Smoking
Part 1What molecules are in cigarettes that people inhale? What is the main molecule in nicotine?
There are several molecules that are included in the cigarettes that people inhale these days. For example: L-selectin, antigen-4, E- selectin, P- selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule, and also the intercellular adhesion molecule. Additionally, nicotine is known to be one of the most addictive. Nicotine is from the tobacco plant and is also used as an insecticide. It is what is in tobacco that causes the smokers to become really addicted. In nicotine the main molecule is dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which means that they send signals between neurons of the brain. Dopamine is the molecule that is responsible for the nicotine addiction.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8902456
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6405269/#.UqagwErTmcw http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mouse-man/200904/what-is-dopamine Part 3What are the effects of cigarette smoking on the skin? How does it cause the skin to change the way it looks?
There are many negative effects on the skin for someone who smokes very often, such as people who are addicted. To begin with, one negative effect is psoriasis. Even though some people don't smoke but still have psoriasis ,smokers increase their risk of getting it by 20%. Smoking constantly also causes premature aging and wrinkles. Experts have observed and seen that smokers look about 1.4 years older than their regular age. Wrinkles in the skin are caused by the lack of blood supply to the skin tissue. Additionally, scarring is most likely to occur because the vasoconstriction does not let wounds heal a easily as the wounds of non-smokers. Last but not least, the most biggest one is skin cancer. The two major types of skin cancers consist of Basal Cell Cancer and Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20340112,00.html
http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-cancer/h/does-smoking-causeskincancer.html PART 5How does cigarette smoking affect the environment?
Currently in the U.S, cigarette butts are the #1 toxic waste found in litter. Cigarette bottoms are made of cellulose acetate 1, which is a form of plastic. Cigarette bottoms are non-biodegradable, which means that they are not easy to break down. To begin with, smoking cigarettes can cause water pollution. When a cigarette is thrown onto the ground, its chemicals can seep into drains and then enter the ocean and other water areas. The cigarette bottoms can end up causing digestive and blockage problems in the marine species. Additionally, deforestation also occurs. To dry tobacco, many trees are necessary for this process. With the lack of trees, it causes a problem for us since we depend on trees for oxygen. Lastly, it causes problems for the people around us because they are inhaling second-hand smoke that can also cause lung cancer to them.
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Part 2What are the effects of cigarette smoking on the heart? What is the molecular response?
For a cigarette smoker, they put their lives in risk of the many negative effects that smoking causes to the heart. To begin with, the harsh chemicals that cigarettes contain are what causes the heart, structure, and blood vessels to become damaged.
Many negative effects are for example peripheral arterial disease(a.k.a. atherosclerosis) and coronary heart disease. Atherosclerosis is a disease that is found in the arteries that is caused by the buildup of plaque in the inner walls of a persons arteries. This causes a negative effect because the plaque hardens and it practically blocks the oxygen way in your arteries and leads to less oxygen given off to other body parts. The main parts of the body that are effected by atherosclerosis is the brain, arms, pelvis, legs, and also eyes, mouth and lungs.Coronary heart disease is the main cause of deaths in America. Coronary heart disease is when the arteries in your body harden. Some symptoms for this disease are feelings of heaviness in the heart, breastbone, neck and also the upper back. This also includes shortness of breath. In conclusion, the harsh chemicals that are found in cigarettes put smokers in everyday risk of these diseases. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/smo/
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis/ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007115.htm Part 4How can cigarette smoking cause cancer?
In America, 30% of cancer deaths is due to the cause of smoking. The main ingredient chemicals used in the making of cigarettes is Cyanide, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Methanol, Acetylene, Ammonia, tar, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide. In the process of a cigarette, the tobacco leaves contain radioactive content. There are many cancers caused by smoking such as lung cancer, skin cancer, nasopharynx, kidney, cervix, ovary cancer. Smoking can cause cancer because a persons genetic material can end up being damaged by the smoke carcinogens. When this occurs, it can cause gene mutations. A gene mutation is caused by a change in a DNA that creates a gene.
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