OBJECTIVES Smoking is associated with false-positive rheumatoid factor (RF). We explored the dose-response relationship of this association, using smoking history and serum cotinine and thiocyanate concentrations as measures of tobacco exposure. METHODS A total of 6947 men and women aged 30 yr or over and free of clinical arthritis were included in the Mini-Finland Health Survey carried out b...

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in outdoor settings is a growing public health concern due to recent indoor smoking bans. The objective of this study was to measure salivary cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, in subjects aged 21-30 exposed to SHS outside bars and restaurants in Athens, Georgia. Nonsmokers participated during 6-hr periods in outdoor standing or seating areas of bars and rest...

PURPOSE This study evaluated the performance characteristics of a novel rapid method for verifying smoking status in individuals by measurement of cotinine, the primary metabolite of nicotine, in saliva samples using an immunochromatographic strip in a "dipstick" format compared with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective comparison was made of sm...

BACKGROUND Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is higher among lower socioeconomic status (SES) children. Legislation restricting smoking in public places has been associated with reduced childhood SHS exposure and increased smoke-free homes. This paper examines socioeconomic patterning in these changes. METHODS Repeated cross-sectional survey of 10 867 schoolchildren in 304 primary schools in Sc...

OBJECTIVE Adverse skin reactions as a local side effect of nicotine patches sometimes interfere with smoking cessation therapy. We studied the effects of semipermeable membrane dressings (SMD) used under nicotine patches (NP) on nicotine absorption, as assessed according to the urinary cotinine levels, and skin symptoms. METHODS First, the urinary cotinine levels were compared in eight nonsmo...

INTRODUCTION Smoking is associated with a higher incidence of post-lung transplantation complications and mortality. Prior to inclusion on the lung transplant waiting list in the Czech Republic, patients are supposed to be tobacco free for at least 6 months. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of smoking, validated by urinary cotinine, among patients post lung transplantation and prior to i...

Nicotine is the major addictive agent in tobacco smoke, and it is metabolized extensively by oxidation and glucuronide conjugation. The contributions of ethnicity and UGT2B10 haplotype on variation in nicotine metabolism were investigated. Nicotine metabolism was evaluated in two populations of smokers. In one population of African American and European American smokers (n = 93), nicotine and i...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are a recent technology that has gained rapid acceptance. Still, little is known about them in terms of safety and effectiveness. A basic question is how effectively they deliver nicotine; however, the literature is surprisingly unclear on this point. Here, a population pharmacokinetic model was developed for nicotine and its major ...

Recently, we developed sensitive and quantitative methods for analysis of the biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure nicotine, cotinine, and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) in human toenails. In this study, we further evaluated the newly developed toenail biomarkers by investigating their relationship to demographic factors, reported exposure, plasma nicotine, cotinine, and t...

INTRODUCTION We describe smoking prevalence and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among adult nonsmokers in New York City (NYC) across key demographic strata and compare exposure estimates with those found nationally. METHODS We used serum cotinine data from the 2004 NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 1,767 adults aged 20 years or older) and the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutri...