Linked to Cigarette Smoking

Nicotine s Dependence Liability Effects of Chronic Tobacco Use Tar, Nicotine, and Carbon Monoxide Diseases Linked to Cigarette Smoking Other Tobacco Products and Health Passive Smoking... 

Tobacco-derived nitrosamines are considered to be one of the major cancer-causing agents found in tobacco smoke and tobacco products. This is of importance as up to 90% of human lung cancers can be linked to cigarette smoking. The most potent carcinogen found in tobacco is the nicotine-derived nitrosamine 4-(me-thylnitrosamino)-l-(3-pyridyl)-l-butanone. 

Many dietary and environmental factors have been implicated as possible etiologic factors in the development of pancreatic cancer, but no definite causal relationships have been established. The strongest evidence points to cigarette smoking as a risk factor associated with pancreatic cancer (20-24). Occupational exposure to certain chemicals has also been linked to pancreatic carcinoma (25). Others in the high-risk group include stone miners, cement workers, gardeners, textile workers, and leather tanners (17,26). 

A link with cigarette smoking that appears to be causal. 

Dendritic cells play a central role in the initiation of the irmate and adaptive immune response, and it is believed that they provide a link between them (32). The airways and lungs contain a rich network of dendritic cells that are localized near the surface, so that they are located ideally to signal the entry of foreign substances that are inhaled. Dendritic cells can activate a variety of other inflammatory and immune cells, which include macrophages and neutrophils, as well as T- and B-Iymphocytes, so dendritic cells may play an important role in the pulmonary response to cigarette smoke and other inhaled noxious agents. However, an increase in dendritic cells is not observed in the airways of COPD patients in contrast to asthma patients (33)... 

There is no evidence linking smoking marijuana with use of harder drugs. However, mixing hashish with tobacco can lead to cigarette smoking, a potentially deadly addiction. 

Radioactive decay schemes can be used to determine the ages of rocks and thereby the age of Earth (see Section 25-5). The appearance of certain radioactive substances in the environment can also be explained through radioactive decay series. The nuclides °Po and Pb have been detected in cigarette smoke. These radioactive isotopes are derived from found in trace amounts in the phosphate fertilizers used in tobacco fields. These a-emitting isotopes have been implicated in the link between cigarette smoking and cancer and heart disease. 

Epidemiologic evidence links cigarette smoking to PUD, impaired ulcer healing, and ulcer-related GI complications. The risk is proportional to the amount smoked per day. 

It is widely accepted that cigarette smoking is linked to community acquired pneumonia and is one of the major risk factors for respiratory infections.39,40 Cigarette smoke is composed of two components, the vapor and particulate phase. The immunosuppressive effect of tobacco smoke is partly due to nicotine, which occurs in the particulate portion. Nicotine, as well as other immunotoxins in tobacco smoke, are thought to be respon-... 

A link between heavier alcohol consumption (more than three drinks per day) and hypertension has been firmly established in epidemiologic studies. Alcohol is estimated to be responsible for approximately 5% of cases of hypertension, making it one of the most common causes of reversible hypertension. This association is independent of obesity, salt intake, coffee drinking, and cigarette smoking. A reduction in alcohol intake appears to be effective in lowering blood pressure in hypertensives who are also heavy drinkers the hypertension seen in this population is also responsive to standard blood pressure medications. 

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