http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/immuno.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/aafc-tls051308.php http://tobacco.org/news/265292.html Studying thousands of patients, Japanese researchers have found a strong link between tooth loss and increased risk of three cancers - esophageal, head and neck, and lung. They suggest that preservation of teeth may decrease risk of developing these diseases. In the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, scientists from Aichi Cancer Center in Nagoya and Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine speculate that bacterial infection and inflammation resulting from poor oral care that leads to tooth loss could also be driving development of these cancers. Periodontal disease is known to increase risk for stroke and heart disease. "Tooth loss is a common consequence of chronic bacterial infection and may, therefore, serve as a surrogate for chronic infection and inflammation, which in turn may be important to the pathogenesis of cancer," said the study's lead author, Akio Hiraki, Ph.D., a researcher at the Aichi Cancer Center. EurekAlert Jeremy.moore@aacr.org Japan Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101721.htm http://tobacco.org/news/265269.html A toxic gas present in air pollution and tobacco smoke plays a significant role in triggering tuberculosis infection, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The UAB study focused on carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas present in tobacco smoke, and vehicle and manufacturing plant emissions. Also, CO is produced naturally in brushfires and volcanic gas. The study showed that CO triggers Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, to shift from active infection to a drug-resistant dormant state. This is called latency, a global problem that results in tuberculosis escaping detection and treatment, and which contributes to overall tuberculosis transmission. "This is the first description of a role for CO in mycobacterial pathogenesis, and may explain why smoking and air pollution contributes to TB," said Adrie Steyn, Ph.D., assistant professor in UAB's Department of Microbiology and lead author on the study.* ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medwire-news.md/48/74737/Respiratory/Smoking_increases_asthma_risk_in_rhinitis_sufferers.html http://tobacco.org/news/264964.html 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. MedWire News Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=614783 http://tobacco.org/news/264512.html 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. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=614902 http://tobacco.org/news/264511.html 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. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter) Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/esfm-vmp041808.php http://tobacco.org/news/264490.html 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. EurekAlert media@esmo.org Europe Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2121/9/19/abstract http://tobacco.org/news/263564.html 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. BioMed Central info@biomedcentral.com Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/bc-hse041108.php http://tobacco.org/news/263560.html 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. EurekAlert charlotte.webber@biomedcentral.com Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080415/NEWS01/80415039/-1/cjextra http://tobacco.org/news/263447.html 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. Louisville Courier-Journal Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=48142 http://tobacco.org/news/263352.html 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. New Kerala.com Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.physorg.com/news126784670.html http://tobacco.org/news/262840.html 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 physorg.com Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=77426 http://tobacco.org/news/261897.html 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. Integrated Regional Information Network Egypt Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=613633 http://tobacco.org/news/261838.html 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." HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter) Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/CSUZONE01/803180310/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02 http://tobacco.org/news/261692.html 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. Fort Colliins Coloradoan HallieWoods@coloradoan.com (HALLIE WOODS) Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=613052 http://tobacco.org/news/260474.html 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. HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com (Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter) Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT