Influence of passive smoking on basic anthropometric characteristics and respiratory function in young athletes

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the maintenance difference in basic anthropometric characteristics and to outline the dynamics of respiratory function change in youngsters athletes exposed to passive smoking (PS) and athletes not exposed to passive smoking in their families (NPS). High and weight were determined as basis anthropometric characteristics. Measured parameters for respiratory function were vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), maximum expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory flow at 50% forced vital capacity (MEF 50) and forced expiratory flow at 25% forced vital capacity (MEF 25). Significant statistical differences in separate spirometric variable were found in three variables (FEV1, MEF50, and MEF25) for group older youngsters. Analysis of variance showed statistical differences between athletes unexposed to passive smoking (NPS) and athletes exposed to passive smoking (PS) in even four spirometric variables (VC, FEV1, MEF50 and MEF25).     

Snoring in children: association with respiratory symptoms and passive smoking.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the relation between snoring and various respiratory symptoms and passive parental smoking. DESIGN--Data were collected by questionnaire. SETTING--Primary schools in Guardiagrele and Francavilla in the Abruzzi region in central Italy. SUBJECTS--1615 Children aged 6-13 years were categorised according to whether they snored often; occasionally apart from with colds; only with colds; or never. RESULTS--118 Children were habitual snorers and 137 were reported to snore apart from when they had colds. Never snorers (n = 822) were significantly older than children in other categories. Snoring was significantly associated with rhinitis, production of cough and sputum, previous tonsillectomy, and passive parental smoking. Of the habitual snorers, 82 were exposed to passive smoking. The prevalence of habitual snoring increased significantly with the number of cigarettes smoked by parents (from 5.5% in never smoking [corrected] households to 8.8% in heavy smoking households). CONCLUSIONS--Snoring is quite common in children. The dose-effect relation of smoking and snoring shown in this study adds weight to a further adverse effect of parental smoking on children''s health.     

孕鼠被动吸烟对子鼠学习记忆能力和海马LTP的影响

目的:探讨小鼠孕期被动吸烟对其子代小鼠学习记忆能力和神经机制长时程增强(LTP)效应的影响,及采用不同抗氧化剂的干预效应。方法:孕鼠给予被动吸烟染毒,并采用槲皮素和维生素E(VE)进行干预,待产子后研究子鼠水迷宫和LTP的变化。结果:被动吸烟使子鼠空间学习记忆能力下降。槲皮素组LTP与对照组相比增强显著(P<0.05);吸烟组LTP增强受到抑制(P<0.05);VE及与槲皮素协同干预组子鼠LTP较吸烟组增强显著(P<0.05)。结论:胚胎期被动吸烟使小鼠学习记忆功能下降,通过抗氧化剂干预可能得到改善。     

Role of respiratory viruses in childhood mortality.

Respiratory viruses have been identified at necropsy in the lungs of 13 out of 24 children who died with observed acute respiratory illness. The histological appearances of the lungs supported the association between virus and death in each of these 13 children and suggested an unidentified virus aetiology in a further five cases. Histological appearances compatible with bacterial infection were found in the lungs of only two of the 24 children. Similar virus and histological findings have been reported in about one-third of victims of the sudden infant death syndrome (cot deaths), indicating a rapid unobserved respiratory virus infection as the most likely mode of death in this group. Evidence that respiratory viruses may be involved in a larger proportion of sudden unexpected deaths, perhaps as antigens in a hypersensitivity reaction, is discussed. Respiratory viruses seem the major identifiable agents contributing to the maintenance of the postneonatal mortality rate since acute respiratory illness and the sudden infant death syndrome together account for about two-thirds of deaths at this age.     

Characteristics and consequences of passive smoking

Summary The consequences of passive smoking are well documented regarding the risk of lung cancer, obstructive ventilatory trouble, ischemic cardiopathy, infant disease of the respiratory ducts and of foetus growth delay caused by smoking during pregnancy. If the potential risk is much lower than the risk induced by active smoking, very few people can avoid exposure to smoke because of the large amount of active smokers in the French population. Rather than the characteristics of the emitting source and the particularities of smoking (speed and inhalation), it is mostly the ventilation of rooms where non-smokers are exposed to the smoker's smoke that constitutes the significant point. The consequences of environmental smoking on health would justify to take statutory decisions protecting the rights of the smokers. This is in accordance with the resolution passed by the European Community's Council and the Secretaries of Health of the member countries. More precisely, non smoking rules in closed rooms open to the public should be enforced, particularly in schools, hospitals and finally at the workplace.     

被动吸烟对小白鼠睾丸形态学上的影响

以研究被动吸烟对小白鼠睾丸形态学上的影响为题,探究其对人体睾丸的影响。实验用香烟的烟雾来染毒小白鼠30d,最后对小白鼠进行解剖,取出其睾丸并制成石蜡切片,观察和分析被动吸烟对小白鼠睾丸形态学上的影响。结果表明,睾丸生精小管间的结缔组织变薄且不完整,各级生精细胞均遭到不同程度的破坏,出现有头无尾的畸形精子,睾丸间质细胞模糊甚至消失,支持细胞结构变得松散。同时还发现,睾丸的受损程度与染毒频率成正比的现象。