Adverse effect propensity: A new feature of Gulf War illness predicted by environmental exposures

Golomb, Beatrice A.; Han, Jun

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107363

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Each of these findings triangulates with and receives support from other evidence. Increased vulnerability to reported RadAEs in GWI fits longstanding reports by VGWI that heightened vulnerability to drug and environmental toxicity is a feature of their illness—reports that now have substantiation in evidence 74 , 107 . Many drugs and chemicals, as well as both ionizing 15 , 17 , 18 , 108 – 128 and nonionizing 24 – 31 radiation, have toxicity mediated substantially not through the nominal specific action of the respective agent, but through OS and mitochondrial injury 37 – 56 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

“…GWI has been documented to involve mitochondrial impairment 71 – 73 . Veterans with GWI (VGWI) report increased intolerance/AEs to many drugs and environmental exposures 74 , including increased rates of self-reported chemical sensitivity 74 – 81 —particularly those veterans with pesticide exposure 81 . Organophosphates and carbamates were heavily used in the Gulf 82 , 83 , and mechanisms of toxicity again involve OS and mitochondrial compromise 84 – 89 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Susceptibility to radiation adverse effects in veterans with Gulf War illness and healthy civilians

Golomb,

Berg,

Han

2024

Sci Rep

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We evaluated whether veterans with Gulf War illness (VGWI) report greater ionizing radiation adverse effects (RadAEs) than controls; whether radiation-sensitivity is tied to reported chemical-sensitivity; and whether environmental exposures are apparent risk factors for reported RadAEs (rRadAEs). 81 participants (41 VGWI, 40 controls) rated exposure to, and rRadAEs from, four radiation types. The relations of RadAE-propensity (defined as the ratio of rRadAEs to summed radiation exposures) to Gulf War illness (GWI) presence and severity, and to reported chemical-sensitivity were assessed. Ordinal logistic regression evaluated exposure prediction of RadAE-propensity in the full sample, in VGWI, and stratified by age and chemical-sensitivity. RadAE-propensity was increased in VGWI (vs. controls) and related to GWI severity (p < 0.01) and chemical-sensitivity (p < 0.01). Past carbon monoxide (CO) exposure emerged as a strong, robust predictor of RadAE-propensity on univariable and multivariable analyses (p < 0.001 on multivariable assessment, without and with adjustment for VGWI case status), retaining significance in age-stratified and chemical-sensitivity-stratified replication analyses. Thus, RadAE-propensity, a newly-described GWI-feature, relates to chemical-sensitivity, and is predicted by CO exposure—both features reported for nonionizing radiation sensitivity, consistent with shared mitochondrial/oxidative toxicity across radiation frequencies. Greater RadAE vulnerability fits an emerging picture of heightened drug/chemical susceptibility in VGWI.

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