WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US tests on hundreds of people with life-threatening lung diseases linked to the use of e-cigarettes have uncovered something strange: the presence of many oil pockets in the lungs of patients blocking cells responsible for removing impurities in the lungs.
Dr. Dana Mini-Dillman, who leads the tests at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, wants to find out why these oil pockets exist. Detecting the cause of the disease will help to see if these cells play an important role in the exacerbation of diseases related to electronic smoking, which has killed seven people and infected 530 disease so far.
"We look forward to partnering with any laboratory that can help determine the nature of these fats," Minni-Dillman said in a telephone interview.
A group of researchers working on the long-term impact of e-smoking told Reuters it had begun re-examining samples of lung cells taken from people in recent years as part of research into oil-immune cells in people who used e-cigarettes but were not ill.
residue
One possibility is that these deposits are the product of inhaling e-cigarette oils such as those containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a component of marijuana, or vitamin E acetate, both of which contribute to current diseases, the researchers found.
Some researchers believe that oils form inside the lungs as a natural reaction of the body to chemicals found in many electronic smoking methods.
One theory is that smoking these chemicals may weaken the immune system and make electronic cigarette smokers more susceptible to respiratory disease, the researchers say.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of US senators has urged the US Food and Drug Administration to immediately ban e-cigarettes until they are safe, Reuters reported on Friday.
In a letter to Acting Commissioner Nad Charbels, Senators Dick Durbin, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Merkeley and Richard Blumenthal cited recent reports of 530 cases of lung disease linked to e-cigarettes, as well as eight deaths.
Asthma
An international study warned that smoking electronic cigarettes with different flavors may worsen the severity of asthma, allergies and bronchitis.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Sydney University of Technology and the Wolcock Institute of Medical Research in Australia, in collaboration with the University of Vermont, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Electronic cigarettes work through a heat heater, to heat a liquid containing nicotine inside, to turn the liquid into nicotine vapor, inhaled by smokers instead of burning as in regular cigarettes.
In the animal study, researchers discovered that e-cigarettes of different flavors, containing or without nicotine, directly affect lung function.
The researchers found that e-cigarettes worsen the severity of lung diseases such as asthma and allergies, the most damaging flavors were butter, banana pudding and cinnamon.
"This study is the first to examine the effects of flavored or nicotine-flavored e-cigarettes on allergic bronchitis patients," said lead researcher Dr. David Chapman.
"These findings are particularly important for those who suffer from respiratory diseases such as asthma and who are vulnerable to the effects of smoking, as e-cigarettes can worsen their severity," he said.
Previous studies have revealed that flavors used in e-cigarettes cause inflammatory and oxidative responses in lung cells, and the effects of these flavors extend to the blood, they are toxic and cause the programmed death of white blood cells.