OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) irradiation on mice reproduction.

METHODSFemale/male Kunming mice, 6 - 8 weeks old, prior to mating, or female after pregnancy were treated with whole body irradiation by 6 x 10(4) V/m electromagnetic pulse (EMP) for five times. The pregnant mice were killed on the 18th days, and teratological markers were analysed.

RESULTSEMP irradiation caused no significant changes in most of female organ weight and organ/body weight ratio. But it caused significant shortening in tail length of live foetus in the female mice before conception (prior to mating) or after pregnancy (P < 0.05), and obvious decrease in male offspring ratio (0.85 +/- 0.09 vs 1.09 +/- 0.17, P < 0.05). The male offspring ratio also significantly decreased (0.76 +/- 0.18 vs 1.09 +/- 0.17, P < 0.01) after male mice irradiated by EMP. The tail length of live foetus was shortened and male offspring sex ratio was increased after both male and female mice were irradiated by EMP. EMP irradiation also caused a significantly higher fetal death rate than normal control (P < 0.05). The embryo absorption rate was increased after irradiation except that was decreased in male mice.

CONCLUSIONEMP irradiation has effect on pregnancy and offspring development in both male and female mice before mating and in female mice after pregnancy.

Animals ; Female ; Fetus ; radiation effects ; Male ; Mice ; Pregnancy ; Radiation ; Reproduction ; radiation effects

OBJECTIVE: We intended to calculate approximate fetal doses in pregnant women who underwent diagnostic radiology procedures and to evaluate the safety of their pregnancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We contacted hospitals in different cities in Turkey where requests for fetal dose calculation are usually sent. Fetal radiation exposure was calculated for 304 cases in 218 pregnant women with gestational ages ranging from 5 days to 19 weeks, 2 days. FetDose software (ver. 4.0) was used in fetal dose calculations for radiographic and computed tomography (CT) procedures. The body was divided into three zones according to distance from the fetus. The first zone consisted of the head area, the lower extremities below the knee, and the upper extremities; the second consisted of the cervicothoracic region and upper thighs; and the third consisted of the abdominopelvic area. Fetal doses from radiologic procedures between zones were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test and a Bonferroni-corrected Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The average fetal doses from radiography and CT in the first zone were 0.05 ± 0.01 mGy and 0.81 ± 0.04 mGy, respectively; 0.21 ± 0.05 mGy and 1.77 ± 0.22 mGy, respectively, in the second zone; and 6.42 ± 0.82 mGy and 22.94 ± 1.28 mGy, respectively, in the third zone (p < 0.001). Our results showed that fetal radiation exposures in our group of pregnant women did not reach the level (50 mGy) that is known to increase risk for congenital anomalies. CONCLUSION: Fetal radiation exposure in the diagnostic radiology procedures in our study did not reach risk levels that might have indicated abortion.
Female ; Fetus/*radiation effects ; Gestational Age ; Head/radiation effects ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; *Radiation Dosage ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk ; Software ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Turkey

To investigate the effect of low power helium neon laser (He-Ne laser) on the telomere length of human fetal lung diploid fibroblast (2BS) cell, we used the laser (gamma = 632. 8 nm, P = 2 mW) to treat the young 2BS cells. Cell growth and proliferation was observed through MTT method after treating with low power laser. The relative telomere length of 2BS cells was detected by fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR (q-PCR). The results showed that the cells of the treated groups grew better than the untreated groups. The telomere DNA length of the old 2BS cells, treated by low power He-Ne laser when they were young, was longer than that of untreated group. The results of the present study indicated that the low power He-Ne laser might decrease shortening rate of telomere and delay the aging of cells. Therefore, this study provides the experimental basis for us to further investigate the effect of low power laser on cell aging at the gene level.
Cell Line ; Cellular Senescence ; radiation effects ; Fetus ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; Humans ; Lasers ; Lung ; cytology ; Telomere Homeostasis ; radiation effects