Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:34:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:01:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:34:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:01:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Este trabalho desenvolve uma metodologia para a automação da análise morfológica de imagens de cromossomos humanos irradiados no reator nuclear IEA-R1 (localizado no Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, IPEN, em São Paulo, Brasil) e, portanto, sujeitos a aberrações morfológicas. Esta metodologia se propõe a auxiliar na identificação, caracterização e classificação de cromossomos pelo profissional citogeneticista. O desenvolvimento da metodologia inclui a elaboração de um aplicativo baseado em técnicas de inteligência artificial utilizando Lógica Fuzzy e técnicas de processamento de imagens. O aplicativo desenvolvido foi denominado de CHRIMAN e é composto de módulos que contêm etapas metodológicas que suprem aspectos importantes para a obtenção de uma análise automatizada. A primeira etapa é a padronização dos procedimentos de aquisição das imagens digitais bidimensionais de metáfases através do acoplamento de uma câmera fotográfica digital comercial comum à ocular do microscópio utilizado na análise metafásica convencional. A segunda etapa é relativa ao tratamento das imagens obtidas através da aplicação de filtros digitais, armazenamento e organização das informações tanto do conteúdo da imagem em si, como das características extraídas e selecionadas, para posterior utilização nos algoritmos de reconhecimento de padrões. A terceira etapa consiste na utilização do banco de imagens digitalizadas e informações extraídas e armazenadas para a identificação dos cromossomos, sua caracterização, contagem e posterior classificação. O acerto no reconhecimento das imagens cromossômicas é de 93,9%. Esta classificação é baseada nos padrões encontrados classicamente em Buckton [1973], e possibilita o auxílio ao geneticista no procedimento de análise dos cromossomos com diminuição do tempo de análise e criando condições para a inclusão deste método num sistema mais amplo de avaliação de danos causados às células pela exposição à radiação ionizante. / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

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New and more advanced prenatal tests have steadily been introduced in the Swedish maternity care system in the last 30 years. The combined test, CUB, was introduced step wise in Swedish maternal care from 2008 and onward. The CUB test detects children with chromosomal abnormalities prenatally and is offered at no charge for women in treated counties. This thesis investigate the reform using a difference-in-difference approach to determine the effect of the CUB test on the number of late abortions performed. My theoretical framework suggest that the introduction of CUB should increase the number of abortions of children with chromosomal aberrations. As supported by theory I find a positive effect of CUB on late abortions for my main group of interest, women 35-39 years old. These women were the ones most effected by CUB. The positive effect of 0.47 percentage units is statistically significant at the 10% level. It corresponds to a 3.6-7.1% decrease in the number of babies born with chromosomal aberrations.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:32:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:08:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 03362.pdf: 1393147 bytes, checksum: 01489b7356e00847fe76c389e08056f8 (MD5) / Dissertacao (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN/CNEN-SP

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Nos Ãltimos anos, o uso de pesticidas na agricultura tem aumentado e associaÃÃes entre a exposiÃÃo a produtos quÃmicos agrÃcolas e danos ao DNA e cÃncer tem sido relatados. O Brasil à um dos lÃderes mundiais na utilizaÃÃo de pesticidas, no entanto, estudos que avaliem o impacto da exposiÃÃo ocupacional a pesticidas sobre a incidÃncia e mortalidade por cÃncer ainda sÃo escassos na populaÃÃo brasileira. O teste do cometa alcalino e a anÃlise de aberraÃÃes cromossÃmicas (AC) foram utilizados para avaliar danos primÃrios ao DNA em linfÃcitos do sangue perifÃrico de trabalhadores expostos a uma mistura complexa de pesticidas em duas pequenas comunidades rurais nos municÃpios de Tianguà e Ubajara, localizados no oeste do Estado do Cearà (Nordeste do Brasil). Estes MunicÃpios estÃo entre as maiores Ãreas agrÃcolas do Estado. O teste do cometa mostrou que o Ãndice e freqÃÃncia de danos observados nos grupos expostos foram significativamente maiores em relaÃÃo aos grupos controle (P <0,05). Por outro lado, nÃo foram detectadas diferenÃas significativas em relaÃÃo a AC estruturais e numÃricas nas comunidades avaliadas. AlÃm disso, os nÃveis observados de quebras da fita de DNA e freqÃÃncias de AC, estratificadas por tempo de exposiÃÃo, nÃo foram estatisticamente diferentes nos agricultores de ambas comunidades rurais. Os resultados sugerem que os danos causados por pesticidas na Ãrea de estudo nÃo foram significativos o suficiente para induzir mutaÃÃes permanentes ou interferir na formaÃÃo do aparelho mitÃtico. Danos mÃnimos causados pelos pesticidas podem ter sido submetidos a reparo celular, explicando a ausÃncia de AC estruturais e numÃricas. As anÃlises da Ãgua do reservatÃrio que serve de fonte para irrigaÃÃo das plantaÃÃes e abastece os municÃpios da regiÃo nÃo detectou contaminaÃÃo por resÃduos de pesticidas. / In recent years, the use of pesticides in agriculture has been steadily increasing, and associations between exposure to agricultural chemicals and DNA damage and cancer have been reported. Brazil is one of the world leaders in pesticide use; however, studies that evaluate the impact of pesticide exposure on cancer incidence and mortality are very scarce in the Brazilian population. The alkaline comet assay and the chromosome aberration (CA) test were used to evaluate primary DNA damage in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of workers exposed to a complex mixture of pesticides in two small rural communities in the municipalities of Tianguà and Ubajara, located in the western part of Cearà State (Northeast Brazil), which are among the largest agricultural areas of the state. The comet assay showed that the damage index and damage frequency observed in the exposed groups were significantly higher in relation to the controls (P < 0.05). On the other hand, no differences were detected regarding structural and numerical CAs in the communities evaluated. Additionally, the observed levels of DNA strand breaks and frequencies of CAs, stratified for exposure time, were not statistically different for individuals of either rural community. Our results suggest that the damages caused by pesticides in our study area were not great enough to induce permanent mutations or to interfere with mitotic apparatus formation; minimal pesticide damages could have undergone cellular repair, explaining the absence of structural and numerical CAs. Analyses of water from the reservoir that serves as a source for irrigation of crops and supplies the cities of the region did not detect contamination by pesticides.

Le lymphome de Hodgkin est caractérisé, d’un point de vue histologique, par la présence de rares cellules tumorales nommées cellules de Reed et Sternberg, au sein d’un infiltrat cellulaire polymorphe, inflammatoire et réactionnel. Cette dernière résulte de la transformation tumorale de cellules lymphocytaires B qui acquièrent des propriétés d’échappement au système immun, de prolifération, de résistance à l’apoptose et une instabilité chromosomique. Néanmoins, la rareté des cellules tumorales, impliquant des problèmes techniques mais aussi de caractérisation des évènements primaires dans l’initiation de cette instabilité chromosomique, a été bien débattue dans la littérature. Mais les mécanismes impliqués dans l’instabilité chromosomique dans le lymphome de Hodgkin demeurent obscurs.La première partie de cette thèse a été consacrée à l’étude des mécanismes impliqués dans l’instabilité génomique du lymphome de Hodgkin via l’instabilité des microsatellites et l’instabilité chromosomique en utilisant 7 lignées de lymphome de Hodgkin. Nous avons montré pour la première fois l’implication des microsatellites dans l’instabilité génomique des lymphomes de Hodgkin (MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high) dans 3/7 lignées). De plus, nous avons montré que deux mécanismes favorisent l’émergence d’une instabilité chromosomique : le premier implique une instabilité télomérique qui est présente essentiellement dans les petites cellules tumorales induisant la formation des chromosomes dicentriques, des amplifications des gènes (Jak2 comme exemple) et des arrangements chromosomiques complexes. Le deuxième mécanisme est lié essentiellement à un défaut de réparation des cassures double-brin avec l’apparition des chromosomes dicentriques sporadiques et une fréquence importante des micronoyaux avec la formation des ponts anaphasiques.La deuxième partie de cette thèse a été consacrée à l’étude des mécanismes de maintenance des télomères dans les ganglions tumoraux du lymphome de Hodgkin (50 patients) comme dans les lignées tumorales. Nous avons montré qu’il existe une cohabitation entre les deux mécanismes importants de maintenance des télomères, l’activation de la télomérase d’une part et le mécanisme ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres) d’autre part. Nous avons identifié la présence de petites cellules dans les ganglions hodgkiniens comme dans les lignées tumorales avec une forte activité de la télomérase par contre la cellule de Reed Sternberg est caractérisée par un profil ALT avec la présence des corps PML et une très faible activité de télomérase. La fréquence des cellules télomérase ou ALT varie d’un ganglion à un autre et d’une lignée à une autre. Un drastique raccourcissement télomérique a été observé dans les cellules exprimant la télomérase. Pour les cellules ALT, une grande hétérogénéité de la taille des télomères ainsi que la présence des chromosomes dicentriques sporadiques ont été détectées. Le suivi des patients à long terme pendant 10 ans, nous a permis d’établir une corrélation entre le profil ALT et la survenue de mortalités et de morbidités. De plus, l’étude de la radiosensibilité des lignées tumorales a montré que les lignées ALT sont plus résistantes que les lignées télomérases.La troisième partie de cette thèse a été consacrée à la validation de ces deux concepts d’instabilité chromosomique via l’instabilité télomérique et à celle des mécanismes de maintenance des télomères, en utilisant un modèle de lymphome de Hodgkin établi dans le laboratoire à partir de la lignée L428.Ces données auront une retombée clinique importante non seulement dans la compréhension et le traitement des lymphomes de Hodgkin mais aussi dans d’autres pathologies malignes. / The study of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), with its unique microenvironment and long clinical outcomes, has provided exceptional insights into several areas of tumour biology. Findings in HL have not only improved our understanding of human carcinogenesis, but have also pioneered its translation into the clinic.Tumoral cells in HL, called Hodgkin and reed Sternberg cells (HRS), are characterized by a highly altered genomic landscape with a wide spectrum of genomic alterations, including somatic mutations, copy number alterations, complex chromosomal rearrangements, and aneuploidy. Moreover, the scarcity of HRS cells and the resulting technical problems of their in situ characterization, the primary cytogenetic events and the clonality of these possible aberrations has been a matter of debate in the past. As a consequence, a few accepted and established HL cell lines are widely used in the majority of research projects conducted worldwide.In this thesis, first we have first investigated the possible mechanisms underlying genomic instability including microsatellite and chromosomal instability in HL cell lines. We provide the first evidence that the genomic instability observed in HL is related to microsatellite instability and chromosomal instability related to two major mechanisms: first, telomere fusion leading to dicentric chromosomes formation and breakage/fusion/bridge (B/F/B) cycles involving the repeated fusion and breakage of chromosomes following the loss of telomeres in small cells associated with the lower expression of TRF2, as well as an elevated copy number of the Jak2 gene and the presence of nucleoplasmic bridges containing telomere and centromere sequences. The second mechanism is related to defective DNA repair via non homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair with the presence of nucleoplasmic bridges without telomere or centromere sequences, accompanied by the micronucleus without centromere sequences and a higher frequency of sporadic dicentric chromosomes.The second part of this thesis has focused on investigating telomere maintenance mechanisms (TMMs) not only in HL cell lines but also in lymph nodes of HL patients. A telomerase-independent mechanism for TMM in HL has been proposed in the absence of detectable telomerase activity (TA) in some cases. The major finding of this work has been the demonstration of the presence of both telomerase and ALT mechanism in lymph nodes of HL patients as well as in HL cell lines. We have identified a subset of tumors with some small cells expressing telomerase and Reed Sternberg cells containing ALT-associated PML bodies. A significant correlation was observed between telomere length and TMMs. Drastic telomere shortening was observed in cells with telomerase expression and elevated heterogeneity of telomere length was found in ALT profile cells. Interestingly, complex chromosomal rearrangements, included sporadic dicentric formation, were observed in ALT profile cell lines. Interestingly, the relationship between TMMs and all-cause mortality and morbidity during 10 years of follow-up of HL patients using cox proportion hazard models demonstrated a poor clinical outcome for HL patients exhibiting primarily ALT mechanisms. Similarly, higher radiation sensitivity was observed for cell lines with high telomerase activity compared to cell lines with the ALT profile.

The majority of human cancers arise due to cells inabitily to maintain genomic stability. Cytogenetic changes (especially chromosomal aberrations) in peripheral blood lymphocytes which reflect not only the individual exposure to genotoxic factors, but also individual sensitivity to genotoxic effect and the tumor is late consequence to genotoxic effect. Summary epidemiological prospective studies over the last ten years have shown that increased level of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes is predictive of cancer risk. This thesis is focused on the detection of particular types of chromosomal damage in patients with choosed types of newly diagnosed cancers compared to healthy control persons. We cytogenetically analyzed 100 patients with colorectal cancer and 298 controls and 123 patients with breast cancer and 123 controls - healthy women. We compared the percentage of aberrant cells, the percentage of total aberrations, the percentages of chromatid and chromosome aberrations found in patients with both types of tumors and in controls and we verified the predictive value of chromosomal aberrations as a biomarker of cancer risk. In patients with colorectal cancer was statistically significantly increased only the level of chromatid aberrations (CHTA) (1,45±1,28) compared to...

Foetal anomalies found on ultrasound increase the probability of occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities. They cause about one quarter of all abortions and stillbirths and many of inborn defects in newborns. Karyotype analysis is number one method in prenatal diagnosis whereas array CGH is often used as a verification and supplemental method. The aim of this work was to prove that array CGH gives additional chromosomal findings to karyotypes and could substitute conventional karyotyping as a primary examination method in foetuses with ultrasound findings. We examined 45 prenatal samples using both methods. These samples were referred for invasive examination because of abnormal ultrasound findings. Karyotype analyses found two abnormalities in two (4,4 %) patients and array CGH identified aberrations in five (11,1 %) foetuses whereas both anomalies detected by karyotypes were discovered by array CGH too. This means that array CGH identified about 6,7 % more aberrations than karyotype. Our results correspond with scientific articles which refer that array CGH should replace karyotype not only in postnatal examinations but even in prenatal diagnosis. Keywords: chromosomal aberrations, array CGH, karyotype, prenatal diagnosis, ultrasound