A new study in the journal Cancer Research suggests that vaping may cause epigenetic changes in cells similar to those seen in smokers, potentially indicating negative health impacts. While it doesn't directly establish a causal effect, the study found epigenomic changes in the cells of e-cigarette users, including those who had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lives. Experts caution that further research is needed to understand the effects of e-cigarettes on human health and their potential links to cancer.
A large-scale study funded by the National Institutes of Health explored the link between smoking and DNA methylation across six racial and ethnic groups, identifying 408 DNA methylation markers related to smoking, including two that differed depending on race or ethnicity. The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, used data from 2,728 participants and found that smoking was linked to DNA methylation at 408 sites, with two sites showing significant risk differences based on race or ethnicity. The findings could lead to better prediction, early detection, and treatment for smoking-related conditions, as well as improve understanding of why some populations face a higher lung cancer risk than others.
A new report published in Nature Microbiology suggests that urinary tract infections (UTIs) can change the DNA in the cells lining the urinary tract, making them more susceptible to repeated infections. The study found that cells from mice that were susceptible to recurrent UTIs had smaller cell size and defects in differentiation, and even the DNA itself had been changed as a consequence of the initial UTI. While further work needs to be done to figure out if this is happening in humans, the researchers claim that this model is a good one.
