Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

N J Haley

Publications and source records attributed to N J Haley.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Population characteristics and cigarette yield as determinants of smoke exposure.

Relationships of population characteristics, smoking history, and cigarette yield with smoke exposure as measured by peripheral blood concentrations of thiocyanate, carboxyhemoglobin, nicotine and cotinine were sought in 170 male smokers. This population of smokers had significant elevations of serum thiocyanate, blood carboxyhemoglobin and plasma nicotine and cotinine concentrations as compared with an equal number of age- and sex-matched nonsmokers and these concentrations correlated significantly with past 24-hour cigarette consumption. Although the nicotine yield of the cigarette correlated significantly with plasma cotinine and marginally with plasma nicotine, the reduction in plasma nicotine and cotinine was not proportionate to the reduced yield of the cigarettes, suggesting that smokers partially compensate for the lower yields of their cigarettes. Blood levels of carboxyhemoglobin, nicotine and cotinine were also significantly associated with the weight of the subjects, presumably due to the relationship between weight and the volume of distribution. Univariate and multiple regression analyses provided evidence that coffee and alcohol consumption and years smoked also may be important determinants of smoke exposure.

Adult↗

Puffing topography as a determinant of smoke exposure.

Puffing topography variables were measured in a well-characterized, male population smoking their own brand of cigarette. Of the puffing topography variables, interpuff interval appeared to be the primary determinant of blood concentrations of smoke constituents: however, preliminary data in a homogeneous population according to the nicotine yield of their cigarette suggest that total puff volume per cigarette may also be a significant determinant of blood levels of smoke constituents. Smokers of low nicotine yield cigarettes partially compensated for these lower yields by increasing the total volume puffed per cigarette. Observed differences in puffing topography associated with increased daily cigarette consumption and cumulative smoking history were consistent with a higher smoke exposure per cigarette. Further, although both alcohol and coffee consumption are associated with present and cumulative smoking history, coffee consumption is uniquely associated with differences in puffing topography consistent with a higher smoke exposure per cigarette. However, by multiple regression analyses, neither coffee nor alcohol consumption histories added significantly to the prediction of blood concentrations of smoke constituents over that obtained by smoking history and puffing topography.

Adult↗

Racial differences in serum cotinine levels among smokers in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in (Young) Adults study.

Cotinine was measured in the serum of nearly all 5,115 18-30 year old, Black and White, men and women participating in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in (Young) Adults Study, 30 percent of whom reported current cigarette smoking. Ninety-five percent of the reported smokers had serum cotinine levels indicative of smoking (greater than 13 ng/ml). The median cotinine level was higher in Black than White smokers (221 ng/ml versus 170 ng/ml; 95 percent CI for difference: 34, 65) in spite of the fact that estimated daily nicotine exposure and serum thiocyanate were higher in Whites. The difference persisted after controlling for number of cigarettes, nicotine content, frequency of inhalation, weekly sidestream smoke exposure, age, gender, and education. A reporting bias and nicotine intake were ruled out as explanations for the racial difference suggesting that the metabolism of nicotine or the excretion of cotinine may differ by race. Racial differences in cotinine levels may provide clues to the reasons for the observed lower cessation rates and higher rates of some smoking-related cancers in Blacks.

Adolescent↗

Passive smoking on commercial airline flights.

In-flight exposure to nicotine, urinary cotinine levels, and symptom self-reports were assessed in a study of nine subjects (five passengers and four attendants) on four routine commercial flights each of approximately four hours' duration. Urine samples were collected for 72 hours following each flight. Exposures to nicotine measured during the flights using personal exposure monitors were found to be variable, with some nonsmoking areas attaining levels comparable to those in smoking sections. Attendants assigned to work in nonsmoking areas were not protected from smoke exposure. The type of aircraft ventilation was important in determining the levels of in-flight nicotine exposure. The environmental tobacco smoke levels that occurred produced measurable levels of cotinine (a major metabolite of nicotine) in the urine of passengers and attendants. Passengers who experienced the greatest smoke exposure had the highest levels of urinary cotinine. Changes in eye and nose symptoms between the beginning and end of the flights were significantly related both to nicotine exposure during the flight and to the subsequent urinary excretion of cotinine. In addition, subjects' perceptions of annoyance and smokiness in the airplane cabin were also related to in-flight nicotine exposure and urinary excretion measures.

Air Pollutants↗

Use of smokeless tobacco in a group of professional baseball players.

This paper describes the smokeless tobacco use practices and oral health problems of members of a minor league professional baseball team. Seventeen of 25 ball-players reported current use of smokeless tobacco. Gingival recession and lesions in the oral mucosa were more common in smokeless tobacco users than nonusers. Reported use of smokeless tobacco was greater during baseball season than in the off-season. Of the 19 current and past users, 15 reported first using smokeless tobacco after entering professional baseball. To discourage the use of smokeless tobacco by professional athletes, teams should stop accepting free samples and do a better job educating players about health consequences associated with use.

Adult↗

Testosterone and cigarette smoking in early adolescence.

Social and psychological variables are used to explain why young people become cigarette smokers, whereas biological factors have been virtually ignored as possible determinants of that behavior. In this study, salivary testosterone was positively associated with cigarette smoking among 201 subjects 12-14 years of age. This finding suggests that testosterone should be included in future considerations of adolescent cigarette smoking.

Adolescent↗

Population screening for plasma cholesterol: community-based results from Connecticut.

Plasma cholesterol levels were measured in 15,892 participants of a cholesterol screening in Hartford, Connecticut. The screenees were typically health conscious as evidenced by the low prevalence of current cigarette smoking (12%). However, more than 25% of the men and 35% of the women over the age of 50 years had cholesterol levels in excess of 240 mg/dl, placing them at moderate to high risk for coronary artery disease. Results showed a pronounced dose-response relationship between cigarette smoking and cholesterol levels in men of all age groups and in women of premenopausal age; however, average cholesterol levels were similar in exsmokers and subjects who had never smoked. Risk analysis revealed a strong positive association between cholesterol and prevalence of nonfatal myocardial infarctions. Notably patients with newly diagnosed hypercholesterolemia reduced their cholesterol levels an average of 40 mg/dl under the care of a physician. These results indicate that cholesterol screening coupled with physician follow-up and treatment can have a substantial impact in lowering cholesterol levels and the attendant risk of cardiovascular disease.

Adolescent↗

Cigarette smoking alters hepatic estrogen metabolism in men: implications for atherosclerosis.

Studies of steroids and plasma lipoproteins in male cigarette smokers reveal that smoking is associated with an increase in peripheral estrogens and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). We hypothesized that the lower HDL-C in this setting results in part from induction of the hepatic metabolic pathway that inactivates estrogen. This pathway, estradiol 2-hydroxylation, produces the peripherally inactive catechol estrogens 2-hydroxyesterone and 2-methoxyestrone. We used an in vivo radiometric method to assess 2-hydroxylation in 20 male smokers and 16 nonsmokers. The extent of the reaction (+/- SEM) was significantly higher among the smokers (43.3% +/- 1.9% v 24.6% +/- 1.9%, P less than .001). Smokers also excreted more urinary 2-hydroxyestrone (10.4 +/- 1.3 micrograms/g creatinine v 6.3 +/- 0.73 micrograms/g in nonsmokers, P = .011). The ratio of urinary 2-hydroxyestrone to estriol was higher on average among smokers (1.46 +/- 0.19 v 0.81 +/- 0.11, P = .006), and individual values correlated well with the radiometric test (r = .71, P less than .002). These data indicate that smoking is associated with significantly increased estrogen 2-hydroxylation in men. Preliminary evidence suggests that the smoking effect on C-2 hydroxylation may be opposed by ethanol. Elevated 2-hydroxylation in smokers, in the setting of modestly increased peripheral estrogens and a net decrease in HDLC, may be explained by the fact that lipoprotein synthesis and estrogen 2-hydroxylation both occur predominantly in the liver. Thus, greater metabolic inactivation of hepatic estrogens in male smokers could reduce HDLC, despite a modest rise in circulating hormone levels.

Adult↗

Biochemical validation of self-reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Biochemical validation of reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) lends credibility to epidemiological studies investigating the association of passive inhalation of smoke to respiratory disease or lung cancer. In the current study, a series of questions regarding ETS exposure was self-administered to nonsmokers and self-reported intensity of exposure was compared with cotinine levels in urine samples obtained on site. The target population of this study was a group of municipal workers who reported exposure in a domestic setting and/or in the workplace. When asked if they were exposed to ETS on social occasions, both males and females who responded positively had higher urinary cotinine levels (P less than 0.02) than those who gave a negative response. Mean urinary cotinine concentrations were found to be elevated in both men and women who reported that they lived with a smoker. Cotinine levels in the urine of those reporting exposure were over twice as high as those in the urine of respondents who denied having been exposed. ETS exposure in the home was the greatest contributor to increased urinary cotinine levels in both men and women. Among individuals who were exposed at work only, the reported degree of exposure agreed well with the mean urinary cotinine values. Those findings emphasize that the validation of exposure status with a biomarker is an essential prerequisite for epidemiological studies investigating passive smoking.

Adult↗

Ecology of passive smoking by young infants.

This study provides a detailed description of passive smoking by 433 infants (mean age 18 days) enrolled from a representative population of healthy neonates in central North Carolina during 1986 and 1987. Sixty-four percent (276) lived in households with smokers or had contact with nonhousehold smokers. During the week before data collection, two thirds (184) of these 276 infants reportedly had tobacco smoke produced in their presence. Seventy-five percent of smoking mothers smoked near their infants. The amount smoked by the mother near the infant correlated with the amount smoked near the infant by nonmaternal smokers. Cotinine, an indicator of smoke absorption, was found in the urine of 60% (258) of all study infants. The amount smoked in the infant's presence, as well as the amount smoked farther away from the infant, especially by the mother, were the most significant correlates of the urine cotinine concentration. The results of this study suggest that efforts to reduce passive smoking in young infants should emphasize the importance of the mother's smoking behavior, smoke produced anywhere in the home, and household social influences on smoking behavior near the infant.

Cotinine↗

On the measurement of tobacco use by adolescents. Validity of self-reports of smokeless tobacco use and validity of cotinine as an indicator of cigarette smoking.

This study assessed the validity of self-reports of smokeless tobacco use by adolescents and the validity of cotinine as a measure of adolescent cigarette smoking. For a sample of 1,854 persons aged 12-14 years living in the southeastern United States in 1985, a combination of three biochemical measures (salivary cotinine, salivary thiocyanate, and alveolar carbon monoxide) and self-reports of cigarette smoking were used to identify subjects who used only smokeless tobacco and subjects who did not use smokeless tobacco. The sensitivity and specificity of self-reports of smokeless tobacco use were 40.8% and 97.9%, respectively. It was determined that of the 175 subjects who ordinarily would be considered smokers because they had salivary cotinine levels greater than or equal to 10 ng/ml, 43.4% used only smokeless tobacco.

Adolescent↗

Population screening for plasma cholesterol: community-based results from Atlanta.

Plasma cholesterol was measured in 10,672 participants of a cholesterol screening program in Atlanta, Georgia. The participants were typically health conscious, as evidenced by the low prevalence of current cigarette smoking (13%), but more than 21% of the men and 33% of the women over age 50 had cholesterol levels in excess of 240 mg/dl, placing them at moderate to high risk for coronary artery disease. Results revealed a pronounced dose response relationship between cigarette smoking and cholesterol in men of all age groups and in women of premenopausal age, whereas levels were similar in ex-smokers and those who had never smoked. Risk analysis revealed a strong positive association between cholesterol and the prevalence of nonfatal myocardial infarctions. Notably, patients with newly diagnosed hypercholesterolemia reduced their cholesterol an average of 36 mg/dl under care of physicians. These results indicate that cholesterol screening coupled with physician follow-up and treatment can have a substantial impact in lowering cholesterol and its attendant risk of cardiovascular disease.

Adult↗

Home air nicotine levels and urinary cotinine excretion in preschool children.

We examined the extent of correlation between home air nicotine levels and urine cotinine/creatinine ratios (CCR) in 27 children who attended a research day care program where they were not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) during the daytime hours. Average concentrations of nicotine in home air were determined by active air sampling during the evening and night hours on 2 consecutive days. Urine samples for cotinine and creatinine determinations were collected before, during, and after the two sampling periods. In addition, four sequential weekly urine samples for CCR were obtained from study children to determine the extent to which single determinations of CCR were representative for individual children. Fifteen children resided in homes with smokers, and 12 did not. Urine CCR consistently distinguished most exposed and unexposed children. However, three exposed children had urine CCRs that clustered routinely around the criterion CCR (30 ng/mg cotinine-creatinine) that best distinguished exposed and unexposed children. In children exposed to ETS in the home, there was a significant correlation between average home air nicotine levels and the average logarithm of urine CCR the two mornings after the home air monitoring periods (r = 0.68; p = 0.006). In study children, urine CCRs were remarkably stable over the 1-month observation period. Rank correlation coefficients for sequential weekly determinations of CCR were consistently greater than r = 0.88; p less than 0.0001.

Child, Preschool↗

Elimination of cotinine from body fluids: disposition in smokers and nonsmokers.

We have evaluated differences in the elimination of cotinine, a major nicotine metabolite, in smokers who quit smoking and never-smokers who were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) under controlled conditions. The mean biological half-life of cotinine in urine, collected from the nine smokers was 16.5 +/- 1.2 h, in never-smokers exposed to ETS, 27.3 +/- 1.9 h. Differences in the mode of uptake and absorption of nicotine and possible differences in nicotine metabolism may play roles in the clearance rate differences between smokers and nonsmokers.

Adult↗

Population screening for plasma cholesterol: community-based results from Miami.

Plasma cholesterol was measured in 7,338 participants of a cholesterol screening in Miami, Florida. They were typically health conscious as evidenced by the low prevalence of current cigarette smoking (16%). However, more than 30% of males and 49% of females over age 50 had cholesterol levels in excess of 240 mg/dl, placing them at moderate to high risk for coronary artery disease. Results revealed a dose response relationship between cigarette smoking and cholesterol in men of all age groups and in women of premenopausal age; whereas the average cholesterol was similar in exsmokers and never smokers. Risk analysis revealed a strong positive association between cholesterol and the period prevalence of myocardial infarction in men and women. Male and female patients with newly diagnosed hypercholesterolemia reduced their cholesterol an average of 13 and 10 mg/dl, respectively, under care of a physician. These results indicate that cholesterol screening coupled with physician follow-up and treatment can lower cholesterol and its attendant risk of cardiovascular disease.

Adolescent↗

Smoking and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: nicotine and cotinine in serum and cervical mucus in smokers and nonsmokers.

A blood sample before treatment was taken from 35 women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Levels of nicotine and cotinine were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Both cotinine and, especially, nicotine were shown to be strongly concentrated in cervical mucus compared with serum levels. These findings confirm the association shown in epidemiologic studies of smoking and cervical neoplasia. It cannot be concluded that smoking is a genuine cause of cervical neoplasia. However, the results support the concept that smoking is a true risk factor in cervical neoplasia.

Adult↗