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10030`14LI y (o C.AE WASHINCTON POST Washington, D.C. MaY 13, 1962 Suaoking Habits Studied THE NEW YORK TZMES New York, Nev York April 22, 1962 YITAMINlA LINKED TO LUNG CANCERS Nutrition Studies Cited by Jersey'Research Team By.ROBERT K. PLUMB Experiments suggesting that increase in lungcancer fce- quency.ln the last few decadea may be dueIn,part to better nutrition have been performed at the Fairleigh Dickinson Uai, versity ih Madiaon, N: J. The studieswere conducted by Dr- W illiam E. Smith, dlrec- ter oti the Health Research In- atituteot Falrlelgh Dickinson, and Dr. . Llonas Miller and Dr.. Ebrahim YaadU They have been.n published in The Proceedings of the American Asaociatibn for CancerReeearch, The research team found that 4rgeamounts of vitamin. A atimtilated the growth of, tiana- plantedlung cancers that were formed as a result of t1te.. ap• plioation of a cnemicall from cigarette smoke and from au- tomobile exhaust. . The studies were undertakcn to find whether large doses of vitamin A would prevent ma- lignant change in lung tiswr exposed to a cancer-causm5c2temicalJ Quite the opposite el- fectwaa found in~ the expert- ments, it was reported. In ~ tbe etudies, mice were ex- to meehyl cholinthrene: r9, mlcal related toAhe com-s pounds that are formed wnen, tobacco, oil or gasoline are burned. Resultsof.ExperWenta - The tumor tissues that arosee as a resultt of treatment with methyl cholanthrene were transplanted to~ the leg mus- cles of other mice. Broncho.genic types of can- cers, similar to those found in a majordtyy of human lungg can- cerr rases, grew in 4 per cent of a group of mice on a diet de- ticient.in vitamin A. When a:n-other group ~of mice.was placedd on a diet containing an ade- quate amount' of vitamin A, 9per cent of the cancersgrew: Andwhena tMr&group of mice was given excess vitamin A it was.found that 20 per cent of the bronchogenic cancers grew. The results are now being checkedon groups.of mice larg- er than theun.its of.twenty-five to thirty-three on which the experiments were first; conduct- ed, Dr. Smith said. In contrast to'' the reaults with bronchogenicc cancers, the Fairieigh. D4ckicsmn teanu re- portedj high doses of vitamin A slowed thee growth of a differ- enG type.or lung cancer known as adenocarcinoma. Adenocar- etnonta occura occasionallyIn human lungs but it is rare incomparlsonn with bronchogenic. cancer: Dr- Smith said that there-aulta suggested the possibllitythat increased use ofhign, po, tencyn vltamin pills and foods rich In vitamin A might: bee play4ng. arole in stimulaUngcanceroue growthsins human lungs ezposed to cancer+ eausing chemicais. Cigarettes Linked to Heart Ills By Nate Haaehirte etalt a<porter HEAVYCIG:ARETTiEsmokers run a risk of suffer- ing heart attacks three times greater than thati of non,smokcn,, pipe smokers a.n d I The. ~ c i g a r smok-~~jyaboratory~ i -^ ~ • - ga- j ers. And c rette smokers I lessen their risk of subse- quent h e a r t trouble when they give up the habit. Such are the findings of biostatisticianswho related! the smoking, habits nfhvof groups totaling 4120 men withsubsequent sickness andcath from coronar}y heart d.isease. The groups consirted of~ 1838 men originally 39 to 55 years of age andi livingI in Albany, N. Y., and 228'2men originadly. 30 to 62 years old r e s.ud i n gin Framingham, Mass. The Albany groupwas followcd for sixyears; the Framingham for cightt years. All werefroe of detectablee coronarve disease atL firsti ex- aminattons. IV: BOTI{ the Albany and FramingHam studies;,the in- vestigatorss concluded that cigarettcc smoking wasas- sociated with a mnrtality.ratefrom all causes significantly higher ti!an for noncigareiiesmoking:. -Lh,U exccss morlai~itywas.due -i large parti to coronary artery disease:. Tl:ee meetianism wherebyheavyy cigarettee smoktngin•creases:heg death'rate not only irom ceranar.t hcart dis- tasebut from ali causes Is obscurc, the rcport in a, eent: issue of the New. Eng- land Journal of Sledicine concluded. ^ In each of! thee twopopulao on groups,, the reportt shows ,ne incidence rate of myo- eardiall infarction (death off heart muscle deprived of blood)) iss nearlythree times greater, the total.l death rate over five timer greater and the death rate from coronary heart disease five timess great er In smokers than non- smokers, OF CHEER for those who once smoked'bu0 gave up the habit: ib the finding that: themortalitye rate for cigar, pipe and former cigarette smokers was not greatly different from that of the men who~ r.ever smoked cigarettes reg~ ularly. Thestudy, thee authorss stressed; w•as based on smok+ ing habits asreported at the first examination, No account wass taken,of possible changes In smoking habit after that time. "The relation~of morbidltyand mortalityy of coronaryhearty d i s.e a.se tocha.ngingsmoking habits.is,an.analyticprob'le.m of extreme compJex- itycurrently under investiga- tion," the investigators said. "Preliminary resultss suggcst~ that'the hazard of coronary heart! disease from cigarette smoking increases asthes du- ration andintensity of expos:- ure increa.se." Doctor scek5 Clue 'tIILK-SOURItiG bacteriaa may tell medicall seientists somedayy what goes awry in the bodyy chemistryofy some infantsthat kills them within a feww daysofs its observable onset. The condition, called maple syrup disease, begins about a week after birth. The baby-its pcrspiratinn, urine and bodyitself-bezins tu smelli like maplesyrup.. A tewdays later thee victim Iss dead. fhe diseaseis presenllyin- c.urable:. Its basicfaultslie locked ii:: thee tnfant'3. chro-mosomes, those tiny cellular rodS that'carry one's.heredi- tarytraits. O'ithinthe chro- mosomes. are the genes, ini- tiators off life'ss varied chemi- cal processes.. A FAULTY, missing ormis- placed gene can fail to direct or mis-direct chemical prua- esses.. Sometimes thee results a.refatal- ass m maplesyrupe disease.. Sucti~ geneticc mis• takas.a.rnra!Ird inborn errors o( mrlh:'r,l'm. :;nrtl SClctitlsts now, have a listing of several hundred with the number growing evcry yearn Dr. Johm.H- Menkes, dsshd• ant,professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, told the Federation of American Societies for Ex• perimental.. Biology, meeting recentlyIn Atlantic City; that the maple syrup disease error seemss too involve an incorrectt handling of amino acids, basic c h e m i c a l is tnn body build-up. Amino acids, under the proper direction of the genes,are joined together to form proteinn molecules of differ- ent.strvctures and functions. These.inturn become special- Izcd bodyy tissues with spe- cialized rolesand functions. IVMAPLE SYRUP d1's- ease, Dr. ifenkes reported, the fat~ material that makes up the brain sheath sub- stance myelin seems to get f o rm e di wrong. Defective myelin produces a defecttve nervous system ~ becausemye- lin can be likened;toAhe tn.- sulAtion oneleetric wlres, and nerve fibers.need proper i n ss u I la t i o n for successful transmission of nerve rim pulses.. In maple syrup olsease,., thee researchpediatrician ex- plained, aa substance called alpha keto-iso cra p r oi c acid lacksthes genetic direction to convertt it to other forms, as occuraa in normal babies. Iw somee wayHICa jams the chemicall mechanism that.- manufacturesnorma] myelin. Bycoinci~de.nce; certairv strains of genetically alteredmilk-couring bacteria (ILactabacdlass casei) suffer gtowt)tihhlniticn when KICA isi addcdl to their growthme- dium. Itt seems, Dr.Menkessaidi to prevent the forma tioni of a parrticularr grawtGi factor which maybesitnilar - in structure to fiuman brwiin, mpelin. Bacteriall lifeholde li6 t1eP resemblancee too human~ life, butt since their chemis lries are similar. carefull studieson bacteria may.yieldclucsto better knowled#e of huinan chemistry.