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At least 19 records

Paradox of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand: A comprehensive assessment of three-decade experiences

Background: Over the past three decades of tobacco control, Thailand has gained international recognition as a middle-income country with sustained achievement of declining smoking prevalence. However, the number of key FCTC measures implementation is still far away from the highest-level implementation. As a result, we aim to explore explanatory factors for the paradoxical phenomenon of sustainability in tobacco control in Thailand, to understand what the paradox means, why it happens, and how to take further steps in minimizing the paradox. Methods: We used a mixed-method approach comprising qualitative (review of literature and documents plus Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT) guided key informant interviews) and semi-quantitative methods (PSAT scoring, Theory of change (TOC), and causal-loop diagram (CLD)) to synthesize all the findings from the qualitative data. Results: Across all eight domains, sustainability scores at the local level are lower than the national level. The highest total score was in three domains: political support, partnership, and organizational capacity. The lowest total score was for the strategic planning domain. We propose a set of key strategic elements and drivers for future strategic planning. Discussion: Using CLD, we capture a high-level view of tobacco control with dynamic interactions between contexts, mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes. Finally, we believe the deep understanding of tobacco control and the proposed strategy to counteract transnational tobacco companies in Thailand will guide future sustainable actions to reduce the prevalence of smoking, especially in the strategic planning domain that has the lowest PSAT score.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Regional differences in tobacco smoking and lung cancer in Portugal in 2018: a population-based analysis using nationwide incidence and mortality data

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the proportion of lung cancer cases and deaths attributable to tobacco smoking in Portugal in 2018, complemented by trends in incidence and mortality, by sex and region. Design: Cancer cases for 1998–2011 and cancer deaths for 1991–2018 were obtained from population-based registries and Statistics Portugal, respectively. We projected cases for 2018 and used reported deaths for the same year to estimate, using Peto’s method, the number and proportion of lung cancer cases and deaths caused by tobacco smoking in 2018. We calculated the age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates in each year of diagnosis and death. We fitted a joinpoint regression to the observed data to estimate the annual percentage change (APC) in the rates. Setting: Portugal. Results: In 2018, an estimated 3859 cases and 3192 deaths from lung cancer were attributable to tobacco smoking in Portugal, with men presenting a population attributable fraction (PAF) of 82.6% (n=3064) for incidence and 84.1% (n=2749) for mortality, while in women those values were 51.0% (n=795) and 42.7% (n=443), respectively. In both sexes and metrics, the Azores were the region with the highest PAF and the Centre with the lowest. During 1998–2011, the APC for incidence ranged from 0.6% to 3.0% in men and 3.6% to 7.9% in women, depending on region, with mortality presenting a similar pattern between sexes. Conclusion: Exposure to tobacco smoking has accounted for most of the lung cancer cases and deaths estimated in Portugal in 2018. Differential patterns of tobacco consumption across the country, varying implementation of primary prevention programmes and differences in personal cancer awareness may have contributed to the disparities observed. Primary prevention of lung cancer remains a public health priority, particularly among women.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Small subunits can determine enzyme kinetics of tobacco Rubisco expressed in Escherichia coli

Rubisco catalyses the first step in carbon fixation and is a strategic target to improve photosynthetic efficiency. In plants, Rubisco is composed of eight large and eight small subunits and its biogenesis requires multiple chaperones. We optimised a system to produce tobacco Rubisco in Escherichia coli by co-expressing chaperones in auto-induction medium. We successfully assembled tobacco Rubisco in E. coli with each small subunit that is normally encoded by the nuclear genome. Even though each enzyme carries only a single type of small subunit in E. coli, the enzymes exhibit carboxylation kinetics very similar to that of the native Rubisco. Tobacco Rubisco assembled with a recently discovered trichome small subunit has a higher catalytic rate and a lower CO 2 affinity than those assembled with other small subunits. Finally, our E. coli expression system will allow probing of features of both subunits of Rubisco that affect its kinetic properties.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Policy-relevant differences between secondhand and thirdhand smoke: strengthening protections from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants

Starting in the 1970s, individuals, businesses and the public have increasingly benefited from policies prohibiting smoking indoors, saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars in healthcare expenditures. Smokefree policies to protect against secondhand smoke exposure, however, do not fully protect the public from the persistent and toxic chemical residues from tobacco smoke (also known as thirdhand smoke) that linger in indoor environments for years after smoking stops. Nor do these policies address the economic costs that individuals, businesses and the public bear in their attempts to remediate this toxic residue. We discuss policy-relevant differences between secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke exposure: persistent pollutant reservoirs, pollutant transport, routes of exposure, the time gap between initial cause and effect, and remediation and disposal. We examine four policy considerations to better protect the public from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants from all sources. We call for (a) redefining smokefree as free of tobacco smoke pollutants from secondhandandthirdhand smoke; (b) eliminating exemptions to comprehensive smoking bans; (c) identifying indoor environments with significant thirdhand smoke reservoirs; and (d) remediating thirdhand smoke. We use the case of California as an example of how secondhand smoke-protective laws may be strengthened to encompass thirdhand smoke protections. The health risks and economic costs of thirdhand smoke require that smokefree policies, environmental protections, real estate and rental disclosure policies, tenant protections, and consumer protection laws be strengthened to ensure that the public is fully protected from and informed about the risks of thirdhand smoke exposure.

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health↗

A lignin-specific peroxidase in tobacco whose antisense suppression leads to vascular tissue modification

A tobacco peroxidase isoenzyme (TP60) was down-regulated in tobacco using an antisense strategy, this affording transformants with lignin reductions of up to 40-50% of wild type (control) plants. Significantly, both guaiacyl and syringyl levels decreased in essentially a linear manner with the reductions in lignin amounts, as determined by both thioacidolysis and nitrobenzene oxidative analyses. These data provisionally suggest that a feedback mechanism is operative in lignifying cells, which prevents build-up of monolignols should oxidative capacity for their subsequent metabolism be reduced. Prior to this study, the only known rate-limiting processes in the monolignol/lignin pathways involved that of Phe supply and the relative activities of cinnamate-4-hydroxylase/p-coumarate-3-hydroxylase, respectively. These transformants thus provide an additional experimental means in which to further dissect and delineate the factors involved in monolignol targeting to precise regions in the cell wall, and of subsequent lignin assembly. Interestingly, the lignin down-regulated tobacco phenotypes displayed no readily observable differences in overall growth and development profiles, although the vascular apparatus was modified.

NASA Program Fundamental Space Biology↗

In vivo inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis and growth in tobacco ovary tissues

Post fertilization growth of tobacco ovary tissues treated with inhibitors of polyamine (PA) biosynthesis was examined in relation to endogenous PA titers and the activities of arginine decarboxylase (ADC, EC 4.1.1.19) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17). DL-alpha-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) and DL-alpha-difluoromethylarginine (DFMA), specific, irreversible ("suicide") inhibitors of ODC and ADC in vitro, were used to modulate PA biosynthesis in excised flowers. ODC represented >99% of the total decarboxylase activity in tobacco ovaries. In vivo inhibition of ODC with DFMO resulted in a significant decrease in PA titers, ovary fresh weight and protein content. Simultaneous inhibition of both decarboxylases by DFMO and DFMA produced only a marginally greater depression in growth and PA titers, indicating that ODC activity is rate-limiting for PA biosynthesis in these tissues. Paradoxically, DFMA alone inhibited PA biosynthesis, not as a result of a specific inhibition of ADC, but primarily through the inactivation of ODC. In vivo inhibition of ODC by DFMA appears to result from arginase-mediated hydrolysis of this inhibitor to urea and DFMO, the suicide substrate for ODC. Putrescine conjugates in tobacco appear to function as a storage form of this amine which, upon hydrolysis, may contribute to Put homeostasis during growth.

NASA Program Space Biology↗

Antisense and sense expression of cDNA coding for CYP73A15, a class II cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, leads to a delayed and reduced production of lignin in tobacco

A number of plant species contain the class II of genes encoding the cytochrome P450, CYP73, the cognate protein of which cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase, is the second enzyme of the phenylpropanoid pathway. In order to begin to determine possible functionality, tobacco has been transformed with a truncated French bean class II cinnamate hydroxylase (CYP73A15) in the sense and antisense orientations. Signals for C4H protein could be detected in vascular tissue from wild-type plants using heterologous probes. The transformed plants showed a normal phenotype, even though detectable C4H protein was much reduced in tissue prints. Young propagated transformants displayed a range of reduced C4H activities, as well as either reduced or no phloroglucinol-stainable lignin. However, all mature tobacco plants showed the accumulation of lignin, even though its deposition was apparently delayed. This was not due to induction of tyrosine ammonia-lyase activity, which was not detected, but instead it is presumed due to sufficient C4H residual activity. Analysis of the lignin content of the plants showed reductions of up to 30% with a slightly reduced syringyl to guaiacyl ratio as compared to wild type. This reduction level was favourable in comparison with some other targets in the lignification pathway that have been manipulated including that of class I cinnamate 4-hydroxylase. It is proposed that the class II cinnamate 4-hydroxylase might also function in lignification in a number of species including French bean and tobacco, based on these data.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

Chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in tobacco: differential regulation by calmodulin isoforms

cDNA clones of chimeric Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) from tobacco (TCCaMK-1 and TCCaMK-2) were isolated and characterized. The polypeptides encoded by TCCaMK-1 and TCCaMK-2 have 15 different amino acid substitutions, yet they both contain a total of 517 amino acids. Northern analysis revealed that CCaMK is expressed in a stage-specific manner during anther development. Messenger RNA was detected when tobacco bud sizes were between 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm. The appearance of mRNA coincided with meiosis and became undetectable at later stages of anther development. The reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification assay using isoform-specific primers showed that both of the CCaMK mRNAs were expressed in anther with similar expression patterns. The CCaMK protein expressed in Escherichia coli showed Ca2+-dependent autophosphorylation and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent substrate phosphorylation. Calmodulin isoforms (PCM1 and PCM6) had differential effects on the regulation of autophosphorylation and substrate phosphorylation of tobacco CCaMK, but not lily CCaMK. The evolutionary tree of plant serine/threonine protein kinases revealed that calmodulin-dependent kinases form one subgroup that is distinctly different from Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) and other serine/threonine kinases in plants.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

Cyanobacterial photosystem II reaction center design in tobacco chloroplasts increases biomass in low light

Abstract The D1 polypeptide of the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center complex contains domains that regulate primary photochemical yield and charge recombination rate. Many prokaryotic oxygenic phototrophs express two or more D1 isoforms differentially in response to environmental light needs, a capability absent in flowering plants and algae. We report that tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants carrying the Synechococcus (Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942) low-light mutation (LL-E130Q) in the D1 polypeptide (NtLL) acquire the cyanobacterial photochemical phenotype: faster photodamage in high light and significantly more charge separations in productive linear electron flow in low light. This flux increase produces 16.5% more (dry) biomass under continuous low-light illumination (100 μE m−2 s−1, 24 h). This gain is offset by the predicted lower photoprotection at high light. By contrast, the introduction of the Synechococcus high-light mutation (HL-A152S) into tobacco D1 (NtHL) has slightly increased photoprotection, achieved by photochemical quenching, but no apparent impact on biomass yield compared to wild type under the tested conditions. The universal design principle of all PSII reaction centers trades off energy conversion for photoprotection in different proportions across all phototrophs and provides a useful guidance for testing in crop plants. The observed biomass advantage under continuous low light can be transferred between evolutionarily isolated lineages to benefit growth under artificial lighting conditions. However, removal of the selective marker gene was essential to observe the growth phenotype, indicating growth penalty imposed by use of the particular spectinomycin-resistance gene.

Zhang, Yuan (ORCID:0000000291785207)↗

Using CRISPR-Cas9 Technology to Eliminate Xyloglucan in Tobacco Cell Walls and Change the Uptake and Translocation of Inorganic Arsenic

Xyloglucan is a quantitatively major polysaccharide in the primary cell walls of flowering plants and has been reported to affect plants’ ability to tolerate toxic elements. However, it is not known if altering the amounts of xyloglucan in the wall influences the uptake and translocation of inorganic arsenic (As). Here, we identified two Nicotiana tabacum genes that encode xyloglucan-specific xylosyltransferases (XXT), which we named NtXXT1 and NtXXT2. We used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to generate ntxxt1 , ntxxt2 , and ntxxt1/2 mutant tobacco plants to determine if preventing xyloglucan synthesis affects plant growth and their ability to accumulate As. We show that NtXXT1 and NtXXT2 are required for xyloglucan biosynthesis because no discernible amounts of xyloglucan were present in the cell walls of the ntxxt1/2 double mutant. The tobacco double mutant ( ntxxt1/2 ) and the corresponding Arabidopsis mutant ( atxxt1/2 ) do not have severe growth defects but do have a short root hair phenotype and a slow growth rate. This phenotype is rescued by overexpressing NtXXT1 or NtXXT2 in atxxt1/2 . Growing ntxxt mutants in the presence of AsIII or AsV showed that the absence of cell wall xyloglucan affects the accumulation and translocation of As. Most notably, root retention of As increased substantially and the amounts of As translocated to the shoots decreased in ntxxt1/2 . Our results suggest that xyloglucan-deficient plants provide a strategy for the phytoremediation of As contaminated soils.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Up-regulation of phosphoinositide metabolism in tobacco cells constitutively expressing the human type I inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase

To evaluate the impact of suppressing inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) in plants, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cells were transformed with the human type I inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase (InsP 5-ptase), an enzyme which specifically hydrolyzes InsP(3). The transgenic cell lines showed a 12- to 25-fold increase in InsP 5-ptase activity in vitro and a 60% to 80% reduction in basal InsP(3) compared with wild-type cells. Stimulation with Mas-7, a synthetic analog of the wasp venom peptide mastoparan, resulted in an approximately 2-fold increase in InsP(3) in both wild-type and transgenic cells. However, even with stimulation, InsP(3) levels in the transgenic cells did not reach wild-type basal values, suggesting that InsP(3) signaling is compromised. Analysis of whole-cell lipids indicated that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP(2)), the lipid precursor of InsP(3), was greatly reduced in the transgenic cells. In vitro assays of enzymes involved in PtdInsP(2) metabolism showed that the activity of the PtdInsP(2)-hydrolyzing enzyme phospholipase C was not significantly altered in the transgenic cells. In contrast, the activity of the plasma membrane PtdInsP 5 kinase was increased by approximately 3-fold in the transgenic cells. In vivo labeling studies revealed a greater incorporation of (32)P into PtdInsP(2) in the transgenic cells compared with the wild type, indicating that the rate of PtdInsP(2) synthesis was increased. These studies show that the constitutive expression of the human type I InsP 5-ptase in tobacco cells leads to an up-regulation of the phosphoinositide pathway and highlight the importance of PtdInsP(2) synthesis as a regulatory step in this system.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗

Changes in ratio of soluble sugars and free amino nitrogen in the apical meristem during floral transition of tobacco

Under a modification of the nutrient diversion hypothesis, we propose that an inequality in carbohydrate and nitrogen translocation to the apical meristem may be a controlling factor in floral transition. Experiments were conducted in controlled-environment chambers to determine the associations between microscopic characteristics of the transition from vegetative to floral stages of the apical meristem of flue-cured tobacco and to assimilate concentrations in the plant and apical meristem. Low temperature, nitrogen withdrawal, and restriction of nitrogen uptake were used as treatment variables. In all of these stress treatments, flowering occurred at a lesser number of leaves than in control treatments. Low temperature stress accelerated the time of transition to the floral stage as compared with a high temperature control; however, nitrogen stress did not accelerate the time of transition. All stress treatments affected the levels of nitrogen and carbohydrate in whole plants. Most notable was an increase in the percentage of starch and a decrease in the percentage of total soluble carbohydrate induced by the stress treatments. These data indicate that tobacco plants under stress accumulate excess carbohydrate in the form of starch. An apparent inequality in the relative concentrations of carbohydrate and nitrogen in the apical meristem was observed in all treatments at the time of floral transition and is in support of the nutrient diversion hypothesis.

NASA Discipline Number 61-10↗

Developing and Demonstrating a Lab Method for Quantifying Hair Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke with a Forensic Perspective

Forensic science and chemistry curricula often lack hands-on experimental designs that effectively simulate the impact of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or other common elements found at crime scenes, such as marijuana, on trace forensic evidence. Hair, a critical form of trace evidence, offers unique advantages for assessing long-term exposure to environmental pollutants, including ETS. This study presents a novel, noninvasive forensic laboratory module designed to evaluate ETS exposure on various human hair types (untreated, dyed, and bleached). The experimental procedure involved controlled cigarette smoke exposure, followed by analysis using UV−visible spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements. Thirteen students participated in the three-week lab module (three sessions per week). Pre- and postlab assessments were conducted to evaluate learning outcomes. The prelab assessment focused on baseline knowledge of forensic hair analysis, as well as student expectations and confidence. The postlab assessment evaluated knowledge gained, technical insights, application of techniques, self-reflection, conceptual understanding, and practical skill development. This design helped students comprehend the effects of chemical treatments that significantly influence hair’s capacity to adsorb ETS residues by altering its physical and chemical properties. Integration of this experiment into the forensic chemistry curriculum led to measurable gains in student understanding, technical competency, and appreciation for realworld forensic applications. This method offers a valuable teaching and investigative tool for assessing individual ETS exposure in forensic contexts.

FTIR↗

Changing patterns of localization of the tobacco mosaic virus movement protein and replicase to the endoplasmic reticulum and microtubules during infection

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) derivatives that encode movement protein (MP) as a fusion to the green fluorescent protein (MP:GFP) were used in combination with antibody staining to identify host cell components to which MP and replicase accumulate in cells of infected Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and in infected BY-2 protoplasts. MP:GFP and replicase colocalized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER; especially the cortical ER) and were present in large, irregularly shaped, ER-derived structures that may represent "viral factories." The ER-derived structures required an intact cytoskeleton, and microtubules appeared to redistribute MP:GFP from these sites during late stages of infection. In leaves, MP:GFP accumulated in plasmodesmata, whereas in protoplasts, the MP:GFP was targeted to distinct, punctate sites near the plasma membrane. Treating protoplasts with cytochalasin D and brefeldin A at the time of inoculation prevented the accumulation of MP:GFP at these sites. It is proposed that the punctate sites anchor the cortical ER to plasma membrane and are related to sites at which plasmodesmata form in walled cells. Hairlike structures containing MP:GFP appeared on the surface of some of the infected protoplasts and are reminiscent of similar structures induced by other plant viruses. We present a model that postulates the role of the ER and cytoskeleton in targeting the MP and viral ribonucleoprotein from sites of virus synthesis to the plasmodesmata through which infection is spread.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗

Metabolites of Tobacco- and E-Cigarette-Related Nitrosamines Can Drive Cu 2+ -Mediated DNA Oxidation

Nitrosamine metabolites resulting from cigarette smoking and E-cigarette (E-cig) vaping cause DNA damage that can lead to genotoxicity. While DNA adducts of metabolites of nitrosamines 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) are well-known tobacco-related cancer biomarkers, only a few studies implicate NNN and NNK in DNA oxidation in humans. NNK and NNN were found in the urine of E-cigarette users who never smoked cigarettes. This paper proposes the first chemical pathways of DNA oxidation driven by NNK and NNN metabolites in redox reactions with Cu 2+ and NADPH leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS). A microfluidic array with thin films of DNA and metabolic enzymes that make metabolites of NNN and NNK in the presence of Cu 2+ and NADPH was used to estimate relative rates of DNA oxidation. Detection by electrochemiluminescence (ECL) employed a new ECL dye [Os(tpy-benz-COOH) 2 ] 2+ that is selective for and sensitive to the primary DNA oxidation product 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) in DNA. Enzyme–DNA films on magnetic beads were used to produce nitrosamine metabolites that enter ROS-forming redox cycles with Cu 2+ and NADPH, and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) was used to quantify 8-oxodG and identify metabolites. ROS were detected by optical sensors. Metabolites of NNK and NNN + Cu 2+ + NADPH generated relatively high rates of DNA oxidation. Lung is the exposure route in smoking and vaping, human lung tissue contains Cu 2+ and NADPH, and lung microsomal enzymes gave the highest rates of DNA oxidation in this study. Furthermore, E-cigarette vapor contains 6-fold more copper than that in cigarette smoke, which could exacerbate DNA oxidation.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Inhalation of Trace Metals in Secondhand and Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke Can Result in Increased Health Risks

Here, the presence of toxic metals in tobacco smoke is well documented. However, few studies have quantified trace metals in secondhand smoke (SHS) and thirdhand smoke (THS). Their presence in indoor air can contribute to nonsmokers’ exposures and health effects. In this study, emission and deposition rates of toxic trace metals were determined, and their airborne concentration in typical indoor scenarios was predicted. PM 2.5 was collected on Teflon-coated filters at various times following a smoking event in a room-sized chamber over a 43 h period. The concentration of 28 trace metals was determined by extraction and analysis using inductively coupled plasma-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry (ICP-QQQ-MS). Emission and indoor deposition rates of cadmium, arsenic, chromium, manganese, beryllium and selenium were determined, and used to predict concentrations expected in a smokers’ home and a smoking bar. In most of the considered scenarios, average indoor concentrations of Cd, As, and Cr exceeded their corresponding cancer risk thresholds and, in some cases, also noncancer reference exposure levels, more than 3 h after smoking ended. The fraction of cadmium that remained airborne was significantly higher than those of other metal traces and that of PM 2.5 , suggesting an association of Cd traces with small particles.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Characterizing Heterogeneous Mixtures of Assembled States of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus Using Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry

The tobacco mosaic viral capsid protein (TMV) is a frequent target for derivatization for myriad applications, including drug delivery, biosensing, and light harvesting. However, solutions of the stacked disk assembly state of TMV are difficult to characterize quantitatively due to their large size and multiple assembled states. Charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) addresses the need to characterize heterogeneous populations of large protein complexes in solution quickly and accurately. Using CDMS, previously unobserved assembly states of TMV, including 16-monomer disks and odd-numbered disk stacks, have been characterized. We additionally employed a peptide-protein conjugation reaction in conjunction with CDMS to demonstrate that modified TMV proteins do not redistribute between disks. Finally, this technique was used to discriminate between protein complexes of near-identical mass but different configurations. In conclusion, we have gained a greater understanding of the behavior of TMV, a protein used across a broad variety of fields and applications, in the solution state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Reduction in total and major cause-specific mortality from tobacco smoking cessation: a pooled analysis of 16 population-based cohort studies in Asia

Little is known about the time course of mortality reduction following smoking cessation in Asians who have smoking behaviours distinct from their Western counterparts. We evaluated the level of reduction in all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and lung cancer mortality by years since quitting smoking, in Asia. Using Cox regression, we analysed individual participant data (n = 709 151) from 16 prospective cohorts conducted in China, Japan, Korea/Singapore, and India/Bangladesh, separately by cohorts. Cohort-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were combined using a random-effects meta-analysis. During a mean follow-up of 12.0 years, 108 287 deaths were ascertained—35 658 from CVD and 7546 from lung cancer. Among Asian men, a dose-response relationship of risk reduction in deaths from all causes, CVD and lung cancer was observed with an increase in years after smoking cessation. Compared with never smokers, however, all-cause and CVD mortality among former smokers remained elevated 10–14 years after quitting [multivariable-adjusted HR (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.25 (1.13–1.37) and 1.20 (1.02–1.41), respectively]. Lung cancer mortality stayed almost 2-fold higher than among never smokers 15–19 years after smoking cessation [1.97 (1.41–2.73)], particularly among former heavy smokers [2.62 (1.71–4.00)]. Women who quitted for ≥5 years retained a significantly elevated mortality from all causes, CVD and lung cancer. Overall patterns of the cessation-mortality associations were similar across countries. Our findings suggest that adverse effects of tobacco smoking persist for an extended time period, even for more than two decades, which is beyond the time windows defined in current clinical guidelines for risk assessment of lung cancer and CVD.

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health↗