| 1. |
- Ainsbury, Elizabeth A., et al.
(author)
-
Inter- and intra-laboratory comparison of a multibiodosimetric approach to triage in a simulated, large scale radiation emergency
- 2014
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 90:2, s. 193-202
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The European Union's Seventh Framework Programme-funded project 'Multi-disciplinary biodosimetric tools to manage high scale radiological casualties' (MULTIBIODOSE) has developed a multiparametric approach to radiation biodosimetry, with a particular emphasis on triage of large numbers of potentially exposed individuals following accidental exposures. In November 2012, an emergency exercise took place which tested the capabilities of the MULTIBIODOSE project partners. The exercise described here had a dual purpose: Intercomparison of (i) three biodosimetric assays, and (ii) the capabilities of the seven laboratories, with regards to provision of triage status for suspected radiation exposed individuals. Materials and methods: Three biological dosimetry tools - the dicentric, micronucleus and gamma-H2AX (the phosphorylated form of member X of histone H2A, in response to DNA double-strand breaks) foci assays - were tested, in addition to provision of the triage status results (low exposure: <1 Gy; medium exposure: 1-2 Gy; high exposure: >2 Gy) by the MULTIBIODOSE software. The exercise was run in two modes: An initial triage categorisation of samples (based on the first dose estimates for each assay received from each laboratory) followed by collation of the full set of estimated doses (all the results from all modes of each assay carried out by the participating laboratories) calculated using as many modes of operation as possible of the different assays developed during the project. Simulated acute whole body and partial body exposures were included. Results: The results of the initial triage categorisation and the full comparison of assays and methods within and between laboratories are presented here. Conclusions: The data demonstrate that the MULTIBIODOSE approach of applying multiparametric tools to radiation emergencies is valid and effective.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ainsbury, Elizabeth A., et al.
(author)
-
Uncertainty of fast biological radiation dose assessment for emergency response scenarios
- 2017
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 93:1, s. 127-135
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Reliable dose estimation is an important factor in appropriate dosimetric triage categorization of exposed individuals to support radiation emergency response. Materials and methods: Following work done under the EU FP7 MULTIBIODOSE and RENEB projects, formal methods for defining uncertainties on biological dose estimates are compared using simulated and real data from recent exercises. Results: The results demonstrate that a Bayesian method of uncertainty assessment is the most appropriate, even in the absence of detailed prior information. The relative accuracy and relevance of techniques for calculating uncertainty and combining assay results to produce single dose and uncertainty estimates is further discussed. Conclusions: Finally, it is demonstrated that whatever uncertainty estimation method is employed, ignoring the uncertainty on fast dose assessments can have an important impact on rapid biodosimetric categorization.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ainsbury, Elizabeth, et al.
(author)
-
Integration of new biological and physical retrospective dosimetry methods into EU emergency response plans - joint RENEB and EURADOS inter-laboratory comparisons
- 2017
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 93:1, s. 99-109
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: RENEB, 'Realising the European Network of Biodosimetry and Physical Retrospective Dosimetry,' is a network for research and emergency response mutual assistance in biodosimetry within the EU. Within this extremely active network, a number of new dosimetry methods have recently been proposed or developed. There is a requirement to test and/or validate these candidate techniques and inter-comparison exercises are a well-established method for such validation. Materials and methods: The authors present details of inter-comparisons of four such new methods: dicentric chromosome analysis including telomere and centromere staining; the gene expression assay carried out in whole blood; Raman spectroscopy on blood lymphocytes, and detection of radiation induced thermoluminescent signals in glass screens taken from mobile phones. Results: In general the results show good agreement between the laboratories and methods within the expected levels of uncertainty, and thus demonstrate that there is a lot of potential for each of the candidate techniques. Conclusions: Further work is required before the new methods can be included within the suite of reliable dosimetry methods for use by RENEB partners and others in routine and emergency response scenarios.
|
|
| 4. |
- Blomstrand, Malin, 1974, et al.
(author)
-
Different reactions to irradiation in the juvenile and adult hippocampus
- 2014
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 90:9, s. 807-815
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Cranial radiotherapy is an important tool in the cure of primary brain tumors. Unfortunately, it is associated with late-appearing toxicity to the normal brain tissue, including cognitive impairment, particularly in children. The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood but involve changes in hippocampal neurogenesis. Recent studies report essentially different responses in the juvenile and the adult brain after irradiation, but this has never been verified in a comparative study. Materials and methods: We subjected juvenile (9-day-old) and adult (6-month-old) male rats to a single dose of 6 Gray (Gy) whole brain irradiation and euthanized them 6 hours, 7 days or 4 weeks later. Hippocampal lysates were analyzed for caspase-3 activity (apoptosis) and the expression of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Four weeks after irradiation, the number of microglia (expressing ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, Iba-1), activated microglia (expressing cluster of differentiation 68 [CD68]), bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and granule cell layer (GCL) volume were assessed. Results: The major findings were (i) higher baseline BrdU incorporation (cell proliferation) in juvenile than in adult controls, which explains the increased susceptibility to irradiation and higher level of acute cell death (caspase activity) in juvenile rats, leading to impaired growth and subsequently a smaller dentate gyrus volume 4 weeks after irradiation, (ii) more activated (CD68-positive) microglia in adult compared to juvenile rats, regardless of irradiation, and (iii) differently expressed cytokines and chemokines after cranial irradiation in the juvenile compared to the adult rat hippocampus, indicating a more pro-inflammatory response in adult brains. Conclusion: We found essentially diverse irradiation reactions in the juvenile compared to the adult hippocampus, indicating different mechanisms involved in degeneration and regeneration after injury. Strategies to ameliorate the cognitive deficits after cranial radiotherapy should therefore likely be adapted to the developmental level of the brain.
|
|
| 5. |
- Boström, Martina, et al.
(author)
-
A role for endothelial cells in radiation-induced inflammation
- 2018
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 94:3, s. 259-271
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To unravel the role of the vasculature in radiation-induced brain tissue damage.Materials and methods: Postnatal day 14 mice received a single dose of 10Gy cranial irradiation and were sacrificed 6h, 24h or 7 days post-irradiation. Endothelial cells were isolated from the hippocampus and cerebellum using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, followed by cell cycle analysis and gene expression profiling.Results: Flow cytometric analysis revealed that irradiation increased the percentage of endothelial cells, relative to the whole cell population in both the hippocampus and the cerebellum. This change in cell distribution indicates that other cell types are more susceptible to irradiation-induced cell death, compared to endothelial cells. This was supported by data showing that genes involved in endothelial cell-specific apoptosis (e.g. Smpd1) were not induced at any time point investigated but that genes involved in cell-cycle arrest (e.g. Cdkn1a) were upregulated at all investigated time points, indicating endothelial cell repair. Inflammation-related genes, on the other hand, were strongly induced, such as Ccl2, Ccl11 and Il6.Conclusions: We conclude that endothelial cells are relatively resistant to ionizing radiation but that they play an active, hitherto unknown, role in the inflammatory response after irradiation. In the current study, this was shown in both the hippocampus, where neurogenesis and extensive cell death after irradiation occurs, and in the cerebellum, where neurogenesis no longer occurs at this developmental age.
|
|
| 6. |
- Boström, Martina, et al.
(author)
-
The hippocampal neurovascular niche during normal development and after irradiation to the juvenile mouse brain.
- 2014
-
In: International journal of radiation biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1362-3095 .- 0955-3002. ; 90:9, s. 778-89
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To investigate the effects of cranial irradiation on the neurovascular niche in the young brain. Disruption of this niche has previously been observed in the adult rat brain after irradiation.We subjected postnatal day 14 (P14) mice to a single dose of 8 Gy whole brain irradiation and measured the distance between microvessels and either neural progenitor cells (doublecortin-positive, DCX(+)) or proliferating cells (Ki-67(+)) in the dorsal hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) 6 hours, 1 week and 7 weeks post-irradiation. In addition, pericyte coverage of microvessels in the SGZ was measured.DCX(+) and Ki-67(+) cells were located closer to microvessels in the adult brain compared to young, still growing brains, constituting new information on normal development. We found an increased distance between microvessels and DCX(+) cells 6 h post-irradiation and between microvessels and Ki-67(+) cells 1 week post-irradiation. Furthermore, pericyte coverage was transiently decreased by 17% 6 h post-irradiation.The hippocampal neurovascular niche in the young, growing brain is transiently disrupted by irradiation. It remains to be elucidated what role these transient changes play in the apparently permanent ablation of hippocampal neurogenesis previously demonstrated in the same model.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Brehwens, Karl, 1983-, et al.
(author)
-
Micronucleus frequencies and clonogenic cell survival in TK6 cells exposed to changing dose rates under controlled temperature conditions
- 2014
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 90:3, s. 241-247
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: In most exposure scenarios the dose rate of exposure is not constant. Despite this, very little information exists on the possible biological effects of exposing cells to radiation under the conditions of a changing dose rate. The current study highlights interesting effects following exposure under these conditions.Materials and methods: We constructed a new exposure facility that allows exposing cells inside an incubator and used it to irradiate human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells both after a moderate (0.48 Gy) and a high (1.1 Gy) dose, where the change in dose rate was, respectively, ≈ 17-fold change (2.2 - 37 mGy/min) and ≈ 39-fold (2.7 - 106 mGy/min). Clonogenic survival and micronuclei (MN) induction were the chosen endpoints.Results: The obtained results confirm the outcome of our first study that TK6 cells exposed to a decreasing dose rate express more MN than cells exposed to an increasing or constant dose rate. The effect was not seen after the moderate dose of 0.48 Gy or detectable at the level of clonogenic cell survival.Conclusions: We speculate that the high level of MN is probably related to a delayed elimination of damaged cells by interphase death, as opposed to mechanisms relating to DNA damage and repair.
|
|
| 10. |
- Brzozowska, Beata, et al.
(author)
-
RENEB accident simulation exercise
- 2017
-
In: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 93:1, s. 75-80
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The RENEB accident exercise was carried out in order to train the RENEB participants in coordinating and managing potentially large data sets that would be generated in case of a major radiological event. Materials and methods: Each participant was offered the possibility to activate the network by sending an alerting email about a simulated radiation emergency. The same participant had to collect, compile and report capacity, triage categorization and exposure scenario results obtained from all other participants. The exercise was performed over 27 weeks and involved the network consisting of 28 institutes: 21 RENEB members, four candidates and three non-RENEB partners. Results: The duration of a single exercise never exceeded 10 days, while the response from the assisting laboratories never came later than within half a day. During each week of the exercise, around 4500 samples were reported by all service laboratories (SL) to be examined and 54 scenarios were coherently estimated by all laboratories (the standard deviation from the mean of all SL answers for a given scenario category and a set of data was not larger than 3 patient codes). Conclusions: Each participant received training in both the role of a reference laboratory (activating the network) and of a service laboratory (responding to an activation request). The procedures in the case of radiological event were successfully established and tested.
|
|
