[Relationship between risk factors of liver cancer and onset age in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region].

Objective: To investigate the clinical data of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region through questionnaire survey, explore the association between the risk factors of liver cancer and the onset age of disease in this area and provide evidence for prevention and treatment of liver diseases. Methods: A retrospectively analysis was conducted in 250 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma by using their clinical data collected through questionnaire survey to understand the relationship between gender, smoking, alcohol use, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, family history of liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, HBV infection, eating fish history and other factors and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma by univariate and logistic multivariate regression models. Results: Univariate regression analysis showed that hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and family history of liver cancer, HBV infection, cirrhosis, smoking, eating fish history were risk factors for the early onset of liver cancer, t=4.150, P<0.05; t=3.752, P<0.05; t=5.676, P<0.05; t=9.731, P<0.05; t=15.824, P<0.001; t=5.724, P<0.05; t=11.662, P<0.01; t=4.472, P<0.05, respectively, but logistic multivariate regression model analysis indicated that smoking, HBV infection were independent risk factors, OR=3.211(95%CI:1.134-4.642), OR=7.31(95%CI: 4.312-21.072). Conclusions: The risk factors affecting the age of liver cancer onset vary with area diet pattern alcohol use did not influenced the age of liver cancer onset, but smoking and HBV infection were the independent risk factors for early onset of liver cancer. It is necessary to strengthen the HBV infection prevention and control and advise people to quit smoking.

Effects of exposure to a 1950 MHz radio frequency field on expression of Hsp70 and Hsp27 in human glioma cells.

Human glioma MO54 cells were used to investigate whether radio frequency (RF) field exposure could activate stress response genes. Cells were exposed to continuous wave 1950 MHz or sham conditions for up to 2 h. Specific absorption rates (SARs) were 1, 2, and 10 W/kg. For the cell growth experiment, cell numbers were counted at 0-4 days after exposure. Expression of Hsp27 and Hsp70, as well as the level of phosphorylated Hsp27 (78Ser) protein, was determined by Western blotting. It was found that sham exposed and RF exposed cells demonstrated a similar growth pattern up to 4 days after RF field exposure. RF field exposure at both 2 and 10 W/kg did not affect the growth of MO54 cells. In addition, there were no significant differences in protein expression of Hsp27 and Hsp70 between sham exposed and RF exposed cells at a SAR of 1, 2, or 10 W/kg for 1 and 2 h. However, exposure to RF field at a SAR of 10 W/kg for 1 and 2 h decreased the protein level of phosphorylated Hsp27 (78Ser) significantly. Our results suggest that although exposure to a 1950 MHz RF field has no effect on cell proliferation and expression of Hsp 27 and Hsp70, it may inhibit the phosphorylation of Hsp27 at Serine 78 in MO54 cells.

Extremely low frequency magnetic fields and the promotion of H2O2-induced cell death in HL-60 cells.

PURPOSE: To test whether exposure to an extremely low frequency magnetic field (60 Hz, 5 mT) affects hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cell death in human leukaemia HL-60 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated with H2O2 with or without exposure to an extremely low frequency magnetic fields. Viable cells, apoptotic and necrotic cells were determined by annexin V flow cytometry assay. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-3, caspase-7, Bcl-2 and Bax) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: Simultaneous treatment with exposure to the magnetic field and H2O2 (85 or 100 microM) for 24 h increased the number of apoptotic and necrotic cells significantly, and significantly decreased the number of viable cells compared with cells treated with H2O2 alone. The protein levels of Bax and Bcl-2 showed no differences between H2O2-treated cells and those treated with both H2O2 and an extremely low frequency magnetic field. Exposure to the magnetic field also had no effect on H2O2-induced caspase-3 activation. However, the protein levels of active caspase-7 in cells simultaneously exposed to an extremely low frequency magnetic field and H2O2 for 2 and 8 h was higher than that of H2O2 treatment alone. In addition, simultaneous exposure to an extremely low frequency magnetic field and H2O2 caused poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage and induced early inactivation at 2 h, while H2O2 treatment alone did not produce this effect until 4 h. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that although the magnetic field itself cannot induce apoptosis and necrosis, it exerts a promoting effect on H2O2-induced cell death, and it demonstrates that caspase-7 as well as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase might be involved in this process.

Transient suppression of X-ray-induced apoptosis by exposure to power frequency magnetic fields in MCF-7 cells.

Epidemiological studies suggest that exposure to power frequency magnetic fields may be a risk factor for breast cancer in humans. To study the relationship between exposure to 60-Hz magnetic fields (MFs) and breast cancer, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and the expression of related proteins (p21, Bax, and Bcl-2) were determined in MCF-7 cells following exposure to magnetic fields (60 Hz, 5 mT) alone or in combination with X rays. It was found that exposure of MCF-7 cells to 60-Hz MFs for 4, 8, and 24 h had no effect on cell cycle distribution. Furthermore, 60-Hz MFs failed to affect cell growth arrest and p21 expression induced by X rays (4 Gy). Similarly, 60-Hz MFs did not induce apoptosis or the expression of Bax and Bcl-2, two proteins related to apoptosis. However, exposure of cells to 60-Hz MFs for 24 h after irradiation by X rays (12 Gy) significantly decreased apoptosis and Bax expression but increased Bcl-2 expression. The effects of exposure to 60-Hz MFs on X-ray-induced apoptosis and Bax and Bcl-2 expressions were not observed at 72 h. These data suggest that exposure to 60-Hz MFs has no effects on the growth of MCF-7 cells, but it might transiently suppress X-ray-induced apoptosis through increasing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio.

Increase in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase gene mutations by exposure to electric field.

Previously, we reported that exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic field (400 mT) increased in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) gene mutations. However, it is unclear these mutations were induced by magnetic field (MF), electric field (EF), or both. To explore this question, a new exposure apparatus for EF was manufactured. We observed an increase in HPRT gene mutations in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells after exposure to EF (10 V/m, 60 Hz) for 10 h. The mutant frequency by EF-exposure was an approximate 2-fold of that by sham-exposure. Our data suggest that the mutations induced by exposure of cells to the variable magnetic field at 400 mT may be, in part, due to the induced EF.

Increase in X-ray-induced mutations by exposure to magnetic field (60 Hz, 5 mT) in NF-kappaB-inhibited cells.

It is established that extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELFMF) at the flux densities, i.e., 5 mT and less, are not mutagenic. However, exposure to ELFMF enhances mutations induced by X-rays. In this study, we examined the effects of long-term exposure to 5 mT ELFMF on mutation induction and X-ray-induced mutations in human malignant glioma cells (MO54) with different mutant IkappaB-alpha (a critical inhibitor of NF-kappaB) genes. Cells were exposed or sham-exposed to 5 mT ELFMF for up to 8 days with or without initial X-rays (4 Gy), and the mutant frequency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) gene was analyzed. An obvious increase in X-ray-induced mutations was observed after treatment with ELFMF in combination with X-irradiation in MO54 cells with tyrosine mutant IkappaB-alpha gene other than with serine mutant IkappaB-alpha gene or vector alone. Exposure to ELFMF alone increased mutations significantly in MO54 cells with tyrosine mutant IkappaB-alpha gene. In addition, X-ray-induced apoptoic cells were increased in MO54-V cells after exposure to ELFMF, while an anti-apoptotic effect of magnetic field was found in MO54-SY4 cells. Our data suggest that exposure to 5 mT ELFMF may induce mutations and enhance X-ray-induced mutations, resulting from the inactivation of NF-kappaB through the inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation.

Exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields suppresses x-ray-induced transformation in mouse C3H10T1/2 cells.

We designed and manufactured equipment for exposure of cultured cells to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELFMF) at 5, 50, and 400 mT and examined the effect of ELFMF on cellular transformation in mouse C3H10T1/2 cells (clone 8). Transformed foci, Type II and Type III, were independently counted as transformants. The cells were exposed to ELFMF alone at 5, 50, and 400 mT for 24 h or X-irradiated with 3 Gy followed by the ELFMF exposure. No significant difference in the transformation was observed between sham-exposed control and the ELFMF exposure from 5 to 400 mT. The transformation frequency for X-rays plus ELFMF was decreasing compared with X-rays alone. When 12-O-tetra-decanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) was contained in the medium throughout the experiment, the transformation frequency by X-rays alone was elevated more. In the combined treatment with X-rays followed by ELFMF, the transformation frequency was slightly decreased at 50 and 400 mT even in the medium containing TPA. The long-term exposure at 5 mT suppressed both spontaneous and X-ray-induced transformations significantly. It is well known that overexpressing protein kinase C (PKC) failed to yield identifiable transformation of foci induced by ionizing radiation. We demonstrated previously that exposure to high-density ELFMF induced expression of several genes through an increase in PKC activity. From these results, it is suggested that ELFMF might suppress X-ray-induced transformation through activation of PKC by ELFMF.

Increased chromatid-type chromosomal aberrations in mouse m5S cells exposed to power-line frequency magnetic fields.

PURPOSE: To investigate the induction of chromosomal aberrations in mouse m5S cells after exposure to power-line frequency magnetic fields (extremely low frequency magnetic fields; ELFMF) at high-flux densities. MATERIAL AND METHOD: m5S cells were either untreated or pretreated during the G1 phase with mitomycin C (MMC, 1 microM) for 1 h or 3 Gy X-rays, and then exposed to ELFMF at three different flux densities (5 and 50 mT at 60 Hz, 400 mT at 50 Hz) for 40 h. Unexposed control cells were incubated for the same period in a conventional CO2 incubator. Chromosomal aberrations were analysed in the first post-treatment metaphases. Cell kinetics were assessed by DNA flow cytometry and the mitotic index. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: ELFMF enhanced the formation of spontaneous and MMC- or X-ray-induced chromosomal aberrations, in a flux-density-dependent manner. Statistically significant increases in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations were observed in cells exposed to 400 mT ELFMF with respect to unexposed controls. The aberrations induced by ELFMF were mostly chromatid-type, not chromosome-type. The cells exposed to 400 mT ELFMF exhibited a three-fold higher level of chromatid-type aberrations than did the unexposed cells. Flow cytometric and mitotic index analyses revealed that the S or G2 arrest following MMC or X-irradiation was more profound in ELFMF-exposed cells than in unexposed cells. Our results suggest that ELFMF can interfere with post-replication repair, resulting in increased levels of chromatid-type chromosomal aberrations induced spontaneously and by DNA damaging agents.