Association of cannabis use disorder with atrial fibrillation in young men without concomitant tobacco use:Insights from nationwide propensity matched analysis

BACKGROUND Recent data are inconclusive regarding the risk of arrhythmias among young cannabis users.Furthermore,many young adults use both cannabis and tobacco,which could add a residual confounding effect on outcomes.So,we studied young men who have cannabis use disorder(CUD)excluding tobacco use disorder(TUD)to understand their independent association with atrial fibrillation(AF)and related outcomes.AIM To study the association of CUD with AF and related outcomes.METHODS We used weighted discharge records from National Inpatient Sample(2019)to assess the baseline characteristics and mortality rates for AF-related hospitalizations in young(18-44 years)men in 1:1 propensity-matched CUD+vs CUD-cohorts without TUD.RESULTS Propensity matched CUD+and CUD-cohorts consisted of 108495 young men in each arm.Our analysis showed an increased incidence of AF in black population with CUD.In addition,the CUD+cohort had lower rates of hyperlipidemia(6.4%vs 6.9%),hypertension(5.3%vs 6.3%),obesity(9.1%vs 10.9%),alcohol abuse(15.5%vs 16.9%),but had higher rates of anxiety(24.3%vs 18.4%)and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)(9.8%vs 9.4%)compared to CUD-cohort.After adjustment with covariates including other substance abuse,a non-significant association was found between CUD+cohort and AF related hospitalizations(odd ratio:1.27,95%confidence interval:0.91-1.78,P=0.15).CONCLUSION Among hospitalized young men,the CUD+cohort had a higher prevalence of anxiety and COPD,and slightly higher proportion of black patients.Although there were higher odds of AF hospitalizations in CUD+cohort without TUD,the association was statistically non-significant.The subgroup analysis showed higher rates of AF in black patients.Large-scale prospective studies are required to evaluate long-term effects of CUD on AF risk and prognosis without TUD and concomitant substance abuse.

Effect of smoking on semen quality of infertile men in Shandong, China

Aim: To study the effect of smoking on the semen quality in infertile men in Shandong Province, China. Methods:Adult non-drinker males attending the infertility clinic, including 110 non-smokers and 191 smokers, were recruited forthe study. Sixty-one fertile, non-smoker and non-drinker males, who had one or more children, served as the controls.The smokers were divided into subgroups according to the amount and duration of smoking. Semen parameters (semenvolume and sperm density, viability, motility, and morphology) were examined and seminal plasma contents of Zn,Cu and superoxide dismutase (SOD) determined. Results: The semen volume and acidity, and the sperm density,viability and forward progression, as well as the seminal plasma contents of Zn, Cu and SOD were much lower in themedium, heavy and long-term smokers than in the non-smokers ( P < 0.01). The sperm density, viability and forwardprogression, and the seminal plasma Zn, Cu and SOD levels were negatively correlated with the amount and duration ofcigarette smoking (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Medium, heavy and long-term smoking adversely affected the semenquality in a population of men visiting the infertility clinic in Shandong, China.

Effect of acupuncture treatment on smoking cessation in smokers from Hong Kong

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characteristics of smokers treated with acupuncture for smoking cessation in Hong Kong.METHODS: A total of 2051 subjects were recruited in a clinical pilot research project "acupuncture for smoking cessation", which was conducted jointly by Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Hong Kong Pok Oi Hospital from January of 2011 to December of 2013. The characteristics of study subjects, including baseline information, smoking background, intention to quit and influencing factors were analyzed.RESULTS: The majority of subjects treated with acupuncture for smoking cessation in Hong Kong was male(66.7%), but the proportion of female smokers in this study(33.3%) was higher than that of female smokers in Hong Kong population(13.8%, P <0.05). Subjects were at the mean age of 43.83 years old, of which the percentage of females aged 31-40 years was the highest(38.8%, P < 0.05). The mean duration of smoking was 25.49 years. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was 17.57 cigarettes.Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence(FTND)was 5.29 points. Most of the subjects had attempted quitting smoking(81.42%). The confidence index(7.44 points) and the readiness to quit smoking(8.13 points) were high. Subjects quitting smoking were mostly due to health cause(81.91%). The majority of subjects were at the level of middle school(61.63%). The higher the educational level was, the lower the tobacco dependence was and the higher the confidence in successfully quitting smoking was. 50.27% of subjects chose acupuncture for smoking cessation mainly through friends, television and network publicity. Subjects who had received acupuncture had the highest confidence index, while those who wanted to try a new method had the lower confidence index.CONCLUSION: Acupuncture for smoking cessation was more popular in female smokers, especially those aged 31-40 years. The effectiveness of acupuncture-smoking cessation was most significant in the smokers over 60.