Effect of exposure to secondhand smoke on markers of inflammation: the ATTICA study

Sexual dimorphism in the acute effects of secondhand smoke on thyroid hormone secretion, inflammatory markers and vascular function

“…Consistent with this notion is the finding that IL-1␤ in our experiment demonstrated significant SHS-induced changes only in men, reflecting an anti-inflammatory effect of estrogens, which is well supported by previous research (28). The present SHS-induced increase in IL-1␤ extends the findings of a small number of previous human experiments reporting a SHS-induced increase of circulating inflammation markers including white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, fibrinogen (19), and leukocyte counts accompanied by an activation of the immune cells (1). In fact, given that animal models have demonstrated that the SHS-induced inflammatory reaction is dependent on IL-1␤ synthesis (3), it is surprising that previous human experiments did not evaluate IL-1␤.…”

“…These figures generate major concerns given the overwhelming evidence on the adverse health effects of SHS (26) together with recent reports showing that, despite currently adopted measures, the prevalence rates of smoking are increasing (30). Experimental data from our (17) and other (14,18,19,26) laboratories suggest that even brief exposures to SHS cause marked changes in thyroid hormone secretion, platelet aggregation, endothelial function, arterial pressure waveform, inflammatory markers, as well as other hemodynamic alterations involved in the development of ischemic heart disease. At least some of these effects appear to be more pronounced in men compared with women (14,20), but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon has yet to be elucidated.…”

Association of criteria pollutants with plasma hemostatic/inflammatory markers: a population-based study

“…The underlying biological mechanisms linking air pollution and cardiopulmonary disease continue to be a subject of research. Recently, several research teams have reported associations between air pollution exposure and the alteration of circulatory regulations, such as heart rate variability, a measure of cardiac autonomic control (Liao et al, 1999(Liao et al, , 2004Pope III et al, 1999;Gold et al, 2000;Creason et al, 2001), plasma viscosity, which is largely influenced by plasma fibrinogen and immunoglobin levels (Peters et al, 1997), systemic inflammation (Peters et al, 2001;Panagiotakos et al, 2004;Pope III et al, 2004), and hematological variable (Seaton et al, 1999).…”

Association of anti-smoking legislation with rates of hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions

“…2 Second-hand smoke, defined as involuntary exposure to a combination of diluted, side-stream cigarette smoke and exhaled smoke from smokers, 4 is the third leading cause of preventable poor health and premature death in the developed world. 3 Research delineating the impact of smoke-free legislation on cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes could have an immense impact on public health, given that an estimated one billion people are expected to die during the 21st century as a result of tobacco-related disease. 5 Public health campaigns have been aimed at increasing awareness of the dangers of second-hand smoke, and many jurisdictions worldwide have enacted legislation to restrict smoking in public places and at work.…”