Service-Learning Experiences Related to Health Support Activities for Residents Who Have Returned Home after Evacuation Due to a Radiation Disaster.

Hirosaki University has regularly offered health support activities to residents of X town in Fukushima, and thus, some interactive benefits are expected as a service-learning experience for nursing students. This study aimed to clarify the experiences of students who participated in service-learning and consider which methods and content were effective. In total, 52 nursing students were recruited into the program, which was held from 2018 to 2021. The roles of students included assisting in health consultations related to a radiation disaster. Questionnaires designed by researchers with experience in risk communication programs were conducted on the students after the program, and included the reasons why they joined, their most memorable experiences, and their opinions regarding required support for residents. The data were analyzed by content analysis. The nursing students thought about the health of residents through health support activities in the affected areas. Furthermore, by communicating with residents via on-site service-learning, they could experience the humanity of the residents and the current status of the affected areas, learn the importance of person-to-person relationships, and think about reconstruction. Thus, service-learning was found to be effective and to offer substantial benefits for both residents and students in affected areas.

Tomato Juice Consumption Could Improve Breast Skin Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIM: We investigated the beneficial effects of drinking tomato juice (TJ) rich in antioxidant carotenoids on irradiated skin following radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer patients. PATIENTS/METHODS: Twenty-three patients agreed to drink TJ (160 g/day for six months) after the completion of RT. Early and late adverse events (AEs) of irradiated skin were evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for AEs and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Global Cosmetic Rating System, respectively. RESULTS: With regard to early AEs, acute radiodermatitis of grade 1 was observed in most patients (22/23) at the end of RT. However, the grade of radiodermatitis rapidly changed to 0, 1 month after RT and starting TJ consumption. With regard to late AEs, most patients were in good or excellent dermal condition. CONCLUSION: TJ consumption could help in relieving and recovering from early AEs and decreasing the severity of late AEs of irradiated skin.

Quantitative assessment of radiodermatitis through a non-invasive objective procedure in patients with breast cancer.

Assessment of skin condition is necessary for providing advice regarding skin self-care to patients with breast cancer who have undergone radiation therapy. Acute and chronic phases of radiodermatitis were analyzed in patients using objective assessment tools in the present study. A total of 18 women who received radiation therapy for breast cancer were enrolled in the present study and their skin surface temperature (SST), hydration level of the skin surface (HL), melanin intensity (MI) and erythema intensity (EI) were measured prior to radiation therapy and six months thereafter. Furthermore, skin condition was assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). EI and MI levels at the irradiated site peaked upon the completion of radiation therapy and declined to baseline at 6 months. In contrast, SST levels were elevated at the irradiated site during radiation therapy (P<0.05) and plateaued after its completion. The same parameters in non-irradiated control sites remained unchanged during the study period. HL reached the minimum in irradiated and non-irradiated sites upon completion of radiation therapy. Although HL returned to baseline in the non-irradiated site 6 months after radiation therapy, it remained low in the irradiated site. No relationship between the CTCAE and EI level was observed. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that objective assessment tools, including SST and EI levels, were useful for assessing skin condition during radiodermatitis. The combination of the CTCAE and objective assessment tools will enable a more accurate assessment of radiodermatitis.

Mental and physical stress of the Fukushima disaster evacuees as estimated by the measurement of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine.

Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, a number of evacuees were forced to live in temporary housing and suffered mental and physical stress. However, few reports have used objective or quantitative indicators to determine the evacuee's level of stress. The aim of the present study was to serially estimate the mental and physical stress of the evacuees from 2013 to 2015 by using the oxidative stress marker, urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). A total of 773 evacuees from Namie town in Fukushima prefecture participated in the study. In the first year, 486 evacuees participated (age, 62.8±18.2 years; male/female, 217/269). Of these, 127 continually participated in the study for 3 years (age, 69.5±13.5 years; males/female 52/75) and 18.1% had no chronic disease after the first year. Urine samples were collected once per year. Urinary 8-OHdG was measured using immunochromatography and corrected by the concentration of urinary creatinine. For all the participants examined each year, mean values of urinary 8-OHdG significantly increased over time. For the 127 continual participants, mean values of urinary 8-OHdG were significantly higher in 2014 and 2015 than those in 2013. Age, gender and presence of chronic disease did not significantly influence the 8-OHdG values, suggesting that the stress level of the evacuees was not associated with these factors. The stress level of the individuals increased with the length of time spent living in the temporary housing. The evacuees in radiation disasters have different stressors from other natural disasters, which may accelerate mental and physical stress.

Possible benefits of tomato juice consumption: a pilot study on irradiated human lymphocytes from healthy donors.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate much of the DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. Among carotenoids, lycopene and ß-carotene, present in tomato juice, are known to be strong radical scavengers. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of tomato juice intake on the levels of DNA damage and oxidative stress in human whole blood induced by in vitro exposure to X-rays. METHODS: Ten healthy adults were asked to drink 190 g of tomato juice, containing 17 mg lycopene and 0.25 mg ß-carotene, per day for 3 weeks and then refrain from drinking it for 3 weeks. Peripheral whole blood samples were collected before and after the intake period of tomato juice and after the washout period. The blood samples were exposed in vitro to X-ray doses of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 2 Gy. Cytogenetic damage was measured using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay and the dicentrics (DIC) assay. The level of oxidative stress was determined using serum 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and plasma reactive oxygen metabolite-derived compounds (d-ROMs). The concentration of carotenoids in plasma was measured at the three time points. RESULTS: The levels of 8-oxo-dG tended to decrease during the intake period and increase during the washout period. A non-significant inverse correlation was noted between the plasma concentration of lycopene plus ß-carotene and the level of 8-oxo-dG (P = 0.064). The radiation-induced MN and DIC frequencies increased in a dose-dependent manner, and when compared at the same dose, the MN and DIC frequencies decreased during the intake period compared with those at baseline and then increased during the washout period. The results suggest that continuous tomato juice consumption non-significantly decreases extracellular 8-oxo-dG, d-ROMs, and MN. Tomato juice intake had minimal or no effect on radiation-induced 8-oxo-dG and d-ROMs. For most radiation doses, continuously tomato juice intake lowered the levels of MN and DIC. CONCLUSION: Tomato juice consumption may suppress human lymphocyte DNA damage caused by radiation, but further examination is required. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 2014-001 and 2014-R06.

Nutritional regulation of coupling factor 6, a novel vasoactive and proatherogenic peptide.

High sodium, high glucose, and obesity are important risk factors for age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVDs), stroke, and cancer. Coupling factor 6 (CF6) is released from vascular endothelial cells and functions as a circulating peptide that inhibits prostacyclin and nitric oxide generation by intracellular acidosis. High glucose elevates CF6 by activation of protein kinase C and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, whereas CF6 causes type 2 diabetes mellitus, resulting in a high glucose vicious cycle. Low glucose increases inhibitory factor peptide 1, an endogenous inhibitor of CF6. High salt intake increases CF6 through nuclear factor κB signaling, whereas CF6 induces salt-sensitive hypertension and salt-induced congestive heart failure. Oral administration of vitamin C cancels salt-induced increase in CF6, and estrogen replacement leads to the delayed onset of CF6-induced salt-sensitive hypertension and the rescue from cardiac systolic dysfunction. Because CF6 contributes to the onset of CVDs, nutritional regulation of CF6 will shed light on the understanding of preventive strategy and mechanisms for CVDs and a target for therapy.