BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoke induced release of iron could alter iron metabolism in the lungs of chronic smokers and contribute to the increase in the total oxidative burden on the lungs of smokers. In previous studies, ferritin levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in smokers were elevated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between serum ferritin concentration, smoking and lung function in Korean people. METHODS: This study was based on the data acquired in the second year (2008) of the Forth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that was conducted from 2007 to 2009. The analysis included 2,244 subjects who were older than 20 years and had complete data from both lung function test and serum ferritin concentration. Among participants, 1,076 were male and 1,168 were female. RESULTS: Mean serum ferritin concentrations in males were 120.3+/-80.1 microg/L and 47.9+/-39.8 microg/L in females. There were no differences in serum ferritin concentrations between non-smokers and smokers after adjusting for age, body mass index, and amounts of alcohol. Serum ferritin concentrations were associated with smoking amounts by simple linear regression but not associated with smoking amounts after adjustment with age, body mass index, and amounts of alcohol in both males and females. Lung function was not associated with serum ferritin concentrations. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that serum ferritin concentrations are not related with smoking and lung function.
Body Mass Index ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Female ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Iron ; Linear Models ; Lung ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products

Splenosis is defined as an autotransplantation of the splenic tissue after splenic rupture or splenectomy, and occurs most frequently in the peritoneal cavity. Splenosis is usually asymptomatic and is found incidentally. We report a case of combined intrathoracic and intraperitoneal splenosis in a 54-year-old male who worked as a miner for 10 years in his twenties, and was a current smoker. He was referred to our hospital for further evaluation of an incidental left diaphragmatic mass. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography and bronchoscopy were performed to evaluate the possibility of malignancy. There was no evidence of malignancy, but the spleen was not visualized. Reviewing his medical history revealed previous splenectomy, following a dynamite explosion injury. Therefore, splenosis was suspected and technetium-99m-labeled heat-damaged red blood cell scan confirmed the diagnosis. Radionuclide imaging is a useful diagnostic tool for splenosis, which could avoid unnecessary invasive procedures.
Bronchoscopy ; Electrons ; Erythrocytes ; Explosions ; Humans ; Male ; Nitroglycerin ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Spleen ; Splenectomy ; Splenic Rupture ; Splenosis

A 43-year-old woman with breast cancer who was on neoadjuvant chemotherapy presented with cough, sputum and mild fever. High-resolution computed tomography showed diffuse ground glass opacities in bilateral lungs and subpleural patchy consolidations. Initially, she was thought to have pneumonia or interstitial lung diseases such as drug-induced pneumonitis and treated with antibiotics and steroids. She subsequently got breast cancer surgery because of disease progression, and concurrent thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed metastatic carcinoma of the lung from breast cancer. The diagnosis of suspected interstitial lung disease can be made without lung biopsy, but malignancy should always be considered and lung biopsy should be performed in the absence of a definitive clinical diagnosis.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cough ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fever ; Glass ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumonia ; Sputum ; Steroids

BACKGROUND: The level of urine cotinine is an indicator of tobacco smoke exposure. The purpose of this study is to investigate urine cotinine for the purpose of assessing the smoking status of Korean smokers and non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke. METHODS: The subjects were identified from the 2007-2009 and the 2010 data sets of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). They were assigned as non-smokers, current smokers and ex-smokers. Non-smokers were also divided into three subset groups according to the duration of smoke exposure. Each group was stratified by gender prior to analysis. RESULTS: The median value of urine cotinine in the male current smokers was 1,221.93 ng/mL which was the highest among all groups. The difference between levels of urine cotinine for male and the female groups was statistically significant (p<0.01). In the female group, passive smoke exposure groups reported higher urine cotinine levels than non-exposure groups (p=0.01). The cutoff point for the discrimination of current smokers from non-smokers was 95.6 ng/mL in males and 96.8 ng/mL in females. The sensitivity and specificity were 95.2% and 97.1%, respectively, in males, 96.1% and 96.5% in females. However, the determination of urine cotinine level was not useful in distinguishing between passive smoke exposure groups and non-exposure groups. CONCLUSION: Urine cotinine concentration is a useful biomarker for discriminating non-smokers from current smokers. However, careful interpretation is necessary for assessing passive smoke exposure by urine cotinine concentration.
Cotinine ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco