Cigarette Smoking Quantity Research Articles

Study of the effect of smoking on sperm count in male infertility

Cigarette smoking, one of the main causes of preventable morbidity and mortality, has a multitude of well-known side effects. Tobacco smoking is considered one of the major factors leading to male infertility. A lot is known now about the carcinogens in tobacco cigarette smoke and their resultant effects on organs like lungs and urinary bladder, but their effects on fertility status have been less documented. The present study was aimed at studying the effect of cigarette smoking on sperm count in infertile men. A total of one hundred infertile men (50 Nonsmokers and 50 Smokers) between the age group 20-45 years were taken into this study. The Sperm count in the infertile nonsmokers and the infertile smokers group were compared using Z Test. Infertile Smokers which were divided into Group A (≥1 and ≤10 cigarettes/ day), Group B (>10 and <20 cigarettes/ day) and Group C (≥20 cigarettes/ day) were analyzed for Sperm count levels by ANOVA Test. It was observed that the sperm count was significantly lower (p<0.01) in an infertile smokers group than the infertile nonsmokers group. It was also observed that the sperm count was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in relation to the quantity of cigarette smoking.

Adults’ E-Cigarette Flavor Use and Cigarette Quit Attempts: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Findings

Prevalence of use of e-cigarettes among youth 1 Cullen KA Gentzke AS Sawdey MD et al. E-cigarette use among youth in the United States, 2019. JAMA. 2019; 322: 2095-2103https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.18387 Crossref PubMed Scopus (383) Google Scholar and adults 2 Creamer MR Wang TW Babb S et al. Tobacco product use and cessation indicators among adults - United States, 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019; 68: 1013-1019https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6845a2 Crossref PubMed Scopus (448) Google Scholar in the U.S. continues to rise, and flavored tobacco product use is associated with initiation and subsequent use of tobacco products. 3 Villanti AC Johnson AL Glasser AM et al. Association of flavored tobacco use with tobacco initiation and subsequent use among U.S. youth and adults, 2013-2015. JAMA Netw Open. 2019; 2e1913804 https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13804 Crossref PubMed Scopus (46) Google Scholar However, little data exist on whether flavored e-cigarettes are associated with cigarette-cessation behaviors, 4 National Academies of Sciences Engineering and MedicinePublic Health Consequences of e-Cigarettes. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC2018https://doi.org/10.17226/24952 Google Scholar including attempting to quit cigarette smoking and quit success among those who attempt to quit, 5 Kasza KA Edwards KC Tang Z et al. Correlates of tobacco product cessation among youth and adults in the USA: findings from the PATH study waves 1-3 (2013-2016). Tob Control. 2020; 29: s203-s215https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055255 Crossref PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar although Buu et al. 6 Buu A Hu YH Piper ME Lin HC The association between e-cigarette use characteristics and combustible cigarette consumption and dependence symptoms: results from a national longitudinal study. Addict Behav. 2018; 84: 69-74https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.03.035 Crossref PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar found that among exclusive cigarette smokers, using flavored e-cigarettes 1 year later was associated with lower quantity of cigarette smoking. This study uses U.S. nationally representative data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study to report on e-cigarette flavor use among adult past 30–day dual users of e-cigarettes and cigarettes and to longitudinally evaluate the relationship between flavor use and attempting to quit cigarette smoking approximately 1 year later.

Nicotine dependence predicts cannabis use disorder symptoms among adolescents and young adults

PurposeWe evaluate if cigarette smoking and/or nicotine dependence predicts cannabis use disorder symptoms among adolescent and young adult cannabis users and whether the relationships differ based on frequency of cannabis use. MethodsData were drawn from seven annual surveys of the NSDUH to include adolescents and young adults (age 12–21) who reported using cannabis at least once in the past 30 days (n = 21,928). Cannabis use frequency trends in the association between cigarette smoking, nicotine dependence and cannabis use disorder symptoms were assessed using Varying Coefficient Models (VCM’s). ResultsOver half of current cannabis users also smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days (54.7% SE 0.48). Cigarette smoking in the past 30 days was associated with earlier onset of cannabis use, more frequent cannabis use and a larger number of cannabis use disorder symptoms compared to those who did not smoke cigarettes. After statistical control for socio-demographic characteristics and other substance use behaviors, nicotine dependence but not cigarette smoking quantity or frequency was positively and significantly associated with each of the cannabis use disorder symptoms as well as the total number of cannabis symptoms endorsed. Higher nicotine dependence scores were consistently associated with the cannabis use disorder symptoms across all levels of cannabis use from 1 day used (past month) to daily cannabis use, though the relationship was strongest among infrequent cannabis users. ConclusionPrevention and treatment efforts should consider cigarette smoking comorbidity when addressing the increasing proportion of the US population that uses cannabis.

E-cigarette use and quantity of cigarette smoking among adolescent cigarette smokers: A finite mixture model analysis

BackgroundE-cigarette use is popular among adolescents and youth, but its long-term public health implications remain largely unknown. Much of the literature has focused on understanding the relationship between e-cigarette use and youth cigarette initiation. However, very little is known about e-cigarette use and cigarette quantity among those who continue to smoke cigarettes. The objective of the present study was to examine the association between current e-cigarette use and quantity of cigarette smoking. MethodsCross-sectional data on current smokers were drawn from the 2014–2015 Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey among high school students (n = 1411). A finite mixture model (FMM) was employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity due to clusters of finite sub-populations. ResultsCurrent e-cigarette users reported smoking more conventional cigarettes in the past week compared to non-e-cigarette users (t [1409] = 4.7998; p < 0.001 in unadjusted analysis). Results from a finite mixture regression showed that current e-cigarette use was significantly associated with the number of cigarettes smoked in the past week, but only among light smokers (IRR = 1.40; CI = 1.05–1.85). However, additional analyses found that the association between e-cigarette use and quantity of cigarette smoked varied by individual smoking pattern. An FMM with a group or class modelling using individual smoking pattern showed a weaker association between e-cigarette use and quantity of cigarette smoking. ConclusionFindings of this study suggest that the significant association between e-cigarette use and quantity of cigarette smoking may be driven by patterns of use among experimental or beginner smokers.

Benzene Uptake and Glutathione S-transferase T1 Status as Determinants of S-Phenylmercapturic Acid in Cigarette Smokers in the Multiethnic Cohort.

Research from the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) demonstrated that, for the same quantity of cigarette smoking, African Americans and Native Hawaiians have a higher lung cancer risk than Whites, while Latinos and Japanese Americans are less susceptible. We collected urine samples from 2,239 cigarette smokers from five different ethnic groups in the MEC and analyzed each sample for S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), a specific biomarker of benzene uptake. African Americans had significantly higher (geometric mean [SE] 3.69 [0.2], p<0.005) SPMA/ml urine than Whites (2.67 [0.13]) while Japanese Americans had significantly lower levels than Whites (1.65 [0.07], p<0.005). SPMA levels in Native Hawaiians and Latinos were not significantly different from those of Whites. We also conducted a genome-wide association study in search of genetic risk factors related to benzene exposure. The glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) deletion explained between 14.2–31.6% (p = 5.4x10-157) and the GSTM1 deletion explained between 0.2%-2.4% of the variance (p = 1.1x10-9) of SPMA levels in these populations. Ethnic differences in levels of SPMA remained strong even after controlling for the effects of these two deletions. These results demonstrate the powerful effect of GSTT1 status on SPMA levels in urine and show that uptake of benzene in African American, White, and Japanese American cigarette smokers is consistent with their lung cancer risk in the MEC. While benzene is not generally considered a cause of lung cancer, its metabolite SPMA could be a biomarker for other volatile lung carcinogens in cigarette smoke.

A brief image-based prevention intervention for adolescents.

The authors evaluated the efficacy of a brief image-based prevention intervention and assessed current drug use as a moderator of intervention effects. In a clinical trial, 416 high school-age adolescents were randomized to either the brief intervention or usual care control, with data collected at baseline and 3-month follow-up. The brief intervention consisted of a tailored in-person communication and a series of parent/guardian print materials based on the behavior-image model. Health behavior goal setting increased for participants receiving the brief intervention, with an effect size in the small range (d = 0.33). Overall effect sizes for cigarette smoking frequency and quantity and alcohol use frequency and quantity were small (ds = 0.16-0.21) and in favor of the brief intervention. However, adolescents reporting current substance use who received the brief intervention reduced their frequency and heavy use of alcohol, frequency and quantity of cigarette smoking, and reported fewer alcohol/drug problems, with larger effects ranging from small to approaching medium in size (ds = 0.32-0.43, ps < .01). This study suggests that brief image-based messages may increase health behavior goal setting and reduce substance use, particularly among drug-using older adolescents.

Relationships of smoking and alcohol consumption on atherogenic index, antioxidant status and lymphocyte DNA damage in Korean men

The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of alcohol consumption and smoking habits on atherogenic index, antioxidant enzymes, level of lipid peroxidation and lymphocyte damage. The participants included 386 men 19–60 years of age. The level of lipid peroxidation was measured as the level of conjugated diene (CD) and the lymphocyte DNA damage was measured by COMET assay. In the observed sample population, we categorized the subjects into 15 groups. Subjects were divided into 5 groups: A0 (0 g/day, n=49), A1 (1–70 g/day, n=98), A2 (71–140 g/day, n=84), A3 (141–350 g/day, n=101), A4 (&gt;350 g/day, n=40), and then were further divided into S0 (nonsmoker, n=92), S1 (1–15 cigarettes/day, n=138), S2 (&gt;15 cigarettes/day, n=142) depending on the level of cigarette consumption. Regardless of the alcohol intake, there was a continuous increase of the atherogenic index with the increasing quantity of cigarette smoking. HDL‐C was increased with the increasing level of alcohol consumption. In addition, regardless of the alcohol intake, CD level was lowest in the S0 groups and highest in the S3 groups. Antioxidant status measured by plasma tocopherol, carotene and vitamin C level did not differ significantly among groups. The DNA damage (assessed by tail DNA) was greatest in the heavy smokers compared to the non‐ or light smokers. Our result showed that the exposure of cigarette smoking has higher impact on the level of antioxidants and DNA damage than the combined effect with alcohol consumption.This study was supported by a grant from Kyung Hee University Research Fund in 2004 (KHU‐20040945)

A Functional Polymorphism in the Promoter Region of the Monoamine Oxidase A Gene Is Associated with the Cigarette Smoking Quantity in Alcohol-Dependent Heavy Smokers

Tobacco smoking represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality with a strong dose-response relation between the amount of smoking and the risks of tobacco-related diseases and death. The quantity that is smoked is determined predominantly by genetic factors. The present study examined whether there is an association between the quantity of cigarettes smoked and length variation of a functional 30-bp repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene. The number of 30-bp repeats, which is associated with enzyme activity was assessed in 121 Caucasian men suffering from both alcohol and tobacco dependence. Analysis revealed that the highly active long allele (4 repeat) is associated with a significantly greater amount of cigarette smoking in comparison with the less active short allele (3 repeat). In a logistic regression model (dichotomized), smoking quantity was significantly predicted by MAO-A genotype while no other variable (age, height, body weight, frequency of smoking, quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption) met the significance level. Since tobacco smoke is a potent inhibitor of MAO-A, this result could be regarded as a genotype-related dosage effect. Taken together, in alcohol-dependent heavily smoking men there is evidence for a MAO-A gene-associated effect on the quantity that is smoked as reflected by the daily number of cigarettes consumed.

Tobacco Smoking in Relation to the Phenotype of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin and Serum Vitamin C Concentration

Purpose: To investigate the effects of tobacco smoking on serum alpha-1-antitrypsin (AT) concentrations in relation to the Pi types of AT (MM and non-MM phenotypes) and vitamin C concentrations in the serum of Thai smokers and non-smokers. Design: Cross-sectional study of smokers and non-smokers in a military unit in Bangkok, Thailand. Materials and Methods: 123 male smokers and 66 male non-smokers were randomly selected from a military unit in Bangkok. Venous blood was analysed by rocket immunoelectrophoresis for AT concentrations. AT phenotype and vitamin C status were determined by iso-electrofocusing (IEF) and spectro-photometric methods. Co-variance analysis was used to determine whether smoking directly influences AT levels. Results: There were statistically significantly higher levels of serum AT and thiocyanate concentrations in smokers than in non-smokers. The thiocyanate level correlated with the duration and quantity of cigarette smoking. However, vitamin C, an antioxidant, was found with stati...

Level of current and past adolescent cigarette smoking as predictors of future substance use disorders in young adulthood.

This study examined the impact of adolescent cigarette smoking (life-time use, recency, frequency and age of onset) on the occurrence of substance use disorders during young adulthood. Participants were assessed while in high school (T1), approximately 1 year later (T2) and then after they had turned 24 years of age (T3). Adolescents were randomly selected at T1 from nine senior high schools in western Oregon. A subset (n = 684) of 1709 adolescents who had been assessed regarding cigarette smoking during high school were evaluated for alcohol, cannabis and other drug abuse/dependence up to age 24. Semi-structured interviews provided information regarding life-time use of cigarettes and chewing tobacco, age of smoking onset, frequency and quantity of cigarette smoking and quit efforts in adolescence. Diagnoses of substance abuse and dependence in young adulthood were made as per DSM-IV. Life-time smoking among older adolescents significantly increased the probability of future alcohol, cannabis, hard drug and multiple drug use disorders during young adulthood. Having been a former smoker did not reduce the risk of future substance use disorder, although having maintained smoking cessation for more than 12 months was associated with significantly lower rates of future alcohol use disorder. Daily smoking was associated with increased risk of future cannabis, hard drug and multiple drug use disorders. Among daily smokers, earlier smoking onset age predicted future substance use disorders. The results extend knowledge about relationships between cigarette smoking during adolescence and the development of substance use disorders during young adulthood, illustrating additional risks associated with early cigarette smoking. Future research is needed to examine potential causal associations.

Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Behavioral Factors Affecting Ethnic Mortality by Cause

This article examines ethnic differences in total and cause-specific mortality. We employ the linked National Health Interview Survey-National Death Index (NHIS-NDI) to examine ethnic differences in mortalityfrom a combination of demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristic perspectives. Wefind that Asian American mortality is low in part because of healthy behaviors and socioeconomic advantages; that Caucasian American mortality is higher partly because of high prevalence and quantity of cigarette smoking; and that Mexican, Native, and African American mortality is higher partly from socioeconomic disadvantages. These results give us added insight into the demographic, social, and health mechanisms that lead us to persevere or to perish. Most mortality research has focused on how demographic characteristics - age, sex, and ethnicity - affect total and cause-specific mortality. But to properly conceptualize the multiple and interacting proximate determinants of mortality by ethnicity, researchers must extend the traditional demographic framework of mortality analysis to a more complete, though more complex, multivariate model that also incorporates social characteristics - marital status, education, and income (see Mosley & Chen 1984; Rosenwaike 1988). Moreover, health behaviors have cultural dimensions and therefore can also affect ethnic differences in mortality. A new file, the linked National Health Interview Survey-National Death Index (NHIS-NDI), allows us to disentangle some of the effects of demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral health characteristics on ethnic differences in total and cause-specific mortality.

Influences on cigarette smoking quantity: Selection, stress, or culture?

How effective are restrictions on mobility in limiting COVID-19 spread? Using zip code data across five U.S. cities, we estimate that total cases per capita decrease by 19% for every ten percentage point fall in mobility. Addressing endogeneity concerns, we instrument for travel by residential teleworkable and essential shares and find a 25% decline in cases per capita. Using panel data for NYC with week and zip code fixed effects, we estimate a decline of 30%. We find substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity; east coast cities have stronger effects, with the largest for NYC in the pandemic’s early stages.