No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology

Inevitable human exposure to ionizing radiation from man-made sources has been increased with the proceeding of human civilization and consequently public concerns focus on the possible risk to human health. Moreover, Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents after the 2011 East-Japan earthquake and tsunami has brought the great fear and anxiety for the exposure of radiation at low levels, even much lower levels similar to natural background. Health effects of low dose radiation less than 100 mSv have been debated whether they are beneficial or detrimental because sample sizes were not large enough to allow epidemiological detection of excess effects and there was lack of consistency among the available experimental data. We have reviewed an extensive literature on the low dose radiation effects in both radiation biology and epidemiology, and highlighted some of the controversies therein. This article could provide a reasonable view of utilizing radiation for human life and responding to the public questions about radiation risk. In addition, it suggests the necessity of integrated studies of radiobiology and epidemiology at the national level in order to collect more systematic and profound information about health effects of low dose radiation.
DNA Damage/drug effects ; Environmental Exposure ; Humans ; Leukemia/epidemiology/etiology ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/epidemiology ; *Radiation Dosage ; Radiation Tolerance ; *Radiation, Ionizing ; Radioactive Hazard Release ; Risk

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced ; etiology ; mortality ; Nuclear Warfare ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation Injuries ; etiology ; mortality ; Radioactive Hazard Release ; Risk ; Ukraine ; epidemiology

No abstract available.
Adult ; Carcinogens/toxicity ; Environmental Exposure ; Genome, Human/radiation effects ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/epidemiology/etiology/*genetics ; *Nuclear Power Plants ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Thyroid Neoplasms/epidemiology/etiology/*genetics

BACKGROUNDOur previous studies revealed cyclicity in the incidence rate of skin malignant melanoma (SMM; ICD9, Dx:172) in the Czech Republic (period T=7.50-7.63 years), UK (T=11.00 years) and Bulgaria (T=12.20 years). Incidences compared with the sunspot index Rz (lag-period dT=+2, +4, +6, +10 or +12 years) have indicated that maximal rates are most likely to appear on descending slopes of the 11-year solar cycle, i.e., out of phase. We summarized and explored more deeply these cyclic variations and discussed their possible associations with heliogeophysical activity (HGA) components exhibiting similar cyclicity.

METHODSAnnual incidences of SMM from 5 countries (Czech Republic, UK, Bulgaria, USA and Canada) over various time spans during the years 1964-1992 were analyzed and their correlations with cyclic Rz (sunspot number) and aa (planetary geomagnetic activity) indices were summarized. Periodogram regression analysis with trigonometric approximation and phase-correlation analysis were applied.

RESULTSPrevious findings on SMM for the Czech Republic, UK and Bulgaria have been validated, and cyclic patterns have been revealed for USA (T=8.63 years, P<0.05) and Canada (Ontario, T=9.91 years, P<0.10). Also, various 'hypercycles' were established (T=45.5, 42.0, 48.25, 34.5 and 26.5 years, respectively) describing long-term cyclic incidence patterns. The association of SMM for USA and Canada with Rz (dT=+6 and +7 years, respectively) and aa (dT=-10 and +9 years, respectively) was described. Possible interactions of cyclic non-photic influences (UV irradiation, Schumann resonance signal, low-frequency geomagnetic fluctuations) with brain waves absorbance, neuronal calcium dynamics, neuro-endocrine axis modulation, melatonin/serotonin disbalance and skin neuro-immunity impairment as likely causal pathways in melanoma appearance, were also discussed.

CONCLUSIONThe above findings on cyclicity and temporal association of SMM with cyclic environmental factors could not only allow for better forecasting models but also lead to a better understanding of melanoma aetiology.

Cosmic Radiation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Forecasting ; Humans ; Male ; Melanoma ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Models, Biological ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Periodicity ; Regression Analysis ; Skin Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Solar Activity

Radiation risk has become well known through epidemiological studies of clinically or occupationally exposed populations, animal experiments, and in vitro studies; however, the study of radiation related or induced disease has been limited in Korea. This study is to find the level of occupational radiation exposure for various kinds of accidents, compensated occupational diseases, related studies, and estimations on future occupational disease risks. Research data of related institutions were additionally investigated. About 67% of 62,553 radiation workers had no exposure or less than 1.2 mSv per year. The 5 reported cases on radiation accident patients in Korea occurred during nondestructive testing. According to the recent rapid increase in the number of workers exposed to radiation, a higher social recognition of cancer, and an increasing cancer mortality rate, it is expected that occupational disease compensation will rapidly increase as well. Therefore, it is important to develop scientific and objective decision methods, such as probability of causation and screening dose in the establishment of an exposure and health surveillance system.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced/*epidemiology ; Nuclear Power Plants ; Occupational Diseases/*epidemiology/etiology ; Occupational Exposure ; Radiation Injuries/*epidemiology ; *Radiation, Ionizing ; Radioactive Hazard Release/*statistics & numerical data ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

Many Koreans, in addition to Japanese, were killed or injured by the atomic bombs detonated over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. Our study examined noncancer diseases of Korean A-bomb survivors in residence at Hapcheon, Republic of Korea and evaluated whether they had significantly higher prevalence of noncancer diseases than non-exposed people. We evaluated a number of tests, including anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood chemistry, hepatitis B surface antigen, and urinalysis, of survivors (n=223) and controls (n=372). Univariate analysis revealed significantly lower fasting glucose and creatinine, and higher diastolic blood pressure, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and blood urea nitrogen levels in the survivors than in the controls. The calculation of crude prevalence ratios (PRs) revealed that A-bomb survivors had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (PR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.00-1.35) and chronic liver disease (2.20; 1.59-3.06) than controls. After adjusting for covariates (age, sex, body mass index, marital status, education, alcohol consumption, and smoking), A-bomb survivors had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension (1.24; 1.06-1.44), chronic liver disease (2.07; 1.51-2.84), and hypercholesterolemia (1.79; 1.11-2.90) than controls. This study suggests that A-bomb exposure is associated with a higher prevalence of non-cancer diseases in Korean survivors.
Survivors ; Radioactive Fallout ; Radiation Injuries/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Nuclear Warfare ; Neoplasms ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; Japan ; Humans ; Female ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Abnormalities, Radiation-Induced

BACKGROUND: The Korea Radiation Effect & Epidemiology Cohort METHODS: Using the KREEC-R raw data, we calculated age standardized rates (ASRs) of female thyroid cancer and re-analyzed the results of survey on the use of medical services. We also marked the administrative districts of residents who received the Radiation Health Research Institute (RHRI) health examinations and those in which thyroid cancer case occurred as per the Chonnam National University Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) final report on maps where the locations of NPPs and 5 km-radii around them were also indicated. And we compared the incidence rates of Radiation-induced cancer measured between the first period when RHRI health examinations were not yet implemented, and the second period when the RHRI health examinations were implemented. RESULTS: The ASR for the far-distance group, which comprised residents living in areas outside the 30 km radius of the NPPs, increased rapidly after 2000; however, that of the exposed group, which comprised residents living within a 5 km radius of the NPPs, started to increase rapidly even before 1995. The frequencies of the use of medical services were significantly higher in the intermediate proximate group, which comprised residents living within a 5–30 km radius of the NPPs, than in the exposed group in women. In case of female thyroid cancer, the second period ASR was higher than the first period ASR, but in case of female liver cancer and female stomach cancer no significant difference were observed between the periods. On map, many administrative districts of residents who received RHRI health examinations and most administrative districts in which thyroid cancer case occurred on RIMS final report were outside 5 km-radii around NPPs. CONCLUSIONS: We could not find any evidence supporting the assertion that detection bias influenced the increased risks of female thyroid cancer observed in the exposed group of the KREEC-R study, as opposed to the control group.
Academies and Institutes ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cohort Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Korea ; Liver Neoplasms ; Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced ; Nuclear Power Plants ; Radiation Effects ; Radius ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms