Comparative investigation of anticlastogenic effects in cell cultures of healthy donors and patients with nettle-rash.

In cultures of lymphocytes from 12 healthy donors and 12 patients with nettle-rash (NR) the anticlastogenic effect of the antimutagens WR-2721 (WR), bemitil (BM), tomerzol (TM) and interferon (IF) on the induction of chromosomal aberrations by photrin (PT) and dioxidine (DX) was investigated. There were no statistically significant differences between healthy donors and patients with NR in the levels of chromosomal aberrations that were spontaneous or induced by PT or DX. Statistically significant protective effects of BM, WR, TM and IF were demonstrated in cells of healthy donors after treatment with PT or DX, and after modification of the clastogenic action of PT in lymphocytes of NR patients. There was no protective effect of any of the anticlastogens after treatment of the lymphocyte cultures from NR patients with DX. That observation allows us to suggest the test of anticlastogenic action as a measure of sensitivity of the chromosomal apparatus in groups with different genetic risks.

Chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of persons exposed to an earthquake in Armenia.

OBJECTIVE: This study attempted to determine the level of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes of victims of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia. METHODS: Chromosome aberrations were measured in blood samples taken from 41 victims of the earthquake that hit Armenia in 1988 and in samples of 47 reference blood donors. The victims suffered from severe psychoemotional stress but were otherwise healthy. All the samples were taken 2 to 3 weeks after the earthquake. All the subjects were lifetime nonsmokers. The cells were scored blind as to the exposure status. RESULTS: The subjects exposed to the earthquake had a higher proportion of cells with chromosome aberrations [3.1 (SD 2.1)%] than the referents [1.7 (SD 1.3)%, P-value for the difference 0.0009]. The difference persisted when the values were adjusted for age and gender [relative risk (RR) 1.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.4-2.5]. The difference was present for double breaks (RR 4.1, 95% CI 2.6-6.4), but not for single breaks (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8-1.7). The exposed subjects also had a lower percentage of cells with 46 chromosomes (P=0.03) than the referents. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests an increase in chromosome aberrations in the lymphocytes of victims of a severe earthquake as compared with the levels of referents. If not due to bias or confounding, the difference may reflect the effect of either environmental exposures related to the earthquake or severe psychogenic stress. The levels of chromosome aberrations found among the earthquake victims in this study are comparable with those found in prospective studies of long-term cancer risk.