Michael Quastel - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Michael Quastel
Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct 1, 1995
Health effects in connection with the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred 26 April 1986, are of w... more Health effects in connection with the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred 26 April 1986, are of widespread concern in Israel because about 100,000 people immigrated into the country from possibly contaminated zones between 1990 and 1993. Nonmalignant health disorders associated with Chernobyl exposure have been reported in populations from many regions of Byelorus, Ukraine, and Russia. Health problems are especially prominent among people who were deliberately exposed due to their involvement in cleanup work after the disaster (1-3). These clean-up workers are called "liquidators" because they participated in liquidating the sequelae of the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster. A major problem in the study of such environmental contamination is that valid and reliable measurements of exposure are not generally available (4). Most of our subjects had undergone measurements of the body burden of cesium-137, using a portable, whole-body counter, in the autumn of 1991 provided to us by the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare. This same isotope (137Cs) was the basis for mapping ground-level contamination by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (5) and Russian authorities. This map allowed us to classify the probable exposure of individuals according to the places they lived after the disaster, which is usually the place from which they emigrated. We thus defined two groups with different exposures to long-term Chernobyl radiation to determine if certain health effects differed between these groups. A third group, liquidators or salvage personnel, was presumed to be deliberately exposed to radiation in connection with their work assignments, and thus were subject to higher external and internal exposure, albeit to different isotopes and over different time periods, than the other two groups.
Fundamentals for the Assessment of Risks from Environmental Radiation, 1999
ABSTRACT Most of the physical and chemical processes involved in DNA damage induction have been c... more ABSTRACT Most of the physical and chemical processes involved in DNA damage induction have been characterized in general terms, both for UV and for ionizing radiations. The relative contributions of direct energy absorption and of indirect damage via reactive intermediates are broadly understood. Thus we have a general, although incomplete, picture of the influence of radiation type (wavelength for UV; quality or linear energy transfer (LET) for ionizing radiations) on biological outcome. Some aspects of the dose-effect relationships for DNA damage induction and of the kinetics of its repair are understood. These relationships provide key information for the development of mechanistic models of human risk/exposure relationships.
PubMed, Dec 1, 1997
, differs in several important ways from other reports. The conference was conceived as a forum f... more , differs in several important ways from other reports. The conference was conceived as a forum for the discussion of experimental and observational data concerning various aspects of human health as affected by different kinds of radiation. Although studies of the health impact of the Chernobyl
Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct 1, 1995
International Journal of Immunopharmacology, 1980
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2021
On April 26th, 1986 the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, causing the worst radiati... more On April 26th, 1986 the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, causing the worst radiation disaster in history. The aim was to estimate hospitalization rates among exposed civilians who later immigrated to Israel. We conducted a historical follow-up study, among persons exposed to Chernobyl ( n = 1128) using linked hospitalization records from Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC), compared with immigrants from other areas of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) ( n = 11,574), immigrants not from FSU ( n = 11,742) and native-born Israelis ( n = 8351), matched on age and gender ( N = 32,795). Hospitalizations for specific ICD-10 coded diagnostic groups were analyzed by exposure and comparison groups by gender and age at accident. In addition, the rate of hospitalization, and the duration of hospital days and the number of hospitalizations for these selected diagnostic groups was also calculated. Hospitalizations for specific ICD-10 coded diagnostic groups and for any hospitalization in these diagnostic groups in general were analyzed by exposure and comparison groups and by covariates (gender and age at accident). The rate of any hospitalization for the selected diagnostic groups was elevated in the low exposure Chernobyl group (51.1%), which was significantly higher than the immigrant (41.6%) and the Israel-born comparison group (35.1%) ( p < .01) but did not differ from either the high exposure group (46.9%) or the FSU comparison group (46.4%), according to the post-hoc tests. The total number of hospitalizations in the low exposure Chernobyl group (2.35) differed from the immigrant (1.73) and Israel comparison group (1.26) ( p < .01) but did not differ from the FSU comparison group (1.73) or the high exposure group (2.10). Low exposure women showed higher rates of circulatory hospitalizations (33.8%) compared to immigrants (22.8%) and Israeli born (16.5%), while high exposure women (27.5%) only differed from Israelis ( p < .01). Neither exposure group differed from FSU immigrant women on the rate of circulatory hospitalizations. Post-hoc tests showed that among women in the low exposure group, there was a significant difference in rate of hospitalizations for neoplasms (28.6%) compared to the three comparison groups; FSU (18.6%), immigrants (15.7%) and Israel (13.1) ( p < .01). Those among the low exposure group who were over the age of 20 at the time of the accident showed the higher rates of circulatory (51.2%) and neoplasm hospitalizations (33.3%), compared to the other immigrant groups ( p < .01). When controlling for both age at accident and gender, hospitalizations for neoplasms were higher among Chernobyl-exposed populations (RR = 1.65, RR = 1.77 for high and low-exposure groups, respectively) compared to other FSU immigrants (RR = 1.31) other immigrants (RR = 1.11) and Israeli born (RR = 1.0) after controlling for gender and age at accident. High RRs attributable to Chernobyl exposure were also found for circulatory diseases compared to other immigrants and Israeli born (RRs = 1.50, 1.47 for high and low exposure compared to 1.11. and 1.0, other immigrants and Israeli born, respectively). Endocrine problems and disorders of the eye also showed elevated RR compared to the immigrant comparison groups. Respiratory and mental disorders did not show any consistent association with Chernobyl exposure. The findings support unique Chernobyl morbidity associations only in some diagnostic groups, particularly for low exposure women. General immigration effects on hospitalizations compared to the Israeli born population were found on all diagnostic groups. There is a need to improve the services and medical follow-up for these Chernobyl exposed groups in specific diagnostic groups.
Advances in Neutron Capture Therapy, 1993
This report shows a new approach for linking the boronated polylysine(BPL) at specific sites on t... more This report shows a new approach for linking the boronated polylysine(BPL) at specific sites on the antibody that are distant from the antigen binding site, that is, to the group made functional by oxidation of the carbohydrate residues present at the CH2 region of the antibody. By this technique we estimate that over 104 boron atoms are bound per antibody molecule without demonstrable loss of immunoreactivity.
Fundamentals for the Assessment of Risks from Environmental Radiation, 1999
Cell Biology and Immunology of Leukocyte Function, 1979
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reduced binding of ouabain by chronic lymphocytic le... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reduced binding of ouabain by chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocytes. In a study described in the chapter, lymphocytes were separated from fresh heparinized human peripheral blood using Ficoll–Hypaque and were cultured in microtitration plates in 0.1 ml RPMI medium, buffered with 10 mM Hepes, at a cellular content of 105 per well. Phytohemagglutinin was used to stimulate the cells, DNA being measured by the incorporation of H3-thymidine. Ouabain binding to the lymphocytes at various concentrations was assessed using the tritiated glycoside. The uptake of K42 and Rb86 was measured at various intervals after administration of the isotopes to the medium surrounding the cells, using an automated cell harvester. Enrichment of the T and B lymphocyte subpopulations was carried out by the method of Gmelig–Meyling and Ballieux. The uptake of H3-ouabain and active transport of K42 and Rb86 by human lymphocytes, corresponding to different concentrations of ouabain in the culture medium, is illustrated in the chapter. Nearly mirror plots were observed for ouabain binding and the corresponding uptake of monovalent cation.
Cancer Neutron Capture Therapy, 1996
A neutron generator was investigated for a neutron source for BNCT. Neutron generators have some ... more A neutron generator was investigated for a neutron source for BNCT. Neutron generators have some obvious advantages over nuclear reactors for this purpose. The neutron source is the reaction D(d,n)3He. Moderation is done with heavy water. The optimal thickness of the heavy water layer was found to be 18 cm. To reduce the number of source neutrons, the beam should be used at angular interval 400–500 to the forward neutron direction. A beryllium reflector of thickness 20 cm was found to increase the neutron fluence by a factor of 4. The beam is clean of gamma rays.
Effect of melatonin on spontaneous contractions and response to 5-hydroxytryptamine of rat isolat... more Effect of melatonin on spontaneous contractions and response to 5-hydroxytryptamine of rat isolated ileum Article in British journal of pharmacology and chemotherapy · May 1965
Environmental health …, 1995
Health effects in connectionwith the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred26 April 1986, are of wid... more Health effects in connectionwith the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred26 April 1986, are of widespread concern in Israel because about 100,000 people immi-grated into the country from possibly con-taminated zones between 1990 and 1993. Nonmalignant health disorders ...
Experimental Cell Research, 1973
Journal of Clinical Medicine
The Chernobyl accident in 1986 spread ionizing radiation over extensive areas of Belarus and Ukra... more The Chernobyl accident in 1986 spread ionizing radiation over extensive areas of Belarus and Ukraine, leading to adverse health effects in exposed children. More than 30 years later, exposed children have grown and became parents themselves. This retrospective study from Israel was aimed to evaluate whether Chernobyl-exposed women are at higher risk for adverse reproductive outcomes. Exposed immigrants were identified as high or low exposure based on Caesium-137 soil contamination levels registered in the town they lived in. The exposed group was age matched with three comparison groups: non-exposed immigrant women from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) excluding Belarus and the Ukraine, immigrants from other countries (Non FSU) and Israeli-born women at a ratio of 1:10. Chernobyl-exposed women were more likely to be nulliparous and have fewer children (2.1 + 0.8 vs. 3.1 + 1.8, p < 0.001), were more likely to undergo fertility treatments (8.8% vs. 5.8%, adjusted OR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.04–...
Cell Biology and Immunology of Leukocyte Function
Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct 1, 1995
Health effects in connection with the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred 26 April 1986, are of w... more Health effects in connection with the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred 26 April 1986, are of widespread concern in Israel because about 100,000 people immigrated into the country from possibly contaminated zones between 1990 and 1993. Nonmalignant health disorders associated with Chernobyl exposure have been reported in populations from many regions of Byelorus, Ukraine, and Russia. Health problems are especially prominent among people who were deliberately exposed due to their involvement in cleanup work after the disaster (1-3). These clean-up workers are called "liquidators" because they participated in liquidating the sequelae of the Chernobyl nuclear power station disaster. A major problem in the study of such environmental contamination is that valid and reliable measurements of exposure are not generally available (4). Most of our subjects had undergone measurements of the body burden of cesium-137, using a portable, whole-body counter, in the autumn of 1991 provided to us by the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare. This same isotope (137Cs) was the basis for mapping ground-level contamination by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (5) and Russian authorities. This map allowed us to classify the probable exposure of individuals according to the places they lived after the disaster, which is usually the place from which they emigrated. We thus defined two groups with different exposures to long-term Chernobyl radiation to determine if certain health effects differed between these groups. A third group, liquidators or salvage personnel, was presumed to be deliberately exposed to radiation in connection with their work assignments, and thus were subject to higher external and internal exposure, albeit to different isotopes and over different time periods, than the other two groups.
Fundamentals for the Assessment of Risks from Environmental Radiation, 1999
ABSTRACT Most of the physical and chemical processes involved in DNA damage induction have been c... more ABSTRACT Most of the physical and chemical processes involved in DNA damage induction have been characterized in general terms, both for UV and for ionizing radiations. The relative contributions of direct energy absorption and of indirect damage via reactive intermediates are broadly understood. Thus we have a general, although incomplete, picture of the influence of radiation type (wavelength for UV; quality or linear energy transfer (LET) for ionizing radiations) on biological outcome. Some aspects of the dose-effect relationships for DNA damage induction and of the kinetics of its repair are understood. These relationships provide key information for the development of mechanistic models of human risk/exposure relationships.
PubMed, Dec 1, 1997
, differs in several important ways from other reports. The conference was conceived as a forum f... more , differs in several important ways from other reports. The conference was conceived as a forum for the discussion of experimental and observational data concerning various aspects of human health as affected by different kinds of radiation. Although studies of the health impact of the Chernobyl
Environmental Health Perspectives, Oct 1, 1995
International Journal of Immunopharmacology, 1980
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2021
On April 26th, 1986 the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, causing the worst radiati... more On April 26th, 1986 the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded, causing the worst radiation disaster in history. The aim was to estimate hospitalization rates among exposed civilians who later immigrated to Israel. We conducted a historical follow-up study, among persons exposed to Chernobyl ( n = 1128) using linked hospitalization records from Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC), compared with immigrants from other areas of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) ( n = 11,574), immigrants not from FSU ( n = 11,742) and native-born Israelis ( n = 8351), matched on age and gender ( N = 32,795). Hospitalizations for specific ICD-10 coded diagnostic groups were analyzed by exposure and comparison groups by gender and age at accident. In addition, the rate of hospitalization, and the duration of hospital days and the number of hospitalizations for these selected diagnostic groups was also calculated. Hospitalizations for specific ICD-10 coded diagnostic groups and for any hospitalization in these diagnostic groups in general were analyzed by exposure and comparison groups and by covariates (gender and age at accident). The rate of any hospitalization for the selected diagnostic groups was elevated in the low exposure Chernobyl group (51.1%), which was significantly higher than the immigrant (41.6%) and the Israel-born comparison group (35.1%) ( p < .01) but did not differ from either the high exposure group (46.9%) or the FSU comparison group (46.4%), according to the post-hoc tests. The total number of hospitalizations in the low exposure Chernobyl group (2.35) differed from the immigrant (1.73) and Israel comparison group (1.26) ( p < .01) but did not differ from the FSU comparison group (1.73) or the high exposure group (2.10). Low exposure women showed higher rates of circulatory hospitalizations (33.8%) compared to immigrants (22.8%) and Israeli born (16.5%), while high exposure women (27.5%) only differed from Israelis ( p < .01). Neither exposure group differed from FSU immigrant women on the rate of circulatory hospitalizations. Post-hoc tests showed that among women in the low exposure group, there was a significant difference in rate of hospitalizations for neoplasms (28.6%) compared to the three comparison groups; FSU (18.6%), immigrants (15.7%) and Israel (13.1) ( p < .01). Those among the low exposure group who were over the age of 20 at the time of the accident showed the higher rates of circulatory (51.2%) and neoplasm hospitalizations (33.3%), compared to the other immigrant groups ( p < .01). When controlling for both age at accident and gender, hospitalizations for neoplasms were higher among Chernobyl-exposed populations (RR = 1.65, RR = 1.77 for high and low-exposure groups, respectively) compared to other FSU immigrants (RR = 1.31) other immigrants (RR = 1.11) and Israeli born (RR = 1.0) after controlling for gender and age at accident. High RRs attributable to Chernobyl exposure were also found for circulatory diseases compared to other immigrants and Israeli born (RRs = 1.50, 1.47 for high and low exposure compared to 1.11. and 1.0, other immigrants and Israeli born, respectively). Endocrine problems and disorders of the eye also showed elevated RR compared to the immigrant comparison groups. Respiratory and mental disorders did not show any consistent association with Chernobyl exposure. The findings support unique Chernobyl morbidity associations only in some diagnostic groups, particularly for low exposure women. General immigration effects on hospitalizations compared to the Israeli born population were found on all diagnostic groups. There is a need to improve the services and medical follow-up for these Chernobyl exposed groups in specific diagnostic groups.
Advances in Neutron Capture Therapy, 1993
This report shows a new approach for linking the boronated polylysine(BPL) at specific sites on t... more This report shows a new approach for linking the boronated polylysine(BPL) at specific sites on the antibody that are distant from the antigen binding site, that is, to the group made functional by oxidation of the carbohydrate residues present at the CH2 region of the antibody. By this technique we estimate that over 104 boron atoms are bound per antibody molecule without demonstrable loss of immunoreactivity.
Fundamentals for the Assessment of Risks from Environmental Radiation, 1999
Cell Biology and Immunology of Leukocyte Function, 1979
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reduced binding of ouabain by chronic lymphocytic le... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reduced binding of ouabain by chronic lymphocytic leukemia lymphocytes. In a study described in the chapter, lymphocytes were separated from fresh heparinized human peripheral blood using Ficoll–Hypaque and were cultured in microtitration plates in 0.1 ml RPMI medium, buffered with 10 mM Hepes, at a cellular content of 105 per well. Phytohemagglutinin was used to stimulate the cells, DNA being measured by the incorporation of H3-thymidine. Ouabain binding to the lymphocytes at various concentrations was assessed using the tritiated glycoside. The uptake of K42 and Rb86 was measured at various intervals after administration of the isotopes to the medium surrounding the cells, using an automated cell harvester. Enrichment of the T and B lymphocyte subpopulations was carried out by the method of Gmelig–Meyling and Ballieux. The uptake of H3-ouabain and active transport of K42 and Rb86 by human lymphocytes, corresponding to different concentrations of ouabain in the culture medium, is illustrated in the chapter. Nearly mirror plots were observed for ouabain binding and the corresponding uptake of monovalent cation.
Cancer Neutron Capture Therapy, 1996
A neutron generator was investigated for a neutron source for BNCT. Neutron generators have some ... more A neutron generator was investigated for a neutron source for BNCT. Neutron generators have some obvious advantages over nuclear reactors for this purpose. The neutron source is the reaction D(d,n)3He. Moderation is done with heavy water. The optimal thickness of the heavy water layer was found to be 18 cm. To reduce the number of source neutrons, the beam should be used at angular interval 400–500 to the forward neutron direction. A beryllium reflector of thickness 20 cm was found to increase the neutron fluence by a factor of 4. The beam is clean of gamma rays.
Effect of melatonin on spontaneous contractions and response to 5-hydroxytryptamine of rat isolat... more Effect of melatonin on spontaneous contractions and response to 5-hydroxytryptamine of rat isolated ileum Article in British journal of pharmacology and chemotherapy · May 1965
Environmental health …, 1995
Health effects in connectionwith the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred26 April 1986, are of wid... more Health effects in connectionwith the Chernobyl explosion, which occurred26 April 1986, are of widespread concern in Israel because about 100,000 people immi-grated into the country from possibly con-taminated zones between 1990 and 1993. Nonmalignant health disorders ...
Experimental Cell Research, 1973
Journal of Clinical Medicine
The Chernobyl accident in 1986 spread ionizing radiation over extensive areas of Belarus and Ukra... more The Chernobyl accident in 1986 spread ionizing radiation over extensive areas of Belarus and Ukraine, leading to adverse health effects in exposed children. More than 30 years later, exposed children have grown and became parents themselves. This retrospective study from Israel was aimed to evaluate whether Chernobyl-exposed women are at higher risk for adverse reproductive outcomes. Exposed immigrants were identified as high or low exposure based on Caesium-137 soil contamination levels registered in the town they lived in. The exposed group was age matched with three comparison groups: non-exposed immigrant women from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) excluding Belarus and the Ukraine, immigrants from other countries (Non FSU) and Israeli-born women at a ratio of 1:10. Chernobyl-exposed women were more likely to be nulliparous and have fewer children (2.1 + 0.8 vs. 3.1 + 1.8, p < 0.001), were more likely to undergo fertility treatments (8.8% vs. 5.8%, adjusted OR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.04–...
Cell Biology and Immunology of Leukocyte Function