Stop inhaling smoke: prevent coronary heart disease

Smoking and smoking cessation -- the relationship between cardiovascular disease and lipoprotein metabolism: a review

Cigarette smoking is generally accepted as the most preventable cause of death in the United States today. Individuals who smoke experience a wide range of physiologic side effects that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including insulin resistance, elevated catecholamine levels which contribute to an elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and hypercholesterolemia. The link between hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease has been extensively researched and is undeniable. What is more, this link is strengthened in smokers as cigarette smoking is known to increase total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), while acting to decrease the cardio-protective high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Alterations in the enzymes that control lipid transport may be a key underlying mechanism contributing to these health destroying effects. This review examines the current literature related to: (1) smoking, lipoproteins, and lipid-related enzymes; (2) the impact of nicotine, carbon monoxide and free radicals on physiologic parameters related to health; and (3) metabolic issues involving smoking cessation and nicotine replacement therapy.

Cancer 'chemotherapia specifica' ninety years after Paul Ehrlich

From his student days throughout his whole life, Paul Ehrlich tried hard to obtain 'chemotherapia specifica' for the harmless systemic therapy of infectious diseases. Given the poor therapeutic benefit obtained with cytotoxic therapeutic agents and empirical radiopharmaceuticals, so far used only for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments of cancer, we have tried to develop Paul Ehrlich's 'chemotherapia specifica' for safe and effective therapy of cancers in cigarette smokers. With the help of sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we have tried to find the metabolic action of cigarette smoke constituents in the cancerous organ. On the basis of these results we are synthesizing pharmaceuticals and radiopharmaceuticals to purge the tobacco-constituent metabolic products that cause cancer. The purity, stability and chemical nature of the pharmaceuticals and radiopharmaceuticals required for therapy have been studied by chromatography and electrophoresis. The cancer specificity of the therapeutic agent has been examined by the total body distribution of its gamma- and beta-labelled species in solution. At present, a bladder cancer-specific therapeutic agent is being developed.

Soluble P-selectin levels in diabetes mellitus patients with coronary artery disease

Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes is associated with a marked increase in the risk of coronary heart disease. Platelets play a significant role in coronary artery disease. Soluble P-selectin is an index of platelets activation. In this study, Soluble P-selectin levels were measured by ELISA in the peripheral blood of 55 diabetic patients with coronary artery disease [21 acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 20 with unstable angina (UA), 14 with stable angina (SA)], 20 patients with diabetes mellitus without coronary artery disease (DM without), and 10 healthy controls. Soluble P-selectin level was significantly higher in patients with AMI (M+/-SD; 239.3+/-13.0 ng/ml), than those with UA (141.5+/-15.2 ng/ml), SA (92.1+/-7.7 ng/ml), DM without (89.8+/-7.1 ng/ml), and healthy control (86.1+/-4.5 ng/ml) (P < 0.001). In patients with US, sP-selectin was found to be significantly elevated as compared to the SA, DM without and control group. sP-selectin was not significantly different in DM without as compared to healthy controls. The sP-selectin levels was correlated to the duration of diabetes mellitus(R=0.33, P=0.03 ). Moreover, sP-selectin level was significantly higher in AMI patients with recurrent anginal attack as compared to that in those with single attack Multivariate analysis revealed that sP-selectin level at presentation had high adverse influence on coronary artery insult compared to healthy LDL cholesterol level, and the degree of hypertension.

IN CONCLUSION

Plasma levels of soluble P-selectin were increased in patients with AMI, and UA compared to patients with SA and normal controls. Measurement of soluble P-selectin may be helpful marker of impending coronary artery insult in diabetic patients.