Regions Of Belarus Research Articles

The molecular characteristics of the blood testosterone binding globulin and their regulation

Molecular characteristics of the testosterone binding globulin (TeBG) were investigated in microaliquots of human serum samples using [3H]5-α-dihydrotestosterone radioligand assays. Under experimental conditions used TeBG demonstrated high conformational plasticity and ability to adopt three conformational states (oligo-, di-, and monomeric forms) with different functional activities. The blood TeBG parameters undergo significant changes in dependence of physiological conditions of an organism and also after negative external treatments, as shown in children living Chernobyl contaminated regions of Belarus. Preparations of a lipid polyene complex from the basidiomycete Laetiporus sulphureus exhibited in vitro high activity in correction of high affinity and positive cooperativity of TeBG interaction with its androgen ligand. This represents a basis for subsequent development of a new highly effective method for pharmacological correction of blood hormone transport characteristics altered under conditions of reproductive dysfunctions.

Homicide in post-Soviet Belarus: urban-rural trends

To investigate the occurrence of homicide in urban and rural regions of Belarus in the post-Soviet period. All-age male and female homicide mortality and population data were obtained for the years 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005 for urban and rural regions of Belarus. These data were recalculated into three age categories and directly standardised. To assess relative changes in rural-urban homicide rates across time Poisson regression models were used to calculate rate ratios. Between 1990 and 1995 homicide rates rose sharply in urban and rural regions although the rise was greater in the former. Although there was little change in homicide rates in 2000, a notable divergence had occurred by 2005. While homicide rates rose slightly in rural areas, a large fall occurred in the rates of both men and women in urban areas. This resulted in significantly higher rural homicide rate ratios at the end of the study period. With some variations age-specific homicide rates followed this overall general pattern resulting in significantly higher homicide rate ratios in all rural groups aged 15 and above in 2005. It is probable that a combination of factors such as high levels of poverty, the effects of alcohol consumption, as well as the poor provision of emergency medical services underlie both the high levels of lethal violence and the growing rural-urban divergence in homicide rates in contemporary Belarus. Urgent action is now needed to address the deteriorating social and economic conditions underpinning violence, especially in rural regions.

Gene polymorphism of the renin-angiotensin system in six ethnogeographic regions of Belarus

The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) and the T174M polymorphism of the angiotensinogen gene (AGT) have been studied in six ethnic/geographic regions of Belarus. Significant intrapopulation differences in ACE genotype frequencies have been found for the northern and eastern regions (the Dvina and Dnepr basins, respectively). Significant differences in the AGT genotype frequencies have been found between populations of the Dnepr basin and populations of all other Belarusian regions. The allele and genotype frequencies of the genes studied in the Belarusian population and populations of other regions of the world have been compared. The frequencies of the insertion (I) and deletion (D) alleles of the ACE gene in the Belarusian population are 50.7 and 49.3%, respectively, which is similar to these frequencies in European countries. The frequency of the M allele of the AGT gene in Belarus is 16.6%, which is higher than its frequency in populations of European, African, and Asian origins.

Suicide in urban and rural regions of Belarus, 1990-2005

summary Objective: To examine the occurrence of suicide in urban and rural regions of Belarus in the post-Soviet period. Study design: Unlinked cross-sectional study using data drawn from four time points. Methods: Age- and gender-specific suicide data for urban and rural regions of Belarus were obtained from the Belarus Ministry of Statistics for the years 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. The data were recalculated into seven age categories and then directly standardized. Poisson regression models were used to assess changes in urban–rural suicide rate ratios across the four time points. Results: Between 1990 and 2000, the suicide rate rose sharply in Belarus. It started to reduce after 2000, but in 2005 it was still much higher than its initial level. The same was true for urban and rural suicide rates and for male suicide rates in all regions combined. However, after 1995, there was a divergence between gender-specific rates in urban and rural areas. A small reduction in urban suicide rates for both genders contrasted with a sharp increase in suicide rates among men and women in rural areas. By 2005, although suicide rates had fallen from their 2000 level for both genders in urban and rural locations, the decrease was much smaller in rural areas. These changes resulted in a deteriorating rural–urban suicide ratio across the period 1990–2005, with suicide rates among nearly every rural male age group remaining extreme after 1995. Although it is probable that a deteriorating social and economic situation has underpinned increasing suicide rates in all regions, there may be factors that are specific to rural locations, such as increasing social isolation and poor provision of medical services, that account for the extreme suicide rates now being recorded there.

Molecular characterisation of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates from Gomel region, Belarus

This study describes the characterisation by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) typing and antimicrobial resistance profiles of 35 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates, mostly from infections in children who acquired an infection outside hospitals in the Gomel region of Belarus. Thirty-one isolates were highly similar according to PFGE and MLVA typing, were multidrug-resistant, including resistance to ceftiofur, and harboured the bla(CTX-M-5) gene. These results indicate that a common source may have been responsible for most of the infections.

An extended critical review of twenty years of countermeasures used in agriculture after the Chernobyl accident

A wide range of different countermeasures has been used to mitigate the consequences of the Chernobyl accident for agriculture in affected regions in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The paper comprehensively brings together key data on countermeasure application over twenty years for all three countries and critically evaluates the response to the accident with respect to agriculture. The extents of countermeasures implementation in various periods following the ChNPP accident are documented. Examples of best practices and drawbacks in remediation of affected areas are identified. Data on the effectiveness of agricultural countermeasures have been evaluated and the impact of countermeasures implementation to mitigate consequences of the accident has been assessed for the period 1986-2006. Implementation of agricultural countermeasures averted 30-40% of the internal collective dose that would have been received by the residents of affected regions without the use of countermeasures. The current situation in agriculture of areas subjected to contamination following the Chernobyl accident is described. Current and future needs for remediation, including a consideration of various strategies of rehabilitation of affected areas are presented.

Uncertainties in individual doses in a case-control study of thyroid cancer after the Chernobyl accident

Individual radiation doses to the thyroid were reconstructed for 2239 subjects of a case-control study of thyroid cancer among young people that was carried out in regions of Belarus and Russia contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Although the process of dose reconstruction provides a point estimate of each subject's dose, it is obvious that there is uncertainty associated with these dose calculations. The following main sources of uncertainty in the estimated individual doses were identified: (1) shared and unshared errors associated with parameters of the dosimetry model; and (2) unshared errors that are associated with the variability, reliability and ability of information from the personal interviews. Besides setting up proper distributions for the parameters of the dosimetry model, inter-individual correlations were also defined to take into account shared errors. By the application of Monte Carlo simulations, a set of approximately log-normally distributed thyroid doses was obtained for each subject; the geometric standard deviations of the distributions are found to vary among individuals from 1.7 to 3.7.

Testing the Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis: Replication and Refinement with Regional Suicide Data from Eastern Europe

Multiple lines of evidence indicate specific genetic contributions to suicidal behavior. In particular, geographic studies support the Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis, i.e., genetic differences between populations may partially account for geographic patterns of suicide prevalence. Specifically, within Europe the high suicide-rate nations constitute a contiguous J-shaped belt. The present research replicated and extended 2003 findings of Voracek, Fisher, and Marusic with new data. Across 37 European nations, an interaction term of squared latitude multiplied with longitude (quantifying the J-shaped belt) accounted for 32% of the cross-national variance in total suicide rates alone, while latitude accounted merely for 18% of variance over and above those. Refined analysis included regional data from countries critical for testing the hypothesis (89 regions of Belarus, western Russia, and the Ukraine) and yielded an even more clear-cut pattern (56% and 3.5%, respectively). These results are consistent with the Finno-Ugrian Suicide Hypothesis. Study limitations and directions for further research are discussed.

Language And Identity in Transforming Borderlands Case of North-West Belarus

The North-West region of Belarus as an ethno-cultural bordering area demonstrates the tendency towards linguistic homogeneity with the sustainability of the identities of its communities. On the basis of a constructivistic approach the models of the identification process in the region are grounded. In the framework of these models the opportunities of interpretation of the present-day linguistic structure and specificity of linguistic processes are revealed. Â

Y-STR variation among Slavs: evidence for the Slavic homeland in the middle Dnieper basin

A set of 18 Y-chromosomal microsatellite loci was analysed in 568 males from Poland, Slovakia and three regions of Belarus. The results were compared to data available for 2,937 Y chromosome samples from 20 other Slavic populations. Lack of relationship between linguistic, geographic and historical relations between Slavic populations and Y-short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype distribution was observed. Two genetically distant groups of Slavic populations were revealed: one encompassing all Western-Slavic, Eastern-Slavic, and two Southern-Slavic populations, and one encompassing all remaining Southern Slavs. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on Y-chromosomal STRs showed that the variation observed between the two population groups was 4.3%, and was higher than the level of genetic variance among populations within the groups (1.2%). Homogeneity of northern Slavic paternal lineages in Europe was shown to stretch from the Alps to the upper Volga and involve ethnicities speaking completely different branches of Slavic languages. The central position of the population of Ukraine in the network of insignificant AMOVA comparisons, and the lack of traces of significant contribution of ancient tribes inhabiting present-day Poland to the gene pool of Eastern and Southern Slavs, support hypothesis placing the earliest known homeland of Slavs in the middle Dnieper basin.

Thyroid cancer in Belarus after Chernobyl

Abstract. During 20 years after the Chernobyl catastrophe (1986–2005 inclusive) thyroid cancer was diagnosed in more than 12,000 patients of Belarus. The peak incidence in children was observed in 1995 and since 2001 only sporadic cases occur in the age group under 15 years old. In adolescents, the maximum was registered in 2001. By contrast, in the age group of 46 years or over, the current tendency is a marked increase in the number of primary thyroid cancers that dictates a correspondent intensification of special kinds of treatment. Despite a great number of patients, disease-associated mortality remains stably low; the increasing incidence indicates that thyroid malignancies have proved an actual medical problem in 5 of the 6 administrative regions of Belarus.

Integral evaluation of239Pu and240Pu masses in the Chernobyl fallout on the territory of Belarus

The activity ratio of the ∞-radioactive ssion fragments such as 95 Zr, 103;106 Ru, 141;144 Ce for the evaluation of the total fi-activity of 239 Pu + 240 Pu isotopes in the soil of Gomel and Mogilev regions of Belarus is presented. We have taken into account a possible uctuation of these ratios around their average values. Experimental data for several settlements in Gomel and Mogilev regions were also analysed, and a good correlation between theoretical evaluation and experimental data was obtained.

Molecular characterization of rpoB gene mutations in rifampicine‐resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from tuberculosis patients in Belarus

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, location and type of rpoB mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from patients in Belarus. Tuberculosis cases are increasing every year in Belarus. Moreover, resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs, especially to rifampicine, has increased. In this study, 44 rifampicine-resistance M. tuberculosis clinical isolates (including multidrug-resistant isolates) were subjected to DNA sequencing analysis of the hypervariable region (hot-spot) of the rpoB gene originating from different geographical regions in Belarus. Sixteen different types of mutations were identified. The most common point mutations were in codons 510 (47.7%), 526 (45.5%), 523 (40.86%) and 531 (29.5%). Eleven isolates (27.7%) carried one mutation and 23 (52%), 7 (16%), 3 (7%) of isolates carried 2, 3 and 4 mutations, respectively. A characteristic, prominent finding of this study was high frequency of multiple mutations in different codons of the rpoB gene (27.7%) and also the detection of unusual types of mutations in the 510 codon, comprising CAG mutations (deletion or changing, to CTG, CAC or CAT). In our study, the change TTG in codon 531 was found in 92% of isolates and the change TGC in 8% of isolates. A TAC change in codon 526 was not found, but the GAC change was found in all isolates. Isolates of M. tuberculosis isolated in Belarus were characterized by the wide spectrum of the important mutations and might belong to the epidemic widespread clones.

Breast cancer in Belarus and Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident

An increase in breast cancer incidence has been reported in areas of Belarus and Ukraine contaminated by the Chernobyl accident and has become an issue of public concern. The authors carried out an ecological epidemiological study to describe the spatial and temporal trends in breast cancer incidence in the most contaminated regions of Belarus and Ukraine, and to evaluate whether increases seen since 1986 correlate to radiation exposure from the Chernobyl accident. The authors investigated the trends through age-cohort-period-region analyses of district-specific incidence rates of breast cancer for Gomel and Mogilev regions of Belarus and Chernigiv, Kyiv and Zhytomir regions of Ukraine. Dose-response analyses were based on Poisson regression, using average district-specific whole body doses accumulated since the accident from external exposure and ingestion of long-lived radionuclides. The study demonstrated increases in breast cancer incidence in all areas following the Chernobyl accident, reflecting improvements in cancer diagnosis and registration. In addition, a significant 2-fold increase in risk was observed, during the period 1997-2001, in the most contaminated districts (average cumulative dose of 40.0 mSv or more) compared with the least contaminated districts (relative risk [RR] in Belarus 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51-3.32 and in Ukraine 1.78, 95% CI=1.08-2.93). The increase, though based on a relatively small number of cases, appeared approximately 10 years after the accident, was highest among women who were younger at the time of exposure and was observed for both localised and metastatic diseases. It is unlikely that this excess could be entirely due to the increased diagnostic activity in these areas.

DYNAMICS OF IODINE SUPPLY OF POPULATION IN SOME REGIONS OF BELARUS IN 1996-2005

In the last decade iodine supply of numerous Belarussian regions has significantly improved due to steady activities of its government and international organization (UNISEF/WHO). Reduction of iodine deficiency in the surveyed regions of Belarus was caused mainly by widespread use of iodine salt by the population and increased uptake of iodine-containing food.

Chernobyl: the fear of the unknown

People living in contaminated regions of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine 'need not live in fear of serious health consequences' and UNSCEAR forecasts that 'generally positive' prospects for the future health of most individuals should prevail.

Childhood leukaemia in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine following the Chernobyl power station accident: results from an international collaborative population-based case–control study

There is little evidence regarding the risk of leukaemia in children following exposure to radionuclides from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion on April 26, 1986. This population-based case-control study investigated whether acute leukaemia is increased among children who were in utero or <6 years of age at the time of the Chernobyl accident. Confirmed cases of leukaemia diagnosed from April 26, 1986 through December 31, 2000 in contaminated regions of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine were included. Two controls were matched to each case on sex, birth year, and residence. Accumulated absorbed radiation dose to the bone marrow was estimated for each subject. Median estimated radiation doses of participants were <10 mGy. A significant increase in leukaemia risk with increasing radiation dose to the bone marrow was found. This association was most evident in Ukraine, apparent (but not statistically significant) in Belarus, and not found in Russia. Taken at face value, these findings suggest that prolonged exposure to very low radiation doses may increase leukaemia risk as much as or even more than acute exposure. However the large and statistically significant dose-response might be accounted for, at least in part, by an overestimate of risk in Ukraine. Therefore, we conclude this study provides no convincing evidence of an increased risk of childhood leukaemia as a result of exposure to Chernobyl radiation, since it is unclear whether the results are due to a true radiation-related excess, a sampling-derived bias in Ukraine, or some combination thereof. However, the lack of significant dose-responses in Belarus and Russia also cannot convincingly rule out the possibility of an increase in leukaemia risk at low dose levels.

Comment to: Zalutskaya A, Bornstein SR, Mokhort T, Garmaev D (2004) Did the Chernobyl incident cause an increase in type 1 diabetes mellitus incidence in children and adolescents? Diabetologia 47:147–148 (Letter)

To the Editor: In the previous issue of Diabetologia, Zalutskaya et al. [1] evaluated the relation-ship between radiation contamination from the Chernobyl incident and the incidence of type 1 diabetes in two different regions of Belarus, i.e. the regions surrounding Gomel (highly exposed to radiation) and Minsk (minimally ex-posed), respectively. They found an increased incidence of the disease in the Gomel region as compared with the Minsk region. This finding is in contrast with the results of Bandurska-Stankiewicz et al. [2], who reported that in the region of Warmia and Mazury in the north of Poland, which was similarly exposed to the nuclear material released by the reactor explosion from Chernobyl, the incidence of type 1 diabetes did not increase after the event. In our previous study of 34 patients (20 males and 14 females, aged 5.4–18.2 years) with acute or chronic leukaemia or non-malignant diseases, who underwent total body irradiation (TBI) or thoraco-abdominal irradiation (TAI) before autologous or allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) [3], we evaluated beta cell function by IVGTT with measurement of first-phase insulin response and the insulinaemia : glycaemia ratio. None of the patients had autoantibodies against beta cells (islet cell autoantibodies and insulin autoantibodies). All patients had normal fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels, whereas insulin levels, the insulinaemia : glycaemia ratio and the firstphase insulin response were significantly higher in patients than in control subjects, particularly in those who underwent TBI. Our data suggest that children given TBI may develop a state of insulin resistance, as more recently reported by Taskinen et al. [4], who found a high risk of insulin resistance in patients who underwent TBI before BMT in childhood. Moreover, in personnel who took part in the cleaning-up operation after the Chernobyl nuclear incident, hyperinsulinaemia was observed and was interpreted to be a direct or indirect consequence of irradiation [5]. Conversely, histochemical studies on the effect of lethal total body X-ray irradiation on the pancreas of dogs saved by autologous BMT showed that, while the exocrine pancreas was markedly reduced, the endocrine component was better preserved, especially insulin and pancreatic polypeptide secretory cells [6]. We therefore suggest that all subjects, particularly children, exposed to irradiation should be regularly investigated for early markers of risk of diabetes. In Japan, mass screening for diabetes in adult survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bomb between 1971 and 1992 revealed a 2.1-fold increase in prevalence in males and a 2.0-fold increase in females [7].

Patterns of childhood mortality in a region of Belarus, 1980–2000

The public health infrastructure of the former Soviet Union was impacted by both the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the Soviet breakup in 1991. This paper examines mortality patterns among children aged 1-14 years within the Mogilev region of Belarus between 1980 and 2000. This study utilized a regional cohort design that included all childhood deaths (ages 1-14 years) occurring among persons residing within the Mogilev oblast of Belarus between 1980 and 2000. Patterns of death and death rates were examined across three intervals: 1980-1985 (pre-Chernobyl), 1986-1991 (post-Chernobyl and pre-Former Soviet Union (FSU) breakup) and 1992-2000 (post-Chernobyl and post-FSU breakup) based upon administrative death files. Annual death rates among children aged 1-4 years declined between 1980 and 2000, while mortality rates among children aged 5-9 years and 10-14 years remained steady over this time period. Average annual mortality rates among males aged 5-9 years and 10-14 years increased significantly between 1986 and 1991. Compared to the baseline interval, mortality among both males and females aged 1-4 years was significantly decreased during 1986-1990 and 1992-2000. In general, mortality rates among males were 24%-95% greater compared to females. Injuries and poisonings accounted for the largest proportion of deaths across all age and gender groups examined. Subsequent to the Chernobyl disaster, significant decreases were noted in mortality rates among children aged 1-4 years while mortality rates among children aged 5-9 and 10-14 remained stable. Similar to the findings in other countries, injuries and poisonings predominated as the leading cause of death among Belarussian children.

Urinary 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine in Belarussian Children Relates to Urban Living Rather Than Radiation Dose After the Chernobyl Accident: A Pilot Study

As a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, exposure to radioactive cesium is still a concern in the contaminated regions of Belarus. We tested the hypothesis that long-term radiation exposure from the Chernobyl accident might increase the urinary excretion of the oxidative stress marker, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), in Belarussian children. Urinary 8-OHdG was determined in two groups of children (-n = 31 and n = 46) -living in contaminated and uncontaminated areas of Belarus, respectively (the majority of the unexposed children lived in the capital Minsk). The children from the contaminated areas had a significantly higher annual summary effective dose but significantly lower urinary 8-OHdG levels than the children from the uncontaminated areas. Unexpectedly, children living in uncontaminated urban areas had significantly higher urinary 8-OHdG levels than children living in uncontaminated rural areas. There was no statistically significant effect of sex or body mass index on urinary 8-OHdG, but there was a weak significant inverse correlation to age as well as to the annual summary effective dose. These findings suggest that radiation from the Chernobyl accident is now a less important contributor to oxidative stress in Belarussian children than urban living.