Maternal smoking habits and congenital malformations: a population study.

Maternal smoking habits in 67 609 singleton pregnancies were examined. The overall incidence of congenital malformations was 2.8% in both non-smokers and smokers. On analysing congenital defects according to individual systems there was no significant difference in the incidence of malformations according to the number of cigarettes smoked, except for neural tube defects. Further analysis, taking social class into account, showed that neural tube defects were less common in non-smokers in social classes I and II. This study suggests that maternal smoking does not have teratogenic effects in the offspring, except in the case of neural tube defects, where the effect is at most modest.     

Differences in hemoglobin adduct levels of acrylamide in the general population with respect to dietary intake, smoking habits and gender

The variation in dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been studied through measurement of hemoglobin adduct levels from AA, as a measurement of internal dose, in a sample from the blood bank of the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort (n = 28,098). The blood donors are well characterised with regard to their food habits, and 142 individuals were selected to obtain highest possible variation in the adduct levels from AA (none, random or high intake of coffee, fried potato, crisp bread and snacks, food items estimated to have high levels of AA).Among 70 non-smokers the AA-adduct levels varied by a factor of 5, and ranged between 0.02 and 0.1 nmol/g, with considerable overlap in AA-adduct levels between the different dietary groups. There was a significant difference between men with high dietary exposure to AA compared to men with low dietary exposure (P = 0.04). No such difference was found for women. As expected a higher level (range: 0.03–0.43 nmol/g) of the AA-adduct, due to AA in tobacco smoke, was found in smokers. Smoking women with high dietary exposure to AA had significantly higher AA-adduct levels compared to smoking women with low dietary exposure (P = 0.01). No such significant difference was found in smoking men. The median hemoglobin (Hb) adduct level in the randomly selected group of non-smokers was compatible with earlier studies (0.031 nmol/g).The variation in the average internal dose, measured as Hb adducts, was somewhat smaller than estimated for daily intake by food consumption questionnaires in other studies. Thus, the observed relatively narrow inter-individual variation in AA-adduct levels means that estimates of individual dietary AA intake have to be very precise if they should be useful in future cancer epidemiology.     

Differences in hemoglobin adduct levels of acrylamide in the general population with respect to dietary intake, smoking habits and gender

The variation in dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been studied through measurement of hemoglobin adduct levels from AA, as a measurement of internal dose, in a sample from the blood bank of the Malm? Diet and Cancer Cohort (n=28,098). The blood donors are well characterised with regard to their food habits, and 142 individuals were selected to obtain highest possible variation in the adduct levels from AA (none, random or high intake of coffee, fried potato, crisp bread and snacks, food items estimated to have high levels of AA). Among 70 non-smokers the AA-adduct levels varied by a factor of 5, and ranged between 0.02 and 0.1 nmol/g, with considerable overlap in AA-adduct levels between the different dietary groups. There was a significant difference between men with high dietary exposure to AA compared to men with low dietary exposure (P=0.04). No such difference was found for women. As expected a higher level (range: 0.03-0.43 nmol/g) of the AA-adduct, due to AA in tobacco smoke, was found in smokers. Smoking women with high dietary exposure to AA had significantly higher AA-adduct levels compared to smoking women with low dietary exposure (P=0.01). No such significant difference was found in smoking men. The median hemoglobin (Hb) adduct level in the randomly selected group of non-smokers was compatible with earlier studies (0.031 nmol/g). The variation in the average internal dose, measured as Hb adducts, was somewhat smaller than estimated for daily intake by food consumption questionnaires in other studies. Thus, the observed relatively narrow inter-individual variation in AA-adduct levels means that estimates of individual dietary AA intake have to be very precise if they should be useful in future cancer epidemiology.     

The effect of smoking and eating habits on DNA damage in Indian population as measured in the Comet assay

This study was undertaken with the aim of assessing the status of DNA damage in a normal healthy Indian population. The 62 male volunteers in this study belonged to the smoking, non-smoking, vegetarian and non-vegetarian categories, were well educated and aged between 23 and 57 years. The data revealed significant differences in the extent of DNA damage in the smokers versus non-smokers as well as between the vegetarians and non-vegetarians. A significant difference was also observed amongst the different groups of smokers depending on the extent of smoking. An age-dependent effect in DNA damage was also observed. This preliminary study has, for the first time, revealed differences in the extent of DNA damage in the normal Indian population depending on their eating and smoking habits as well as age.     

Psychometric analysis of behavior pattern A in the Spanish population and its relationship with personality variables

As a first step in the epidemiological study for CHD prevention among the Spanish population, the authors have analyzed two of the instruments for the assessment of the behavior pattern A (JAS and Bortner questionnaires). From a student sample (n = 302), a factor analysis of items and scales was made, relating pattern A scores to Eysenck's personality variables (EPQ). The importance of an accurate psychometric study of pattern A was emphasized, in order to select A subjects as specifically as possible.     

Salivary aldehyde dehydrogenase - temporal and population variability, correlations with drinking and smoking habits and activity towards aldehydes contained in food

Fluorimetric method based on oxidation of the fluorogenic 6-methoxy-2-naphthaldehyde was applied to evaluate temporal and population variability of the specific activity of salivary aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and the degree of its inactivation in healthy human population. Analyzed was also its dependence on drinking and smoking habits, coffee consumption, and its sensitivity to N-acetylcysteine. Both the specific activity of salivary ALDH and the degree of its inactivation were highly variable during the day, with the highest activities recorded in the morning hours. The activities were also highly variable both intra- and interpersonally, and negatively correlated with age, and this correlation was stronger for the subgroup of volunteers declaring abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. Moderately positive correlations of salivary ALDH specific activity with alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking were also recorded (r(s) ~0.27; p=0.004 and r(s) =0.30; p=0.001, respectively). Moderate coffee consumption correlated positively with the inactivation of salivary ALDH, particularly in the subgroup of non-drinking and non-smoking volunteers. It was found that mechanical stimulation of the saliva flow increases the specific activity of salivary ALDH. The specific activity of the salivary ALDH was strongly and positively correlated with that of superoxide dismutase, and somewhat less with salivary peroxidase. The antioxidant-containing drug N-acetylcysteine increased activity of salivary ALDH presumably by preventing its inactivation in the oral cavity. Some food-related aldehydes, mainly cinnamic aldehyde and anisaldehyde, were excellent substrates of the salivary ALDH3A1 enzyme, while alkenals, particularly those with short chain, were characterized by lower affinity towards this enzyme but high catalytic constants. The protective role of salivary ALDH against aldehydes in food and those found in the cigarette smoke is discussed, as well as its participation in diminishing the effects of alcohol- and smoking-related oxidative stress.     

Study of smoking habits in hospital and attitudes of medical staff towards smoking.

Most hospital policies place little or no restriction on patients'' smoking in hospital. In this study patients were surveyed to determine if they smoked and if their doctors advised or ordered them to stop smoking in hospital. As well, the smoking habits and attitudes towards smoking of the medical staff and other hospital workers were explored. Of 741 patients 37% were smokers, and those who responded fully to a questionnaire 86% continued to smoke in hospital. Patients who were advised or ordered not to smoke (59%) were no more likely to stop smoking than those who were not so advised or ordered. Physicians were less likely to smoke than other hospital staff, and those who did smoke were much more likely not to smoke while in the hospital. Physicians appear to have a reasonable appreciation of the health hazards of smoking, and almost two thirds are in favour of stricter restrictions on patients'' smoking in hospital. The ineffectiveness of their efforts is primarily due to hospital policies that are not in keeping with physicians'' standards of practice and with established knowledge of the deleterious effects of smoking on health.     

Leukaemia and smoking habits among United States veterans.

The relation between leukaemia and smoking habits was examined in data from the veterans'' smoking study, a prospective study of mortality among 248,000 United States veterans, of whom 723 died of leukaemia during 1954-69. A significant increase in mortality from leukaemia among cigarette smokers (relative risk 1.53) was found, together with a dose-response relation with amount smoked (trend p less than 0.001). The relation was strongest (relative risk 1.72) for monocytic and chronic and unspecified myeloid leukaemias (ICD (7th revision) codes 204.1 and 204.2). For these leukaemias the increase was almost twofold (relative risk 1.93) among current smokers of over 20 cigarettes daily. Ex-cigarette smokers also showed an increase of leukaemia (relative risk 1.39; p less than 0.001). These findings are consistent with other studies and relevant to the interpretation of minor increases of leukaemia both in population and in individual based studies. If causal they also imply that smoking is responsible for many more deaths from leukaemia in adults than all other known causes combined.     

Diverging trends of chronic bronchitis and smoking habits between 1998 and 2010

Background

No study has been carried out on the time trend in the prevalence of chronic bronchitis (CB) in recent years, despite its clinical and epidemiological relevance. We evaluated the trend in CB prevalence during the past decade among young Italian adults.

Methods

A screening questionnaire was mailed to general population samples of 20–44 year-old subjects in two cross-sectional surveys: the Italian Study on Asthma in Young Adults (ISAYA) (1998/2000; n = 18,873, 9 centres) and the screening stage of the Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) study (2007/2010; n = 10,494, 7 centres). CB was defined as having cough and phlegm on most days for a minimum of 3 months a year and for at least 2 successive years. The prevalence rates and the risk ratios (RRs) for the association between CB and each potential predictor were adjusted for gender, age, season of response, type of contact, cumulative response rate, and centre.

Results

CB prevalence was 12.5% (95% CI: 12.1-12.9%) in 1998/2000 and 12.6% (95% CI: 11.7-13.7%) in 2007/2010; it increased among never smokers (from 7.6 to 9.1%, p = 0.003), current light smokers (<15 pack-years; from 15.1 to 18.6%, p < 0.001), and unemployed/retired subjects (from 14.3 to 19.1%, p = 0.001). In this decade, the prevalence of current smoking decreased (from 33.6 to 26.9%, p < 0.001), whereas the prevalence of unemployment/premature retirement (from 5.3 to 6.0%, p = 0.005), asthma (from 5.0 to 6.2%, p = 0.003), and allergic rhinitis (from 19.5 to 24.5%, p < 0.001) increased. In both 1998/2000 and 2007/2010, the likelihood of having CB was significantly higher for women, current smokers, asthmatic patients, and subjects with allergic rhinitis. During this period, the strength of the association between CB and current heavy smoking (≥15 pack-years) decreased (RR: from 4.82 to 3.57, p = 0.018), whereas it increased for unemployment/premature retirement (from 1.11 to 1.53, p = 0.019); no change was observed for gender, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

Conclusions

Despite the significant reduction in current smoking, CB prevalence did not vary among young Italian adults. The temporal pattern of CB prevalence can only be partly explained by the increase of unemployment/premature retirement, asthma and allergic rhinitis, and suggests that other factors could have played a role.     

Activity pattern of the masked titi monkey,Callicebus personatus

A group of six masked titi monkeys was studied at the Sooretama Biological Reserve, Espírito Santo, Brazil. The family group consisted of adult male and female, three juvenile-subadult offspring, and an infant carried by the father. Two patterns of activity were identified: one in which two major feeding peaks were separated by a single long rest period and a relatively long travel distance between the two major feeding sites; and a second in which three major feeding peaks were separated by rest periods and travel was more evenly dispersed throughout the day.Callicebus personatus was similar toC. moloch in the folivorous supplementation of its frugivorous diet, and in having marked daily peaks in feeding and resting activities.C. personatus was similar toC. torquatus in the location of sleeping position on a large open bough, and the habit of calling from well within the territorial boundary. All three species are known to live in monogamous family units with parental care by the adult male, defend territories with loud intergroup vocalizations, and feed primarily upon a small number of widely dispersed fruits.     

Changes of smoking habits and cough in men smoking cigarettes with 30% NSM tobacco substitute.

The effects of smoking cigarettes with 30% of the tobacco replaced by NSM tobacco substitute, which lowered their tar and nicotine delivery, were studied by comparing them with the effects of conventional cigarettes in a controlled crossover trial lasting 20 months. Chest symptoms, cigarette consumption, and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were measured each month. Two-hundred men began the trial and 159 completed it. The test cigarettes were acceptable to all but one of the men. In a subsample of 35 men estimates of nicotine intake were obtained from monthly analyses of cigarette stubs. On changing from NSM to control cigarettes six of the 17 men, who were accustomed to low nicotine, kept their nicotine intake down by some change in smoking habit. Before the crossover and this change in smoking habit the men smoking NSM cigarettes had a small but significant reduction of cough. Cigarettes containing 30% NSM and delivering only 1 mg of nicotine are likely to be acceptable to smokers and may reduce coughing. Further trials are needed to confirm these findings and establish what long-term effects such cigarettes may have on smokers'' health.     

Absence from school related to children's and parental smoking habits.

A sample of 2885 children aged 12 and 13 who completed a questionnaire survey in school in January 1987 were given a second questionnaire on a specified date in May 1987. The smoking habits, parental smoking habits, sex, and social background of the children who were present on both dates were compared with those of the children who were absent on the second occasion. Regular smoking was significantly more common among those absent for the second questionnaire: among boys 181/877 (21%) who never smoked, 109/486 (22%) who sometimes smoked, and 21/45 (47%) who regularly smoked were absent, and among girls the figures were 157/947 (17%), 117/487 (24%), and 17/43 (40%) respectively. Thus the odds ratio for those who sometimes smoked was 1.29 and for regular smokers 3.09 against those who never smoked. Whatever the children''s smoking habits, the proportion who were absent was higher when both parents or at least the mother smoked, the odds ratio being 1.39; the proportions absent were 203/1180 (17%) if neither parent or only the father smoked v 135/644 (21%) if both parents or only mother smoked for children who never smoked; 105/529 (20%) v 121/444 (27%) for those who sometimes smoked; and 10/27 (37%) v 28/61 (46%) for those who regularly smoked. Sex and social background had little effect, though there was an overall higher rate of absence among boys from industrial areas. The findings show a higher rate of minor ailments in children who smoke and in children whose mother smokes. If children are having frequent days off school for minor ailments possibly they or their parents would benefit from advice and help in stopping smoking.