Free radicals and other oxidants have gained importance in the field of biology due to their central role in various physiological conditions as well as their implication in a diverse range of diseases. The free radicals, both the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), are derived from both endogenous sources (mitochondria, peroxisomes, endoplasmic reticulum, phagocytic cells etc.) and exogenous sources (pollution, alcohol, tobacco smoke, heavy metals, transition metals, industrial solvents, pesticides, certain drugs like halothane, paracetamol, and radiation). Free radicals can adversely affect various important classes of biological molecules such as nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, thereby altering the normal redox status leading to increased oxidative stress. The free radicals induced oxidative stress has been reported to be involved in several diseased conditions such as diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson’s disease-PD, Alzheimer’s disease-AD and Multiple sclerosis-MS), cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis and hypertension), respiratory diseases (asthma), cataract development, rheumatoid arthritis and in various cancers (colorectal, prostate, breast, lung, bladder cancers). This review deals with chemistry, formation and sources, and molecular targets of free radicals and it provides a brief overview on the pathogenesis of various diseased conditions caused by ROS/RNS.

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Free Radicals: Properties, Sources, Targets, and Their Implication in Various Diseases

CIGARETTE smoking has been identified as the single most important source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality in each of the reports of the U.S. Surgeon General produced since 1964. The estimated annual excess mortality from cigarette smoking in the United States exceeds 350,000, more than the total number of American lives lost in World War I, Korea, and Vietnam combined and almost as many as were lost during World War II.1 It is estimated that among the 565,000 annual deaths from coronary heart disease, 30 per cent, or 170,000 deaths, are attributable to smoking.2 Furthermore, 30 per cent of . . .

Smoking: Health Effects and Control

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(98)07422-4.pdf

BCG Immunotherapy of Bladder Cancer: 20 Years On

IN recent years, there have been important advances in our understanding of the biology of bladder cancer. They have been achieved with the use of new experimental models, the study of oncogenes in bladder cancer, and the demonstration of a wide range of functional heterogeneity in populations of morphologically identical bladder cancer cells. The development of new techniques of management — including diagnosis and staging, the use of intravesical chemotherapy and preemptive (neoadjuvant) intravenous chemotherapy, and the application of new monoclonal antibodies — appears to be yielding higher rates of response, prolonged disease-free survival, and perhaps even improved rates of . . .

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199004193221607?listPDF=true

Biology and Management of Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND

Although narrative reviews have concluded that there is strong support for an association between cigarette smoking and urinary tract cancer, the association has never been quantified systematically in reviews. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize and quantify the impact of different smoking characteristics (status, amount, duration, cessation, and age at first exposure) both unadjusted and adjusted for age and gender.



METHODS

The authors included 43 epidemiologic studies (8 cohort and 35 case–control) and calculated summary odds ratios (SORs) by meta-regression analyses for different smoking characteristics. They also evaluated changes in summary estimates according to differences in study methodology.



RESULTS

Smoking status and increased amount and duration of smoking were associated with a strong increased risk of urinary tract cancer. Smoking cessation and age at first exposure were negatively associated with the risk of urinary tract cancer. The age- and gender-adjusted SORs for current and former cigarette smokers compared with those for nonsmokers were 3.33 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.63–4.21) and 1.98 (CI, 1.72–2.29), respectively. Even though the component studies differed in methodology, the results were rather consistent.



CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest a substantial increase in risk of cancer of the urinary tract for cigarette smokers. Based on the results of this study and previous literature, the authors conclude that current cigarette smokers have an approximately threefold higher risk of urinary tract cancer than nonsmokers. In Europe, approximately half of urinary tract cancer cases among males and one-third of cases among females might be attributable to cigarette smoking. Cancer 2000;89:630–9. © 2000 American Cancer Society.

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The impact of characteristics of cigarette smoking on urinary tract cancer risk: a meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies.

A case-control study among 574 male and 158 female bladder cancer patients and equal numbers of matched controls was conducted between 1969 and 1974 in 17 hospitals in six United States cities. We determined that cigarette smokers of both sexes were at higher relative risk than nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking was responsible for about one-half of male and one-third of female bladder cancer. There was an excess of bladder cancer patients with some previous occupational exposure, such as rubber, chemicals, and textiles. A weak association with coffee drinking, which appeared to be independent of smoking, was found for males. Users of artificial sweetners were not over-represented among the cases. The authors conclude that the epidemiologic pattern of bladder cancer cannot be fully accounted for by cigarette smoking and occupational exposure and suggest a series of metabolic studies to assess the role of additional factors, such as nutrition.

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1097-0142%28197709%2940%3A3%3C1246%3A%3AAID-CNCR2820400340%3E3.0.CO%3B2-5

Robert Goldsmith

Papers

The epidemiology of bladder cancer: a second look.