This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the implementation of a smoke-free university policy after two years and to analyze predictors for organizational policy management and smoke-free university. A cross-sectional survey study was designed and undertaken as a baseline in 2014 and as an evaluation in 2016 in a government university within 2 campuses in the Northeast of Thailand. Students and staff/personnel returned questionnaires at a university. There were 891 and 960 people enrolled in to the study in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Outcomes were smoke-free environment, smoking rate, quit rate and variables affecting a smoke-free university. After two years, the smoke-free environment was improved significantly (p<0.001). The smoking rate was not a statistically significant increase, (6.73% in 2014 and 8.42% in 2016, p>0.05). Of this increase, the rate for regular smoking was lower than its expected value by 7.6%. The quit rate significantly increased from 8.33% to 33.96% (p<0.05). Law and organizational support were significant predictors of organizational policy management (adjusted R2 = 19%, p<0.001). Organizational policy management was a significant predictor for being smoke-free university (adjusted R2= 41%, p<0.001). Two years’ experience of implementing a smoke-free university policy showed significant improvements. The organizational policy management directly strengthened these improvements.
smoke-free university ; organizational policy management ; smoking rate ; quit rate ; Thailand

Lung cancer became a leading cause of cancer deaths in Korea in 2000. It is an anticipated result of cigarette smoking which was very prevalent among Korean males over the past several decades. There were 10,230 new reported cases of lung cancer in 2000 and the lung cancer mortality rate was 25.0 per 100,000 persons in 2001. Despite better supportive care and improved surgical techniques and development of more effective chemotherapeutic agents, the outcome of lung cancer patients in Korea remains disappointingly poor with a 5-year relative survival rate of only 11.4%. One of the major reasons for this poor outcome is that only approximately one-fifth of lung cancer are diagnosed at early resectable stages and benefited from curative surgery while the majority of patients have their tumors found at more advanced stages. Unfortunately, there is no established means for early lung cancer detection and screening program. Smoking cessation is the one and only known effective means of lung cancer prevention. In order to curtail the ever-rising incidence and mortality of lung cancer in Korea, it is mandatory to launch an even more strong anti-smoking campaign and utilize all means to discourage teen-ager smoking. In addition, there should be more support from both industry and the government for the development of more effective chemotherapy and new molecular-targeted therapeutic agents and establishment of infrastructures for clinical trials. A new effective treatment for lung cancer can be established only through the scrutiny of well-designed clinical trials.
Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the variables affecting the survival of the four permanent first molars in an adult Korean population using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: The Korean government has been collecting oral health data at the national level at 3-year intervals since 2000. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2006 among 15,777 persons aged 2-95 years who were stratified by age, gender, and region. The relationship between each of nine objective variables and tooth survival was analyzed by frequency, cross-tabulation, and logistic regression analysis, with age, gender, and economic status as functional variables. The inclusion level was alpha=0.05 and the exclusion level was alpha=0.10. The nine variables were age, occupational status, monthly family income, gender, frequency of brushing the teeth, snack intake per day, presence of diabetes, education level, and smoking (packs per year). RESULTS: The survival rate of the molars decreased with increased age. In individuals who engaged in farming, stock breeding, and fishing, the rate was 2-5 times lower than that of individuals in higher positions in terms of jobs and society. Furthermore, the survival rate for smokers was 5-10 percent lower, compared with non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictor of the survival rate of the four permanent molars in Korean adults was age, followed by jobs, smoking, and gender.
Adult* ; Breeding ; Education ; Employment ; Humans ; Logistic Models* ; Molar* ; Oral Health ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Snacks ; Survival Rate ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the variables affecting the survival of the four permanent central incisors in an adult Korean population using logistic regression analysis. METHODS: The Korean government has been collecting oral health data at the national level at 3-yearly intervals since 2000. In addition, a national survey was conducted in 2006 of 15,777 persons aged 2 to 95 years old who were stratified by age, gender, and region. The raw data were input and the relationship between each of eight objective variables and tooth survival was analyzed by frequency, crosstabulation, and logistic regression analysis, with age, gender, and economic status as functional variables. The inclusion level was alpha=0.05 and the exclusion level was alpha=0.10. The eight variables were age, economic status (jobs), monthly family income, gender, frequency of toothbrushing per day, presence of diabetes, education level, and smoking years. RESULTS: The survival rate of the incisors decreased with an increase in age, while that in individuals who engaged in farming, stock breeding, and fishing was 5 to 7 times lower than that in individuals in top positions in terms of jobs and society. Further, the survival rate in individuals with diabetes was 2 to 3 times higher than in those without diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The most significant predictor of the survival rate of the four permanent incisors in Korean adults was age, followed by economic status and presence of diabetes.
Adult* ; Breeding ; Education ; Humans ; Incisor* ; Logistic Models* ; Oral Health ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Survival Rate ; Tooth ; Toothbrushing

BACKGROUND: To test whether smokers have exaggerated hemodynamic responses to induction and intubation, we investigated the changes in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) on induction and intubation in smokers and nonsmokers. METHODS: Healthy male patients (25 smokers and 25 nonsmokers, aged 20 to 29 yrs) for elective surgery were studied. Anesthesia was induced with thiopental 3 mg/kg, fentanyl 1.5 microgram/kg, vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg and maintained with enflurane 1 % in N2O and O2 for the period of observation. After three minutes, orotracheal intubation was performed. Noninvasive BP and HR were recorded one minute before induction (baseline), immediately before intubation, and then every minute until five minutes after intubation. RESULTS: Systolic BP of smokers decreased significantly immediately before intubation, and at 4 and 5 min after intubation as compared to that of nonsmokers (Mean +/- SEM, 120.8 +/- 3.0 vs. 109.9 +/- 2.8, 116.7 +/- 2.4 vs. 108.9 +/- 2.3, and 114.8 +/- 2.2 vs. 106.7 +/- 2.3 mmHg, respectively, P < 0.05). Diastolic BP of smokers decreased only immediately before intubation compared with that of nonsmokers (Mean +/- SEM, nonsmoker 64.6 +/- 2.4 vs. smoker 58.6 +/- 1.8 mmHg, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference of HR between smokers and nonsmokers during the observational period. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic response is different in smokers compared with nonsmokers. Our results indicate that smoking affects the hemodynamic response to induction and intubation.
Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Enflurane ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Male ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thiopental ; Vecuronium Bromide

BACKGROUND: Time of useful consciousness is related with various factors including smoking, age, sex, drug, and temperature. It is still unclear whether acute hypoxia tolerance is different between male and female. METHOD: We included 32 healthy students (male, n=16; female, n=16) volunteered to participate in this study. The blood hemoglobin concentration was measured at a day before flight. With high altitude rapid decompression flight training chamber, flight to simulated altitude of 25,000 ft was performed after nitrogen extraction breath. At 25,000 ft, heart rate and arterial O2 saturation (SaO2) were measured by using pulse oximeter after taking off oxygen mask. We compared the duration from mask-off to the time at 60% SaO2 between male and female and correlated the time at 60% SaO2 with hemoglobin concentration. RESULTS: The duration from mask-off to SaO2 reaching 60% were significantly longer in the male group. There was a linear relationship between hemoglobin concentration and time at 60% SaO2. CONCLUSION: Acute hypoxia tolerance differs from the two sexes and the difference of hemoglobin concentration is one of possible causative factors of this difference.
Altitude ; Anoxia* ; Consciousness ; Decompression ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Masks ; Nitrogen ; Oxygen ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The relationship between QT prolongation and myocardial ischemia is widely known. Due to the limited value of ST depression, we aimed to evaluate, by using four simpler heart rate corrections (Bazett, Framingham, Fridericia and Hodges), the value of maximal exercise-QTc prolongation in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) presence and severity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 234 subjects (mean age 57.3+/-9 years, 143 men) who had undergone exercise testing and coronary angiography due to a suspicion of CAD in the study. Evaluating CAD severity with Gensini scoring, the CAD group (n=122) and controls with non-CAD were compared in terms of corrected QT duration at maximal exercise. RESULTS: Age, gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, exercise duration, resting, and peak heart rate were similar between the two groups (all p>0.05). The CAD group had higher raw QT values than the controls {268 (169-438) vs. 240 (168-348), p<0.001}. Although Framingham QTc of > or =350 ms and Fridericia QTc of > or =340 ms were seen to be useful for the diagnosis of CAD, there was no additive diagnostic value of exercise QTc in addition to ST depression. Maximal exercise-QTc Bazett (r=0.163, p=0.01), Framingham (r=0.239, p=0.001), and Fridericia (r=0.206, p=0.001) equations were weakly positively correlated with Gensini scoring. CONCLUSION: The patients with CAD have longer QTc intervals at peak heart rates during exercise. This finding provides insufficient evidence to support routine incorporation of QTc at peak heart rates into exercise test interpretation.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Dyslipidemias ; Exercise Test* ; Heart Rate* ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: The management of contralateral bullae incidentally found in radiological studies is controversial, largely due to the unpredictability of the natural course of incidentally found contralateral bullae. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with the contralateral occurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), and to characterize the outcomes of contralateral bullae incidentally found in radiological studies. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2008, 285 patients were admitted to our institution for PSP, and the patients underwent follow-up until August 2012. The relationships between the following variables and contralateral pneumothorax occurrence were evaluated: age, sex, smoking history, body mass index, ipsilateral recurrence, ipsilateral bullae size, the number of ipsilateral bullae, contralateral bullae size, and the number of contralateral bullae. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 233 males and 29 females. The mean age and mean body index of the patients were 23.85+/-9.50 years and 19.63+/-2.50 kg/m2. Contralateral PSP occurred in 26 patients. The five-year contralateral PSP occurrence- free survival rate was 64.3% in patients in whom contralateral bullae were found. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of contralateral PSP was associated with younger age, ipsilateral recurrence, and the presence of contralateral bullae. Contralateral PSP occurrence was more common in young patients and patients with recurrent PSP. Single-stage bilateral surgery should be considered if an operation is needed in young patients, patients with recurrent pneumothorax, and patients with contralateral bullae.
Body Mass Index ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Pneumothorax* ; Recurrence ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting the long-term survival of subjects with aortic aneurysm (AA). METHODS: We included 294 Korean patients aged ≥30 years who were hospitalized from 1994 through 2004. Diagnosis was confirmed in 267A subjects (75.8% with abdominal only AA (AAA) and 24.2% with thoracic AA (TAA)) by computed tomography angiography in Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. AA repair direct operation or percutaneous endovascular AA repair (Revascularized group) was performed in 60.3% of the total patients. Death data were obtained from all participants between 1994 and 2009. RESULTS: The mean age of AA subjects was 68.7 (±8.1) years. The proportion of males was 82%. Five- and 10-year survival rates were 89.8% and 82.6%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 92.3% and 84.9% in revascularized group and 86.4% and 79.5% in non-revascularized group, respectively. Adjusted hazard ratios were 1.11 {95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.21} in ages and 3.07 (95% CI 1.26-7.90) in smoking for AA. CONCLUSIONS: Age and smoking contributed to death in Korean AA patients. In addition, the 10-year survival rate for AA patients in Korea was over 80%.
Angiography ; Aortic Aneurysm* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Survival Rate*

PURPOSE: Bladder cancer can be induced by many chemicals, of which smoking was confirmed by Burch et al to be one well known risk factor. In our study, we evaluate the effect of smoking on bladder cancer as a single risk factor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 156 patients were enrolled in this study from March 1999 to April 2003. A survey soliciting smoking pattern, and duration and dose of smoking was mailed to each patient. We classified all patients into current smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers on the basis of their smoking history. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were performed to evaluate the differences of stage, grade, tumor size and recurrence rate. The Kaplan-Meier technique was used to plot recurrence free survival and the log-rank test was used to compare the survival curves. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among current smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers in terms of stage, grade and tumor size. However there was an obvious difference of recurrence rate among these groups. No significant difference of recurrence-free survival rate between ex-smokers and current smokers was noted, while never-smokers showed a better recurrence-survival rate than ex-smokers and current smokers. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that stage, grade, tumor size and tumor character can not represent the effect of smoking on bladder cancer progression. More accurate and prospectively determined assessment of smoking status by molecular investigation and indirect smoking would be required.
Humans ; Postal Service ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Survival Rate ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*