Search results for "smoking."
showing 10 items of 631 documents
Light smoking and dependence symptoms in high-school students.
2005
Summary In high-school students, prevalence of smoking is high but few studies analyzed smoking in the student population according to nicotine content of smoked cigarettes and gender. We analyzed the responses to a questionnaire, including the modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (FTQ), administered to 555 students (382 males, 173 females) of a professional high school in Palermo, Italy, to assess the prevalence in both genders of: (1) smoking “light” and high nicotine (HN) cigarettes; (2) signs of nicotine dependence and (3) respiratory symptoms. Nicotine content of habitually smoked cigarettes was considered as “light” if ⩽0.8 mg; as high if >0.8 mg. Forty-four percent of students…
Parents' smoking habit and prevalence of atopic eczema in 6-7 and 13-14 year-old schoolchildren in Spain. ISAAC phase III.
2008
Abstract Background and Aims Atopic eczema (AE) is the most frequent inflammatory skin disease in childhood in the western world. Several studies have reported a significant increase of prevalence in recent decades and the environmental factors implicated in its aetiology, including environmental tobacco smoke. This study aims to investigate the possible association of AE prevalence in Spanish schoolchildren aged 6-7 and 13-14 years in relation to their parents’ smoking habits. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study with 6-7 year-old (n = 27805) and 13-14 year-old (n = 31235) schoolchildren from 10 Spanish centres. AE prevalence was assessed using the International St…
Authors' response to: epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in small airways of COPD patient.
2013
We understand the reservations highlighted by Sohal and Walters in their letter in response to our recent work published.1 In their letter, Sohal and Walters argue that E-cadherin and ZO-1 are absent in our immunohistochemistry analysis of small bronchi of smokers and COPD patients, and that if disappeared completely epithelium would fall apart.1 In our study, we detected downregulation of E-cadherin and ZO-1 as well as a change of intercellular and apical distribution to diffuse cytoplasmic redistribution (figure 3B; in our work published in Thorax on 7 January 2013),2 but not …
Phenotypes of COPD patients with a smoking history in Central and Eastern Europe: the POPE Study.
2017
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a major health problem in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries; however, there are no data regarding clinical phenotypes of these patients in this region.Participation in the Phenotypes of COPD in Central and Eastern Europe (POPE) study was offered to stable patients with COPD in a real-life setting. The primary aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of phenotypes according to predefined criteria. Secondary aims included analysis of differences in symptom load, comorbidities and pharmacological treatment.3362 patients with COPD were recruited in 10 CEE countries. 63% of the population were nonexacerbators, 20.4% frequen…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and neutrophil infiltration: role of cigarette smoke and cyclooxygenase products.
2010
Cigarette smoke is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where it can contribute to the observed airway inflammation. PGE(2) is produced within human airways, and both pro- and anti-inflammatory activities have been reported. We quantitated PGE(2) concentrations in induced sputum supernatants from different groups of subjects and correlated the obtained values to neutrophil infiltration as well as to the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) was used to evaluate the effect of smoking on COX-2 and PGE(2) receptor expression as well as on PGE(2) release in neutrophils and alveolar macrophages (AM) obtained from normal donors. The effec…
Reduced apoptosis of CD8+ T-Lymphocytes in the airways of smokers with mild/moderate COPD
2011
SummaryChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by chronic inflammation in airways and lung parenchyma. CD8+ T-lymphocytes, crucial effector and regulatory cells in inflammation, are increased in the central and peripheral airways in COPD. The aim of this study was to assess the role of apoptosis in the accumulation of CD8+ T-lymphocytes within the airway wall in COPD. We examined the submucosa of transverse sections of central and peripheral airways from post-operative tissues from non-smokers (n = 16), smokers with normal lung function (n = 16), smokers with mild/moderate COPD (n = 16), and smokers with severe/very severe COPD (n = 9). TUNEL and immunohistochemistry t…
New horizons in early stage COPD--improving knowledge, detection and treatment.
2011
SummaryEarly stage COPD carries a significant healthcare burden that is currently underrecognised, underdiagnosed and undertreated. Furthermore, patients at this stage can rapidly decline to advanced disease, especially if they continue to smoke. The natural history of the disease in early stages remains largely unknown, and emerging evidence indicates that we are able to reduce lung function decline and exacerbations, and improve quality of life, in early stage COPD, mainly through smoking cessation. But new evidence from randomised clinical trials also suggests an impact of pharmacotherapy on clinical outcomes in early disease. Guidelines need to be updated to reflect this greater underst…
Clinical implications of airway hyper-responsiveness in COPD
2006
COPD represents one of the leading causes of mortality in the general population. This study aimed at evaluating the relationship between airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and COPD and its relevance for clinical practice. We performed a MEDLINE search that yielded a total of 1919 articles. Eligible studies were defined as articles that addressed specific aspects of AHR in COPD, such as prevalence, pathogenesis, or prognosis. AHR appears to be present in at least one out of two individuals with COPD. The occurrence of AHR in COPD is influenced by multiple mechanisms, among which impairment of factors that oppose airway narrowing plays an important role. The main determinants of AHR are reduct…
Variations in the prevalence of childhood asthma and wheeze in MeDALL cohorts in Europe.
2017
While there is evidence for variations in prevalence rates of childhood wheeze and asthma between countries, longitudinal, individual-level data are needed to understand these differences. The aim of this study was to examine variations in prevalence rates of childhood asthma, wheeze and wheeze with asthma in Europe. We analysed datasets from 10 MeDALL (Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy) cohorts in eight countries, representing 26 663 children, to calculate prevalence rates of wheeze and asthma by child age and wheeze with asthma at age 4 years. Harmonised variables included outcomes parent-reported wheeze and parent-reported doctor-diagnosed asthma, and covariates maternal education…
Airway inflammation in healthy smokers
2012
Cigarette smoking is a risk factor associated with lung cancer and many other neoplasms of various organs, coronary artery disease and numerous vascular disorders, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other types of lung diseases [13]. Much work has been done on the in vitro and ex vivo carcinogenetic effects of tobacco smoking while the effects of smoking on innate and adaptive immune function have been studied to a lesser degree. Recent data suggests that cigarette smoke alters the functions of the immune system and increases susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections [4-6]. In the respiratory system along the last years many studies have depicted the changes induced by …