RESUMO
Approximately 100 million people globally smoke cigarettes, making it a significant and quickly spreading global tobacco epidemic. Substance use disorders are frequently evaluated by non-randomized studies. Tobacco use and its impacts on the cardiovascular system were the subjects of a comprehensive search across five electronic databases: Cochrane, MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and PubMed. The findings demonstrated that waterpipe smokers in comparison to non-smokers have immediate elevations in heart rate and blood pressure, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein, higher levels of low-density lipoprotein, higher levels of triglycerides, higher levels of fasting blood glucose, and a higher heart rate. Users of waterpipes and cigarettes had similar average heart rates, blood pressure, and lipid levels, with the exception that waterpipe smokers had greater total cholesterol. Smoking a waterpipe has significant negative effects on the cardiovascular system comparable to cigarette smoking, and non-randomized studies proved to yield substantial evidence related to its cardiovascular effects. Such study designs can be used to evaluate substance use and its cardiovascular impact.
RESUMO
Chronic diseases, as their name suggests, are progressive and can have overlapping features. Similar to this, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) fall into the category of chronic degenerative diseases. The global burden of these two ailments is manifold; hence, it seems important to view the pathophysiologic mechanisms of DM in the worsening of AD. Genetic as well as environmental factors are seen to play a role in the disease pathogenesis. Several genes, metabolic pathways, electrolytes, and dietary habits are seen to hasten brain atrophy. Lying behind this is the accumulation of amyloid precursor and tau - the misfolded proteins - within the brain substance. This mechanism is usually innate to AD itself, but the impact of insulin resistance, disturbing the homeostatic milieu, is seen as a powerful contributing factor aggravating the neuronal loss impairing an individual's memory. Since this neuronal loss is permanent, it may lead to complications as seen with AD. To reach a consensus, we conducted an electronic literature review search using different databases. This aided us in understanding the common aspects between AD and DM on genetic, molecular, cellular levels, as well as the impact of minerals and diet on the disease manifestation. We also found that despite exceptional work, additional efforts are needed to explore the relationship between the two entities. This will help physicians, researchers, and pharmaceuticals to frame remedies targeting the cause and avoid the progression of AD.
