Elena López- Martín

• University of Santiago de Compostela

The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which atmospheric pollution from particulate matter and/or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) may prove harmful to human health have not been extensively researched. We analyzed whether the combined action of EMFs and black carbon (BC) particles induced cell damage and a pro-apoptotic response in the HL-60 promye...

Brain tissue may be especially sensitive to electromagnetic phenomena provoking signs of neural stress in cerebral activity. Fifty-four adult female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent ELISA and immunohistochemistry testing of four relevant anatomical areas of the cerebrum to measure biomarkers indicating induction of heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70), gluc...

In this study we analyzed the response of parafollicular cells in rat thyroid gland after exposure to radiofrequency at 2.45 GHz using a subthermal experimental diathermy model. Forty-two Sprague Dawley rats, divided into two groups of 21 rats each, were individually exposed at 0 (control), 3 or 12 W in a Gigahertz Transverse Electro-Magnetic (GTEM...

The techniques on the generation of multiple solutions in shaped-beam pattern synthesis are standardly focused on the use of patterns with complex nature as input. Otherwise, in order to derive a symmetric pure real distribution from the canonical pattern synthesis techniques, a generation of a pure-real pattern has to be imposed. In the present wo...

Environmental factors such as air pollution by particles and/or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are studied as harmful agents for human health. We analyzed whether the combined action of EMF with fine and coarse black carbon (BC) particles induced cell damage and inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 cell line macrophages exposed to 2.45 GHz in a gigahe...

In this work, the application of a technique for monitoring changes of the dielectric constant of the atmosphere caused by the presence of pollution is discussed. The method is based on changes in the reflection coefficient of the device induced by these dielectric constant variations of the surrounding medium. To that end, several Yagi–Uda-like an...

Implications and improvements of edge brightening effects led by Q factor minimization restricted to keep the same level of directivity for high efficiency continuous circular aperture distributions are here reported. In this manner, an optimization strategy for a minimum Q value-keeping the same level of efficiency and restricting the maximum side...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure to radiation from single or multiple radio-frequency (RF) signals at 900 and 2450 MHz would induce effects in the RAW 264.7 cell line. Materials and Methods: Cell cultures were exposed to single or combined RF for 4, 24, 48 or 72 hours in a GTEM electromagnetic test chamber. At the en...

Coating an antenna with a hydrophilic polyimide film has been reported to enhance the effects of atmospheric relative humidity on the characteristics of the antenna. In this letter, we designed Yagi-Uda antennas with polyimide-coated dipoles, and we performed a simulation study investigating the influence of atmospheric relative humidity on their r...

Particulate atmospheric pollution alters the dielectric coefficient of the atmosphere. In principle, this could allow pollution to be measured via its effects on the performance of an antenna. In this letter, a novel technique for measuring these effects, based on the use of an optimized air-filled waveguide-fed slot linear array, is shown.

In many places, atmospheric pollution is a serious public health problem. The respiratory systems of children and the aged are particularly affected; for the most vulnerable, atmospheric pollution can be mortal. Other environmental effects include reduction of the ozone layer (which in turn favours skin cancers), and damage to the fabric of buildin...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of multiple signal electromagnetic field in rat brain at 900 and 2450 MHz and their combination. Induction of cytoprotective heat shock proteins (HSPs) or pre-apoptotic proteins in response to stress as the source electromagnetic field may suggest that they shift cellular equilibrium toward...

Non-ionizing radiation at 2.45 GHz may modify the morphology and expression of genes that codify heat shock proteins (HSP) in the thyroid gland. Diathermy is the therapeutic application of non-ionizing radiation to humans for its beneficial effects in rheumatological and musculo-skeletal pain processes. We used a diathermy model on laboratory rats...

Multiple simultaneous exposures to electromagnetic signals induced adjustments in mammal nervous systems. In this study, we investigated the non-thermal SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) in the cerebral or cerebellar hemispheres of rats exposed in vivo to combined electromagnetic field (EMF) signals at 900 and 2450 MHz. Forty rats divided into four gr...

Studies of cerebral activity in humans and in animal models after exposure to the modulated radio frequency (RF) of mobile phones have often indicated alterations of normal physiology and signs of toxicity in the nervous system. In recent years, in our laboratory has carried out consecutive experiments to investigate how exposure to radiation simil...

Non-ionizing radiation at 2.45 GHz may modify the expression of genes that codify heat shock proteins (HSP) in the thyroid gland. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, we studied levels of HSP-90 and HSP-70. We also used hematoxilin eosin to look for evidence of lesions in the gland and applied the DAPI technique of fluores...

Non-ionizing radiation at 2.45 GHz may modify the expression of genes that codify heat shock proteins (HSP) in the thyroid gland. Using the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) technique, we studied levels of HSP-90 and HSP-70. We also used hematoxilin eosin to look for evidence of lesions in the gland and applied the DAPI technique of fluores...

Simultaneous exposure to multiple electromagnetic signals with widely differing carrier frequencies is a reality of daily life, but its possible effects on health are unknown. In this study, we exposed rats to non-thermal levels of 900 and 2450 MHz TEM-mode radiation, applied individually or simultaneously, and we obtained estimates of 1 g mean SAR...

This study investigated the effects of microwave radiation on the PVN of the hypothalamus, extracted from rat brains. Expression of c-Fos was used to study the pattern of cellular activation in rats exposed once or repeatedly (ten times in 2 weeks) to 2.45 GHz radiation in a GTEM cell. The power intensities used were 3 and 12 W and the Finite Diffe...

The acute effects of microwave exposure from the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) were studied in rats, using 900MHz radiation at an intensity similar to mobile phone emissions. Acute subconvulsive doses of picrotoxin were then administered to the rats and an experimental model of seizure-proneness was created from the data. Seventy-two...

Considerable concern has been expressed about the possible health risks of mobile-phone use. The brain has greater exposure to mobile-phone radiation (MPR) than the rest of the body, and there are experimental findings suggesting that electromagnetic fields may modulate the activity of neural networks. The tendency towards electrical instability of...

Multiple simultaneous exposures to electromagnetic signals from various sources (multiple frequencies with high bandwidth) are a reality of daily life. In this study we investigated the non-thermal SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) for in vivo rats exposed to multiple electromagnetic (EM) field signals at 900 and 2450 MHz and 2 W power. The experiment...

Physical agents such as non-ionizing continuous-wave 2.45 GHz radiation may cause damage that alters cellular homeostasis and may trigger activation of the genes that encode heat shock proteins (HSP). We used Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry to analyze the changes in levels of HSP-90 and its distribution in the bra...

The action of the pulse-modulated GSM radiofrequency of mobile phones has been suggested as a physical phenomenon that might have biological effects on the mammalian central nervous system. In the present study, GSM-exposed picrotoxin-pretreated rats showed differences in clinical and EEG signs, and in c-Fos expression in the brain, with respect to...

We describe an experimental set-up for exposure of small animals to radiofrequency standing waves that allows direct measurement of the power absorbed by the animal. Essentially, the set-up consists of a metallic box containing an antenna and experimental animal immobilized in a methacrylate holder; a signal generator feeding the antenna; and a pow...

In this paper we present an experimental setup for controlled RF radiation on small mammals. The main advantage of this setup is that the power absorbed by the animal can be directly measured through the external associated microwave circuitry. This same subsystem is used to control any possible spurious signal inside the enclosure and the power ap...

This study investigated the effects of mobile-phone-type radiation on the cerebral activity of seizure-prone animals. When rats transformed into an experimental model of seizure-proneness by acute subconvulsive doses of picrotoxin were exposed to 2 h GSM-modulated 900 MHz radiation at an intensity similar to that emitted by mobile phones, they suff...

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been postulated as a possible candidate for therapeutic treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent in vitro data suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)] treatment may enhance GDNF mRNA expression. In the present study, using semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, we have s...

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the recovery observed after grafting of fetal nigral cells in 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rats is due to the graft itself, and whether the participation of the remaining host dopaminergic system is necessary. The effects of unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion on rotational behavior were not significantly...

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has potent trophic action on fetal dopaminergic neurons. We have used a double immunocytochemical approach with antibodies that recognize GDNF and tyroxine hydroxylase (TH) or the phosphoprotein DARPP-32, to study the developmental pattern of their interactions in the rat striatum and in intrastria...

We investigated the usefulness of the Overall Rotarod Performance (ORP) test for evaluating overall locomotory ability in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-injected-mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD). For this procedure, the mice are pretrained on the rotarod and then tested at a series of increasing speeds, recording the...

In rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, amphetamine produces ipsiversive rotational behavior and activation of Fos in the intact striatum, but practically no activation of Fos in the denervated striatum. However, a seemingly paradoxical contraversive rotation, accompanied by intense striatal Fos activ...

Immunocytochemical techniques were used to investigate the distribution and abundance of GABAA receptor subunits (alpha 1, alpha 2 and beta 2/3) in the brains of unilaterally 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Three and 7 days after lesion, the alpha 2-subunit was significantly more abundant in the lesion-ipsilateral striatum than in the lesion-contralateral st...

Current models of basal ganglia disorders suggest that the choreoathetosis is the end result of reduced GABAergic inhibition of the motor thalamus. GABA-releasing polymer matrices or control matrices without GABA were implanted either unilaterally or bilaterally in the vicinity of the ventromedial thalamic nucleus of normal rats and of rats with un...

Changes taking place after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system have been studied by performing spontaneous, amphetamine-induced and apomorphine-induced rotational behaviour testing and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and Fos protein immunohistochemistry in the same rats. Apomorphine at a low dosage (0.25 mg/kg) in...

Current models of basal ganglia disorders suggest that choreoathetosis is the end result of reduced GABAergic inhibition of the motor thalamus. Graft-derived release of GABA from intrastriatal striatal grafts has also been reported. In the present work, cell suspension grafts from embryonic day 14–15 rat striatal primordia were implanted close to t...

In this paper, an animal model of epilepsy, eight rats administered with a subconvulsive dose of picrotoxin, exposed to a GSM-modulated 900 MHz signal during a period of 2h are studied. For this purpose, an experimental set up suitable for controlled RF radiation in small mammals has been designed. The system consists of a metallic cage housing a m...