Do changes in mood and concerns about weight relate to smoking relapse in the postpartum period?

Summary The majority of women who quit smoking during pregnancy will resume smoking during the postpartum period. Little is known, however, about the predictors of postpartum relapses to smoking. Changes in mood and increases in concerns about weight are common during the postpartum period, and these factors may affect womens postpartum smoking behavior. In this paper, we present a model of the relationship among mood, weight concerns and postpartum smoking. Data from previous postpartum relapse prevention trials are reviewed and evidence of a connection between changes in mood and weight concerns to postpartum relapse is presented. Directions for future research on the prevention of smoking relapses during the postpartum period, and the roles of mood and weight concerns in smoking relapse are presented.     

Factors related to the development of sensitization to green coffee and castor bean allergens among coffee workers

Background Occupational allergic respiratory symptoms in coffee workers have been frequently reported, but the ultimate cause of sensilization is still debated, castor bean being considered besides green coffee beans. Atopy and cigarette smoking have been suggested as promoting factors of sensitizalion for several occupational allergens. Objective This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of allergic respiratory symptoms and of sensitization to both green coffee beans and castor bean in the whole workforce of a coffee manufacturing plant. Furthermore we wanted to ascertain both the presence of castor bean antigens in the settled dust of the green coffee beans warehouse and the possible crossreactivity between the two beans. Meanwhile, the effect of smoking and atopy was considered. Method: Two-hundred and eleven workers were examined. A questionnaire on oculorhinitis and asthma was administered and skin-prick tests for green coffee beans, castor bean and 15 common inhalant allergens were carried out. Isoelectric focusing, isoelectric focusing immunoblot and radioallergosorbent assay (RAST) inhibition were performed on samples of settled environmental dust from the green coffee area, as well as on castor bean and green coffee beans. Results Ten per cent of the workers complained of oculorhinitis alone and 16% of asthma (nearly always associated with oculorhinitis). The overall prevalence of skin-sensitization was: 15% for green coffee beans, 22% for castor bean, 22% for common allergens. Evidence of sensitization to occupational allergens was more common in smokers, with a more than twofold increase in relative risk. The strong association between skin positivity to common and occupational allergens suggests that atopy acts as an enhancing host factor towards occupational sensitization. The analysis of the dust confirmed the presence of castor bean antigens. Conclusion Our findings indicate that castor bean is the major cause of occupational sensitization among coffee workers, whereas smoking and atopy act as enhancing factors.     

Trying to stop smoking: Effects of perceived addiction,attributions for failure,and expectancy of success

This paper reports the results of a postal questionnaire completed by 2343 smokers who had contacted a television company for help with stopping smoking. Of these, 1848 (78.9%) completed a follow-up questionnaire 1 year later. This indicated that 797 had tried to stop, 709 had tried to cut down, and 164 had become abstinent. Analyses show that the intention to try to stop smoking was dependent not only on the perceived health benefit, but also on the subjects' confidence that they would succeed if they tried to stop. As predicted by Weiner's [(1979). J. Educ. Psychol.71: 3–25] model of achievement motivation, those who attributed other smokers' failures at quitting to stable factors had lower expectancies of success, as had those who saw themselves as more addicted. When the follow-up data are considered, reported attempts at quitting were strongly related to previously declared intentions, and reported abstinence was related to previous confidence (expectancy of success) and perceived addiction. There is no support for hypotheses concerning self-other differences in attribution, or defensive attribution, in subjects' attributions for their own failures at cessation. Implications for antismoking interventions are discussed.This research was facilitated to various extents by grants from the British Council, the Department of Health and Social Security, the Medical Research Council, and the Social Science Research Council, London. When the data were collected, all authors were at the Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London.     

Attitudes toward smoking cessation among men and women

Recent reports indicate that women are less successful than men in their attempts to quit smoking. Sex differences in attitudes toward smoking cessation were examined cross-sectionally in a sample of 447 smokers randomly selected from employees of 10 diverse Minnesota worksites and interviewed in early 1984. No sex differences were found in the percentage of smokers who had tried to quit at least once in the past; indeed, over four of five respondents reported prior attempts to quit. Yet compared to women, men were more interested in quitting. Women were less likely than men to perceive the health benefits of quitting and expressed more concern about weight gain and job pressures related to quitting. No significant sex differences were found in prior use of formal cessation services, which had been used by about one-fourth of these respondents. Yet compared to men, women appeared to rely on informal sources of support, such as encouragement from co-workers. These findings underline the importance of intervention programs targeting women and suggest strategies that might enhance the effectiveness of such programs oriented toward women.     

Cigarette smoking and the intention to quit among pregnant smokers

Research has demonstrated that smoking during pregnancy has deleterious effects on the health of the unborn child as well as the mother. The present study examined whether pregnant smokers would have a greater intention to quit smoking, whether the stage of pregnancy would influence the intention to quit, and whether variables which have predicted cessation among pregnant smokers would also predict intention to quit. The results indicated that pregnant women did not have a significantly greater intention to quit smoking compared to nonpregnant smokers, despite the health risks to their child. Women who were further along in their pregnancy and women who smoked more cigarettes on a daily basis demonstrated the least intention to quit. Notably, women in the first trimester showed the greatest intention to quit, suggesting that pregnant women may be most receptive to quitting during their first trimester.     

Polymorphic metabolizing genes and susceptibility to atherosclerosis among cigarette smokers

Atherosclerosis (AR) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US and cigarette smoking is a major contributing factor to the disease. Like cigarette smoking in lung cancer, genetic susceptibility may be an important factor in determining who is more likely to develop AR. However, the current emphasis has been on susceptibility based on altered cardiovascular homeostasis. In this investigation, we studied 120 AR patients and 90 matched controls to elucidate the association between polymorphisms in some metabolizing genes (GSTM1, GSTT1, CYP2E1, mEH, PON1, and MPO) and susceptibility to AR. We found that the GSTT1 null allele and the fast allele of mEH(*) (exon 4) are associated with risk for AR. Furthermore, the combined genotypes GSTM1 null/ CYP2E1(*)5B, GSTM1 null/mEH YY, and GSTT1 null/mEH YY are significantly associated with susceptibility to AR (OR = 15.42, 95% CI = 1.33-77.93, P = 0.021; OR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.63-8.04, P = 0.0008; OR = 3.4; 95% CI = 0.99-17.38, P = 0.05; respectively). We have also conducted cytogenetic analysis to elucidate if induction of chromosome aberrations (CAs) is a biomarker of AR susceptibility. We found that among cigarette smokers (AR patients and smoker controls), individuals having the GSTM1 null allele had a significantly higher frequency of CAs compared to those with the normal allele (P < 0.05). This association was not found among nonsmokers. In addition, individuals who had inherited the CYP2E1(*)5B allele exhibited a significantly higher CA frequency (8.0 +/- 0.82) compared to those with the CYP2E1 wild-type genotype (4.31 +/- 0.35). Since the analysis of genetic susceptibility factors is still in its infancy, our study may stimulate additional investigations to understand the roles of genetic susceptibility and cigarette smoking in AR.     

HLA antigens are candidate markers for prediction of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer

We investigated the association between human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antigens and lymph node metastasis in 724 gastric cancer patients. Among patients who had poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with or without HLA-DR4 antigen, lymph node metastasis was detected in 80.8 and 54.9%, respectively (relative risk (RR)=3.5, P = 0.0005, corrected P = 0.0285). It was more common in patients with a family history of cancer death (RR = 7.7). Among signet ring cell carcinoma patients with or without HLA-1152 antigen, lymph node metastasis was detected in 57.7 and 19.7%, respectively (RR =5.6, P=0.0001, corrected P=0.0086). It was more common in patients who were smokers (RR = 8.3). Our findings suggest that HLA-DR4 and HLA-1152 antigens are associated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.     

Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Bilateral Skin Conductance

Bilateral skin conductance was recorded from 8 male and 8 female cigarette smokers and from 8 male and 8 female nonsmoker control subjects on two different days. On one day smokers smoked a cigarette prior to the recording session and on the other they remained abstinent. Subjects also engaged in tasks designed to differentially involve the cerebral hemispheres. SCR asymmetry was measured using two different indices. During both the resting and task periods smokers had larger SCRs in their right than left hands following smoking. Unlike control subjects during the first recording session, smokers did not show task related changes in SCR asymmetry. During tasks smokers showed smaller SCRs in both hands following smoking than following abstinence. Changes in SCR asymmetry associated with smoking were seen in subjects who smoked more cigarettes, reported more subjective craving, were more introverted, and indicated a preference for cognitive processes and strategies associated with the left hemisphere. Results are discussed in terms of relative involvement of the cerebral hemispheres following smoking and smoking abstinence.     

Association of bacterial vaginosis with a history of second trimester miscarriage

The aim of this study was to determine whether bacterial vaginosis(BV) is associated with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss.A total of 500 consecutive patients attending the RecurrentMiscarriage Clinic were screened for the presence of BV. Inwomen who had had at least one late miscarriage BV was foundtwice as commonly (27/130; 21%) as in women who had had onlyearly losses (31/370; 8%) (P<0.001). The difference was evenlarger (26 versus 8%) if women who had had term pregnancieswere excluded. Moreover, BV was found three times more commonlyin Afro-Caribbean women [17 (29%) of 58] than in Caucasian women[36 (9%) of 379] and, in both groups of women, BV was diagnosedat least twice as frequently in those with a history of at leastone late miscarriage than in those who had experienced firsttrimester pregnancy losses only (P<0.001). The conditionoccurred twice as often among smokers than non-smokers and,in both groups, it was at least twice as common in women witha history of at least one late miscarriage as in those who hadhad early pregnancy losses only (P<0.001). However, the relationshipbetween BV and smoking was independent of ethnic origin. Womenwho douched with chloroxylenol were mostly Afro-Caribbean andhad BV more than twice as often as women who did not douche.     

The relationship between smoking,psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

Introduction: Smoking is the single most important cause of preventable mortality worldwide. Besides being associated with major cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases, and several cancers, it has been linked with a number of immune-related conditions, including psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA)

We aimed to summarize data on the role of smoking in the development and prognosis of psoriasis and PsA, pointing to the consequences in terms of disease management.

Areas covered: Mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and comorbidities associated with smoking in psoriasis and PsA were reviewed by searching Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library databases for papers published between January 2000 and July 2018 using combination of terms. Articles not written in English were excluded.

Expert commentary: Smoking is a risk factor for psoriasis development. As for PsA, smoking is positively associated with the disease at the population level, but it is negatively associated in patients with psoriasis. This phenomenon is referred to as the ‘smoking paradox’ of PsA. Smoking may cause poor response and reduced adherence to treatment of both psorasis and PsA. Physicians need to be aware of the smoking habits of their patients with psoriasis and PsA; whenever possible, smoking cessation programs should be considered.