Cytokine status in Ukrainian children with irritable bowel syndrome residing in a radioactive contaminated area.

BACKGROUND: The effect of low dose radiation on immune system is shown. Ionizing radiation can affect cytokine production and polarization of T helper cells. OBJECTIVE: The current study focused on ionizing radiation in Ukrainian children residing in a contaminated area with clinical irritable bowel syndrome. METHOD: Our study included 75 rural children population aged 4-18 yrs, who lived in a contaminated area exposed to natural environmental radiation with clinical irritable bowel syndrome (categorized in three groups) and 20 rural children participants aged 5-15 yrs who were living in areas with similar levels of radioactive contamination without clinical irritable bowel syndrome as control group. Internal radiation activity was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry. Serum levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: A trend towards increased levels of IL-4 was observed in children with clinical irritable bowel syndrome. In these children, IFN-γ levels were lower than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: The IBS symptoms in Ukrainian children residing in a contaminated area may have stemmed from Th1 to Th2 immune deviation and differential expression of IL-4 and IFN-γ.

Dysbiosis in ukrainian children with irritable bowel syndrome affected by natural radiation.

OBJECTIVE: Microbiota has an important role in human metabolism, nutrition, immunity, and protection against colonization by pathogenic microorganisms. Radiation can harm the beneficial members of the gastrointestinal tract flora. METHODS: Our study included 75 rural children aged 4-18 years, who lived in contaminated area exposed to natural environmental radiation with clinical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and 20 healthy urban participants aged 5-15 as control group. The intestinal bacterial microbiota was examined from stool samples. FINDINGS: Our results indicated the population levels of microbiota such as Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Bifidbacterium in caecal contents in 61 subjects (81.3%) was significantly less than in control group. CONCLUSION: We investigated alternation of the intestinal microbiota affected by ionizing radiation in children with clinical symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Low internal radiation alters innate immune status in children with clinical symptom of irritable bowel syndrome.

Adverse health effect of low radiation is clear. The aim of this study was to determine effect of internal low radiation on innate immune status in Ukrainian children with spastic colitis as a result of Chernobyl disaster. The test population consisted of 95 participants: 75 rural participants with clinical symptom of irritable bowel syndrome, aged 4 to 18, who lived in a contaminated area exposed to radio nucleotide due to the disaster in reactor in Chernobyl nuclear power plant (categorized in three groups) and 20 healthy urban participants from Kiev, aged 5 to 15, as the control group. Internal radiation activity has been measured by gamma-ray spectrometry. Peripheral blood leukocytes were analyzed for CD16(+) subset, serum concentration of circulation immune complex was measured by the polyethylene glycol method. Phagocytic activity function was assessed by using latex article and phagocytic index were calculated. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Percent of CD16(+) cell in groups II and III increased significantly in comparison to control group (p < 0.05). Concentration of circulating immune complexes increased significantly in all study groups compared to control group (p < 0.001). Phagocytes activity and phagocyte index decreased significantly in all study groups in comparison to control group (p < 0.001). The innate immune status of study groups has changed. Our data have demonstrated that this change may be related to radioactivity from technogenic pollution due to the disaster in reactor in Chernobyl nuclear power plant.