Objectives: The reliability of surveys on smoking habits based on questionnaires was investigated, using the urinary cotinine content as an objective index. Methods: The subjects tested were 2,849 office workers of middle age, who responded to questions concerning their smoking status, and also their urinary cotinine was measured by the HPLC method. Results: The boundary value between smokers and non-smokers, determined by the histogram independent of the questionnaire, was 63.1 and 79.4 ng/mg of creatinine for males and females, respectively. The rate of misclassification of the non-smokers and former smokers as smokers was 1.3% for males and 1.8% for females, whereas that of current smokers as non-smokers was 6.3% and 2.1%. We also assessed the effect of smoke inhalation on the urinary cotinine value, and found a significant difference for males in the cotinine value by the presence of inhalation and also its depth. Conclusions: The rate of misclassification in this study was considered to be comparatively low. Several studies have also assessed the reliability of the questionnaire on smoking habits, and found different misclassification rates, indicating the dependence on the race and number of subjects tested. To our knowledge, there were only a few surveys on smoking among large groups, particularly in Japan, such as this one, therefore the results obtained in this study are meaningful.
Smoking ; Cotinine ; Indexes ; seconds ; Urine

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of smoking on urinary 10 metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coke oven workers.

METHODSOccupational health examination was performed on 1401 coke oven workers in one coking plant, their urine were collected respectively. The concentrations of the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The 1401 workers were divided into four groups, namely control, adjunct workplaces, bottom and side, top group according to their workplaces and the different concentrations of PAHs in the environment. The concentrations of the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between smokers and nonsmokers in each workplace group were compared using analysis of covariance, respectively.

RESULTSThe levels of concentrations of the sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons we detected at control were significantly higher than those at other areas (P < 0.05). Comparing the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels between smokers and nonsmokers, the levels of 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene among smokers were higher than nonsmokers with statistically significance in control, adjunct workplaces, bottom and side and top groups (P < 0.05). However, the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene had no statistically significant differences between the four areas.

CONCLUSIONUrinary 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 2-hydroxynaphthalene may be used as biomarkers for the impact of smoking on monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the coke oven workers.

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; urine ; Biomarkers ; urine ; Coke ; Humans ; Male ; Naphthols ; urine ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ; urine ; Pyrenes ; urine ; Smoking ; urine

OBJECTIVETo establish the method of gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the determination of the cotinine (COT) in human urine.

METHODSThe conjugated trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (THOC) and COT were hydrolyzed in human urine with beta-glucuronidase. The composition of COT was extracted with the mixture of dichloromethane and n-butyl acetate (2:1) and was separated with HP-5MS fused-silica capillary column. The GC-MS was used for determining its content.

RESULTSThe monitoring limit of this method was 0.02 microg/L. Its recovery rate was higher than 90%, Its accuracy rate was 4.30%. It was used for the determination of the cotinine in human urine in Guangzhou Biological Bank the Elderly Cohort.

CONCLUSIONThe GC-MS method is a good microanalysis for monitoring the cotinine in human urine rapidly and accurately with little background disturbance. It has been applied in our Guangzhou Cohort Study for determining cotinine in human urine.

Cotinine ; urine ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoking ; urine

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to validate self-reported smoking among high school students using urinary cotinine. METHODS: A self report of smoking behavior was collected together with urine sample for cotinine analysis from 130 male and female students in two vocational high school students in November, 2007. Validity and agreement between self-reported smoking and urinary cotinine was analyzed with STATA 9.0 for different definitions of current smokers, and frequent and daily smokers. Urinary cotinine concentration was measured by the DRI Cotinine Assay for urine (Microgenics Corp., Fremont, CA) on Toshiba 200FR. The cut-off point of urinary cotinine was 50 ng/dl. RESULTS: The concentrations of urinary cotinine were significantly different according to the frequency and amount of smoking. Sensitivity and specificity was 90.9% and 91.8% respectively, and the Cohen's kappa value was 0.787 among the current smokers who smoked at least one day during one month preceding the survey. The comparable high sensitivity, specificity, and kappa value were shown also among the other definitions of current smokers, that is, subjective smokers, and weekly smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed the high validity of self-reported smoking among high school students. However, due to the small sample size and limitation of the participants, it is cautious to generalize the results to overall high school students.
Adolescent ; *Adolescent Behavior ; Cotinine/*urine ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Self Disclosure ; Smoking/epidemiology/*urine ; Students

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the validity of the dipstick method (Mossman Associates Inc. USA) and the expired CO method to distinguish between smokers and nonsmokers. We also elucidated the related factors of the two methods. METHODS: This study included 244 smokers and 50 exsmokers, recruited from smoking cessation clinics at 4 local public health centers, who had quit for over 4 weeks. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity and Kappa coefficient of each method for validity. We obtained ROC curve, predictive value and agreement to determine the cutoff of expired air CO method. Finally, we elucidated the related factors and compared their effect powers using the standardized regression coefficient. RESULTS: The dipstick method showed a sensitivity of 92.6%, specificity of 96.0% and Kappa coefficient of 0.79. The best cutoff value to distinguish smokers was 5-6ppm. At 5 ppm, the expired CO method showed a sensitivity of 94.3%, specificity of 82.0% and Kappa coefficient of 0.73. And at 6 ppm, sensitivity, specificity and Kappa coefficient were 88.5%, 86.0% and 0.64, respectively. Therefore, the dipstick method had higher sensitivity and specificity than the expired CO method. The dipstick and expired CO methods were significantly increased with increasing smoking amount. With longer time since the last smoking, expired CO showed a rapid decrease after 4 hours, whereas the dipstick method showed relatively stable levels for more than 4 hours. CONCLUSIONS: The dipstick and expired CO methods were both good indicators for assessing smoking status. However, the former showed higher sensitivity and specificity and stable levels over longer hours after smoking, compared to the expired CO method.
Adult ; Carbon Monoxide/*analysis/metabolism ; Cotinine/metabolism/*urine ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoking/*metabolism/urine

Adult ; Female ; Food Industry ; manpower ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Thiocyanates ; urine

PURPOSE: In this study, the effectiveness of a motivational interviewing smoking cessation YOU-TURN program for adolescents was examined. The program was based on the self-determination theory. METHODS: The study was carried out with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants in the present study were 136 high school students living in D city. The students were assigned to the experimental group (n=52) who participated in the motivational interviewing smoking cessation YOU-TURN program based on self-determination theory, or to the control group (n=84) who participated in a general smoking cessation program. Data were collected from September 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS PC+ 21.0 with Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Repeated Measures ANOVA, and MANOVA-Wilk's Lambda. RESULTS: The experimental group had a significant increase in basic psychological needs, and duration of quitting-smoking in comparison with the control group. The experimental group had a significant decrease in cigarettes smoked per day and cotinine in urine in comparison with the control group. CONCLUSION: The motivational interviewing YOU-TURN program, when delivered to adolescents who smoked, was effective in discouraging smoking, and can be utilized as an effective nursing intervention for adolescents who smoke.
Adolescent ; Cotinine/urine ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Motivational Interviewing ; *Personal Autonomy ; *Program Evaluation ; Psychology, Adolescent ; *Smoking Cessation

Objective: To investigate the relationship of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure, S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) activity and long noncoding RNA H19 gene expression in the urine of coke oven workers. Methods: In September 2019, in a coking plant in Taiyuan City, 146 male workers who had worked in coke oven operations for one year were selected through a completely random sampling method, and their basic personal information was collected by questionnaire survey, and blood and urine samples were collected. The levels of 4 PAHs metabolites 2-hydroxfluorene (2-FLU), 2- hydroxynaphthalene (2-NAP), 9-hydroxyphenanthren (9-PHE), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) in urine were detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) -fluorescence detection method. HPLC-UV detection method was used to detect the content of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) in plasma, and the SAHH activity value was obtained by calculating the ratio. Reverse transcription PCR method was used to determine the H19 gene expression level. Urine levels of 2-FLU, 2-NAP, 9-PHE, and 1-OHP were divided into Q(1), Q(2), Q(3), and Q(4) groups according to quartiles (P(25), P(50), P(75)). Regression, trend test and restricted cubic splines were used to analyze the relationship among PAHs metabolites, SAHH activity, H19 gene expression and their dose-response. Results: The median age of coke oven workers was 39.60 years old, the median length of service was 20.38 years, and the urinary levels of 2-FLU, 2-NAP, 9- PHE, and 1-OHP were 0.29, 0.74, 0.09, and 0.06 μg/mmol Cr, respectively. The levels of 2-FLU, 2-NAP and 9-PHE in the urine of workers were significantly different between groups with different 1-OHP levels (P<0.05). After adjusting for age, length of service, smoking, drinking, and levels of 2-FLU, 2-NAP and 9-PHE, SAHH activity decreased with the increase of urinary 1-OHP level (OR=0.63, 95%CI: 0.41-0.98, P=0.038), showing a nonlinear relationship (P(nonlinear)= 0.030). H19 gene expression increased with the increase of urinary 1- OHP level (OR=1.51, 95%CI: 1.03-2.19, P=0.033), there was a linear relationship (P(trend)= 0.058). The relationship between the other three metabolites in urine and SAHH activity and H19 gene expression was not statistically significant (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Urinary 1-OHP level may be a risk factor for decreased SAHH activity and increased H19 gene expression in coke oven workers.
Humans ; Adult ; Coke/analysis* ; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis* ; Occupational Exposure/analysis* ; Pyrenes/analysis* ; Smoking/urine*

This study examined urinary cotinine levels and self-reported smoking among pregnant women in Korea and the factors associated with smoking during pregnancy. The subjects were selected from pregnant women who visited 30 randomly sampled obstetric clinics and prenatal care hospitals in Korea in 2006. Smoking status was determined by self-reporting and urinary cotinine measurement. A total of 1,090 self-administered questionnaires and 1,057 urine samples were analyzed. The percentage of smoking revealed by self-reporting was 0.55% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11-0.99) and that revealed by urinary cotinine measurement (>100 ng/mL) was 3.03% (95% CI, 1.99-4.06). The kappa coefficient of agreement between self-reported smoking status and urinary cotinine measurement was 0.20 (95% CI, 0.03-0.37). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that early gestational period, low educational level, and being married to a smoker were significant risk factors for smoking during pregnancy. Smoking among pregnant women in Korea is not negligible, and those who are concerned to maternal and child health should be aware of this possibility among pregnant women in countries with similar cultural background.
Adult ; Cotinine/*urine ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Pregnancy ; Reproducibility of Results ; Self-Examination/*statistics & numerical data ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoking/*epidemiology/*urine ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of soft drink containing benzoic acid on the excretion of urinary hippuric acid after ingestion of soft drink containing benzoic acid before working (Edthe deleted section is not an objective). METHODS: Fifty workers (male, 35; female, 15) exposed to toluene in Choongchung province area were studied. Urinary samples were collected on two days. On the first day, all study subjects were required to avoid any soft drink containing benzoic acid for the 24-hour period before urine collection. After emptying their bladder before starting work, the total volume of urine for the full shift period was collected and spot urine was collected at the end of the shift. On the second day, all workers were provided with soft drink containing benzoic acid before the shift and the same urine collection procedure was applied as on the first day. The air concentrations of toluene for each workers was measured with personal air sampling with 3M organic solvent badge. Personal informations such as age, sex, smoking and drinking habit were collected by self-administered questionnaire method. RESULTS: The geometric mean of urinary hippuric acid without ingestion of soft drink containing benzoic acid was 0.49+/-0.45 g/g creatinine in total volume urine, and 0.51+/-0.53 g/g creatinine in spot urine, whereas the equivalent results with ingestion of soft drink were increased to 0.92+/-0.61 g/g and 0.96+/-0.78 g/g, respectively. Stepwise multiple regression of urinary hippuric acid with air concentration of toluene, benzoic acid and other covariates revealed that 49% and 11% of urinary hippuric acid concentration in total volume urine analysis were attributed to the air concentration of toluene and benzoic acid, respectively, compared to 45% and 6% in spot urine analysis, respectively. On the other hand, taking the difference of urinary hippuric acid before and after ingestion of soft drink containing benzoic acid as a dependent variable and taking the air concentration of toluene, benzoic acid and other covariates as independent variables, stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that 14% and 13% of urinary hippuric acid concentration in total volume urine analysis were attributed to the air concentration of toluene and benzoic acid, respectively, whereas only 9% of urinary hippuric acid concentration in spot urine analysis was attributed to the air concentration of toluene, (Ed- note that there is no respective comparison here). CONCLUSION: Soft drink containing benzoic acid significantly affected the level of urinary hippuric acid after ingestion of soft drink before working. It is recommended that for the accurate elevation of urinary hippuric acid as an index of toluene exposure, detailed information on soft drink containing benzoic acid needs to be checked in the process of the health examination of toluene exposure workers.
Benzoic Acid ; Carbonated Beverages* ; Creatinine ; Drinking ; Eating ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Toluene* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urine Specimen Collection