• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.69-89
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• 2006

Biological mechanisms for ionizing radiation effects are different at low doses than at high doses. Radiation hormesis involves low-dose-induced protection and high-dose-induced harm. The protective component is associated with a reduction in the incidence of cancer below the spontaneous frequency, brought about by activation of defensive and repair processes. The Linear No-Threshold (LNT) hypothesis advocated by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the Biological Effects of ionizing Radiation (BEIR) Report VII for cancer risk estimations Ignores hormesis and the presence of a threshold. Cancer incidences significantly less than expected have been found in a large number of epidemiological studies including, airline flight personnel, inhabitants of high radiation backgrounds, shipyard workers, nuclear site workers in scores of locations throughout the world, nuclear power utility workers, plutonium workers, military nuclear test site Participants, Japanese A-bomb survivors, residents contaminated by major nuclear accidents, residents of Taiwan living in $^{60}Co$ contaminated buildings, fluoroscopy and mammography patients, radium dial painters, and those exposed to indoor radon. Significantly increased cancer was not found at doses <200 $mSv^*$. Evidence for radiation hormesis was seen in both sexes for acute or chronic exposures, low or high LET radiations, external whole- or partial body exposures, and for internal radionuclides. The ubiquitous nature of the Healthy Worker Effect (HWE)-like responses in cellular, animal and epidemiological studies negates the HWE as an explanation for radiation hormesis. The LNT hypothesis is wrong and does not represent the true nature of the dose-response relationship, since low doses or dose-rates commonly result in thresholds and reduce cancer incidences below the spontaneous rate. Radiation protection organizations should seriously consider the cost and health implications of radiation hormesis.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2002

It has long been recognized that exposure to low levels of toxic chemicals could have beneficial effects, such as increased resistance to related chemicals or stimulation of growth or development. The notion of radiation hormesis, that exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation could produce beneficial effects, developed seriously in the late 1950’s, and was, to most radiation scientists, incredible. This was due in pan to the then prevailing ideas of radiobiological mechanisms, in part to the sweeping generalizations made by the leading proponents of the radiation hormesis concept, and in pan to the many failures to confirm reports of beneficial effects. More recent understanding of the mechanisms of radiation damage and repair, and discoveries of induction of gene expression by radiation and other genotoxic agents [the adaptive response] make it seem inevitable that under suitable conditions, irradiation will produce beneficial effects.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.76-83
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• 1998

The most remarkable aspect in the hormesis law is that dose of harmful agents can produce effect that are diametrically opposite to the effect found with high doses of the same agent. Minute quantities of a harmful agent bring about very small change in the organism and control mechanisms appear to subjugate normal processes to place the organism in a state of albert and repair. The stimulated organism in more responsive to changes in environmental factors than it did before being alerted. Routine functions, including repair and defense, have priority for available energy and matetial. The alerted organism utilizes nutrients more efficiently, grows faster, shows improved defense, and lives longer. Accelerated germination, sprouting, growth, development, blooming and ripening, and increased crop yield and resistance to disease are found in plants. Another concept supported by the data in that low doses of ionizing radiation provide increased resistance to subsequent high doses of radiation. The hormesis varies with subject plant, variety, state of seed, environmental and cultural conditions, physiologic function measured, dose rate and total exposure. The results of hormesis are less consistently found, probably due to the great number of uncontrolled variables in the experiments. The general dosage for radiation homlesis in about 100 (10 to 1,000) times ambient or 100 (10 to 1,000) times less than a definitely harmful dose, but these must be modified to the occasion. Although little is known about most mechanisms of homzesis reaction, overcompensation of repair mechanism is offered as one mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2000

Phytophthora blight of pepper, which is caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian, is not only the most destructive disease worldwide, but also difficult to control effectively. It has been needed to have new trials for effective control to the disease. We employed radiation hormesis of gamma ray as the new trial in the control strategy. Two cultivars, Kwangbok and Dabok, were used to analyse whether gamma ray radiation can induce disease resistance. The germination rate of pepper seeds was significantly enhanced by the radiation at all dose levels. Stimulatory effect for resistance induction was found to differ between cultivars. It was confirmed that the remarkable effect was induced in Dabok and depended on radiation dosage. Disease resistance at 4 Gy was much higher than that of control. On the other hand, no detectable induction effect for resistance was observed in Kwangbok which was moderate resistant cultivar to gamma ray radiation. [Hormesis, Gamma ray, Pepper, Phytophthora blight, Resistance induction].

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.247-253
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• 2000

In order to investigate the stimulatory effect(hormesis) of low dose gamma-radiation on the seeding growth of old seeds with respect to antioxidant defense systems, various doses of gamma radiation to the 5-year-old dried seeds of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. cv Sulin eockaei). Compared to the new, 1-year- old seeds, old seeds irradiated by low does gamma radiation in the range of 1-2 Gy showed vigor growth as revealed by statistically significant increases both in the germination rates and the leaf size and fresh weight. Further, seedlings grown from seeds treated by low dose gamma radiation showed higher peroxidase and catalase activities than non-treated seedlings. These results suggest that the antioxidant defense systems could be closely related to the stimulatory effects of low dose radiation. [antioxidant enzyme, chinese cabbage, gamma radiation, germination rate, hormesis]

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.390-393
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• 1997

Hormetic effects of low dose radiation were analyzed in terms of growth stimulation in radish and three cultivars of chinese cabbage. Seeds irradiated with ${\gamma}$ radiation were planted in the green house and in the experimental field. Though it varied with cultivars of tested plants, hormetic effect of low dose ${\gamma}$ radiation on an early stage of growth were shown especially in germination rates and elongation of seedlings. The height of seedlings increased in 0.2 Gy irradiated group of Seolim cultivar and radish, in 1 Gy irradiated group of Konaenggi cultivar and in 4 Gy irradiated group of Ducksung cultivar, respectively, In case of plants grown in the experimental field, prominent were the height increase of radish and Seolim cultivar in 1 Gy irradiated group and the fresh weight increase of both radish and cabbage in 4 Gy irradiated group.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2979-2982
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• 2016

Background: High dose ionizing radiation can induce ovarian cancer, but the effect of low dose radiation on the development of ovarian cancer has not been extensively studied. We evaluated the effect of low dose radiation and total background radiation, and the radiation delivered to the ovaries during the treatment of rectosigmoid cancer and breast cancer on ovarian cancer incidence. Materials and Methods: Background radiation measurements are from Assessment of Variations in Radiation Exposure in the United States, 2011. Ovarian cancer incidence data are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) of ovarian cancer following breast cancer and rectosigmoid cancer are from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. Obesity data by US state are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mean ages of US state populations are from the United States Census Bureau. Results: We calculated standardized incidence ratios (SIR) from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data, which reveal that in 194,042 cases of breast cancer treated with beam radiation, there were 796 cases of ovarian cancer by 120+ months of treatment (0.41%); in 283, 875 cases of breast cancer not treated with radiation, there were 1,531 cases of ovarian cancer by 120+ months (0.54%). The difference in ovarian cancer incidence in the two groups was significant (p < 0.001, two tailed Fisher exact test). The small dose of scattered ovarian radiation (about 3.09 cGy) from beam radiation to the breast appears to have reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 24%. In 13,099 cases of rectal or rectosigmoid junction cancer treated with beam radiation in the SEER data, there were 20 cases of ovarian cancer by 120+ months of treatment (0.15%). In 33,305 cases of rectal or rectosigmoid junction cancer not treated with radiation, there were 91 cases of ovarian cancer by 120+ months (0.27%). The difference in ovarian cancer incidence in the two groups was significant (p = 0.017, two tailed Fisher exact test). In other words, the beam radiation to rectum and rectosigmoid that also reached the ovaries reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 44%. In addition, there was a significant inverse relationship between ovarian cancer in white women and radon background radiation (r = - 0.465. p = 0.002) and total background radiation (r = -0.456, p = 0.002). Because increasing age and obesity are risk factors for ovarian cancer, multivariate linear regression was performed. The inverse relationship between ovarian cancer incidence and radon background was significant (${\beta}=-0.463$, p = 0.002) but unrelated to age (${\beta}=-0.080$, p = 0.570) or obesity (${\beta}=-0.180$, p = 0.208). Conclusions: The reduction of ovarian cancer risk following low dose radiation may be the result of radiation hormesis. Hormesis is a favorable biological response to low toxin exposure. A pollutant or toxin demonstrating hormesis has the opposite effect in small doses as in large doses. In the case of radiation, large doses are carcinogenic. However, lower overall cancer rates are found in U.S. states with high impact radiation. Moreover, there is reduced lung cancer incidence in high radiation background US states where nuclear weapons testing was done. Women at increased risk of ovarian cancer have two choices. They may be closely followed (surveillance) or undergo immediate prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. However, the efficacy of surveillance is questionable. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is considered preferable, although it carries the risk of surgical complications. The data analysis above suggests that low-dose pelvic irradiation might be a good third choice to reduce ovarian cancer risk. Further studies would be worthwhile to establish the lowest optimum radiation dose.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.240-240
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• 2017

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is one of the ancient crops cultivated in the Andes region at an altitude of 3,500-4000m in Chile and Bolivia from 5000 BC. It contains a large amount of protein, minerals and vitamins in comparison with other crops. The cultivation area has been increasing worldwide because of its excellent resistance to various abiotic stress such as salinity, drought and low temperature. ${\gamma}$-Ray radiation of high dose is often used as a tool to induce mutations in plant breeding, but it has a deleterious effect on organisms. However, the radiation may have a positive stimulatory effect of 'hormesis' in the low dose range. This experiment was carried out to investigate the optimum dose range for creating the quinoa genetic resources and to investigate the hormesis effect at low dose on the quinoa. This experiment was performed for 120 days from November, 2016 to February, 2017 in the greenhouse of Gyeongsang National University. ${\gamma}$-Ray radiation was irradiated to seeds at 0 Gy, 50 Gy, 100 Gy, 200 Gy, 300 Gy, 400 Gy, 600 Gy, 800 Gy and 1000 Gy for 8 hours. (50 Gy) using the low level radiation facility ($Co^{60}$) of Cooperative Research Institute of Radiation Research Institute, KAERI. Fifty seeds were placed on each petri dish lined with wet filter paper and germination rate was measured at a time interval of 2 hours for 40 hrs. The length of the root length was measured one week after germination. Each treatment was carried out in 3 replicates. The growth of seedlings were investigated for 10 days after transplanting of 30 day-old seedlings. The plant height, NDVI, SPAD, Fv/Fm, and panicle weight were measured. The germination rate was highest at 50Gy and 0Gy and the rate of seeds treated with 400Gy or higher rate decreased to 25% of the seeds treated with 50Gy. The emergence rate of seedling in pot experiment was higher at the dose of 200 Gy, 300 Gy and 400 Gy than at 0 and 50Gy. However, the rate was lower at strong radiation higher than 600Gy at which $1^{st}$ leaf was not expanded fully and dead due to extreme overgrowth at 44 days after treatment (DAT). The highest value of panicle weight was observed at 50Gy (6.15g) and 100Gy (5.57g). On the other hand, the weight at high irradiated dose of 300Gy and 400Gy was decreased by about 55% compared to low dose (50 Gy). NDVI measurement also showed the highest value at 50 Gy as the growth progressed. SPAD was the highest at 400 Gy and showed positive correlation with irradiation dose except 0 Gy. Fv/Fm was high at 50 Gy up to 30 DAT and no difference between treatments was observed except for 400 Gy from 44 DAT. The plant height was the highest in 50Gy during the growing period and was higher in the order of 50Dy, 100Gy, 0Gy, 200Gy, 300Gy and 400Gy in 88 DAT. In this experiment, the optimal radiation dose for hormesis was 50Gy and 100Gy, and the optimal radiation dose for mutagenesis seems to be 400 Gy.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.394-400
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• 2000

${\gamma}-Radiation$ at very low doses frequently has a stimulating or hormetic effect on the growth of organism. Effects of low dose ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiation on the root growth of soybean cultivars were investigated and hormetic effects by environmental conditions were compared with the occurrence of increased economic yield, seeds of cultivars were irradiated with the dose of $0.5{\sim}20Gy$ and cultivated in growth chamber controling temperature, humidity, light, greenhouse and field respectively. To understand hormetic effect on root growth of cultivars and the difference of hormetic effect by cultivation environment, harvested root of soybean cultivars were scanned with image file, and root surface area, root length, root average diameter etc. were examined by WinRhizo program. Also, dry weight of cultivars was examined. Root growth and dry weight of soybean cultivars showed apparently hormetic effect at cultivation of growth chamber condition. In field experiment executed for whole life cycle, yields of pea were not different significantly in each ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiated cultivars but weight of one hundred peas increased in whole ${\gamma}-ray$ irradiated cultivars. Increment of yield was assumed to be induced through shortening of maturing stage caused by ${\gamma}-ray$ hormesis in early growth stage.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2011

Acorus calamus is an indigenous hydrophyte used as phytoremediation and water purification as well as medicinal herb. Irradiation of gamma ray was performed to investigate the effect on radioresistance of A. calamus on in vitro. Various doses (20-500 Gy) of gamma rays were irradiated to in vitro plantlets. The effect of irradiation was studied on survival rate, shoot formation and growth rate. The survival and multiplication rate was remarkably decreased with the increase of radiation dose. The growth of plantlets was significantly increased in comparison to the control at low doses. The hermetic effect of radiation was appeared in A. calamus. It was significantly decreased or interrupted above 250 Gy. The mean 50% lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) was extremely high as 240 Gy. We conclude that A. calamus had remarkably high radioresistance compared with other plant species.