damage indicated by an increase in γ-H2AX. Using proteomic analyses, we identified several novel proteins which showed a marked difference in carbonylation including those of mitochondrial origin and most notably, cardiac troponin T, one of the key proteins involved in cardiomyocyte contractility. Overall, we present findings of acute oxidative protein damage, DNA damage, cardiac troponin T carbonylation, and long-term cardiomyopathy in the irradiated animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Rosen
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Dmitry Kryndushkin
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Baikuntha Aryal
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yanira Gonzalez
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Leena Chehab
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Dickey
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - V. Ashutosh Rao
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Biotechnology Products, United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
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Kobashi Y, Sawano T, Crump A, Kami M, Tsubokura M. Unambiguous evidence is required to accurately understand the health impacts of nuclear accidents. JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH 2020; 61:90-91. [PMID: 31740952 PMCID: PMC6976740 DOI: 10.1093/jrr/rrz069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yurie Kobashi
- Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960–1295, Japan
| | - Toyoaki Sawano
- Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960–1295, Japan
| | - Andy Crump
- Kitasato University, Shirokane, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kami
- Medical Governance Research Institute, Takanawa, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-0074, Japan
| | - Masaharu Tsubokura
- Department of Public Health, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima City, Fukushima 960–1295, Japan
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Scherb H, Kusmierz R, Voigt K. Secondary sex ratio and trends in the associated gender-specific births near nuclear facilities in France and Germany: Update of birth counts. Reprod Toxicol 2019; 89:159-167. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Yamamoto H, Hayashi K, Scherb H. Association between the detection rate of thyroid cancer and the external radiation dose-rate after the nuclear power plant accidents in Fukushima, Japan. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98:e17165. [PMID: 31517868 PMCID: PMC6750239 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000017165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A thyroid cancer ultrasonography screening for all residents 18 years old or younger living in the Fukushima prefecture started in October 2011 to investigate the possible effect of the radiological contamination after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accidents as of March 12 to 15, 2011. Thyroid cancer in 184 cases was reported by February 2017. The question arises to which extent those cancer cases are a biological consequence of the radiation exposure or an artefactual result of the intense screening of a large population.Experiences with the Chernobyl accident suggest that the external dose may be considered a valid surrogate for the internal dose of the thyroid gland. We, therefore, calculated the average external effective dose-rate (μSv/h) for the 59 municipalities of the Fukushima prefecture based on published data of air and soil radiation. We further determined the municipality-specific absolute numbers of thyroid cancers found by each of the two screening rounds in the corresponding municipality-specific exposed person-time observed. A possible association between the radiation exposure and the thyroid cancer detection rate was analyzed with Poisson regression assuming Poisson distributed thyroid cancer cases in the exposed person-time observed per municipality.The target populations consisted of 367,674 and 381,286 children and adolescents for the 1st and the 2nd screening rounds, respectively. In the 1st screening, 300,476 persons participated and 270,489 in the 2nd round. From October 2011 to March 2016, a total of 184 cancer cases were found in 1,079,786 person-years counted from the onset of the exposure to the corresponding examination periods in the municipalities. A significant association between the external effective dose-rate and the thyroid cancer detection rate exists: detection rate ratio (DRR) per μSv/h 1.065 (1.013, 1.119). Restricting the analysis to the 53 municipalities that received less than 2 μSv/h, and which represent 176 of the total 184 cancer cases, the association appears to be considerably stronger: DRR per μSv/h 1.555 (1.096, 2.206).The average radiation dose-rates in the 59 municipalities of the Fukushima prefecture in June 2011 and the corresponding thyroid cancer detection rates in the period October 2011 to March 2016 show statistically significant relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidehiko Yamamoto
- Osaka Red Cross Hospital Attached Facility of Physically Handicapped Children, 5-30 Fudegasaki-cho, Tennouji-ku
| | - Keiji Hayashi
- Hayashi Children's Clinic, 4-6-11-1F Nagata, Joto-ku, Osaka-Shi Osaka, Japan
| | - Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
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Scherb H, Mori K, Hayashi K. Comment on 'Perinatal mortality after the Fukushima accident'. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2019; 39:647-649. [PMID: 31125316 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/ab17fc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Germany
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Kojima Y, Yokoya S, Kurita N, Idaka T, Ishikawa T, Tanaka H, Ezawa Y, Ohto H. Cryptorchidism after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident:causation or coincidence? Fukushima J Med Sci 2019; 65:76-98. [PMID: 31915325 PMCID: PMC7012587 DOI: 10.5387/fms.2019-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptorchidism (undescended testes) is among the most common congenital diseases in male children. Although many factors have been linked to the incidence of cryptorchidism, and testicular androgen plays a key role in its pathogenesis, the cause remains unknown in most cases. Recently, a Japanese group published a speculative paper entitled, "Nationwide increase in cryptorchidism after the Fukushima nuclear accident." Although the authors implicated radionuclides emitted from the Fukushima accident as contributing to an increased incidence of cryptorchidism, they failed to establish biological plausibility for their hypothesis, and glossed over an abundance of evidence and expert opinion to the contrary. We assessed the adequacy of their study in terms of design setting, data analysis, and its conclusion from various perspectives. Numerous factors must be considered, including genetic, environmental, maternal/fetal, and social factors associated with the reporting of cryptorchidism. Other investigators have established that the doses of external and internal radiation exposure in both Fukushima prefecture and the whole of Japan after the accident are too low to affect testicular descent during fetal periods;thus, a putative association can be theoretically and empirically rejected. Alternative explanations exist for the reported estimates of increased cryptorchidism surgeries in the years following Japan's 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. Data from independent sources cast doubt on the extent to which cryptorchidism increased, if at all. In any case, evidence that radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant could cause cryptorchidism is lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiyuki Kojima
- Department of Urology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine
| | - Susumu Yokoya
- Thyroid and Endocrine Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine
| | - Noriaki Kurita
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University
- Department of Innovative Research and Education for Clinicians and Trainees (DiRECT), Fukushima Medical University Hospital
- Center for Innovative Research for Communities and Clinical Excellence (CiRC2LE), Fukushima Medical University
| | - Takayuki Idaka
- Medical Research Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine
| | - Tetsuo Ishikawa
- Department of Radiation Physics and Chemistry, Fukushima Medical University
| | - Hideaki Tanaka
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Fukushima Medical University Hospital
| | - Yoshiko Ezawa
- Medical Affairs Division, Fukushima Medical University Hospital
| | - Hitoshi Ohto
- Radiation Medical Science Center for the Fukushima Health Management Survey, Fukushima Medical University
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