31 October, 2012 Clippings

Smoking can causes asthma in third generation

The dangers of smoking on users and their children are known but new research demonstrates that it also can causes asthma in their grandchildren.

Asthma is a major public health problem. It is the most common chronic disease of childhood. While there are many factors which contribute to asthma - maternal smoking during pregnancy is a well known, and avoidable, risk.

During pregnancy nicotine can affect a developing foetus' lungs, predisposing the infant to childhood asthma.

Researchers from Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre, California, tested the effect of nicotine exposure during pregnancy on rats, looking not only at their pups but also at second generation pups.

Exposure inside the uterus resulted in both male and female offspring having reduced lung function consistent with asthma.

It also impaired lung function of their own offspring, even though the first generation rats were not themselves exposed to nicotine once they were born, according to an UCLA statement.

Levels of proteins increased by maternal smoking in the lungs of their offspring such as fibronectin, collagen and nicotinic aceylcholine receptors, were also found to be raised in the grandchildren.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

31.10.2012

Smoking 'may lead to cataract in elderly'

In a new study, researchers have found new evidence that smoking may also increase the risk of age-related cataract, which is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in the world.

The new findings are the result of a meta-analysis conducted by a team of researchers from China.

“Although cataracts can be removed surgically to restore sight, many people remain blind from cataracts due to inadequate surgical services and high surgery expenses,” author Juan Ye, MD from Zhejiang University in China said.

“Identifying modifiable risk factors for cataracts may help establish preventive measures and reduce the financial as well as clinical burden caused by the disease,” Ye said.

The team performed the analysis using 12 cohorts and eight case-control studies from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, to compare the prevalence of age-related cataract in individuals who ever smoked cigarettes to those who have never smoked.

Further subgroup analyses were performed based on the subjects’ status as a past or current smoker and the three subtypes of age-related cataract. The results showed that every individual that ever smoked cigarettes was associated with an increased risk of age-related cataract, with a higher risk of incidence in current smokers.

In the subgroup analysis, former and current smokers showed a positive association with two of the subtypes - nuclear cataract, when the clouding is in the central nucleus of the eye, and subscapular cataract, when the clouding is in the rear of the lens capsule.

The analysis found no association between smoking and cortical cataract, in which the cloudiness affects the cortex of the lens.

While the overall analysis suggests that smoking cigarettes may increase the risk of age-related cataracts, the researchers point out that further effort should be made to clarify the underlying mechanisms. “We think our analysis may inspire more high-quality epidemiological studies,” Ye said.

“Our analysis shows that association between smoking and the risk of age-related cataract differ by subtypes, suggesting that pathophysiologic processes may differ in the different cataract types,” Ye added.

The study has been published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

31.10.2012

A duty which becomes a desire will ultimately become a delight

George Gritter