References & Sources  -  October 3, 1998

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Exposure to smoke yields fetal mutations

Babies born to mothers who were exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke have more cancer-related mutations in a key gene than babies born to unexposed mothers.

 

References:

Finette, B.A., et al. 1998. Gene mutations with characteristic deletions in cord blood T lymphocytes associated with passive maternal exposure to tobacco smoke. Nature Medicine 4(October):1144.

 

Further Readings:

Finette, B.A., et al. 1997. The effects of maternal cigarette smoke exposure on somatic mutant frequencies at the HPRT locus in healthy newborns. Mutation Research 377:115.

Finette, B.A., T. Poseno, and R.J. Albertini. 1996. V(D)J recombinase-mediated HPRT mutations in peripheral blood lymphocytes of normal children. Cancer Research 56:1405.

Ji, B.-T., et al. 1997. Paternal cigarette smoking and the risk of childhood cancer among offspring of nonsmoking mothers. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 89(Feb. 5):238.

Klebanoff, M.A., J.D. Clemens, and J.S. Read. 1996. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology 144:1028.

Marino, G. 1994. Parents’ smoking damages their kids' lungs. Science News 146(July 2):5.

Travis, J. 1996. Smoke gets in your cervix and fetus. Science News 149(May 4):282.

 

Sources:

Barry A. Finette
University of Vermont
Department of Pediatrics Burlington, VT 05405
E-mail: finette@salus.med.uvm.edu

Steven R. Myers University of Louisville
School of Medicine
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
319 Abraham Flexner Way
Louisville, KY 40292

Sholom Wacholder
National Cancer Institute
Biostatistics Branch
EPN 403
Rockville, MD 20892

From Science News, Vol. 154, No. 14, October 3, 1998, p. 213.
Copyright Ó 1998 by Science Service.

 

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