Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in a multi-city cohort of children with asthma: Analyzing true exposure and the validity of caregiver survey.

Introduction: The avoidance of asthma triggers, like tobacco smoke, facilitates asthma management. Reliance upon caregiver report of their child's environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure may result in information bias and impaired asthma management. This analysis aimed to characterize the chronicity of ETS exposure, assess the validity of caregiver report of ETS exposure, and investigate the relationship between ETS exposure and asthma attack.

Nitrate exposure from drinking water and dietary sources among Iowa farmers using private wells.

Nitrate levels are increasing in water resources across the United States and nitrate ingestion from drinking water has been associated with adverse health risks in epidemiologic studies at levels below the maximum contaminant level (MCL). In contrast, dietary nitrate ingestion has generally been associated with beneficial health effects. Few studies have characterized the contribution of both drinking water and dietary sources to nitrate exposure.

From cultivation to cancer: formation of -nitrosamines and other carcinogens in smokeless tobacco and their mutagenic implications.

Tobacco use is a major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally. Tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco (ST), generally contain tobacco-specific -nitrosamines (TSNAs), such as '-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-butanone (NNK), which are potent carcinogens that cause mutations in critical genes in human DNA. This review covers the series of biochemical and chemical transformations, related to TSNAs, leading from tobacco cultivation to cancer initiation.

Synthetic yeast chromosome XI design provides a testbed for the study of extrachromosomal circular DNA dynamics.

We describe construction of the synthetic yeast chromosome XI () and reveal the effects of redesign at non-coding DNA elements. The 660-kb synthetic yeast genome project (Sc2.0) chromosome was assembled from synthesized DNA fragments before CRISPR-based methods were used in a process of bug discovery, redesign, and chromosome repair, including precise compaction of 200 kb of repeat sequence.

Design, construction, and functional characterization of a tRNA neochromosome in yeast.

Here, we report the design, construction, and characterization of a tRNA neochromosome, a designer chromosome that functions as an additional, de novo counterpart to the native complement of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Intending to address one of the central design principles of the Sc2.0 project, the ∼190-kb tRNA neochromosome houses all 275 relocated nuclear tRNA genes.

Smoke exposure associated with higher urinary benzene biomarker muconic acid (MUCA) in Golestan Cohort Study participants.

. Benzene is a known human carcinogen. Human exposure to benzene can be assessed by measuring -muconic acid (MUCA) in urine.

High-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for measuring cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury.

In 2019, nearly 3000 U.S. residents developed severe lung injury associated with recent use of e-cigarette or vaping products.

Perioperative exposure to volatile organic compounds in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are used in the sterilization and manufacture of medical equipment. These compounds have high vapor pressures with low water solubility and are emitted as gases from solids or liquids. They can be mutagenic, neurotoxic, genotoxic, and/or carcinogenic.

Evaluating Exposure to VOCs and Naphthalene for Firefighters Wearing Different PPE Configurations through Measures in Air, Exhaled Breath, and Urine.

Firefighters are at an increased risk of cancer due to their occupational exposure to combustion byproducts, especially when those compounds penetrate the firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble. This has led to questions about the impact of base layers (i.e.

Validating Wave 1 (2014) Urinary Cotinine and TNE-2 Cut-points for Differentiating Wave 4 (2017) Cigarette Use from Non-use in the United States Using Data from the PATH Study.

Background: Sex and racial/ethnic identity-specific cut-points for validating tobacco use using Wave 1 (W1) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study were published in 2020. The current study establishes predictive validity of the W1 (2014) urinary cotinine and total nicotine equivalents-2 (TNE-2) cut-points on estimating Wave 4 (W4; 2017) tobacco use.

Methods: For exclusive and polytobacco cigarette use, weighted prevalence estimates based on W4 self-report alone and with exceeding the W1 cut-point were calculated to identify the percentage missed without biochemical verification.

Tobacco Smoke Is a Major Source of Aromatic Amine Exposure in U.S. Adults: 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Background: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and premature death. Aromatic amines (AA) are found in cigarette smoke and are well-established human bladder carcinogens.

Methods: We measured and compared total urinary levels of 1-aminonaphthalene (1AMN), 2-aminonaphthalene (2AMN), and 4-aminobiphenyl (4ABP) in adults who smoked cigarettes exclusively and in adult nonusers of tobacco products from a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized U.

Trimming the genomic fat: minimising and re-functionalising genomes using synthetic biology.

Naturally evolved organisms typically have large genomes that enable their survival and growth under various conditions. However, the complexity of genomes often precludes our complete understanding of them, and limits the success of biotechnological designs. In contrast, minimal genomes have reduced complexity and therefore improved engineerability, increased biosynthetic capacity through the removal of unnecessary genetic elements, and less recalcitrance to complete characterisation.

Distinguishing Exposure to Secondhand and Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke among U.S. Children Using Machine Learning: NHANES 2013-2016.

While the thirdhand smoke (THS) residue from tobacco smoke has been recognized as a distinct public health hazard, there are currently no gold standard biomarkers to differentiate THS from secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. This study used machine learning algorithms to assess which combinations of biomarkers and reported tobacco smoke exposure measures best differentiate children into three groups: no/minimal tobacco smoke exposure (NEG); predominant THS exposure (TEG); and mixed SHS and THS exposure (MEG). Participants were 4485 nonsmoking 3-17-year-olds from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016.

Mouth Level Intake of Nicotine from Three Brands of Little Filtered Cigars with Widely Differing Product Characteristics Among Adult Consumers.

Little filtered cigars are tobacco products with many cigarette-like characteristics. However, despite cigars falling under the U.S.

Anabasine and Anatabine Exposure Attributable to Cigarette Smoking: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014.

Anabasine and anatabine are minor alkaloids in tobacco products and are precursors for tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). The levels of these two compounds have been used to differentiate tobacco product sources, monitor compliance with smoking cessation programs, and for biomonitoring in TSNA-related studies. The concentrations of urinary anabasine and anatabine were measured in a representative sample of U.