Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2015. Vol. 60. No. 2. P. 47-55

RADIATION MEDICINE

E.E. Zapadinskaja, O.A. Tihonova, I.I. Eremin, V.Yu. Nugis, Ju.A. Zhgutov, M.G. Kozlova

Comparative Analysis of Be-LPT Test Informativity for Study of Lymphocyte Proliferation Stimulation in Persons Exposed to Beryllium

A.I. Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of FMBA, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: A development of criteria and algorithm of chronic beryllium disease diagnosis using non-invasive laboratory techniques for the early detection of individuals predisposed to this pneumoconiosis.

Material and methods: Currently beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing (BeLPT) is the main method for beryllium hypersensitivity status detection in screening of beryllium production workers in many countries. This technique is not widely used in Russia. In the present study flow cytometric BeLPT was used to measure lymphocyte proliferation in the groups of beryllium-exposed patients (main group — 24 persons) and beryllium-unexposed individuals (control group — 18 persons). Simultaneously we studied the beryllium effect on peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation in PHA-stimulated cultures by differential staining of sister chromatids (fluorescence + Giemsa). This method allows to determine the content of first, second and subsequent mitosis in cultures. It has not been used for the determination of beryllium sensitization of people. The principal criterion for the selection of patients in the observation group was the documented fact of contact with beryllium compounds.

Results: Specific sensitization in beryllium-exposed patient by BeLPT was found for only one person. The use of the method of fluorescence + Giemsa revealed in both groups of persons a tendency to lymphocyte proliferation stimulation in cultures after BeSO₄ addition up to 1 µM final concentration. However, the same level of lymphocyte proliferation was observed at higher concentrations of BeSO₄ (10 and 100 µM) for beryllium-exposed patients. In contrast, the control group stimulating effect was held on.

Conclusions: 1. Up to now it is not possible to estimate reliably the informativity of BeLPT because the absence in Russia of the standard protocol for this method use and its results conventional interpretation. 2. It is necessary to increase the number of observations (number of persons in cohorts) to improve the reliability of the results obtained and more accurate interpretation of BeLPT effectiveness.

Key words: chronic beryllium disease, lymphocyte proliferation, Be-LPT test, fluorescent plus Giemsa method

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For citation: Zapadinskaja EE, Tihonova OA, Eremin II, Nugis VYu, Zhgutov JuA, Kozlova MG. Comparative Analysis of Be-LPT Test Informativity for Study of Lymphocyte Proliferation Stimulation in Persons Exposed to Beryllium. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2015;60(2):47-55. Russian.

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