BACKGROUND It has been evidenced in the literature that exposure to cigarette smoke causes hypertension in rats; however, it has not been demonstrated if the baroreflex function is impaired before the animal becomes hypertensive. OBJECTIVE We evaluated short-term effects of sidestream cigarette smoke (SSCS) exposure on baroreflex function in Wistar normotensive rats. METHODS Rats were expos...

BACKGROUND Research has shown that tobacco smoke contains substances of microbiological origin such as ergosterol (a fungal membrane lipid) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria). The aim of the present study was to compare the amounts of ergosterol and LPS in the tobacco and mainstream (MS) and sidestream (SS) smoke of some popular US cigarettes. METHO...

Active cigarette smoking increases oxidative damage, DNA adducts, DNA strand breaks, chromosomal aberrations, and heritable mutations in sperm. However, little is known regarding the effects of second-hand smoke on the male germ line. We show here that short-term exposure to mainstream tobacco smoke or sidestream tobacco smoke (STS), the main component of second-hand smoke, induces mutations at...

BACKGROUND This study investigated whether early intervention based on additional use of sidestream capnography could reduce the incidence of oxygen desaturation and hypoxic events in patients receiving propofol anesthesia during surgical abortion. MATERIAL/METHODS We recruited 704 ASAI-III female patients, 18-52 years old and scheduled for planned painless surgical abortion, and randomized t...

BACKGROUND Arformoterol, the (R,R) isomer of formoterol, is approved as an inhalation solution for the treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Multiple nebulizer systems are commercially available. Different nebulizers can differ significantly in drug output, which may impact drug delivery and clinical efficacy. This study compared the aerosol pr...

BACKGROUND Polymorphisms in the N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene influence the rate of metabolism of aromatic and heterocyclic amines present in tobacco smoke. Because the physicochemical composition of mainstream and sidestream smoke differ, we conducted a case-control study to assess a possible differential effect of NAT2 genotype on the relationship between active/passive smoke exposure and...

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking is a common and lethal worldwide habit, with considerable mortality stemming from its deleterious effects on heart function. While current theories posit altered blood lipids and fibrinogen metabolism as likely mediators, none have explored the role of the sphingolipid ceramide in exacerbating heart function with smoke exposure. Ceramide production is a consequence ...

PURPOSE Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is widely regarded as a major modifiable risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Yet, precisely how it exerts its pathologic effects is poorly understood. Since early-stage AMD is characterized by choroidal capillary loss, this study examined the effect of sidestream smoke (SS), the major component of ETS, on the viability of choroidal e...