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INTRODUCTION Cigarette and tobacco use is a leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and other malignant tumors. In China, people prefer to engage in mental activities (gambling, overtime work, playing video games, or other mental activities) on the weekends or during spare time, especially in the evening before they prepare for bed. In China, smokers frequently consume tea while smoking. The relationship between smokers who consume tea, engage in mental activities after dinner, or both (drinking tea and engaging in cognitive activities after dinner together), and daily cigarette smoking or nicotine addiction must be clarified. METHODS A total of 438 smokers were included in the study. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, Fagerström test for nicotine dependence scores, and behaviors, were recorded. The study excluded smokers with a Fagerström score <1 or with a mental disorder diagnosis. The smokers were divided into four groups based on their behaviors: those who did not drink tea, did not engage in mental activities after dinner, those who drank tea only, those who engaged in mental activities only, and those who engaged in both. RESULTS Only drinking tea or doing mental activities after dinner cannot increase cigarettes per day (22.20 ± 10.143 vs 23.49 ± 11.966, p=0.362; 22.20 ± 10.143 vs 22.66 ± 1.192, p=0.750) or FTND scores [6.0 (4.0; 7.0) vs 6.0 (4.0; 7.75), p=0.941; 6.0 (4.0; 7.0) vs 6.0 (4.25; 7.75), p=0.980]. People who drink tea and engage in mental activities after dinner smoke more (22.20 ± 10.143 vs 30.75 ± 17.264, p<0.0001) and have higher nicotine dependence levels [6.0 (4.0; 7.0) vs 7.0 (5.0; 8.0), p=0.015]. CONCLUSIONS The consumption of tea or a mental activity after dinner is not associated with daily smoking or nicotine dependence. There is an association between the combined behaviors (tea drinking and mental activity after dinner) and the daily consumption of cigarettes, and the degree of nicotine dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Nicotine dependence (ND) is a maladaptive pattern of tobacco smoking with withdrawal symptoms similar to other drug addictive disorders. It is very common in clinical practice that smokers always have different degrees of nicotine dependence with the same amount of tobacco consumption. Behaviors may influence daily cigarette consumption or smoking status. Hence it is critical to ascertain the association between concurrent behaviors and high nicotine dependence among smokers. METHODS A total of 343 patients who attended a clinic for smoking cessation were recruited, and the information on concurrent behaviors were recorded. Factors associated and not associated with nicotine dependence were recorded. Nicotine dependence was determined by Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND). RESULTS High ND patients (FTND >5) showed significant behaviors distribution compared with mild and moderate ND patients (FTND ≤5). There is no single behavior that was significantly different between high ND and mild and moderate ND smokers. However, the combined effects of nicotine dependence influencing behaviors of caffeine drinking and mental activities after dinner have an association with high ND (OR=1.939; 95% CI: 1.154-3.258, p=0.012). In addition, the combined effects of inadequate sleep time (<8 hours), caffeine drinking and mental activities after dinner significantly distinguished patients of high ND from those of low ND (OR=2.208; 95% CI: 1.032-4.737, p=0.042). CONCLUSIONS Interaction effects of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drinking have an association with high nicotine dependence. Sleep of less than 8 hours with behaviors of mental activities after dinner and caffeine drinking have the same effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes of cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) reflect immunologic reactions of the lung in pulmonary malignancies. Detection of biomarkers in BALF might serve as an important method for differential diagnosis of lung cancer. A total of 78 patients admitted into hospital with suspected lung cancer were included in our study. BALF samples were obtained from all patients, and were analyzed for TGF-β1, IL-6, and TNF-α using commercially available sandwich ELISA kits. The levels of TGF-β1 in BALF were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer compared with patients with benign diseases (P = 0.003). However, no significant difference of IL-6 (P = 0.61) or TNF-α (P = 0.72) in BALF was observed between malignant and nonmalignant groups. With a cut-off value of 10.85 pg/ml, TGF-β1 showed a sensitivity of 62.2%, and a specificity of 60.6%, in predicting the malignant nature of pulmonary disease. Our data suggest that TGF-β1 in BALF might be a valuable biomarker for lung cancer. However, measurement of IL-6 or TNF-α in BALF has poor diagnostic value in lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]