Effects Of A-bomb Radiation Research Articles

Ethical, legal and social implications of human genome studies in radiation research: a workshop report for studies on atomic bomb survivors at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation.

The Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) is the primary organization in Japan dedicated to studying the health consequences of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings in World War II. In December 2020, RERF held a virtual international workshop on the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of genome studies. In this workshop, the ELSI considerations of future human genome studies on radiation research including atomic bomb survivors and their families were discussed. Since genome sequencing (GS) is now practical and affordable, RERF now plans GS of parents/child trios to examine genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation. As such studies may engender some novel risks and benefits, ethics review and engagement with families (including consent) need to be considered. These include protection of individual privacy, use of samples from deceased prior participants, return of results to the participants, public sharing of genome data and advance science and social welfare. Specifically with regard to social welfare, the results of such studies may have implications for public and government decision-making regarding social benefits of victims and other important questions. Based on these broad-ranging discussions we have developed the following concepts to guide this work: “trust,” “compromise” and “relationship building,” inclusive of the concerned stakeholders, scientific aims and Japanese society at large. We conclude that in order to realize, establish and maintain these concepts, it is essential to put procedures into place to ensure the successful, consensus-based implementation of the RERF studies.

Health effects of atomic bomb radiation: RERF Adult Health Study

Health effects of atomic bomb radiation: RERF Adult Health Study

Japanese Legacy Cohorts: The Life Span Study Atomic Bomb Survivor Cohort and Survivors' Offspring.

Cohorts of atomic bomb survivors—including those exposed in utero—and children conceived after parental exposure were established to investigate late health effects of atomic bomb radiation and its transgenerational effects by the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) in the 1950s. ABCC was reorganized to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in 1975, and all work has been continued at RERF. The Life Span Study, the cohort of survivors, consists of about 120,000 subjects and has been followed since 1950. Cohorts of in utero survivors and the survivors’ children include about 3,600 and 77,000 subjects, respectively, and have been followed since 1945. Atomic bomb radiation dose was estimated for each subject based on location at the time of the bombing and shielding conditions from exposure, which were obtained through enormous efforts of investigators and cooperation of subjects. Outcomes include vital status, cause of death, and cancer incidence. In addition, sub-cohorts of these three cohorts were constructed to examine clinical features of late health effects, and the subjects have been invited to periodic health examinations at clinics of ABCC and RERF. They were also asked to donate biosamples for biomedical investigations. Epidemiological studies have observed increased radiation risks for malignant diseases among survivors, including those exposed in utero, and possible risks for some non-cancer diseases. In children of survivors, no increased risks due to parental exposure to radiation have been observed for malignancies or other diseases, but investigations are continuing, as these cohorts are still relatively young.

Detection of de novo single nucleotide variants in offspring of atomic-bomb survivors close to the hypocenter by whole-genome sequencing

Ionizing radiation released by the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 caused many long-term illnesses, including increased risks of malignancies such as leukemia and solid tumours. Radiation has demonstrated genetic effects in animal models, leading to concerns over the potential hereditary effects of atomic bomb-related radiation. However, no direct analyses of whole DNA have yet been reported. We therefore investigated de novo variants in offspring of atomic-bomb survivors by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). We collected peripheral blood from three trios, each comprising a father (atomic-bomb survivor with acute radiation symptoms), a non-exposed mother, and their child, none of whom had any past history of haematological disorders. One trio of non-exposed individuals was included as a control. DNA was extracted and the numbers of de novo single nucleotide variants in the children were counted by WGS with sequencing confirmation. Gross structural variants were also analysed. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to the study. There were 62, 81, and 42 de novo single nucleotide variants in the children of atomic-bomb survivors, compared with 48 in the control trio. There were no gross structural variants in any trio. These findings are in accord with previously published results that also showed no significant genetic effects of atomic-bomb radiation on second-generation survivors.

Thyroid Cancer: Molecular Characteristics of Radiation-Associated Papillary Thyroid Cancer, with a Special Reference to of Atomic Radiation Exposure

Among atomic-bomb (A-bomb) survivors of Hiroshima and , incidence of thyroid cancer significantly increased after exposure to nuclear radiation. This review will focus on the initiating gene alterations in the development of adult-onset papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) among A-bomb survivors. The effects of A-bomb radiation on chromosomal rearrangements (RET and NTRK1 rearrangements) and point mutations (BRAF and RAS mutations) after exposure were different. In contrast to PTC cases with point mutations, PTC cases with chromosomal rearrangements were observed more frequently among those exposed to high radiation doses compared to low doses, and these cases developed cancer earlier after exposure than did cases with point mutations. Interestingly, PTC cases with non-detected gene alterations were found more frequently among patients who were exposed to high radiation doses and who developed cancer earlier after radiation exposure than did the cases with BRAF point mutation. This suggests that heretofore non-detected gene alterations may also be involved in adult-onset PTC among A-bomb survivors.

Incidence of multiple primary cancers in Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors: Association with radiation exposure

To assess the effects of atomic bomb radiation on the incidence of multiple primary cancers (MPC), we analyzed the association between the incidence of second primary cancers in survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, and exposure distance. The incidence rate (IR) of a second primary cancer was calculated and stratified by the distance from the hypocenter and age at the time of bombing for the years 1968 through 1999. The IR of the first primary cancer was also calculated and compared with the second primary cancer to determine whether atomic bomb radiation was associated with the multiplicity of tumors. There were 511 confirmed cases of MPC in the 7572 cancer-bearing survivors. The crude IR was 27.6 per 100,000 person-years. The IR of second primaries decreased significantly with increasing distance from the hypocenter: relative risk, 0.89 per 1.0 km; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.94. A significant decrease was also noted for those of older ages at the time of the bombing, based on the attained age of the second primary cancer: relative risk, 0.91 per 1 year; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.92. These findings suggest that the radiation has affected the incidence of MPC. Furthermore, when compared with the first primary cancer, a stronger distance effect was suggested on the occurrence of a second primary cancer in the survivors. The present study suggests the significance of atomic bomb radiation on MPC in the survivors. These results on the incidence of MPC in the tumor-bearing survivors and its correlations with the atomic bombing of 62 years ago are described for the first time in this report.

Long-term health consequences of atomic bomb radiation: RERF Life Span Study

Abstract. To determine the possible late health effects of atomic-bomb radiation, Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) has been conducting mortality follow-up on a fixed cohort of 120,000 members (Life Span Study cohort or LSS cohort) since 1950. Through record linkage with local cancer registries in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, RERF has also been conducting cancer incidence studies of atomic bomb survivors since 1958. The central finding of the study is an increase in cancer risk. Besides the increase in leukemia risk, increase in risks of solid cancers such as cancers of the breast, lung and colon have also been demonstrated. Radiation-induced leukemia occurred 2 to 3 years after exposure, reached its peak within 6 to 8 years after the bombing, and has since declined steadily. However, radiation-related solid cancer began to appear at later years and the risk still remains to be present, even today. An increase of solid cancer risk appears to be larger for those exposed as children than those exposed as adults. However, since a majority of those exposed as children are still alive and risk estimates for them are uncertain at this stage, it is essential to continue their follow-up. Recently, the LSS also demonstrates an excess risk of death from non-cancer diseases, largely from cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory diseases. Further investigation is of absolute necessity in order to determine whether or not the excess was caused by atomic bomb radiation.

Application of Array-CGH method to the study on the genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation. Summary of a pilot study.

Application of Array-CGH method to the study on the genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation. Summary of a pilot study.

The F Value for Chromosome Aberrations in Atomic Bomb Survivors Does Not Provide Evidence for a Primary Contribution of Neutrons to the Dose in Hiroshima

Brenner and Sachs (Radiat. Res. 140, 134-142, 1994) proposed that the ratio of interchromosomal to intrachromosomal exchanges, termed the F value, can be a cytogenetic fingerprint of exposure to radiations of different linear energy transfer (LET). Using published data, they suggested that F values are over 10 for low-LET radiations and approximately 6 for high-LET radiations. Subsequently, as F values for atomic bomb survivors were reported to be around 6, Brenner suggested that the biological effects of atomic bomb radiation in Hiroshima are due primarily to neutrons. However, the F values used for the survivors were means from individuals exposed to various doses. As the F-value hypothesis predicts a radiation fingerprint at low doses, we analyzed our own data for the survivors in relation to dose. G-banding data for the survivors showed F values varying from 5 to 8 at DS86 doses of 0.2 to 5 Gy in Hiroshima and around 6 in Nagasaki with no evidence of a difference between the two cities. The results are consistent with our in vitro data that the F values are invariably around 6 for X and gamma rays at doses of 0.5 to 2 Gy as well as two types of fission-spectrum neutrons at doses of about 0.2 to 1 Gy. Thus, apart from a possible effect at even lower doses, current data do not provide evidence to support the proposition that the biological effects of atomic bomb radiation in Hiroshima are caused mainly by neutrons.

Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body

Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body

Book Reviews

Abstract Abstract Chemical Exposure and Disease: Diagnostic and Investigative Techniques by Janette D. Sherman, M.D. Princeton Press, Inc. (New Jersey, U.S.A.). Reviewed by Kaye H. Kilburn. Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body I. Shigematsu, C. Ito, N. Kamada, M. Akiyama, and H. Sasaki—Editors Translated by B. Harrison Harwood Academic Publishers (Switzerland) and Bunkodo Co. Ltd. (Japan). Reviewed by John R. Goldsmith. Advances in Occupational Medicine and Rehabilitation Update on Benzene (Vol. 1, No. 2) M. Imbriani, S. Ghiltori, G. Pezzegoro, E. Capodaglio—Editors Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, Edizioni (Pavia, Italy). Reviewed by Kaye H. Kilburn.

Reviews and Notes: Nuclear Medicine: Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body

Literature of Medicine15 July 1996Reviews and Notes: Nuclear Medicine: Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human BodyEugene L. Saenger, MD and Edward B. Silberstein, MDEugene L. Saenger, MDUniversity of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0577Search for more papers by this author and Edward B. Silberstein, MDUniversity of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0577Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-125-2-199607150-00037 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail I Shigematsu, C Ito, N Kamada, M Akiyama, and H Sasaki. 419 pages. Tokyo: Harwood Academic Publishers; 1996. $50.00. ISBN 3718654180. Order phone 800-565-9523.The early and later effects of the nuclear bombs detonated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 are the most extensive and reliable measures of the long-term effects of ionizing radiation on humans. These findings have been incorporated into radiation protection standards adopted internationally.The authors, who are Japanese and highly qualified, have surveyed the extensively detailed data and present a careful analysis, comparing their findings with research in other populations who had similar exposures, as recorded ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0577 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 15 July 1996Volume 125, Issue 2Page: 159-160KeywordsGastric cancerGeneticsIonizing radiationLung and intrathoracic tumorsMolecular epidemiologyMultiple myelomaMutationPopulation geneticsPopulation statisticsThyroid ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 July 1996 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1996 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...

Genetic analysis of children of atomic bomb survivors.

Studies are under way for the detection of potential genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation at the DNA level in the children of survivors. In a pilot study, we have examined six minisatellites and five microsatellites in DNA derived from 100 families including 124 children. We detected a total of 28 mutations in three minisatellite loci. The mean mutation rates per locus per gamete in the six minisatellite loci were 1.5% for 65 exposed gametes for which mean parental gonadal dose was 1.9 Sv and 2.0% for 183 unexposed gametes. We detected four mutations in two tetranucleotide repeat sequences but no mutations in three trinucleotide repeat sequences. The mean mutation rate per locus per gamete was o% for the exposed gametes and 0.5% for the unexposed gametes in the five microsatellite loci. No significant differences in the mutation rates between the exposed and the unexposed gametes were detected in these repetitive sequences. Additional loci are being analyzed to increase the power of our study to observe a significant difference in the mutation rates at the 0.05 level of significance.

Effects of A-bomb radiation on the human body

Effects of A-bomb radiation on the human body

Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body

Released just before the 50th anniversary of the first and second wartime uses of atomic weapons, this book collects and summarizes the adverse health effects resulting from the detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is an expanded version of the<i>A-Bomb Radiation Effects Digest</i>published in 1993 and previously reviewed in<i>JAMA</i>.¹Both volumes have been adapted from the publication of the data in Japanese (<i>Genbaku Hoshasen no Jintai Eikyou</i>), with subsequent translation into English. This larger volume contains 20 major sections written by 39 Japanese authors, who compile and collate the literature and research on adverse health effects in the survivors into 1991. The book begins with a brief overview of the physical destructive effects of the bombs, then turns to the radiation releases and subsequent health effects. Because of the importance of exposure to understanding the health effects, the various exposure and dose estimates are compared beginning

Book Review Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body Edited by the Hiroshima International Council for Medical Care of the Radiation-Exposed, with Itsuzo Shigematsu, Chikako Ito, nanao Kamada, Mitoshi Akiyama, and Hideo Sasaki. 419 pp. Langhorne, Pa., Harwood Academic, 1995. $50. 3-7186-5418-0

Book Review Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body Edited by the Hiroshima International Council for Medical Care of the Radiation-Exposed, with Itsuzo Shigematsu, Chikako Ito, nanao Kamada, Mitoshi Akiyama, and Hideo Sasaki. 419 pp. Langhorne, Pa., Harwood Academic, 1995. $50. 3-7186-5418-0

Prospective cohort study of risk factors for primary liver cancer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

We investigated risk factors for primary liver cancer among a cohort of 36,133 residents in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, originally established to examine the association between exposure to atomic bomb radiation and disease. A mail survey to study the late effects of atomic bomb radiation was conducted among the cohort between 1978 and 1981. During the subsequent follow-up period (average 8.61 years), 242 cases of primary liver cancer were identified through population-based tumor registries in the two cities. The relative risk (RR) of liver cancer was 2.23 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.53-3.23] for tobacco smokers compared with those who had never smoked. Alcohol use was slightly positively associated with the risk of liver cancer, and men who had quit drinking had an RR of 2.33 (95% CI = 1.34-4.07) compared with those who never drank. Among alcohol drinkers, an inverse relation between years of abstinence and the rate of liver cancer was found, possibly attributable to a confounding effect of preclinical disease. The use of female hormone preparations was modestly associated with the risk of liver cancer (RR = 1.29; 95% CI = 0.59-2.84). Other risk factors included a self-reported history of radiation therapy (RR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.31-2.43).

A-Bomb Radiation Effects Digest

During the past 49 years, since the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both Japanese and US scientists have attempted to understand the medical and physical effects of those detonations. A major compilation of that work was published in 1992 as Genbaku Hoshasin no Jintai Eikyou (Effects of A-Bomb Radiation on the Human Body ). Because of the great length and scientific complexity of the compendium by 39 authors, making it incomprehensible for laypersons and others not involved in radiation research, this brief, simplified digest outlining major findings was written. The digest contains 12 chapters, a summary, a glossary, and three forewords. Each chapter outlines the major findings, with the first chapter providing the physical and mechanical damage data correlated with location and casualty estimates. Chapters 2 through 12 summarize and outline graphically the major findings related to malignant disease, endocrine and metabolic diseases, ocular lesions, dermatologic effects, chromosome aberrations, mutations,

A-bomb survivors: further evidence of late effects of early deaths.

Reanalysis of A-bomb survivor data has shown the following: a) in the high-dose (> 1 Gy) subgroups of the life span study cohort of 5-y survivors, there is a significant deficit of individuals who were < 10 y or > 50 y at the time of the bomb; and b) in the cohort on in utero children, there is a significant deficit of individuals who were < 8 wk of fetal age when exposed. This paper discusses how this selection bias has affected the perception of three effects of A-bomb radiation: marrow damage, carcinogenesis, and second-generation effects.

Mortality and Cancer Risk among the Offspring (F1) of Atomic Bomb Survivors

The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) and its successor Radiation Effect Research Foundation (RERF) has over the years conducted many studies to determine possible genetic effects of atomic bomb radiation among the offspring of atomic bomb survivors. Findings concerning mortality and cancer incidence of the offspring are summarized in this chapter.