Investigation on Glucose and levels of Zn and Cu in Sera of Iraqi Males addicted on Methamphetamine or Tramadol

Addiction is the most critical form of Addiction. It is a chronic disease with a potential for fatality if not treated. In this work, 180 samples of male individuals were collected in this study. They classified into three groups, groups: G1 who were healthy control; G2 who was addicted to methamphetamine (meth); G3 who was addicted to tramadol (Tra). Each group consists of 60 heavy smokers Iraqi male individuals in the age range of 18-43 years. The results showed a highly significant increase (p<0.0001) in the level of Glucose of the two addicted groups in comparison with the healthy group. A highly significant decrease (p<0.0001) could be seen in the level of Zn of the two addicted groups G2, G3 compared to the control group, while the level of Cu of the two addicted groups were highly significant increased (p<0.0001). Also, the results showed a highly significant difference (p<0.0001) in BMI for the studied groups, G2, G3 in comparison with the control group. All addictive individuals under this study were at normal weight depending on their BMI.

Comparitive Study of Glutathione-S-Transferase Isoenzyme and Vitamin D Levels in Smokers and Non-smokers

Background: In developed countries, cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. In the second half of this century, dramatic changes in the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the United States reduced current smoking levels to approximately one quarter of the adult population, reducing gender differences in smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable diseases. Cigarette smoking is a serious risk factor for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States and around the world. Aim: Comparative Study of Glutathione-S-Transferase Isoenzyme mu and Vitamin-D Levels in Smokers and Non-Smokers. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 people aged 20 to 55 years old who came to Shalinitai Meghe hospital in Nagpur for a health check-up were chosen for the research. Non-smokers make up the control group, while smokers make up the research group. There are 50 patients in each group. ELISA was used to determine vitamin D status. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect GST-µ in heparinized whole blood. Results: GST-µ was found to be mostly positive in smokers, and it was also found to be raised in heavy smokers (6.39±3.2) than light smokers (4.56±0.78). GST-µ is positive in light smokers. GST-µ is nearly equal in smokers (5.24±0.95) and heavy smokers relative to others. Conclusion: Quitting smoking for a longer period of time was related to higher vitamin D levels than current smoking. Furthermore, the GST-µ measure used in our research may be used to show differences in cytogenetic damage between smokers who have a genetically defined detoxification enzyme and those who do not.

Smoking Cessation Rate and Its Predictors among Heavy Smokers in a Smoking-Free Hospital in Taiwan

Smoking poses critical risks for heart disease and cancers. Heavy smokers, defined as smoking more than 30 pack-year, are the most important target for smoking cessation. This study aimed to obtain the cessation rate and its predictors among heavy smokers. We collected data from heavy smokers who visited a smoking-free hospital in Taiwan during 2017. All patients were prescribed either varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation, and their smoking status was followed for six months. Successful smoking cessation was defined by self-reported no smoking over the preceding seven days (7-day point abstinence). In total, 280 participants with a mean aged of 53.5 years were enrolled, and 42.9% of participants successfully stopped smoking in 6 months. The results revealed that quitters were older, with hypertension, fewer daily cigarettes, and being prescribed with varenicline. Multiple logistic regressions analyses identified that fewer daily cigarettes and being prescribed with varenicline were predictors of successful smoking cessation. Therefore, we suggest that varenicline use may help heavy smokers in smoking cessation.

Tobacco consumption has interaction effect with protein coding genes to increase esophageal squamous cell Carcinoma risk: A case-control study in Chinese high-incidence region

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has reported that smoking was a major risk factor. Genetic predisposition can partially explain the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer in alcohol drinkers. It would also be interesting to investigate the genetic basis underlying the significant disparities in ESCC risk in populations exposed to the same level of smoking. Methods: We recruited 1030 ESCC patients and 1783 healthy individuals in Taixing, China, and selected 101 ESCC-related SNPs for analysis. Logistic regression model was employed with an interaction term for smoking and individual SNPs. The level of smoking was categorized based on pack-years as never smokers, moderate smokers (≤30), and heavy smokers (>30). The relative excess risk of interaction (RERI) and the synergy index (S) were used to evaluate interaction on an additive scale. Genetic risk score was established to quantify gene risk. Results: The SNP HECTD4 rs11066280, CASP8 rs3769823 and ADH1B rs1042026 had an interaction effect with smoking on ESCC risk. Specifically, for rs11066280 T/A, the adjusted OR for moderate and heavy smokers was 1.43 (95% CI = 1.01-2.02) and 1.80 (95% CI = 1.28–2.53), ADH1B rs1042026 showed strong effect in both smoker and alcohol drinkers. GRS indicated that these three SNPs had unsignificant effect in non-smokers and a 2.92-fold risk (95%CI = 1.69-5.11) in smokers.Discussion and Conclusion: In this study, we provide new insights for disease prevention and control of ESCC based on smoking behavior and genetic predisposition.

Age at Smoking Onset and Risk of Heavy Cigarette Smoking Among Iranian Adult Male: An Application of Generalized Additive Model

Background: Because the age at which a person first starts smoking has such a strong correlation with future smoking behaviours, it's crucial to examine its relationship with smoking intensity. However, it is still challenging to accurately identify this relationship due to limitations in the methodology of the performed studies .Therefore the main purpose of this study is to evaluate this relationship and also to identify the other risk factors affecting smoking intensity using an appropriate model.Methods: Data from 913 Iranian male current smokers over the age of 18 was evaluated from a national cross-sectional survey of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors in 2016. Individuals were classified into: light, moderate, and heavy smokers. A generalized additive model (GAM) was used to assess the relationship.Results: 246 (26.9%) subjects were light smokers, 190 (20.8%) subjects were moderate smokers and 477 (52.2%) subjects were heavy smokers. According to the GAM results, the relationship was nonlinear and smokers who started smoking at a younger age were more likely to become heavy smokers. The factors of unemployment (OR = 1.364), retirement (OR = 1.217), and exposure to secondhand smoke at home (OR = 1.364) increased the risk of heavy smoking. but, smokers with high-income (OR = 0.742) had a low tendency to heavy smoking. Conclusions: GAM identified the nonlinear relationship between the age of onset of smoking and smoking intensity. Tobacco control programs should be focused on young and adolescent groups and poorer socio-economic communities.

The impact of cigarette smoking on the quality of sleep in Polish men

Quality of sleep directly impacts quality of life, whilst lifestyle significantly impacts night rest. Cigarette smoking is a serious threat to overall health, including sleep. Nicotine in cigarettes affects the nervous system, whilst the respiratory system is impacted by carcinogenic substances, such as dusts and tarred substances, inhaled with smoke. Cigarettes are assumed to be a risk factor in sleep disorders, including breathing sleep disorders. This study’s aim was to analyze the impact of cigarette smoking on adult men’s polysomnographic parameters. Polysomnographic records for 94 adult men were obtained from the polysomnography laboratory in Opolskie Province, Poland. Additionally co-morbidities, height, weight and frequency of smoking were also noted. Three groups of men were categorised according to the frequency with which they smoked: non-smokers, smoking less than a pack a day, smoking more than a pack a day. Compared to non-smokers and mild smokers, men who were heavy smokers also exhibited the longest sleepless time (H=8.11; p=0.017), the maximum waking time following the onset of sleep (H=7.99; p= 0.018), the lowest sleep efficiency across the three groups (H=7.96; p=0.019), the greatest number of apnea events per hour of sleep (H=6.23; p= 0.045), the lowest Oxygen Level Nadir (H=11.44; p= 0.003) and the highest rate of limb movements per hour of sleep (H=9.81; p=0.007). The dose effect was identified, which correlated more cigarettes men smoked per day with lower sleep quality.

Influence of tobacco cigarette heavy smoking on DNA methylation patterns and transcription levels of MAPK8IP3, GAA, ANXA2, PRRC2A, and PDE11A genes in human spermatozoa

Background Tobacco smoking is considered as one of the lifestyles factors that influence the sperm DNA methylation and global sperm DNA methylation and that may affect the sperm phenotype. This study was performed to investigate whether tobacco cigarette heavy smoking influences sperm DNA methylation patterns and semen parameters and to determine whether there is an alteration in the transcription level of MAPK8IP3, GAA, ANXA2, PRRC2A, and PDE11A genes in heavy smokers compared to non-smokers. Thirty samples were subjected to 450K arrays as a screening study to assess the variation in sperm DNA methylation levels between heavy smokers and non-smokers. Five CpG sites have the highest difference in methylation levels (cg07869343, cg05813498, cg09785377, cg06833981, and cg02745784), which are located in the MAPK8IP3, GAA, ANXA2, PRRC2A, and PDE11A genes, respectively, and were selected for further analysis using deep bisulfite sequencing in 280 independent samples (120 proven non-smokers and 160 heavy smokers) with a mean age of 33.8 ± 8.4 years. The global sperm DNA methylation, sperm DNA fragmentation, and chromatin non-condensation were evaluated also. Results A significant increase was found in the methylation level at seven, three, and seventeen CpGs within the GAA, ANXA2, and MAPK8IP3 genes amplicon, respectively (P< 0.01) in heavy smokers compared to non-smokers. Additionally, a significant increase was found in the methylation levels at all CpGs within PRRC2A and PDE11A gene amplicon (P< 0.01). A significant increase was found in the level of sperm chromatin non-condensation, DNA fragmentation, and global DNA methylation (P < 0.001) in heavy smokers compared to non-smokers. Conclusion These results indicate that tobacco cigarette smoking can alter the DNA methylation level at several CpGs, the status of global DNA methylation, and transcription level of the following genes “MAPK8IP3, GAA, ANXA2, PRRC2A, and PDE11A” in human spermatozoa. These findings may affect negatively semen parameters and men’s fertility.

A Pilot Study on Approach Bias Modification in Smoking Cessation: Activating Personalized Alternative Activities for Smoking in the Context of Increased Craving

Background The act of smoking has been associated with the automatic activation of approach biases towards smoking-related stimuli. However, previous research has produced mixed findings when smokers are trained to avoid such smoking-related stimuli through the application of Approach Bias Modification (ApBM). As such, this study aimed to test an improved ApBM (ApBM +), where smokers were trained to approach personalized alternative activities for smoking in the context of increased craving, in addition to training smoking-avoidance responses. Methods Sixty-seven daily smokers motivated to quit (M age = 29.27, 58.2% female) were randomly assigned to seven sessions of either ApBM + (n = 26), standard-ApBM (n = 19), or sham-ApBM (n = 22), after a brief motivational smoking intervention. Primary outcomes of approach biases for smoking and for alternative activities and secondary outcomes of smoking-related behaviors were assessed at pre-test, post-test, and 1-month follow-up. Results Overall, no group differences by condition were demonstrated in changing approach biases or smoking-related behaviors at post-test and 1-month follow-up. A trend level indication for differences in changes of smoking-approach biases between sham-ApBM and ApBM + for relatively heavy smokers was found at post-test. This was primarily driven by a significant increase in smoking-approach biases within the sham-ApBM condition and a trend decrease in smoking-approach biases within the ApBM + condition. Conclusions Our findings did not provide support for the current ApBM + concerning improved effects across the whole sample. Diverging training effects on approach biases for smoking in relatively heavy smokers warrants further research, for which we provide some suggestions.

Pictures Library of Smoking Cravings: Development and Verification of Smokers and Non-smokers

Background: The cue-induced craving by addiction related materials is commonly employed in addiction research; however, no existing standardized picture database based on the expectation model of craving has been developed. We prepared and validated a Pictures Library of Smoking Cravings (PLSC) in this study.Methods: We captured pictures 366 smoking and 406 control pictures (matched in content). We selected 109 smoking pictures and 115 control pictures and asked participants to provide ratings of craving, familiarity, valence, and arousal induced in them. Participants were divided into three groups: non-smokers (n = 211), light smokers (n = 504), and heavy smokers (n = 101).Results: The results showed that smoking pictures evoked a greater craving, familiarity, and arousal than control pictures in smokers (ps &lt; 0.01). In addition, craving caused by smoking pictures was positively associated with the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence score in dependent smokers.Conclusions: Overall, the contemporary results showed that PLSC is effective and can be used in smoking-related studies.