BackgroundUse of a hookah (a type of water pipe) is a traditional way of smoking tobacco, particularly in the Middle East. In Turkey, its popularity has been growing in recent years, especially among young people. It is known that cigarette smoking has genotoxic effects and causes mutations, but no comprehensive study has been done on the genotoxic effects of hookah usage, particularly in Turkey.Material/MethodsWe collected peripheral blood/buccal smear samples from 30 subjects who did not smoke cigarettes but who regularly smoke a hookah an average of 2 times per week, and from 30 control subjects who had never smoked cigarettes or a hookah. Chromosome analyses were performed on the samples obtained from peripheral blood of each individual, 25 metaphase plaques were counted for each, and chromosome/chromatid breakage/gap parameters were evaluated. Micronucleus analysis was done on buccal smear samples and micronucleus/binucleus parameters were investigated by counting 2000 cells of each individual.ResultsChromosome breakage ratios were found to be 0.64±0.86 and 0.46±0.71 in the study and control groups, respectively, while chromatid breakage ratios were 0.53±0.83 and 0.53±0.71; fragment ratios were 0.82±1.24 and 0.21±0.49 (p<0.05); and gap ratios were 0.57±0.83 and 0.18±0.53 (p<0.05), respectively. Micronucleus ratio was 6.03±2.06 and 4.43±2.27 (p<0.05) in the study and control groups, respectively, and binucleus ratios were 8.53±3.23 and 12.15±5.18, respectively (p<0.05).ConclusionsResults of our study reveal significant statistical differences between the individuals who smoked hookah and those who did not in terms of fragment, gap, micronucleus, and binucleus parameters, suggesting that smoking a hookah may cause genotoxic effects.
The aim of the present study was to determine whether endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms play a role in development of bladder cancer in the Turkish population. The study was performed on 75 patients (64 men, 11 women) with bladder cancer and 143 healthy individuals (107 men, 36 women) with any kind of cancer history. Three eNOS gene polymorphisms (T-786C promoter region, G894T and intron 4 VNTR 4a/b) were determined with polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment lenght polymorphism methods. In our study, GT and TT genotypes for eNOS G894T polymorphism were found to significantly vary among patients with bladder cancer and control group (OR: 0.185, CI: 0.078-0.439, p=0.0001 and OR: 0.324, CI: 0.106-0.990, p=0.026). Also, the frequency of the 894T allele was significantly higher in patients with bladder cancer (51%). No association was identified for eNOS T-786C and intron 4 VNTR 4a/b polymorphisms between patients with bladder cancer and control groups in our Turkish population.
The micronucleus (MN) assay on exfoliated buccal cells is a useful and minimally invasive method for monitoring genetic damage in humans. To determine the genotoxic effects of calcite dust that forms during processing, MN assay was carried out in exfoliated buccal cells of 50 (25 smokers and 25 non-smokers) calcite factory workers and 50 (25 smokers and 25 non-smokers) age- and sex-matched control subjects. Frequencies of nuclear abnormalities (NA) other than micronuclei, such as binucleates, karyorrhexis, karyolysis and ‘broken eggs', were also evaluated. Micronuclei and the other aforementioned anomalies were analysed by two way analysis of covariance. The linear correlations between the types of micronucleus and nuclear abnormalities were determined by Spearman's Rho. There was a positive correlation between micronuclei and other types of nuclear abnormalities in accordance with the Spearman's Rho test. Results showed statistically significant difference between calcite fabric workers and control groups. MN and NA frequencies in calcite fabric workers were significantly higher than those in control groups (p < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that calcite fabric workers are under risk of significant cytogenetic damage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.