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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In Portugal, the average age of starting tobacco consumption is around 16 years, with an increase in consumption in recent years. The use of tobacco is a risk factor for age-related diseases, being one of the main causes of death and a risk factor for several chronic diseases, including diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes, and cancer. Different studies have shown a clear relationship between tobacco smoking and oxidative stress, which is one of the factors that accelerate the shortening of telomeres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tobacco smoking on the relative length of telomers in master students as a biomarker of health status. A cross-sectional study was performed by assessing relative Telomere Length (TL) in 131 master students. TL was evaluated from buccal swabs in 44 males and 89 females (aged between 18 and 52 years, mean 26.4) by multiplex quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This technique consists in determining the relative ratio (T/S) between the telomere region copy number (T) and a single copy gene (S), albumin gene, using a relative standard curve. Mann-Whitney tests were used to detect TL differences between smokers and non-smokers and addiction levels (Light vs Moderate or Heavy). Statistical analysis was adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Age and TL were negatively correlated as expected (Spearman Rho=-1.66, p=0.080). There were no statistically significant differences in TL between smokers and non-smokers, addiction levels or gender (Mann-Whitney tests, p>0.10). A negative association between buccal TL and tobacco smoking was not confirmed. One possible explanation can be the high turnover rate in buccal exfoliate cells relative to other cells such as lymphocytes. Although the association has not been signed with TL, the negative effect of tobacco consumption on the risk of cancer risk and respiratory alterations is largely confirmed. Future studies should include a higher number of participants. Although buccal exfoliate cells is a less invasive method, TL can be more specific using lymphocytes cells.
Description
IPL/2018/SCITelomer_ESTeSL
Keywords
Tobacco consumption Oxidative stress Telomers Master students Portugal IPL/2018/SCITelomer_ESTeSL
Citation
Brito M, Azevedo P, Coelho A, Veiga L, Costa-Veiga A. Tobacco smoking have no influence on buccal telomere length among Portuguese master students. In: ASHG 2019 – Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Houston-TX (USA), October 15-19.