Causal Criteria in Medical and Biological Disciplines: History, Essence, and Radiation Aspects. Report 4, Part 1: The Post-Hill Criteria and Ecolgoical Criteria.

Part 1 of Report 4 is focused on the development and modifications of causal criteria after A.B. Hill (1965).

[Dose-Response Dependences for Frequency of RET/PTC Gene Rearrangements in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma after Irradiation. Simple Pooling Analysis of Molecular Epidemiological Data].

On the basis of all possible publications on the theme included in the previously formed base of sources on molecular epidemiology of RET/PTC rearrangements in thyroid papillary carcinoma a pooled analysis ("simple pooling data") on determination of the dose-effect dependences for RET/PTC frequency in radiogenic carcinomas of various irradiated groups was performed. (They are groups subjected to radiotherapeutic exposure, residents near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP) and victims of nuclear bombing). The tendency to Pearson linear correlation (r = 0.

[Pooled Analysis of RET/PTC Gene Rearrangement Rate in Sporadic and Radiogenic Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma].

The database of publications on molecular epidemiology of RET/PTC rearrangements in sporadic and radiogenic thyroid papillary carcinoma has been formed (197 sources at the end of 2014; coverage of 100%). Based on this database a pooled analysis of data on the rates of RET/PTC1, RET/PTC3 and RET/PTC in total was conducted. Statistical approach involves a simple pooling, as well as calculations on the models of random and fixed effects.

[RET/PTC Gene Rearrangements in the Sporadic and Radiogenic Thyroid Tumors: Molecular Genetics, Radiobiology and Molecular Epidemiology].

A review of molecular genetic, radiobiological and molecular epidemiological studies of gene (chromosome) rearrangements RET/PTC in the cells of the thyroid gland as well as the laws in relation to radiation exposure in vitro, in vivo and human populations identified with them are submitted. The data on the c-RET gene and its chimeric constructs with the gene-donors (RET/PTC rearrangements) are considered. The information about the history of the RET/PTC discovery, their types, carcinogenic potential and specificity both to tumor and non-tumor thyroid disease especially for papillary thyroid carcinoma are provided.

[Expression of P53, NPM1, Kras, c-Myc, p14(ARF) genes in blood cells of cancer patients before and after radiation therapy].

The mRNA levels of P53gene, as well as NPM1, Kras, c-Myc, p14(ARF) genes, which, according to the published data, code for the proteins regulating the p53 activity, were studied using RT-PCR method in blood cells of patients with different localization of tumor process (prostate cancer, breast cancer and head and neck cancer) before and after application of radiation therapy. Changes in gene expression of cancer patients were compared with the control group of healthy donors. We have established that all patients had a decreased level of the Kras gene expression even before radiotherapy; moreover, the group of patients with prostate cancer had a low content of mRNA in NPM1 and p14(ARF), and the group of patients with head and neck cancerhad a reliably reduced mRNA in P53, NPM1 and p14(ARF).