Health Professions, Molecular Medicine, General Health Professions, Multidisciplinary
15
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Thyroid Cancer and Precancerous Morbidity After Nuclear Fallout: Long-Term Cohort Study Near the Semipalatinsk Test Site Meruyert Massabayeva, Kazbek Apsalikov, Yuliya Brait, Alik Tokanov, Faina Konovalova, Alexandra Lipikhina Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2026 BACKGROUND: Populations living near the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in Kazakhstan were chronically exposed to low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation due to atmospheric nuclear testing (1949-1962). While the effects of acute exposures are well documented, data on long-term endocrine outcomes in chronically exposed adults remain limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate thyroid and metabolic morbidity and its association with reconstructed radiation dose in a long-term adult cohort exposed to fallout. METHODS: This cohort study included 3,240 individuals who underwent thyroid ultrasound screening between 1998 and 2002. Thyroid doses were reconstructed individually using a fallout-specific dosimetric model based on age, diet, and geographic location across 125 nuclear tests. Endocrine outcomes were assessed through ICD-10 diagnoses and follow-up surveys in 2023-2024. Associations between dose and endocrine morbidity were analyzed using logistic regression, adjusted for sex, age at exposure, smoking, obesity, parity, and hormone therapy. RESULTS: By 2024, 1,099 individuals (33.9%) were alive. Among them, 63% reported thyroid disease, 33% had received hormone therapy, and 2% had undergone surgery. Verified endocrine diagnoses were identified in 712 individuals (21.9%), including non-toxic diffuse goiter (28.1%), multinodular goiter (19.5%), and single nodular goiter (7.9%). Thyroid dose was positively associated with endocrine morbidity (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.22-1.65; p < 0.001). Female sex, early exposure, obesity, and smoking were also significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Decades after fallout exposure, thyroid and metabolic disorders remain prevalent in affected populations. The findings support continued endocrine surveillance and provide robust evidence of a dose-dependent endocrine risk in adults exposed to environmental radiation.
Microarray-Based Genomic Profiling in Low-Dose Radiation Research: Evidence, Limitations, and Translational Perspectives Sandugash Auganbayeva, Meruyert Massabayeva, Nailya Chaizhunussova, Dariya Shabdarbayeva, Lyudmila Pivina, Andrey Orekhov, Zhanargul Smailova, Saulesh Apbassova, Vladlena Sabitova, Tokzhan Akhmadiyeva, Saule Kozhanova, Dinara Mukanova, Murat Lepesbayev, Assel Baibussinova, Alexandra Lipikhina, Yulia Brait, Altay Dyussupov International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026 Low-dose ionizing radiation exposure remains a major challenge for long-term health risk assessment, particularly in retrospective cohorts with heterogeneous exposure scenarios and limited biological material. Although next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies dominate contemporary molecular research, DNA microarrays remain relevant in radiation biology due to their standardization, reproducibility, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with archived biospecimens. This narrative review examines the contribution of microarray-based transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling to the study of low-dose radiation effects (≤100 mSv, millisievert), with emphasis on human observational studies, radiation epidemiology, and biodosimetric applications. The literature was identified through targeted searches in PubMed and Web of Science (2000–2025). Evidence from experimental models and exposed populations is synthesized to identify recurrent molecular pathways, major sources of variability, and challenges affecting reproducibility and cross-cohort comparability. Based on this evidence, a conceptual framework is proposed to define conditions under which microarray-based analyses remain interpretable and translationally informative. Machine learning approaches are discussed in a supportive role, with emphasis on interpretability and biological plausibility. Overall, DNA microarrays are positioned as a mature, niche technology that complements next-generation sequencing platforms and remains particularly suited for retrospective cohort studies and long-term molecular monitoring in radiation research.
Long-Term Exposure to Ionizing Radiation from the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site and Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality Altay Dyussupov, Dariya Shabdarbayeva, Nailya Chaizhunussova, Andrey Orekhov, Galiya Alibayeva, Assel Baibussinova, Madina Abenova, Meruyert Massabayeva, Alexandra Lipikhina, Gulshara Abdildinova, Zhanargul Smailova, Saulesh Apbassova, Dinara Mukanova, Saule Kozhanova, Ernar Kairkhanov, Diana Ygiyeva, Raushan Dosmagambetova, Asset Izdenov, Lyudmila Pivina International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2025 Background: Environmental problems can significantly influence population health. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of death in developed countries including in Kazakhstan. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between exposure to ionizing radiation and mortality risks from major CVDs for the population of Kazakhstan living in areas adjacent to the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS). Materials and Methods: The study of the structure and dynamics of cardiovascular mortality was based on the State Scientific Automated Medical Registry (SSAMR) database. Among members of the exposed group, the median equivalent radiation dose was 864.0 mSv, compared to 64.4 mSv in the control group. It should be noted that almost the entire population of the Semipalatinsk region was exposed to some degree of radiation; however, the Kokpekti district received the lowest radiation doses. Results: Mortality rates from CVD were statistically significantly higher in the radiation-exposed population from 1960 to 1994, with RR fluctuating from 1.118 to 8.7. The predominant mortality events were chronic coronary heart disease, chronic cerebrovascular disease, and hemorrhagic stroke throughout the study period, and acute myocardial infarction within 20 years of the start of nuclear testing. In the exposed group, RR = 10.35 for chronic cerebrovascular disease, RR = 3.56 for hemorrhagic stroke, and RR = 5.77 for peripheral arterial atherosclerosis. A dose of 100–500 mSv increased the risk of mortality from CVD by 3.14 times, and a dose of >600 mSv increased it by 7.05 times. Conclusions: A link has been established between long-term exposure to ionizing radiation and increased risks of mortality from CVD in the population of areas contaminated with radiation as a result of nuclear testing.
Global trends in research on Semipalatinsk nuclear testing health effects: A bibliometric analysis and short review Nailya Chaizhunussova, Lyudmila Pivina, Dariya Shabdarbayeva, Andrey Orekhov, Raushan Dosmagambetova, Galiya Alibayeva, Meruyert Massabayeva, Alexandra Lipikhina, Gulshara Abildinova, Askar Kassymov, Zhanargul Smailova, Rauan Kissina, Diana Ygiyeva, Ernar Kairkhanov, Altay Dyussupov Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2025 At Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS), nuclear weapons tests lasted from 1949 to 1989, with a total of 468 nuclear weapons explosions (including 117 air and ground tests) being conducted. The aim of our study is to evaluate trends in the field of conducted research on the assessment of the health status of the population of Kazakhstan exposed to radiation as a result of nuclear weapons testing at the STNS, as well as the contribution of various countries, institutions, journals and authors to these studies. Research methods included: formulating research questions; selecting databases to search for the information of interest; collecting information on publications; selecting a program to conduct bibliometric analysis; creating maps according to research questions; analyzing bibliometric data. We used the VOSviewer program. Based on 109 articles, we conducted a comprehensive review of publication activity on the problems of biodosimetry, molecular genetic bases for the implementation of radiation-induced diseases, such as cancer, thyroid pathology, circulatory system diseases, reproductive health pathology, psychological aspects of the health of exposed residents of Kazakhstan. Our bibliometric analysis can serve as a basis for identifying the most important key areas for future research into the health of affected residents of Kazakhstan.
Association of LPL and ADRB2 polymorphisms with the risk of developing hypertriglyceridemia Aizhan Shakhanova, Nurlan Aukenov, Alma Nurtazina, Zauresh Zhumadilova, Meruyert Massabayeva, Dana Kozhakhmetova World Academy of Sciences Journal, 2023 The measurement of lipid metabolism indicators is an integral part of the assessment and control of the risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Triglyceride levels are of particular importance as they are the main component of fat cells. The objective of the present study was to determine the association between hypertriglyceridemia and the polymorphisms of genes of β2‑adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The present study was a case‑control study. A total of 460 subjects participated in the study. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, high‑density lipoprotein, low‑density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein A1 levels were examined in all subjects. Quantitative PCR was performed to detect the LPL rs328, ADRB2 rs1042714 gene polymorphisms, which were found to be previously associated with susceptibility to obesity‑related phenotypes and dyslipidemia. The results revealed a significant association of the rs1042714 polymorphism of the ADRB2 gene with triglyceride levels (P=0.04). The C allele and the association of the C/C and C/G genotypes of the rs1042714 polymorphism of the ADBR2 gene were more frequent in individuals with elevated triglyceride levels compared with those with normal triglyceride levels. The G allele and the G/G genotype of the rs1042714 polymorphism of the ADBR2 gene were protective and were associated with a reduced risk of developing hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52‑0.98 P=0.038). The LPL rs328 alleles were not associated with a significantly increased risk of developing hypertriglyceridemia. On the whole, the findings of the present study indicated that the ADRB2 rs1042714 allele G was associated with a decreased risk of developing hypertriglyceridemia. Polymorphisms of the LPL rs328 gene were not associated with hypertriglyceridemia and haplotype combinations were not associated with hypertriglyceridemia.
Biomarkers of immunothrombosis and polymorphisms of IL2, IL6, and IL10 genes as predictors of the severity of COVID-19 in a Kazakh population Assiya Yessenbayeva, Bakytbek Apsalikov, Meruyert Massabayeva, Maksut Kazymov, Aizhan Shakhanova, Zhanna Mussazhanova, Irina Kadyrova, Nurlan Aukenov, Nurlan Shaimardanov Plos One, 2023 ObjectivesTo study the role of biological markers of immunothrombosis and polymorphisms of cytokine genesIL2,IL6,IL10and their influence on the severity of COVID-19 in a Kazakh population.MethodsA total of 301 patients of Kazakh nationality with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 participated in the retrospective study, including 142 patients with severe and 159 with a mild course. Single nucleotide polymorphismsIL2Rrs1801274,IL6rs2069840, andIL10rs1800872 were genotyped by real-time PCR. Activated partial thromboplastin time, normalized ratio, prothrombin index, prothrombin time, fibrinogen prothrombin time, fibrinogen, D-dimer, and C-reactive protein analysis were also conducted.ResultsThe average age of patients with severe COVID-19 is higher than of patients with mild COVID-19 (p= 0.03). The findings showed that fibrinogen, D-dimer, and C-reactive protein were significantly greater in the group of patients with severe COVID-19 (p= 0.0001). A very strong correlation between the severity of COVID-19 with the D-dimer and C-reactive protein (p= 0.9) (p= 0.02) was found.ConclusionThe results of our study confirm that D-dimer, fibrinogen, and CRP are biomarkers of inflammation and hypercoagulation that serve as predictors of immunothrombosis affecting the severity of COVID-19. D-dimer is also associated withIL10rs1800872 gene polymorphism in the Kazakh population with severe COVID-19.
Genetic regulation of testosterone level in overweight males from the Kazakh population and its association with hypogonadism Merkhat Akkaliyev, , Nurlan Aukenov, , Meruyert Massabayeva, , Bakytbek Apsalikov, , Saule Rakhyzhanova, , Muratkhan Kuderbaev, and Journal of Medicine and Life, 2023 Male hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction in different populations are associated with excess body weight. A key aspect in most studies is the metabolism of sexual hormones, primarily testosterone. At the same time, the binding protein sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) can play a large role, as it determines the ratio of total and bioavailable testosterone in blood, i.e. both the hormone content and level of its production. Recent research has identified common mutations that affect SHBG levels, such as the rs727428 polymorphic locus, which is associated with alterations in histone protein function, affecting the regulation of ribonucleic acid (RNA) protein SHBG synthesis. Similar relationships have been observed for prevalent mutations, including rs5934505 and rs10822184, in diverse populations. This study involved 300 individuals of Kazakh nationality from the Eastern Kazakhstan region, examining three polymorphic variants of the SHBG gene (rs727428, rs5934505, and rs10822184). The participants were categorized into three groups: individuals with hypogonadism and obesity (group 1, n=85), those with excess body weight but no hypogonadism (group 2, n=70), and individuals with neither excess body weight nor hypogonadism (group 3, n=145). The frequency of mutant gene alleles impacting GPS (SHBG) synthesis in the Kazakh population was notably high, comparable to European and South-East Asian populations. However, the association between excess body weight and these mutations exhibited varying patterns. Hypogonadism was linked to decreased GPS levels, strongly correlating with total testosterone but not bioavailable testosterone. The retention of sexual functions in overweight men was not always directly related to BMI levels and GPS concentrations.
Association of lipid parameters with insulin resistance in the Kazakh population Aizhan SHAKHANOVA, Nurlan AUKENOV, Alma NURTAZINA, Alida KASSKABAYEVA, Meruyert MASSABAYEVA, Dana KENZHEBAYEVA Bratislava Medical Journal, 2023 BACKGROUND Insulin resistance (IR) is a consequence of chronic adipose tissue inflammation and underlies the pathogenesis of several diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. In this study, we examined the association between dyslipidaemia and IR; directly comparing conventional lipid ratios and apoB/apoA1 ratios for strength and independence as risk factors for IR in a Kazakh population. METHODS The design of this study was a case-control study. There were 507 participants in the study. We examined each participant's plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B, and apolipoprotein A1. IR was determined using an IR homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). To assess the risk of an atherogenic blood lipid profile, atherogenicity coefficients were calculated: Bad cholesterol to good cholesterol ratio ((TC-HDL)/HDL); TG to HDL ratio (TRG/HDL); apoB to apoA1 ratio (apoB/apoA1). RESULTS In this study, high waist circumference and BMI were more common in men. The group with IR had significantly higher waist circumference (cm) (p = 0.0001) and BMI (kg/m2) (p = 0.04) than the group without IR. The risk of IR was significantly associated with the apoB/apoA1 ratio (p = 0.03). Analysis of the association between HOMA-IR and apoB/apoA1 ratio increased the risk of IR at apoB/apoA1 ratios of 0.71 to 0.85 and above 0.86 by a factor of 1.93 and 1.84, respectively. HOMA-IR levels were weakly significantly correlated with TG levels (rS = 0.3; p = 0.0001) and very weakly positively correlated with apoB levels (rS = 0.1; p = 0.002) and apoB/apoA1 (rS = 0.1; p = 0.001), there was a weak negative correlation with apoA1 levels (rS = -0.1; p = 0.02). Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of developing IR was significantly lower in men than in women, adjusted OR (95% CI) = 0.75 (0.49-1.0) p = 0.02. CONCLUSION In our study, IR was more common in Kazakh women than in Kazakh men. IR was also associated with apoB and TG levels. Thus, we suggest that analysis of TG, apoB and apoB/apoA1 ratio may be recommended as early predictors of IR risk in the Kazakh population (Tab. 3, Ref. 22). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, apolipoproteins, triglycerides, lipids.
Associations between serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, corticotropin releasing hormone and mental distress in vitiligo patients Assiya Kussainova, Laura Kassym, Almira Akhmetova, Eugenia Dvoryankova, Natalya Glushkova, Zaituna Khismetova, Saltanat Adilgozhina, Raikhan Tuleutayeva, Alida Kaskabayeva, Meruyert Massabayeva, Laura Pak, Yuliya Semenova Scientific Reports, 2022 Vitiligo is clinically characterized by the appearance of non-symptomatic depigmented macules, but the disorder is highly correlated with a wide range of psychiatric disorders and psychological problems. The aim of our study was to investigate serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) levels in vitiligo patients and healthy controls in relation to the observed symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders. This study comprised 96 vitiligo patients and 96 healthy controls who filled out the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales. Serum levels of BDNF and CRH were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. There was a significant increase of depression and anxiety scores in vitiligo patients as compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05). The serum levels of BDNF were significantly lower in vitiligo patients than in healthy individuals (Z = 4.002; P < 0.001), while the serum levels of CRH were markedly higher in cases than those in controls (Z = 3.764; P < 0.001). The significant positive correlations between serum CRH levels and GAD-7, PHQ-9 scores were observed. However, the aforementioned psychometric scales did not correlate significantly with serum BDNF level. Vitiligo is associated with the depression and is closely linked with lower BDNF levels.
The role of SHBG and LPL gene polymorphism in the development of age-related hypogonadism in overweight men: Literature review Merkhat Akkaliyev, Nurlan Aukenov, Meruyert Massabayeva, Bakytbek Apsalikov, Saule Rakhyzhanova, Muratkhan Kuderbaev Journal of Clinical Medicine of Kazakhstan, 2021 Testosterone is the main male hormone responsible for the formation and maintenance of male sex characteristics and the sexual performance of men. With age testosterone levels decrease which is a natural physiological process. But the timing of age-related hypogonadism progress has individual differences. Physiological processes occurring in the body of an aging man are due to genetic, population and individual features of genes and their mutations leading to genetic polymorphism. Gene polymorphism is represented mainly by single nucleotide substitutions that are SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism). Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) genes are important links in the synthesis and transport of testosterone in male body as well as in the development of androgen deficiency. This review discusses the role of polymorphic variants of SHBG and LPL genes in the early development of age-related hypogonadism in overweight men.
LPL AND ADRB2 GENE POLYMORPHISMS: RELATIONSHIP WITH LIPIDS AND OBESITY IN KAZAKH ADOLESCENTS Georgian Medical News, 2020
