Some effects of smoking are similar to cystic fibrosis
Smokers looking for an economic way to quit the habit could shop at a Canadian internet pharmacy, many of which sell cheap over the counter medications, including smoking cessation aides.
Smokers looking for an economic way to quit the habit could shop at a Canadian internet pharmacy, many of which sell cheap over the counter medications, including smoking cessation aides. The National Cancer Institute considers smoking the most preventable cause of cancer. New research demonstrates that smoking could also cause symptoms similar to another disease: cystic fibrosis.
People with cystic fibrosis have a genetic mutation that causes them to produce mucus that is abnormally thick and sticky, which can lead to dangerous bacterial infections in the lungs. Scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discovered that smoking cigarettes can have the same effect, as published in The FASEB Journal.
In the laboratory, the researchers studied the activity of CFTR, a protein that helps maintain proper hydration in the lungs. Cigarette smoke reduced CFTR activity by 60 percent in subjects enrolled in the study. Another experiment on lung cells demonstrated that smoke could cause some dehydration. However, the fluid level of these cells returned to normal after being treated with hypertonic saline, which is a medication for cystic fibrosis.
"We hope this study will highlight the importance of airway hydration in terms of lung health and that it will help provide a road map for the development of novel therapies for the treatment of smoking-related lung disease," said author Robert Tarran, PhD.
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