Smoke exposure in pipe and cigar smokers. Serum thiocyanate measures

Pipe or cigar smoking traditionally has been considered a less risky alternative to cigarette smoking. Some surveys and experimental studies have suggested, however, that former cigarette smokers who switch to cigars and/or pipe (CP) are more likely to inhale then CP users who never smoked cigarettes; but this relationship has not been consistently noted. To clarify smoke-exposure levels from CP smoking, smoking histories and serum thiocyanate (SCN) levels were studied in 9,106 adults aged 25 to 74 years in population-based surveys of seven upper Midwestern communities. Analyses of the 306 male CP smokers indicated a significantly higher SCN level in the ex-cigarette-smoking CP users vs the CP users who never smoked cigarettes. Serum thiocyanate levels of both CP groups were significantly higher than those of nonsmokers and lower than cigarette-only smokers. However, the number of pipe bowls or cigars smoked per day was also significantly related to SCN levels, and this could account for much of the association between SCN and previous cigarette smoking status. Individuals currently smoking four or more pipe bowls or four or more cigars per day had an elevated smoke exposure equivalent to about ten cigarettes per day, whether or not they previously smoked cigarettes. Because of these findings and because former cigarette smokers were more likely to report heavy CP usage, cigarette smokers should be advised to quit rather than to switch to a pipe or cigar.     

新疆原发性肺腺癌表皮生长因子受体基因突变与临床病理特征分析

目的：探讨新疆原发性肺腺癌中表皮生长因子受体（epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR）基因突变情况及与临床病理特征的关系。方法：采用扩增阻滞突变系统(amplification refractory mutation system,ARMS)荧光PCR法对59 例（维吾尔族15例,汉族44例）新疆维吾尔族及汉族原发性肺腺癌手术切除标本进行EGFR基因第18-21号外显子的突变检测,同时分析其与患者临床病理特征的关系。结果：在新疆地区原发性肺腺癌手术切除标本患者中,EGFR基因突变率维吾尔族低于汉族,分别为20%（3/15）和54.5%（24/44）,差异具有统计意义（P<0.05）;其中EGFR外显子19缺失突变维吾尔族2例,汉族9例,外显子21L858R突变维吾尔族1例,汉族12例,外显子18G719X突变汉族2例,外显子21L861Q突变汉族1例。在病理组织学类型上,腺泡状为主型腺癌EGFR突变率为71%（22/31）,高于实性为主型EGFR突变率6.7%（1/15）和黏液腺癌EGFR突变率20%（1/5）。EGFR基因突变与维吾尔族或汉族肺腺癌患者的性别、年龄、部位、大体类型、淋巴结转移情况、吸烟指数及临床分期等差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论：新疆原发性肺腺癌EGFR基因突变率在维吾尔族与汉族有不同,可能反映民族遗传差异性,值得进一步研究。EGFR基因突变常见于高 中分化腺癌,或以腺泡状为主型多见。     

Associations Between Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Mutation and Serum Tumor Markers in Advanced Lung Adenocarcinomas:A Retrospective Study

Objective To investigate the associations between epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） gene mutations and serum tumor markers in advanced lung adenocarcinomas. Methods We investigated the association between EGFR gene mutations and clinical features, including serum tumor marker levels, in 97 advanced lung adenocarcinomas patients who did not undergo the treatment of EGlaR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. EGFR gene mutation was detected by real-time PCR at exons 18, 19, 20, and 21. Serum tumor marker concentrations were analyzed by chemiluminescence assay kit at the same time. Results EGFR gene mutations were detected in 42 （43%） advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients. Gender （P=0.003）, smoking status （P=0.001）, and abnormal serum status of carcinoembryonic antigen （CEA, P=0.028） were significantly associated with EGFR gene mutation incidence. Multivariate analysis showed the abnormal CEA level in serum was independently associated with the incidence of EGFR gene mutation （P=0.046） with an odds ratio of 2.613 （95% Ch 1.018-6.710）. However, receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve analysis revealed CEA was not an ideal predictive marker for EGFR gene mutation status in advanced lung adenocarcinoma （the area under the ROC curve was 0.608, P=0.069）. Conclusions EGFR gene mutation status is significantly associated with serum CEA status in advanced lung adenocarcinmoas. However, serum CEA is not an ideal predictor for EGFR mutation.     

Cigarette smoking and exposure to passive smoke are risk factors for cervical cancer

Personal cigarette smoking and exposure to passive smoke as risk factors for cervical cancer were examined in a population-based, case-control study conducted in Utah. Personal cigarette smoking was found to increase the risk of cervical cancer, after adjusting for age, educational level, church attendance, and sexual activity. The adjusted risk estimate associated with being a current smoker was 3.42 (95% confidence interval [Cl], 2.10 to 5.57); for having smoked for 5 or more pack-years, it was 2.81 (95% Cl, 1.73 to 4.55); and for having smoked at least 100 lifetime cigarettes, it was 2.21 (95% Cl, 1.44 to 3.39). The adjusted risk estimate (also adjusted for actual cigarettes smoked) associated with passive smoke exposure for 3 or more hours per day was 2.96 (95% Cl, 1.25 to 7.03). Risk from passive smoking was greater in women who were not smokers (odds ratio, 3.43; 95% Cl, 1.23 to 9.54) than in women who smoked (odds ratio, 2.59; 95% Cl, 0.23 to 29.24).     

Research letter: Intentions of smokers to use free nicotine replacement therapy

Public health initiatives to distribute nicotine replacement therapy free of charge as a means of promoting smoking cessation are ongoing. Are there enough smokers interested in using nicotine replacement therapy to have a substantial impact on the prevalence of smoking if this aid were distributed free to all interested smokers? We conducted a telephone survey of 825 randomly selected daily smokers aged 18 years or older who had smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day at some point in their lives. Overall, 58.9% of the respondents said they would be interested in nicotine replacement therapy if it were offered for free. Of those interested, almost all (93.8%) said that they would use the nicotine replacement therapy to help them quit for good. There were differences in the levels of interest: smokers who intended to quit were more interested in using the nicotine replacement therapy than those who planned to reduce or maintain their smoking.     

非小细胞肺癌患者肿瘤组织及外周血EGFR基因突变研究

目的:调查非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者EGFR基因突变的情况,评价EGFR突变检测对NSCLC个体化治疗的指导意义。方法:收集39例经手术治疗的NSCLC患者肿瘤组织、正常肺组织及外周静脉血标本,提取基因组DNA后,采用PCR扩增和基因测序方法检测EGFR基因外显子19、20和21基因突变情况,并用SPSS11.5软件进行统计学分析。结果:EGFR在正常肺组织中都未检出基因突变;肺癌组织中EGFR基因突变率为30.8%(12/39),以杂合性突变为主(91.7%,11/12),纯合性突变少见(8.3%,仅1例),外显子19、20和21分别占突变总数的41.7%(5/12),25.0%(3/12)和33.3%(4/12);外周血中检出的EGFR的突变率为33.3%(4/12),全部为肿瘤组织中存在突变者;EGFR基因突变多见于女性、腺癌及腺鳞癌、"不吸烟"患者,与年龄、临床分期均无明显相关性(P>0.05),与吸烟高度相关(P<0.01)。结论:NSCLC患者EGFR基因突变率较高,EGFR基因突变检测对NSCLC患者个性化治疗可能有指导意义。     

中国北方地区非小细胞肺癌患者表皮生长因子受体基因突变的研究

目的研究中国北方地区非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者肺癌组织表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)基因突变的情况。方法采用PCR扩增和基因测序,检测93例NSCLC患者癌组织EGFR基因外显子19和21的突变情况,并分析其突变与临床特征的关系。结果93例组织标本中共检测到21例EGFR突变(22.6%),其中16例发生在外显子19的缺失突变,5例发生在外显子21的错义突变。男性与女性,吸烟者与非吸烟者,不同病理分型的NSCLC患者基因突变率间差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论中国北方地区NSCLC患者癌组织的EGFR基因在腺癌、女性、非吸烟者中突变率高,这类患者更适宜靶向药物的治疗。     

Increased risk of respiratory symptoms in young smokers of low tar cigarettes

The effect of cigarettes yielding less than 10 mg tar was investigated in a representative sample (n = 4729) of 16 and 18 year old Finns. The rate of response was 80%. Cough and phlegm were significantly increased in young people smoking low tar cigarettes. When more than nine cigarettes were smoked daily respiratory symptoms were 2.4-6.2 times more prevalent among those who smoked low tar cigarettes than among those who never smoked. No differences were found between the smokers of low tar and medium tar cigarettes (yielding tar 10-18 mg). These data disagree with the hypothesis that the new low tar brands of cigarettes are less likely to cause respiratory symptoms than the old medium tar brands.     

A prospective study of cigarette smoking and risk of cataract surgery in women.

OBJECTIVE--To examine prospectively the association between cigarette smoking and the risk of cataract extraction in women. DESIGN--Prospective cohort study beginning in 1980 with 8 years of follow-up. SETTING--United States, multistate. PARTICIPANTS--Registered nurses 45 to 67 years of age and free of diagnosed cancer. There were 50,828 women included in 1980 and others were added as they became 45 years of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Incidence of senile cataract extraction. RESULTS--We documented 493 incident senile cataracts diagnosed and extracted during 470,302 person-years of follow-up. The age-adjusted relative risk (RR) among women who smoked at least 65 pack-years was 1.63 (95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.18 to 2.26; P for trend, .02). A similar increase in RR was noted when smoking was assessed in terms of number of cigarettes currently smoked or number of cigarettes smoked by past smokers. Results were also similar after adjusting for other potential risk factors for cataract. Smoking was also strongly associated with posterior subcapsular cataract specifically (RR, 2.59; 95% Cl, 1.49 to 4.50 for greater than or equal to 65-pack-year smokers relative to nonsmokers. CONCLUSION--Smoking appears to increase the risk of cataract extraction.     

Risk of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma among smokers and ex-smokers. Univariate analysis of JACC study data

Hazard ratios (HR) of death due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were analyzed by gender and age strata (40-59 and 60-79) among smokers and ex-smokers in 65,528 eligible subjects from a large cohort of males and females aged 40-79 years, based on information about several smoking-related characteristics. Both current smokers and ex-smokers among total older males had hazard ratios (HR) for dying from HCC that were 2 to 4 times higher than those who had never smoked at the baseline survey. When subjects were restricted to those without history of liver disease (LD), older male (60-79) ex-smokers presented a statistically significant HR of 5.0. Earlier age at start of smoking (15 to 19) showed a significantly increased HR of 4 to 8 for both current and ex-smokers. Moderate number of cigarettes smoked per day showed an increased HR, and later age at cessation of smoking had a higher HR compared to earlier cessation. Larger cumulative amount of smoking resulted in an elevated HR of 11 times than in those who had never smoked. Cigarette smoking was suggested to be an important risk factor for death from HCC regardless of whether the smoking habit was in the past or was continuing at present. To eliminate confounding effects and interaction with other risk factors of HCC and to clarify the net association between smoking habits and HCC, farther careful analysis using multivariate models is needed.     

Studies in the distribution of body fat. III. Effects of cigarette smoking

Cross-sectional associations between smoking habits, body mass index, and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were examined in 1122 men aged 19 to 102 years. Weight and body mass index were significantly lower in cigarette smokers than in nonsmokers when age was taken into account. The WHR in smokers was significantly higher than in nonsmokers. A graded dose-response relationship was found between the number of cigarettes smoked and the WHR. Longitudinal associations between changes in smoking habits and changes in the WHR were examined during follow-up visits. In the period between these pairs of visits, weight increased when subjects quit smoking and decreased when they started smoking, as expected. The increase in WHR among those who quit smoking was, however, significantly less than the expected increase if smoking had continued. The WHR in those who started smoking actually increased despite their loss of weight. These paradoxical changes in WHR indicate that there are harmful effects of cigarette smoking on the pattern of distribution of body fat. These facts introduce still another reason to suggest that the decision to initiate or to continue smoking to control body weight is unwise.     

Smoking and death rates: report on forty-four months of follow-up of 187,783 men. 2. Death rates by cause

Information was gathered on the smoking habits of 187,783 white men between the ages of 50 and 69 between January 1 and May 31, 1952. The men were subsequently traced through October 31, 1955. 11,870 men died during this period. The total experience covered 667,753 man years. For microscopically proved cases of cancer and for the total cases reported as cancer it was found that the death rates were higher among regular cigarette smokers than among men who never smoked, that the mortality ratio increased with the number of cigarettes smoked each day, and that the death rates were higher among pipe and cigar smokers than among men who never smoked. 7316 deaths occurred among regular cigarette smokers; this was an excess of 2665 over the 4651 deaths that would have occurred had the age-specific death rates for smokers been equal to that for nonsmokers. Coronary disease accounted for 52.1% of the excess; lung cancer accounted for 13.5% of the excess; and cancer of other sites accounted for 13.5% of the excess. An extremely high association between cigarette smoking and death rates for men with lung cancer was found in both rural areas and large cities. Only 338 deaths were ascribed to pulmonary diseases other than lung cancer. Only 1120 (9.4%) of the 11,870 deaths were attributed to diseases other than cancer, cardiac, circulatory, and pulmonary diseases and accidents, violence, and suicide. Only 3 of the specific disease entities - gastric and duodenal ulcers and cirrhosis of the liver - showed a statistically significant degree of association with smoking habits. The most important finding of this study was the high degree of association between cigarette smoking and the total death rate.     

184例心血管疾病患者吸烟及戒烟现状调查分析

目的了解心血管疾病患者的吸烟及戒烟现状．方法对2010年12月至2011年12月期间在昆明市第一人民医院门诊或住院部就诊的184例心血管疾病患者进行戒烟问卷调查,分析心血管疾病患者吸烟及戒烟相关临床特征．结果（1）心血管疾病吸烟者中以男性为主（100％）,以患有高血压和／或冠心病为主（179人,97．3％）．（2）开始吸烟年龄平均21．5岁,其中97．8％患者烟龄≥108,平均（35．1±13．4）a,69．6％患者吸烟量≥10支,d,平均（16．3±10．1）支,d,65．8％的患者尼古丁依赖程度很低或是低度,81．5％患者认为戒烟重要,76．1％有戒烟想法,67．4％有信心成功戒烟,50．5％认为戒烟是件困难的事情;其中127人（69％）认真戒过烟．（3）认真戒烟患者有65例（51．2％）戒烟成功,其中54例（83．1％）接受过医务人员不同程度建议戒烟劝导;62例（48．8％）复吸,只有34例（54．8％）接受过医务人员建议戒烟劝导,2组进行Х^2检验,P=0．000,提示差异有统计学意义．其复吸原因主要因为压力、烟瘾发作及其身边有其他吸烟者．结论心血管疾病吸烟患者主要由患高血压和／或冠心病的男性患者构成;大多数患者认识到戒烟重要,有想法及认真戒烟,但由于缺乏信心及吸烟也成为一种生活习惯明显影响成功戒烟;医务人员的建议戒烟劝导在很大程度上提高了患者的戒烟成功率．     

Respiratory effects of non-tobacco cigarettes

Data from the Tucson epidemiological study of airways obstructive disease on smoking of non-tobacco cigarettes such as marijuana were analysed to determine the effect of such smoking on respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function. Among adults aged under 40, 14% had smoked non-tobacco cigarettes at some time and 9% were current users. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was increased in smokers of non-tobacco cigarettes. After tobacco smoking had been controlled for men who smoked non-tobacco cigarettes showed significant decreases in expiratory flow rates at low lung volumes and in the ratio of the forced expiratory volume in one second to the vital capacity. This effect on pulmonary function in male non-tobacco cigarette smokers was greater than the effect of tobacco cigarette smoking. These data suggest that non-tobacco cigarette smoking may be an important risk factor in young adults with respiratory symptoms or evidence of airways obstruction.     

Australian patterns of tobacco smoking in 1986

A total of 9440 Australian men and women of over 15 years of age was interviewed at home in 1986 to determine the prevalence and consumption levels of tobacco products. Current smokers were defined as those who smoked any combination of cigarettes, cigars or pipes regularly. The percentage of current smokers among men was 32.9% and among women was 28.5%, and the peak prevalence of smoking was in the age-group 20-24 years for both men (40.5%) and women (40.8%). Among men, 27.7% were past smokers, and among women, 16.5% were past smokers. The proportion of past smokers among those who had ever smoked was higher in men (0.46) than among women (0.37), but in the younger age groups there was no relative excess among men. Male smokers consumed more cigarettes per day than did female smokers and men were exposed to a higher daily average amount of cigarette tar. Sociodemographic variables that were associated with smoking in both men and women included age and educational and occupational level. Asian-born persons had a significantly lower prevalence of smoking than did persons who were born in Australia.     

Scorpions-ARMS法检测非小细胞肺癌患者外周血EGFR基因突变及其临床预测价值的研究

目的应用蝎形扩增阻滞突变系统（Scorpions—ARMS）检测非小细胞肺癌患者外周血EGFR基因突变及其临床预测价值的研究。方法应用蝎型扩增阻滞突变系统（Scorpions—ARMS）检测非小细胞肺癌外周血中EGFR基因第18、19、20及21外显子突变,统计分析EGFR基因突变的相关因素。结果50例非小细胞肺癌患者中,EGFR基因的突变率为30％（15／50）。结果EGFR基因的突变率47．4％（女性）明显高于19．4％（男性）。非吸烟患者EGFR突变率45．5％高于吸烟患者17．9％,差异有统计学意义（P=0．035）。在非小细胞肺癌患者中,腺癌患者EGFR突变率40．6％明显高于非腺癌患者11．1％,差异有统计学意义（P=0．029）。结论Scorpions—ARMS是检测血清游离DNA中EGFR基因突变的可靠有效方法。     

Comparison of three methods for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in plasma DNA samples of Chinese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Background  Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations can predict tumor response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Detecting EGFR mutations in plasma DNA samples in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer is challenging and promising. We compared three methods for detecting plasma EGFR mutations, including direct DNA sequencing, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and Scorpions Amplification Refractory Mutation System (Scorpions ARMS).

Methods  Plasma DNA samples from 73 patients with stage IIIB to IV adenocarcinoma were analyzed for EGFR mutations in exons 19 (deletion mutation) and 21 (L858R mutation) using direct DNA sequencing, DHPLC and Scorpions ARMS. Sensitivities of the three methods were compared and the relationship between EGFR mutations and patients’ survival was analyzed.

Results  In 73 patients, we detected EGFR mutations in 5 samples (6.9%) by direct DNA sequencing, in 22 samples (30.1%) by DHPLC, and in 28 samples (38.4%) by Scorpions ARMS. EGFR mutations were found in 13 samples in exon 19 and in 9 samples in exon 21 by DHPLC, while we found mutations in 15 samples in exon 19 and in 13 samples in exon 21 by Scorpions ARMS. Among the 73 patients, there was 90.4% concordance between DHPLC and Scorpions ARMS (66/73, κ=0.79, P=0.07). Of the 73 patients, 46 patients were treated with gefitinib, including 18 patients with mutations and 28 patients without mutations as determined by Scorpions ARMS. The 18 patients with mutations had a significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) time (median PFS was 21.0 months) than the 28 patients without mutations (median PFS was 7.0 months) (P=0.022).

Conclusions  Among the three methods for detecting EGFR mutations in plasma DNA samples of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, direct gene sequencing had the lowest sensitivity, while Scorpion ARMS showed the highest mutation detecting capability. DHPLC is slightly less sensitive than Scorpion ARMS. EGFR mutations in exons 19 (deletion mutation) and 21 (L858R mutation) predict a longer PFS.

     

Deaths in Canada from lung cancer due to involuntary smoking.

Recently published evidence indicates that involuntary smoking causes an increased risk of lung cancer among nonsmokers. Information was compiled on the proportion of people who had never smoked among victims of lung cancer, the risk of lung cancer for nonsmokers married to smokers and the prevalence of such exposure. On the basis of these data we estimate that 50 to 60 of the deaths from lung cancer in Canada in 1985 among people who had never smoked were caused by spousal smoking; about 90% occurred in women. The total number of deaths from lung cancer attributable to exposure to tobacco smoke from spouses and other sources (mainly the workplace) was derived by applying estimated age- and sex-specific rates of death from lung cancer attributable to such exposure to the population of Canadians who have never smoked; about 330 deaths from lung cancer annually are attributable to such exposure.     

Transfer factor in smokers and non-smokers after smoking two cigarettes

Impairments of lung functionality as long-term effects of cigarette smoking have been well established. To our knowledge, no study on acute recovery patterns in any important lung function index after smoking a very limited number of cigarettes has ever been reported. The present study reports recovery patterns of lung transfer factor (TF) and related parameters in smokers and non-smokers who smoked two Camel cigarettes. Lung transfer factor and other indices were determined by the single breath-holding technique. From our results, the TF and related indices of healthy Malaysians are similar to previously published normals of comparable age. On smoking two cigarettes, male smokers began to recover from the 30th minute; male non-smokers had not begun recovery even by the 50th minute. Extrapolation of the recovery curves suggests that a "safer" interval between cigarettes for male smokers is about 114 minutes.     

The profile of the African smoker: the Ghana smoking studies

The prevalence of cigarette smoking in Ghana was assessed by examining the data on smoking from 2 World Health Organization sponsored studies of blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The 2 studies were the Civil Servants Hypertension Project, which surveyed a sample of approximately 20% of all civil servants and included 486 male and 202 female respondents, and the Mamprobi Survey, which sampled the general population and included 3745 respondents, aged 14-64 years. Additional data from 2 other studies was also examined. Overall, the studies found that the proportion of smokers in Ghana was small and that most of those who smoked were not heavy smokers. The smoking prevalence rate among civil servants was 32% for males and 5.9% for females. Among the respondents in the Mamprobi Survey, the respective rates were 24% and 0.8%. For those aged 15-19 years, the prevalence rates in the 2 studies ranged from 4.6%-7.8% for males and was 0.0% for females. In another recent study of 2493 respondents from the general population, the proportion of smokers was only 15.1%. The proportion of smokers was similar among those who earned low and high salaries. In the Civil Servants Study the mean number of cigaretters smoked/day among the civil servants was 7 for the males and 4.7 for the females. In the Mamprobi Survey, the respective mean numbers were 8.4 and 3.0. Among civil servants, professional and administratie personnel smoked an average of 12 cigarettes/day while lower salaried workers smoked an average of 7 cigarettes/day. Only 3.7% of all the smokers in the 2 studies combined smoked 20 or more cigarettes/day. All of the studies indicate that 97%-99% of those who smoked/used cigarettes. Among civil servants, 91% of the smokers and 60% of the nonsmokers used alcohol. The studies indicate that the typical smoker in Ghana is an urban male, between 20-29 years of age, who began smoking as an adolescent. He is just as likely to belong to a high income group as a low income group; however, if he belongs to the former group, he is more likely to smoke more than the average number of cigarettes/day. Available information on smoking should be used to launch a public health campaign to reduce smoking in Ghana. At the present time, only a minority of the population smokes, few individuals are heavy smokers, and teachers and educators are showing considerable interest in combating smoking. Currently, educated and professional groups have a relatively high proportion of smokers. If these groups can be motivated to stop smoking, they might serve as effective role models for other segments of the population. Factors which may increase the smoking problem in Ghana are the growing number of young people who smoke and the ambivalence of the government toward smoking. Voluntary organizations and health professionals should assume more active roles in educating the public about the hazards of smoking.