Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0034067 (emphysema)
 11,506 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Copper has been shown to be an important cofactor for certain enzymatic reactions. Specifically, cross-linking of elastin is inhibited by copper deficiency. In animal models, this inhibition leads to weakened connective tissue and pathologic changes in the lungs consistent with emphysema. To explore the potential relationship of copper exposure to level of pulmonary function in humans, we examined copper concentrations in tap water in the homes of 297 adult male subjects involved in the Normative Aging Study. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were obtained by standard techniques. The relationship of tap water copper concentration to pulmonary function was explored using multiple regression analysis, controlling for other potential confounding variables (age, height, smoking status, and educational attainment). Separate regressions were performed for each of 3 smoking status groups: never, former, and current. Among never smokers, tap water copper was significantly and positively related to levels of both FVC (p = 0.014) and FEV1 (p = 0.027). No significant trend was found among former or current smokers. These data suggest that copper intake may be an important determinant of level of pulmonary function and deserves further investigation.
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PMID:The relationship of pulmonary function to copper concentrations in drinking water. 710 56

The purpose of the National Exposure Registry is to assess the long-term health consequences to a general population from long-term, low-level exposures to specific substances in the environment. This study investigates the health outcomes of 1,143 persons (1,127 living, 16 deceased) living in south central Texas who had documented environmental exposure to benzene (up to 66ppb) in tap water. As with all subregistries, face-to-face interviews were used to collect self-reported information for 25 general health status questions. Using computer-assisted telephone interviewing, the same health questions were asked 1 year (Followup 1, F1) and 2 years later (Followup 2, F2). The health outcome rates for Baseline and Followup 1 and 2 data collections for the Benzene Subregistry were compared with national norms, that is, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) rates. For at least one of the three reporting periods, specific age and sex groups of the Benzene Subregistry population reported more adverse health outcomes when compared with the NHIS population, including anemia and other blood disorders, ulcers, gall bladder trouble, and stomach or intestinal problems, stroke, urinary tract disorders, skin rashes, diabetes, kidney disease, and respiratory allergies. Statistically significant deficits for the Benzene Subregistry population overall were found for asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis; arthritis, rheumatism, or other joint disorders; hearing impairment; and speech impairment. No statistically significant differences between the two populations were seen for the outcomes hypertension; liver disease; mental retardation; or cancer. These results do not identify a causal relationship between benzene exposure and adverse health effects; however, they do reinforce the need for continued followup of registrants.
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PMID:The National Exposure Registry: analyses of health outcomes from the benzene subregistry. 956 45

Forty isolates of rapidly growing Mycobacteria, Mycobacterium fortuitum group including M. fortuitum and M. peregrinum and M. chelonae group including M. chelonae subsp. chelonae and M. chelonae subsp. abscessus at Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital collected between February 1981 and December 1997 were investigated in this study. These isolates were from the patients who were not infected with HIV. The average age of fourteen patients, from whom M. fortuitum group was isolated, was 58 years, ranging from 17 to 80 years old. One patient (71-year-old) with chronic myelogenous leukemia and another (64-year-old) with chronic diabetes mellitus were diagnosed with skin abscesses of M. fortuitum group, which were located on the right site of the neck and in the scar after injecting insulin (injection abscess), respectively. The average age of twenty-six patients, from whom M. chelonae group was isolated, was 57 years, ranging from 32 to 84 years old. One patient (75-year-old) with articular rheumatism was diagnosed with a lung infection of mixed M. chelonae group and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and another (74-year-old) with diabetes mellitus and kidney failure was strongly suspected of a lung infection. The isolates of the two mycobacteria from the remaining patients were due to colonization, while these patients had the following underlying diseases contributing to infections: pulmonary emphysema; diabetes mellitus; leukemia; collagen diseases; lung cancer; chronic kidney diseases; systemic lupus erythematosus; carcinomatous pleurisy; bronchiectasis; post-tuberculosis. Most isolates of the two mycobacteria were separated from the specimens of patients' respiratory tracts, but since M. chelonae group was a contaminant in the tap-water for diluting concentrated chlorhexidine, the organism happened to be isolated with the mucous membranes of the 6 patients' colons that were picked up while using the washed fiber-scope. These findings suggest that M. fortuitum and M. chelonae groups, in spite of the fact that they rarely cause infection, have a significant risk of infecting aged patients in general hospitals with various underlying diseases attributable to infections. As only a few colonies were isolated from patients' specimens in the majority of cases, it took time to carry out these clinical examinations, and to improve this "laboratory's delay", it is needed to make faster report to clinicians.
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PMID:[Evaluation of rapidly growing Mycobacteria isolates in a general hospital: reports from the hospital microbiology laboratory]. 1144 97

In the Middle East, there is no precise data and literature on tobacco-based products, such as dokha and shisha. The proposed study aims to quantify the levels of nicotine and tar in different kinds of dokha and shisha products that are sold in the local marketplace. The amount of nicotine in dokha and shisha products can be quantitatively determined using a combination of the "kissling" and "silicotungstic acid" method proposed by Robert M. Chapin. The tar residue from the smoke sample was collected on a glass wool placed before the stopcock (tap) of a separatory funnel as the smoke passes through the inlet of an electronically controlled vacuum pump. The nicotine levels in dokha and shisha samples ranged from 23.83 to 52.80 mg/g and 0.80 to 20.52 mg/g, respectively. The nicotine level varies between different tobacco products. It varies from 0.5 to 19.5 mg/g in cigarettes, from 10.3 to 23.1 mg/g in snuff tobacco, from 11 to 18 mg/g in electronic cigarettes and from 2.9 to 16.6 mg/g in chewing tobacco. The tar levels in the dokha and shisha samples ranged from 21.6 to 45.02 mg/g and 1.68 to 11.87 mg/g, respectively. Smokers are at a high risk of getting lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and coronary artery disease owing to the high levels of nicotine and tar present in dokha and shisha tobacco products. These findings contradict the widespread belief among teenagers that dokha and shisha tobacco products are safer alternatives to cigarettes.
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PMID:Analytical Determination of Nicotine and Tar Levels in Various Dokha and Shisha Tobacco Products. 2975 Feb 69