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Smoking Hookah Linked to Cancer Risk

[email protected] (Agencies)
May 19, 2014

Smoking HookahMedical researchers discovered that young adults who regularly smoked hookah water pipes in bars are at risk of developing cancer and other kinds of illnesses.

Based on the study, elevated levels of cotinine, nicotine, tobacco-based cancer-causing agents and volatile organic compounds (VOC) were discovered in the urine samples of hookah smokers, University Herald reported.

Gideon St. Helen of the University of California's Division of Clinical Pharmacology and the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education evaluated 55 hookah smokers aged 18 to 48 years old.

Before the week-long study was conducted, the participants provided urine samples. They were then told to smoke the water pipes at their desired hookah bars.

The participants were instructed to not smoke anything else during the duration of the study.

After seven days, the test subjects turned in another set of urine samples for comparison.

Upon examining the "before" and "after" urine samples, St. Helen and his team of researchers immediately noticed a spike in the levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

In all of the participants' samples, nicotine increased by an average of 10.4 times, continine by 3.2 and other kinds of carcinogens by 2.2.

St. Helen said, "This study reports systemic intake of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and VOCs after a typical water pipe-smoking session in a hookah bar setting, thus making the findings generalizable to most water pipe users in the United States."

The researcher added that he and his team decided to conduct the study due to the increasing popularity of the water pipes, according to Reuters.

He wants to warn hookah smokers about the health risks they are exposing their selves to.

He said, "One of the main reasons for doing this study is water pipe smoking is becoming much more popular - especially among younger people and college students."

According to a report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, hookah pipes have almost the same health risks as cigarettes.

The charcoal used to burn the pipe's contents produces high levels of carbon monoxide and other cancer-causing agents.

The health organization explained that the water inside the pipes does not effectively purify the smoke from these chemicals. The purpose of the water is to only cool the smoke for smoother inhalation.

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Agencies
May 2,2020

Clinician-scientists have found that Irish patients admitted to hospital with severe coronavirus (COVID-19) infection are experiencing abnormal blood clotting that contributes to death in some patients.

The research team from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that abnormal blood clotting occurs in Irish patients with severe COVID-19 infection, causing micro-clots within the lungs.

According to the study, they also found that Irish patients with higher levels of blood clotting activity had a significantly worse prognosis and were more likely to require ICU admission.

"Our novel findings demonstrate that COVID-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting disorder that is primarily focussed within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with COVID-19," said Professor James O'Donnell from St James's Hospital in Ireland.

In addition to pneumonia affecting the small air sacs within the lungs, the research team has also hundreds of small blood clots throughout the lungs.

This scenario is not seen with other types of lung infection and explains why blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe COVID-19 infection, the study, published in the British Journal of Haematology said.

"Understanding how these micro-clots are being formed within the lung is critical so that we can develop more effective treatments for our patients, particularly those in high-risk groups," O'Donnell said.

"Further studies will be required to investigate whether different blood-thinning treatments may have a role in selected high-risk patients in order to reduce the risk of clot formation," Professor O'Donnell added.

According to the study, emerging evidence also shows that the abnormal blood-clotting problem in COVID-19 results in a significantly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

As of Friday morning, the cases increased to 20,612 cases in Ireland, with 1,232 deaths so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New York, Jul 30: Can the coronavirus spread through the air? Yes, it's possible.

The World Health Organisation recently acknowledged the possibility that Covid-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions.

Recent Covid-19 outbreaks in crowded indoor settings — restaurants, nightclubs and choir practices — suggest the virus can hang around in the air long enough to potentially infect others if social distancing measures are not strictly enforced.

Experts say the lack of ventilation in these situations is thought to have contributed to spread, and might have allowed the virus to linger in the air longer than normal.

In a report published in May, researchers found that talking produced respiratory droplets that could remain in the air in a closed environment for about eight to 14 minutes.

The WHO says those most at risk from airborne spread are doctors and nurses who perform specialized procedures such as inserting a breathing tube or putting patients on a ventilator.

Medical authorities recommend the use of protective masks and other equipment when doing such procedures.

Scientists maintain it's far less risky to be outside than indoors because virus droplets disperse in the fresh air, reducing the chances of Covid-19 transmission.

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Agencies
April 14,2020

There is no evidence that the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is primarily used against tuberculosis, protects people against infection with the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The WHO therefore didn't recommend BCG vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19 in the absence of evidence, according to its daily situation report on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"There is experimental evidence from both animal and human studies that the BCG vaccine has non-specific effects on the immune system. These effects have not been well characterized and their clinical relevance remains unknown," WHO stated.

Two clinical trials addressing the question are underway, and WHO will evaluate the evidence when it is available, it noted.

BCG vaccination prevents severe forms of tuberculosis in children and diversion of local supplies may result in an increase of disease and deaths from the tuberculosis, it warned.

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