-
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2024Despite interest in quitting vaping among young adults (YAs), little is known about characteristics of e-cigarette (EC) users seeking treatment. In this study, YAs aged... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Despite interest in quitting vaping among young adults (YAs), little is known about characteristics of e-cigarette (EC) users seeking treatment. In this study, YAs aged 18-24 living in the United States interested in vaping cessation treatment were recruited to complete an online survey regarding demographics and EC use. Primary eligibility criteria were EC use on at least 20 days per month (no other tobacco use), and interest in quitting in the next month. We report descriptive statistics for those who did and did not complete a mandatory coaching call ( = 981). In this sample, most EC users reported high nicotine dependence, a history of unsuccessful quit attempts (including 29.4% with previous NRT use), along with stress, anxiety, and depression. There were few meaningful differences in demographics, EC use behaviors, or behavioral health factors between those who engaged with a phone coaching call (fully enrolled in study; = 508), and those who did not ( = 473). YAs demonstrated interest in vaping cessation support, but there were no clear characteristics for the half who did not complete a coaching call. Vaping cessation program designers should consider tailoring for the self-reported behavioral health concerns present in this population.
Topics: Humans; Vaping; Young Adult; Male; Female; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Adolescent; Smoking Cessation; United States; Adult
PubMed: 38929055
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21060809 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2024Liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are a growing global health issue. Environmental exposure to toxic metals can harm the liver,...
Liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are a growing global health issue. Environmental exposure to toxic metals can harm the liver, increasing the risk of NAFLD. Essential elements are vital for liver health, but imbalances or deficiencies can contribute to the development of NAFLD. Therefore, understanding the interplay between toxic metals and essential elements in liver disease is important. This study aims to assess the individual and combined effects of toxic metals (lead(Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg)), and essential elements (manganese and selenium) on the risk of liver disease. Methods: We assessed the individual and combined effects of Pb, Cd, Hg, manganese (Mn), and selenium (Se) on liver disease risk using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2017 and 2018. We performed descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis and then utilized Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) techniques such as univariate, bivariate, and overall effect analysis. BKMR enabled the assessment of non-linear exposure-response functions and interactions between metals and essential elements. Posterior Inclusion Probabilities (PIPs) were calculated to determine the importance of each metal and essential element in contributing to liver disease. Regarding our study results, the regression analysis of liver injury biomarkers ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, total bilirubin, and the FLI-an indicator of NAFLD-with toxic metals and essential elements, adjusting for covariates such as age, sex, BMI, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, income, and smoking status, demonstrated the differential effects of these contaminants on the markers of interest. Our BKMR analysis provided further insights. For instance, the PIP results underscored Pb's consistent importance in contributing to liver disease (PIP = 1.000), followed by Hg (PIP = 0.9512), Cd (PIP = 0.5796), Se (PIP = 0.5572), and Mn (PIP = 0.4248). Our univariate analysis showed a positive trend with Pb, while other exposures were relatively flat. Our analysis of the single-variable effects of toxic metals and essential elements on NAFLD also revealed that Pb significantly affected the risk of NAFLD. Our bivariate analysis found a positive (toxic) trend when Pb was combined with other metals and essential elements. For the overall exposure effect of exposure to all the contaminants together, the estimated risk of NAFLD showed a steady increase from the 60th to the 75th percentile. In conclusion, our study indicates that Pb exposure, when combined with other toxic metals and essential elements, plays a significant role in bringing about adverse liver disease outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Female; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Liver Diseases; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Metals, Heavy; Selenium; Cadmium; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Aged; Young Adult; Trace Elements; Mercury; Bayes Theorem; Manganese; Lead; United States
PubMed: 38929008
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21060762 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2024Globally, there are around 1.3 billion cigarette consumers, indicating it to be the second highest risk factor for early death and morbidity. Meanwhile, psychological... (Review)
Review
Globally, there are around 1.3 billion cigarette consumers, indicating it to be the second highest risk factor for early death and morbidity. Meanwhile, psychological therapy offers tools based on its different models and techniques, which can contribute to smoking cessation. In this context, this study gathers scientific evidence to identify psychological therapies that can be used to reduce cigarette consumption. A systematic review of controlled clinical studies was conducted, implementing the PRISMA methodology. Search queries were performed with terms extracted from MESH (Medical Subject Headings) and DECS (Descriptors in Health Sciences). Subsequently, the search was queried in the scientific databases of Medline/PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, Science Direct, ProQuest, and PsycNet, with subsequent verification of methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The selected documents revealed that cognitive behavioral therapy prevails due to its use and effectiveness in seven publications (25%). The cognitive approach with mindfulness therapy is found in 4 publications (14%), the transtheoretical model with motivational therapy in 4 publications (14%), brief psychological therapy in 3 publications (10%), and the remaining 10 documents (37%) correspond with others. Intervention studies refer to cognitive behavioral therapy as the most used in reducing cigarette consumption; in terms of the duration of abstinence, scientific evidence shows beneficial effects with short-term reduction.
Topics: Humans; Smoking Cessation; Cigarette Smoking; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Psychotherapy
PubMed: 38929001
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21060753 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2024Achieving high follow-up rates after smoking cessation interventions (SCIs) is a general challenge. The aim of this study was to identify preferences among patients and...
Achieving high follow-up rates after smoking cessation interventions (SCIs) is a general challenge. The aim of this study was to identify preferences among patients and therapists for improving follow-up rates and to assess smoking status at 6 months among patients lost to follow-up. From the Danish STOPbase for Tobacco and Nicotine, which collects data on SCI across health care, 20 representative patients lost to follow-up by routine procedures were identified together with 11 therapists. All participated in individual semi-structured phone interviews, which for patients also included 6-month smoking status. Deductive and inductive analyses were performed. Four themes emerged from the analyses with several subthemes, all regarding contacts. Both patients and therapists preferred to intensify the follow-up process by boosting it with additional attempts and using voice messages, e-mail and/or SMS, calling at specified times of the day and avoiding calls from unknown numbers. In addition, some patients mentioned that they were busy or were not carrying their mobile devices at the time of a call as a barrier. Some therapists mentioned that barriers could include an expectation of relapse, but also a poor mental state, the time of day and patient fear of public systems. Among the patients originally lost to follow-up, 35% (95% CI 16%-59%) experienced continuous smoking cessation for 6 months, and the overall national rate was 22% (21.6-23.3%). In conclusion, both patients and therapists preferred intensified follow-up. The 6-month smoking status for patients lost to follow-up seemed to be similar to that of the routinely followed-up patients. These findings will be examined experimentally in a larger study.
Topics: Humans; Smoking Cessation; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Adult; Denmark; Lost to Follow-Up; Aged; Follow-Up Studies; Patient Preference; Interviews as Topic; Smoking
PubMed: 38928972
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21060726 -
Brain Sciences May 2024We aimed to study anxiety, depression and quality of life in smokers after stroke by sex.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to study anxiety, depression and quality of life in smokers after stroke by sex.
METHODS
A longitudinal prospective study with a 24-month follow-up of acute stroke patients who were previously active smokers. Anxiety and depression were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, and quality of life was evaluated with the EQ-5D questionnaire.
RESULTS
One hundred and eighty patients participated (79.4% men); their mean age was 57.6 years. Anxiety was most prevalent at 3 months (18.9% in men and 40.5% in women) and depression at 12 months (17.9% in men and 27% in women). The worst perceived health occurred at 24 months (EQ-VAS 67.5 in men and 65.1 in women), which was associated with depression ( < 0.001) and Rankin Scale was worse in men ( < 0.001) and depression in women ( < 0.001). Continued tobacco use was associated with worse perceived health at 3 months in men ( = 0.034) and at 12 months in both sexes. Predictor variables of worse perceived health at 24 months remaining at 3 and 12 months were tobacco use in men and neurological damage in women.
CONCLUSION
Differences by sex are observed in the prevalence of anxiety and depression and associated factors and in the predictive factors of perceived health.
PubMed: 38928522
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060521 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Reactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in almost all disorders, including cancer. Many factors, including aging, a high-fat diet, a stressful lifestyle, smoking,... (Review)
Review
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in almost all disorders, including cancer. Many factors, including aging, a high-fat diet, a stressful lifestyle, smoking, infection, genetic mutations, etc., lead to elevated levels of ROS. Prostate cancer, the most prevalent type of cancer in senior American men and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in American men, results from chronic oxidative stress. The doubled incident rate as well as the doubled mortality numbers of prostate cancer have persisted in African Americans in comparison with Caucasian Americans and other racial groups, indicating a prostate cancer disparity in African American men. In this review, we mainly focus on the latest findings on ROS in prostate cancer development and progression within the last five years to update our understanding in this area, as several comprehensive literature reviews addressing oxidative stress and/or inflammation in prostate cancer before 2020 are available. In addition to other known factors such as socioeconomic disadvantage, cultural mistrust of the health care system, etc. that are long-existing in the African American group, we also summarize the latest evidence that demonstrated high systemic oxidative stress and inflammation in African Americans for their potential contribution to the racial prostate cancer disparity in this population.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms; Reactive Oxygen Species; Oxidative Stress; Black or African American; Black People; Health Status Disparities; Inflammation
PubMed: 38928370
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126665 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2024Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly caused from smoking cigarettes that induce biological stress responses. Previously we found disorganized...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly caused from smoking cigarettes that induce biological stress responses. Previously we found disorganized endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in fibroblasts from COPD with different responses to chemical stressors compared to healthy subjects. Here, we aimed to investigate differences in stress-related gene expressions within lung cells from COPD and healthy subjects. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells were collected from seven COPD and 35 healthy subjects. Lung fibroblasts were derived from 19 COPD and 24 healthy subjects and exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE). Gene and protein expression and cell proliferation were investigated. Compared to healthy subjects, we found lower gene expression of CHOP in lung fibroblasts from COPD subjects. Exposure to CSE caused inhibition of lung fibroblast proliferation in both groups, though the changes in ER stress-related gene expressions (ATF6, IRE1, PERK, ATF4, CHOP, BCL2L1) and genes relating to proteasomal subunits mostly occurred in healthy lung fibroblasts. No differences were found in BAL cells. In this study, we have found that lung fibroblasts from COPD subjects have an atypical ER stress gene response to CSE, particularly in genes related to apoptosis. This difference in response to CSE may be a contributing factor to COPD progression.
Topics: Humans; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Fibroblasts; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Lung; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Aged; Cell Proliferation; Gene Expression Regulation; Cells, Cultured; Apoptosis; Case-Control Studies
PubMed: 38928305
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126600 -
Cancers Jun 2024Regulatory approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was based on results of large, randomized clinical trials, resulting in limited outcomes data in patient...
Regulatory approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) was based on results of large, randomized clinical trials, resulting in limited outcomes data in patient cohorts typically underrepresented in such trials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ICIs in these unique patient cohorts. This is a multicenter, retrospective analysis of real-world data at six academic and community clinics in the United States from 1 January 2011 to 1 April 2018. Patients were included if they had received at least one cycle of ICI treatment. Unique patient cohorts included age > 75 years, non-White race, positive smoking history, ECOG performance status (PS) ≥ 2, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m, autoimmune diseases (AIDs), chronic viral infections (CVI), extensive prior lines of therapy (LOTs), or >three metastatic sites. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs), overall survival (OS), and time to treatment failure were evaluated in the entire cohort and in NSCLC patients treated with PD-(L)1 monotherapy. Outcomes and their association with unique patient cohorts were compared on univariate analysis and multivariate analysis to those without a particular characteristic in the entire NSCLC PD-(L)1 monotherapy cohorts. In total, 1453 patients were included: 56.5%-smokers, 30.4%-non-White, 22.8%-elderly, 20.8%-ECOG PS ≥ 2, 15.7%-history of AIDs, and 4.7%-history of CVI. The common ICIs were nivolumab (37.1%) and pembrolizumab (22.2%). Black patients, compared to White patients, experienced fewer irAEs (OR 0.54, < 0.001). An ECOG PS of ≥2 (HR = 2.01, < 0.001) and an increased number of previous LOTs were associated with poor OS (the median OS of 26.2 vs. 16.2 vs. 9.6 months for one vs. two vs. three prior LOTs, < 0.001). The above results were confirmed in anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy non-small cell lung cancer patients (n = 384). Overall, ICIs were safe and efficacious in these typically underrepresented patient cohorts. We noted ECOG PS ≥ 2 and an increased prior LOTs were associated with poor ICI efficacy, and Black patients, compared to White patients, experienced fewer irAEs.
PubMed: 38927928
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122223 -
Cancers Jun 2024Smoking is an established risk factor for a variety of malignant tumors, the most well-known of which is lung cancer. Various molecular interactions are known to link...
Smoking is an established risk factor for a variety of malignant tumors, the most well-known of which is lung cancer. Various molecular interactions are known to link tobacco smoke exposure to lung cancer, but new data are still emerging on the effects of smoking on lung cancer development, progression, and tumor response to therapy. In this study, we reveal in further detail the previously established association between smoking and hsa-mir-301a activity in lung squamous cell carcinoma, LUSC. Using different bioinformatic tools, we identified IRF1 as a key smoking-regulated target of hsa-mir-301a in LUSC. We further confirmed this relationship experimentally using clinical LUSC tissue samples and intact lung tissue samples. Thus, increased hsa-mir-301a levels, decreased IRF1 mRNA levels, and their negative correlation were shown in LUSC tumor samples. Additional bioinformatic investigation for potential pathways impacted by such a mechanism demonstrated IRF1's multifaceted role in controlling the antitumor immune response in LUSC. IRF1 was then shown to affect tumor immune infiltration, the expression of immune checkpoint molecules, and the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. As a result, here we suggest a smoking-regulated mir301a/IRF1 molecular axis that could modulate the antitumor immune response and immunotherapy efficacy in LUSC, opening up novel opportunities for future research.
PubMed: 38927914
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122208 -
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The management of the surgical wound of partially impacted mandibular third molar surgery has a great impact on recovery as well as on food impact retention. The present...
BACKGROUND
The management of the surgical wound of partially impacted mandibular third molar surgery has a great impact on recovery as well as on food impact retention. The present study used clinical parameters and health-related quality of life (HRQL) to compare outcomes of cyanoacrylate application versus traditional suture of third molar impaction surgery.
METHODS
This was a retrospective observational study of subjects scheduled for outpatient third molar surgery. Each participant signed an informed consent agreement. Inclusion criteria were as follows: presence of at least one partially impacted mandibular third molar, confirmed with a preoperative panoramic radiograph. Exclusion criteria were the following: smoking, diagnosed diabetes mellitus. Between June 2020 and September 2023, a total of 78 patients of mean age 31.14 years old (range 21-40 years, standard deviation 9.14), were included in this study-38 patients were male, 40 patients were female. A group of patients received traditional silk suture (G1 = 41 patients), while the second group (G2 = 37 patients) received hemostasis performed with fibrin sponge and, after complete soaking of the sponge, the application of cyanoacrylate gel on the blood clot and suture with one 2/0 stitch in order for recovery for secondary closure. The following parameters were measured: HRQL, average pain (AP), maximum pain (MP), complication score (CS), facial swelling (FS), and erythema.
RESULTS
For HRQL parameters, oral disability was found to be significantly higher in G1 while AP was significantly higher in G2 ( < 0.05). AP was higher in G2 ( = 0.0098), as well as MP ( = 0.001). No differences were found with regards to CS ( = 0.0759). FS and erythema were higher in G1 ( < 0.0001 for facial swelling, and = 0.0001 for erythema).
CONCLUSIONS
on the basis of this study, the use of cyanoacrylate after mandibular third molar surgery appears to be useful in order to reduce postoperative oral disability, facial swelling, and erythema after tooth extraction, with increased average and medium pain: clinicians may consider its use in selected cases.
PubMed: 38927805
DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11060569