What is the association between secondhand smoke (SHS) and possible obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Association between smoking and sleep apnea is well-known from previous studies. However, the influence of secondhand smoke (SHS), which is a potential risk factor of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between SHS and OSA using a meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For the meta-analysis, searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases on January 10, 2022, by combining various keywords including "SHS exposure" and "OSA". Data were extracted using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fixed-effects model meta-analyses were used to pool risk ratio (RR) estimates with their 95% confidence intervals (CI). I2 was used to assess heterogeneity. Moreover, we performed subgroup meta-analyses of children-adults, and smoker fathers and mothers. RESULTS: In total, 267 articles were obtained through an electronic search. Twenty-six articles were included in our analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We found evidence of an association between SHS exposure and possible OSA (RR 1.64, 95% CI 1.44-1.88). The results of the subgroup analyses showed that children passive smokers (RR 1.84, 95% CI 1.60-2.13) were at greater risks of possible OSA than adult passive smokers (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.21-1.50). Also, significant differences were observed in mothers with smoking exposure (RR 2.61, 95% CI 1.62-4.21, p < 0.0001), as well as in fathers with smoking exposure (RR 2.15, 95% CI 0.98-4.72, p = 0.06). SHORT CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis confirmed that SHS exposure is significantly associated with OSA. In the subgroup analyses, the association of SHS and possible OSA was significant in both children and adults, as well as in smoker mothers and fathers.

Discriminating between Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and Cyathulae Radix in Chinese medicine preparations by nested PCR and DNA sequencing methods.

The widely used Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (Niu Xi) in Chinese medicine preparation is easily misused and confused with Cyathulae Radix (Chuan Niu Xi). Taiwan authority has ruled that Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and Cyathulae Radix should be individually entered in the given preparations. In this study, with the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) as a DNA marker, nested PCR and DNA sequencing were used to distinguish the two herbs in preparations. Authentic Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and Cyathulae Radix were collected from the original country, mainland China, and twenty two samples of Chinese medicine preparations labeled with Niu Xi as the ingredient were purchased locally. The total DNA of all samples were extracted by organic solution and purified using a kit. For a standard, ITS regions of authentic Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and Cyathulae Radix were amplified with PCR and analyzed by an auto-sequencer. The ITS regions of preparation samples of DNA were amplified by nested PCR and the data of sequences received from an auto-sequencer. We compared the ITS sequences of preparation samples with the sequences of a standard and Genbank database to check which Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix or Cyathulae Radix is in the preparation samples. The results showed that only one sample contained Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and the others contained Cyathulae Radix. The Cyathulae Radix components in four preparation samples do not fit into Taiwan authority rules. And our method can be applied for the differentiation of Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix and Cyathulae Radix in Chinese medicine preparations.