Tobacco.org

Novel bioreactor enhances interleukin-12 production in genetically modified tobacco plants 

Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system. Having either too much or too little interleukin-12 may play a role in the development of many diseases, including some cancers and auto-immune disorders like Crohn's, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. In turn, modulating interleukin-12 levels could yield new therapies for those conditions.

In an effort to create a new and cost-effective method for producing interleukin-12 and make more of the scarce protein available for research and therapeutic development, a team of scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center (WPI) and the Arkansas Bioscience Institute at Arkansas State University (ABI) reports that hairy roots from genetically modified tobacco plants can be grown in a contained novel mist bioreactor system, yielding significant quantities of murine interleukin-12. A paper detailing the results of the study has been published early, online, by the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering and will appear in the journal's printed edition early in 2009.

Jump to full article »

Particulate Matter in Cigarette Smoke Alters Iron Homeostasis to Produce a Biological Effect 

Conclusions: We conclude that cigarette smoke particles alter iron homeostasis, both in the lung and systemically. . . .

Scientific Knowledge on the Subject

The mechanism(s) for tissue injury after cigarette smoking is not known. Reasons for the persistence of risk for disease after cessation of smoking similarly is not recoganized.

What This Study Adds to the Field

This investigation supports a mechanism of tissue injury after disruption of iron homeostasis (both in the lung and systemically) by cigarette smoke particles. Accumulated iron then catalyzes oxidative stress and biological effect.

Jump to full article »

Particulate components of cigarette smoke affects iron homeostasis 

The iron accumulation found in the lungs of smokers is caused by the particulate element of cigarette smoke, and may lead to inflammation and oxidative stress, shows a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Previous studies have shown elevated iron levels in the airways and alveolar macrophages of smokers and Andrew Ghio (US Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina, USA) et al report that this is caused by particles in cigarette smoke.

Jump to full article »

Effect of different types of smoking and synergism with hepatitis C virus on risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in American men and women: Case-control study  

passive exposure to cigarette smoke and use of noncigarette tobacco products on the risk of HCC has not been examined. Therefore, we evaluated the independent effects of different types of smoking exposure along with multiple risk factors for HCC and determined whether the magnitude of smoking was modified by other risk factors in men and women. We conducted a case-control study at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center where 319 HCC patients and 1,061 healthy control subjects were personally interviewed for several HCC risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each potential risk factor. . . .

We conclude that sex differences were observed in HCC relationship with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. Controlling for smoking exposure might be a prudent approach to the prevention of HCC, especially in patients with chronic viral hepatitis infections.

Jump to full article »

• Cigarette Smoking, Hepatitis C Virus Synergistic in Raising Liver Cancer Risk  

There appears to be a synergistic link between smoking and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, leading to a more than 136-fold increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in men, according to a team at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Manal M. Hassan and colleagues in Houston also found a link between HCV, heavy alcohol consumption and HCC in women.

Dr. Hassan's team conducted a case-control study of 319 HCC patients and 1,061 healthy controls to evaluate the effects of active and passive smoking on risk factors for HCC in men and women. . . .

"We conclude that sex differences were observed in HCC's relationship with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption," the authors write. "Controlling smoking exposure might be a prudent approach to the prevention of HCC, especially in patients with chronic viral hepatitis infections."

Jump to full article »

Abstract of article: Differential effects on T-cell function following exposure to serum from schizophrenia smokers 

These results suggest that cigarette smoking has selective effects on serum components that, in turn, lead to altered immune function in schizophrenia patients relative to healthy subjects. Further studies aimed at characterizing these components could result in a better understanding of the onset and aetiology of schizophrenia and potentially lead to novel therapeutic strategies.

Keywords:

Jump to full article »

Patients who smoke get little help from docs in stopping  

It may be harder for them than ever, though. Research presented this week during a meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians shows that nearly 75 percent of people seeking treatment for tobacco-dependence are highly addicted to nicotine.

Scientists are regularly finding even more reasons for people to kick butts -- particularly if they're around kids.

Just last month, Canadian researchers reported that children regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in homes and cars are more likely to experience nicotine dependence symptoms.

Other recent studies show that ear infections and hospital admissions for all sorts of infectious diseases are more severe and more common in passive-smoking children.

And a mouse study reported by Yale School of Medicine researchers in July showed that being exposed to the smoke of as few as two cigarettes a day experienced exaggerated levels of inflammation when exposed to cold and flu viruses.

Jump to full article »

Health workers must boost women's awareness of smoking-related cancers 

Healthcare workers across the board need to boost women’s awareness of the range of smoking-related cancers, a public meeting launching results from the EU HELP campaign heard today. This may include taking measures to provide smokers presenting with the human papilloma virus (HPV) the help to quit.

Ms Norma Cronin, Tobacco Control Health Promotion Manager with the Irish Cancer Society, stated that a rise in smoking among 15- to 17-year-olds ‘will have a knock-on effect on women – lung cancer being the main effect’.

However, she also identified that the cancer-causing HPV takes longer to regress in smokers because of chemicals from tobacco that remain in the mucous of the cervix. “Smoking is secondary – you need to have the HPV virus in the first place but, if you’re smoking, it may prevent your body expelling the virus,” she told IMT.

Ms Cronin voiced her belief in brief intervention ‘among all healthcare workers’ and suggested that smear-takers pursue the topic of smoking with their patient.

Jump to full article »

Kicking the Habit May Help Arthritis  

People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis may see an improvement in their condition if they quit smoking, a new study has found.

The study, described as preliminary, appears to offer the first evidence that giving up cigarettes may help arthritis patients, the researchers say. The study was presented at a recent conference of the American College of Rheumatology.

"That's just one more reason to encourage them to quit smoking," said the lead author, Dr. Mark C. Fisher of the New York University Medical Center.

Jump to full article »

If You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis and You Smoke, Listen Up 

Tossing your cigarettes may help control your rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. An estimated 1.3 million Americans have RA, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men.

Smoking is known to increase the risk and severity of RA. Smoking cessation has been shown to have a positive impact in slowing the progression of other diseases such as coronary disease and emphysema.

Researchers recently evaluated 14,847 patients

Jump to full article »

Cigarette Smoking Increases the Risk of Root Canal Treatment  

We studied the effect of smoking on the incidence of root canal treatment, controlling for recognized risk factors, in 811 dentate male participants in the VA Dental Longitudinal Study. Participants were not VA patients. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 28 years. Root canal treatment was verified on radiographs and evaluated with proportional hazards regression models. Compared with never-smokers, current cigarette smokers were 1.7 times as likely to have root canal treatment (p < 0.001), but cigar and/or pipe use was not significantly associated with root canal treatment. The risk among cigarette smokers increased with more years of exposure and decreased with length of abstinence. These findings suggest that there is a dose-response relationship between cigarette smoking and the risk of root canal treatment.

Jump to full article »

Arthritis patients have increased lung cancer risk 

The risk of lung cancer is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even after taking into account the effects of established risk factors such as tobacco and asbestos exposure, according to a study with United States military veterans.

Using a Veterans Health Administration database, Dr. Ritu Khurana, at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, and fellow researchers obtained the medical records for approximately 480,000 patients treated between 1998 and 2004, including 7,280 diagnosed with lung cancer and 8,678 diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

The rate of rheumatoid arthritis was 3.4 percent among lung cancer patients compared with 1.8 percent among patients without lung cancer

Jump to full article »

Is it exposure to cigarette smoke or to smokers which increases the risk of meningococcal disease in teenagers?  

CONCLUSION: Contact with smokers is associated with increased risk of MD in adolescents. This is more likely to be due to higher carriage rates in smokers than to exposure to smoke and emphasizes the importance of public health measures to stop smoking. In epidemiological studies that assess risk from passive smoking, exposure to smoke should be differentiated where possible from contact with smokers.

Jump to full article »

Infection Blocks Lung's Protective Response Against Tobacco Smoke 

An infection that often goes undetected can block the lung's natural protective response against tobacco smoke, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. The findings, recently published online and scheduled to appear in the October issue of Infection and Immunity, suggest one mechanism that may cause smokers to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"Although smoking is the overwhelming cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), only 20 percent of smokers develop the disease," said Brian Day, senior author on the study and Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health. "Our findings suggest that Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) infection may be one of the co-factors that lead to COPD and other diseases among smokers."

Jump to full article »

• Infection blocks lung's protective response against tobacco smoke 

An infection that often goes undetected can block the lung's natural protective response against tobacco smoke, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. The findings, recently published online and scheduled to appear in the October issue of Infection and Immunity, suggest one mechanism that may cause smokers to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

"Although smoking is the overwhelming cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), only 20 percent of smokers develop the disease," said Brian Day, senior author on the study and Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Health. "Our findings suggest that Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) infection may be one of the co-factors that lead to COPD and other diseases among smokers." . . .

It has long been known that the lungs mount a strong protective response against tobacco smoke, which the National Jewish researchers confirmed in their studies in mice and cell cultures. They found that mice exposed to tobacco smoke for 16 weeks doubled the amount of the antioxidant glutathione in the fluid bathing the airways. The antioxidant reacts with the reactive species in tobacco smoke, thus preventing damaging reactions with lung tissue.

"This natural protective response actually allows people to smoke," said Day. "Without it, all smokers would suffer significantly more lung damage."

Previous work in Dr. Day's lab had suggested that lung infections might affect the lung's protective response.

Jump to full article »