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Smoking increases asthma risk in rhinitis sufferers 

MedWire News: Cigarette smoking is an important independent risk factor for the development of new asthma cases in adults with allergic rhinitis, researchers report.

Writing in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Riccardo Polosa (University of Catania, Italy) and colleagues argue that this means "physicians have the responsibility to alert their patients with allergic rhinitis about the additional risk of asthma if they smoked and to engage in smoking cessation interventions."

Cigarette smoking has been reported to be associated with symptoms of chronic rhinitis, the authors explain, while rhinitis itself is an important risk factor for the development of asthma.

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Immune-Boosting Lung Cancer Therapy Shows Promise 

An immune-boosting treatment for lung cancer patients reduces the risk of cancer relapse after surgery to the same extent as chemotherapy but without the risk of unpleasant side effects, says a Phase II study by Belgian researchers.

The study included 182 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease. All the patients had surgery to remove their cancer and were then randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or MAGE-A3 ASCI (antigen-specific cancer immunotherapeutic) injections over 27 months -- five given at three-week intervals, followed by eight given once every three months.

MAGE-A3 is a tumor-specific antigen produced in 35 percent to 50 percent of non-small-cell lung cancer.

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Possible Viral Links to Lung Cancer Risk Uncovered  

two new studies suggest that two different viral infections might boost a smoker's already substantial risk for developing the disease.

While the specific viruses at issue -- human papillomavirus (HPV) and measles -- may not directly cause lung cancer, they seem to aggravate the negative impact of tobacco, American and Israeli researchers say.

Both findings were presented Friday by separate research teams attending the European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva.

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Viruses may play a role in lung cancer development 

Papers presented at the 1st European Lung Cancer Conference, jointly organized by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Geneva, Switzerland highlight emerging evidence that common viruses may contribute to the development of lung cancer.

Experts agree that smoking is by far the most important factor that contributes to lung cancer development. But other factors can play a role in some cases.

In one report at the conference (Abstract No. 124PD; Friday 25th April, 09:50) Dr. Arash Rezazadeh and colleagues from the University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, describe the results of a study on 23 lung cancer samples from patients in Kentucky.

The researchers found six samples that tested positive for the presence of human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that also causes many cases of cervical cancer. One was later shown to be a cervical cancer that had spread to the lungs.

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The influence of nicotine on granulocytic differentiation - inhibition of the oxidative burst and bacterial killing and increased matrix metalloprotein 

Neutrophils leave the bone marrow as terminally differentiated cells, yet little is known of the influence of nicotine or other tobacco smoke components on neutrophil differentiation. . . .

Conclusions: These findings may partially explain the known increase in susceptibility to bacterial infection and neutrophil-associated destructive inflammatory diseases in individuals chronically exposed to nicotine.

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How smoking encourages infection 

Now new research published in the open access journal BMC Cell Biology shows that nicotine affects neutrophils, the short-lived white blood cells that defend against infection, by reducing their ability to seek and destroy bacteria.

Neutrophils are generated by our bone marrow, which they leave as terminally differentiated cells. Although nicotine is known to affect neutrophils, there has been no study until now of the mechanisms at work when nicotine is present during neutrophil differentiation. David Scott from the Oral Health and Systemic Disease Research Group at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Kentucky, USA, along with a team of international colleagues decided to investigate how nicotine influenced the differentiation process.

The authors suggest the processes they observed as contributing to impaired neutrophil function partially explain chronic tobacco users' increased susceptibility to bacterial infection and inflammatory diseases.

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Nicotine affects immune system, study says 

A University of Louisville research team has found that nicotine makes people more prone to infections and inflammation -- a finding particularly relevant in a state that consistently has some of the highest smoking rates in the nation.

The study, published today in the journal Cell Biology, was led by U of L oral health researcher David Scott, who worked with a team of international colleagues.

The study says nicotine affects the production of a type of white blood cell, which is produced in bone marrow and defends against infection and disease. Researchers found that nicotine-tainted cells were less able to seek and destroy bacteria than normal cells, and that nicotine suppresses an important cell function that helps kill invading bacteria. Nicotine also increases levels of a substance that promotes the breakdown of healthy tissues, the researchers said.

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• Smoking encourages infection  

Although nicotine is known to affect neutrophils, there has been no study until now of the mechanisms at work when nicotine is present during neutrophil differentiation.

David Scott from the Oral Health and Systemic Disease Research Group at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Kentucky, USA, along with a team of international colleagues decided to investigate how nicotine influenced the differentiation process.

The authors suggest the processes they observed as contributing to impaired neutrophil function partially explain chronic tobacco users' increased susceptibility to bacterial infection and inflammatory diseases. . . .

The study is published in the open access journal BMC Cell Biology.

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Asthma and smoker's lung: dry airways play a key role 

Dry airways may not only play a central role in the development of the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, but also in much more common acquired chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker’s lung, the cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is the conclusion reached by scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital under the direction of Assistant Professor Dr. Marcus Mall from the Department of Pediatrics at Heidelberg University Hospital and Professor Dr. Richard Boucher of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In animal studies, they found that insufficient hydration of the airway surfaces leads to pathologies typical of chronic obstructive lung diseases in humans.

Thus, these findings point to a new approach for the treatment of these diseases

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• EGYPT: Water pipe smoking a significant TB risk  

The smoking of the traditional `shisha' water pipe is increasingly emerging as a significant health risk in Egypt, due to air-borne tuberculosis (TB) transmission from pipe sharing and uncontrolled, manual preparation of the pipe.

Rania Siam, professor of microbiology at the American University in Cairo (AUC), said the most important risk factor for TB infection was close household contact with a TB case, but she said water pipe smoking (WPS) and the sharing of the pipe with someone with pulmonary TB led to a great risk of TB transmission, especially among young adolescents.

"`Shisha' [smoking] is Egyptian culture, where people smoke tobacco and inhale directly from this device. If I smoke `shisha', some bacteria may reside in it.

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Some Facelift Patients Infected With MRSA 'Superbug'  

A small, but worrisome number of facelift patients became infected with the antibiotic-resistant staph infection known as MRSA, a new study reports.

About one half of 1 percent of people undergoing facelifts developed the so-called "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, doctors from Lennox Hill-Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital in New York City reported. . . .

Other risk factors for MRSA infection include having taken antibiotics or having been hospitalized recently, contact with health-care workers, previous MRSA infection, older age, diabetes, smoking and obesity, the study authors said.

"With the rise of MRSA colonization and infections, facial plastic surgeons performing rhytidectomy [facelift] and other soft tissue procedures may want to consider introducing screening protocols to identify patients who are at increased risk for infection," Zoumalan and Rosenberg wrote. "During preoperative evaluation, a full medical history should include information on possible prior contacts with persons at high risk for carrying MRSA."

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• Health officials warn of hookah-smoking hazard 

Cases of two Colorado State University students who might have contracted oral herpes from recent trips to a hookah bar are prompting health officials to remind people of the dangers of sharing saliva.

Anything from mononucleosis to an infectious cold sore can be passed through sharing soft drinks or passing around a mouthpiece at a hookah smoking session. "People shouldn't share spit," said Paul Poduska, infections control coordinator at Poudre Valley Hospital.

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• Age-Related Macular Degeneration Doubles Heart Attack and Stroke Risk Eye disease carries same risk as other circulatory problems, experts say 

People suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have twice the risk of dying from heart attack or stroke, Australian researchers report.

The degenerative eye disease is the most common cause of untreatable blindness among older adults in developed countries and affects the center of the retina at the back of the eye, which is essential for tasks such as reading and driving. .. .

"While AMD, particularly in its late stage, occurs in people of relatively older ages, it may be associated with an increased vascular risk," Mitchell said. "This could, in part, reflect shared risk factors such as smoking."

One expert noted that because AMD is a vascular problem, it is not surprising that it is associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

"Age-related macular degeneration and atherosclerotic vascular share common risk factors that include hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking," said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In addition, systemic inflammation may increase the risk of AMD and atherosclerosis, Fonarow said.

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Marijuana Linked to Early Gum Disease 

Gum disease is widely considered a disease of aging, but that may not be true for young adults who smoke marijuana on a regular basis.

Heavy pot use was found to be strongly associated with gum disease at age 32 in a study published in the Feb. 6 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

After controlling for other risk factors for gum disease, including tobacco use, the 32-year-old study participants who smoked the most marijuana were 60% more likely to show evidence of gum disease than 32-year-olds who had never smoked pot.

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Smoking marijuana associated with increased risk for gum disease 

Regular use of marijuana (cannabis) in young adulthood is associated with periodontal (gum) disease, according to a study in the February 6 issue of JAMA.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic diseases in adults, with inflammation that can extend deep into the dental tissues, causing loss of supporting connective tissue and possible loss of teeth. Tobacco smoking is recognized as the primary behavioral risk factor for the condition, and it is thought cannabis smoking may have a similar effect, according to background information in the article.

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