PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore an association between e-cigarette use and Quality of Life (QOL) among college students. METHODS: During February 2016, 1,132 students completed an online survey that included measures of tobacco use and the WHOQOL-BREF instrument. Differences were tested using Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and ANOVA, and regression was used to assess possible relationships. RESULTS: E-cigarettes were used by 6.97% of the participants, either solo or along with traditional cigarettes. Bivariate analyses suggest that male college students are more likely than females to use e-cigarettes, either solo or in combination with traditional cigarettes (χ =19.4, < .01). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual students are more likely than heterosexual students to use traditional cigarettes, either solo or in combination with e-cigarettes (χ = 32.9, < .01). Multivariate models suggest that for every 10-unit increase in overall QOL, psychological well-being, social relations or environmental health the adjusted odds of being a sole cigarette user were significantly lower (all, < .01), respectively. For every 10-unit increase in psychological well-being the adjusted odds of being a dual user was significantly lower (OR = .83, = .026). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that lower quality of life appears to be connected to tobacco use.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Subramanyam Bhadriraju / Heat treatment of food-processing facilities involves using elevated temperatures (46 to 60°C for 24 h) for management of stored-product insects. Heat treatment is a viable alternative to the fumigant methyl bromide, which is phased out in the United States as of 2005 because of its adverse effects on the stratospheric ozone. However, very little is known about responses of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), a pest associated with food-processing facilities, to elevated temperatures. The main objective of my research was to evaluate stage-specific susceptibility of L. serricorne to elevated temperatures to identify the most heat tolerant stage. In the laboratory, I found L. serricorne was able to develop on ground, pelleted feed at 28°C and 65% RH; however, there is no data on the biology of this species on this diet. Therefore, several life history parameters of L. serricorne were studied on ground, pelleted feed at 28°C and 65% RH, to facilitate harvesting stages of specific ages in large numbers for assays with elevated temperatures. The mean duration for eggs was 8.1 d, and the mean egg survivorship was 92.0%. There were four discrete instars, and the mean durations of first, second, third, and fourth instars were 4.7, 4.5, 4.7, 11.8 d, respectively. The survivorship of first through third instars was about 99%, whereas that of fourth instars was 85%. The mean pupal duration was 4.6 d, and pupal survivorship was 98%. Newly eclosed unmated female adults lived 5 d longer than unmated males (29 d), whereas, mated males lived 6 d longer than mated females (17 d). Mated females started laying eggs on the third day after emergence and continued this activity for an additional six to eight days. Females, on average, laid 105 eggs with a mean daily output of 12 eggs. The data reported here provide new information on the biology of L. serricorne on ground, pelleted feed, which appears to be an optimal diet for mass rearing this species. Exposure of eggs, young larvae (3 to 4- July 2007 did not clearly show which of the life stages was heat- tolerant. However, exposure of all life stages to fixed times at 46, 50 and 54°C and 25% RH in the laboratory indicated eggs to be the most heat-tolerant stage. Time-mortality responses, at each of these three d old), old larvae (20 to 21-d old), and adults during heat treatment of a food-processing facility in 20-22 temperatures, showed that the time for 99% mortality (LT99) based on egg hatchability and egg-to-adult emergence was not significantly different at each temperature. The LT99 based on egg hatchability at 46°C was 605 min and it decreased to 190 min at 50°C and 39 min at 54°C. Therefore, during structural heat treatments eggs should be used in bioassays for gauging heat treatment effectiveness, because treatments aimed at controlling the egg stage should control all other life stages of L. serricorne.

Introduction: Currently there are approximately 1.2 million people in the United States living with HIV and it is estimated that 25.6% of HIV-positive adults suffer from depression. The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of depression on substance use and medication adherence specifically among HIV-positive adult Georgians receiving medical care for HIV. Methods: Secondary data with a probability sample of 608 HIV-positive adults who took part in the 2009-2012 Georgia Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) were analyzed. Descriptive analysis and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to assess relationships between depression with current cigarette smoking, injection drug use, other non-injection drug use, and medication adherence, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates (age, gender, race, and education). All analyses accounted for non-response and complex sampling design and were performed using SAS 9.2 (Cary, NC). Results: Among HIV-positive adults in Georgia, approximately 9.2% met the criteria for major depression; 15.2% of women and 6.9% of men had major depression. Heterosexual adults also had a higher percentage of major depression (11.9%) compared to adults who identified as bisexual (8.3%) or homosexual (6.1%). Major depression was also highest among young adults (17.1%) and adults with high school diploma or GED (13.0%). Major depression was associated with a greater odds of current cigarette smoking (3.04; 95% CI: 1.48, 6.23); injection drug use (5.62; 95% CI: 0.96, 32.81), and other non-injection drug use (2.17; 95% CI: 1.10, 4.25), after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Major depression was also associated with a greater odds of ART medication non-adherence, 2.52 (95% CI: 1.20, 5.28), after adjusting for gender. Conclusion: As previously found in the general population, we found significant associations between depression and smoking and other non-injection drug use among HIV-positive adults. Major depression was also associated with a greater odds of ART medication non-adherence, which is also consistent with the literature. Because HIV-positive adults have ongoing encounters with healthcare providers, screening and treatment for depression and other co-morbid substance use is needed to reduce an additional health burden in this population.

Previous studies have found that smoking may have a negative effect on vitamin B-6 indices and have demonstrated a possible association between smoking and depressed plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) concentration. Individuals with plasma PLP values below the adequate level of 30 nmoles/L might benefit from consumption of vitamin B-6 supplements, but no data are available on vitamin B-6 status in smokers consuming a controlled vitamin B-6 intake and receiving a vitamin B-6 supplement. The objectives of this research were to assess vitamin B-6 status in smokers as compared to non-smokers receiving a controlled diet and to evaluate the effect of an oral vitamin B-6 supplementation in these subjects. The vitamin B-6 (B-6) status of 5 (four males / one female) smokers (S) and 4 (three males / one female) non-smokers (NS) was assessed. A constant diet was fed for 20 days and provided 1.95 mg of B-6 or 1.65 mg of B-6 for males and females, respectively. For the last 10 days, an additional 2-mg of pyridoxine (PN) was given daily. Blood samples were collected on days 1.7, 11.14 and 21; and 24 hour urine samples were collected daily. Urinary 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA) and total B-6 (UB6) excretion, plasma B-6 vitamers (PLP, PN, pyridoxal and 4-PA) and red blood cell PLP (RBC PLP) concentrations, as well as plasma alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) were determined. Mean plasma PLP, 4-PA, and RBC PLP concentrations were significantly lower (P [less than or equal to] 0.05) at all time points in S compared to NS. With a daily supplement of 2-mg vitamin B-6, the mean plasma PLP concentration of S increased 85.8% but was 48.5% lower than that of NS consuming 1.65-1.95 mg/d of B-6. Mean plasma pyridoxal concentrations were not different between S and NS before and after supplementation. Excretion of 4-PA was not significantly different between S and NS, but the mean values of 4-PA excretion were consistently greater in NS compared to that of S throughout the 20-day study. The percent of ingested B-6 excreted as 4-PA for the S and NS was 38 and 49 in the non-supplemented period, and 47 and 53 in the supplemented period, respectively, indicating that non-smokers excreted more 4-PA than smokers. However, the difference in 4-PA excretion between S and NS was not significantly different both before and after supplementation (P>0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference between S and NS for plasma PN concentration, AP, and UB6 excretion for both periods. Results suggested an adverse effect of smoking on B-6 metabolism, thus an increased requirement of vitamin B-6 in smokers. A 2-mg PN supplement was sufficient to bring the concentration of plasma PLP in smokers to the level suggested as adequate, but it didn't bring it to the level of non-smokers. / Graduation date: 1999

The issue of how to test and ultimately regulate tobacco products represents a critical challenge for the public health community. Although the current international testing regime for conventional cigarettes is widely acknowledged to be seriously flawed, there is a lack of data to guide potential alternatives, particularly in the area of human puffing behaviour. The current study sought to: 1) collect naturalistic measures of smoking behaviour, 2) examine the extent to which levels of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide from each of five testing protocols were associated with measures of nicotine uptake among smokers, and 3) examine the validity of self-report measures of smoking behaviour. These questions were examined through two different studies. First, a field study of smoking behaviour was conducted with 59 adult smokers, who used a portable device to measure smoking topography over the course of 3 one-week trials. Participants were asked to smoke their usual ?regular-yield? brand through the device for Trial 1 and again, 6 weeks later, at Trial 2. Half the subjects were then randomly assigned to smoke a ?low-yield? brand for Trial 3. The smoke intake and constituent yield of each brand was then tested under five testing protocols: ISO, Massachusetts, Canadian, a Compensatory protocol, and a Human Mimic regime. Participants also completed self-report measures of puffing behaviour at recruitment and immediately following each of the three one-week smoking trials. Several of these self-report measures were subsequently included in the Waves 2 and 3 of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Survey?an international cohort survey of adult smokers from Canada, Australia, the US, and the UK. <br /><br /> The results of the field study indicate a high degree of stability in puffing behaviour within the same smoker over time, but considerable variability between smokers, including those smoking the same brand. Puffing behaviour was strongly associated with cotinine levels, particularly when included in an interaction term with cigarettes per day (<em>Part r</em> = . 50, <em>p</em><. 001). Smokers who were switched to a ?low-yield? cigarette increased their total smoke intake per cigarette by 40% (<em>p</em>=. 007), with no significant change in their in salivary cotinine levels. <br /><br /> The results indicate systematic differences between human puffing behaviour and the puffing regimes used by machine testing protocols. The puffing behaviour observed among participants during the one-week smoking trials was significantly more intense than the puffing parameters of the ISO and Compensatory testing regimes. When cigarette brands were machine tested using participants? actual puffing behaviour, the results suggest that participants ingested two to four times the level of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide indicated by the ISO regime, and twice the amounts generated by the Compensatory regime for ?regular-yield? brands. The Canadian and Massachusetts regimes produced yields much closer to the ?Human Mimic? yields, although nowhere near a maximum or intense standard, as they were designed to do. Only the nicotine yields from the Human Mimic regime were correlated with measures of nicotine uptake among smokers, and only moderately so (<em>Part r</em> = . 31, <em>p</em>=. 02). <br /><br /> Self-report measures of puffing behaviour collected during the field study were moderately correlated with physiological measures of puffing and exposure. Self-report measures of puff depth and puff number showed some promise as predictors of salivary cotinine, although the results are characterized by inconsistencies across models. The self-report measures included in the ITC survey were only weakly associated with age and cigarettes per day, with modest between-country differences. <br /><br /> Overall, this research highlights the importance of puffing behaviour as a determinant of smoke exposure, and provides strong evidence of compensatory smoking for ?low-yield? brands. The findings also highlight the variability in human smoking behaviour and the limitations associated with machine testing protocols. Perhaps most important, the findings underscore the immediate need to revise the ISO protocol, which systematically underestimates smoking behaviour among humans and exaggerates differences between cigarette brands.

Understanding the factors that influence regular tobacco use often involves detailed assessment of individuals' smoking behavior (i.e., puff topography), including measuring puff number, volume, duration, and inter-puff interval (IPI) via mouthpiece-based, computerized devices. For example, puff topography measurement has been used to study smoking cessation medications, as well as to demonstrate brand-induced changes in smoking behavior. However, some research suggests that the use of a mouthpiece to evaluate puff topography may alter natural smoking behavior. Thus, this study was designed to compare topography measurement using mouthpiece-based methods (i.e., desktop and portable computerized devices) to methods that do not use a mouthpiece (i.e., direct observation via video recordings).Thirty smokers of "full-flavor" or "light" cigarettes (≥15 cigarettes/day) participated in six Latin-square ordered, 2.5-hour experimental sessions. Sessions were separated by at least 48 hours, and were preceded by at least 8 hours of objectively-verified tobacco abstinence (i.e., CO level ≤10 ppm). Conditions differed by type of cigarettes smoked (own brand, Merit® Ultra-light) and by type of topography measurement method used (desktop, portable, video observation). All three measurement methods were sensitive to manipulations of cigarette brand (i.e., increased puff duration and volume for own brand relative to ultra-light; P 0.68). All methods were also reliable, as demonstrated by high correlations across cigarette bouts within each condition (most r's > 0.78). In contrast, participants perceived the use of either mouthpiece-based device to alter aspects of their smoking behavior (e.g., increased difficulty, reduced enjoyment, altered cigarette taste; P < .05) relative to direct observation alone. Although direct observational methods may be optimal for measuring certain smoking characteristics, the many logistical challenges posed by this method likely limit its usefulness in a laboratory setting. Taken together, these results suggest that mouthpiece-based devices offer a convenient and useful tool for researchers examining smoking topography.

Master of Arts / Department of Economics / Tracy Turner / I analyze the impact of differences in the cigarette excise tax rates of bordering states on the price elasticity of demand for cigarettes in the home state. Using unique county-level data on the sales tax revenues collected from Kansas tobacco sellers by industry type provided by the Kansas Department of Revenue, as well as data on cigarette excise tax rates, distance to Kansas’ borders, and the combined state and county sales tax rate, I examine the determinants of tobacco sales tax revenue using a fixed effects model. The analysis allows me to infer cigarette demand effects, and I find that the price elasticity of demand for cigarettes in Kansas becomes significantly more elastic closer to a low tax border. Model estimates for gas stations with convenience stores and tobacco retailers suggest that a Kansas cigarette excise tax decrease would result in more sales tax revenue on average for counties within 50 miles of a low tax Kansas border, ceteris paribus.

A gripe é causada pelo vírus Influenza e é um problema de saúde pública mundial, que pode levar a problemas sérios em idosos e crianças. O Brasil implantou a vacinação anual contra influenza a partir de 1999, como ação preventiva contra a doença. A vacina é produzida pelo Instituto Butantan e contém três cepas diferentes do vírus Influenza fragmentado para induzir resposta imune adaptativa, com produção de anticorpos específicos e neutralizantes. A literatura tem mostrado que a exposição à xenobióticos com potencial imunossupressor pode comprometer a eficácia de imunizações ativas, como a imunização contra a gripe. Nosso grupo de pesquisa tem mostrado que a exposição à hidroquinona (HQ), um composto tóxico presente em altas concentrações na fumaça do cigarro, prejudica a resposta imune inata e adquirida. Assim, este trabalho avaliou o efeito da exposição à HQ sobre a resposta imune à vacinação contra influenza. Camundongos machos da linhagem C57BL/6 foram diariamente expostos à HQ (2500 ppm) ou PBS, por 1 hora, por nebulização, por um período de 8 semanas. Durante este período, foram imunizados nas semanas 6 e 8 do início das exposições, pela injeção i.m. de 100&#181;L da vacina. Os parâmetros tóxicos e imunológicos foram avaliados 7, 35 e 70 dias após a segunda dose da vacina. A exposição à HQ não alterou o peso corpóreo dos animais e nem causou alterações morfológicas no pulmão, fígado e rins (histologia por H&E); reduziu a frequência de hemácias (11%), hematócrito (14%), hemoglobina (14%) e volume celular (4%); causou estresse oxidativo no baço (citometria de fluxo); aumentou a área dos folículos de células B no baço e linfonodomegalia (histologia por H&E). Em conjunto, os dados aqui obtidos mostram que a exposição à HQ afetou mecanismos envolvidos na gênese da imunidade ativa contra influenza. Assim, os dados deste trabalho mostram mecanismos tóxicos ainda não descritos para a HQ, e ressalta a HQ como um poluente ambiental que deve ser considerado nas avaliações de risco. / The flu is a health problem worldwide which is caused by the Influenza virus and may result in severe illness in infants and the elderly. The annually vaccination against influenza was implemented in Brazil in 1999 as a preventive measure. The vaccine is produced by Butantan Institute and contains three different strains of the inactivated Influenza virus which induce the adaptive immune response along with production of specific and neutralizing antibodies. The literature has shown that exposure to immunosuppressive xenobiotics may compromise the efficacy of active immunizations, such as influenza. Our research group has shown that exposure to hydroquinone (HQ), a toxic constituent of cigarette smoke, impairs both innate and adaptive immune response. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of HQ on the immune response induced by the influenza vaccine. Male C57BL/6 mice were daily exposed to HQ (2500 ppm) or PBS by nebulization, for 1 hour, for 8 weeks. During the exposure period, the animals were vaccinated on weeks 6 and 8 with 100&#181;L of the vaccine. Toxicologic and immunological parameters were assessed 7, 35 and 70 days after boost administration. HQ exposure did not alter body weight and did not cause morphological alterations in the lungs, liver and kidneys (H&E staining); reduced the frequency of erythrocytes (11%), hematocrit (14%), hemoglobin (14%) and cellular volume (4%) and caused oxidative stress on the spleen (Flow Cytometry); increased the area of B cell follicles in the spleen and increased the size of draining lymph nodes (H&E staining). Altogether, these data show that HQ exposure affected mechanisms involved in the genesis of the adaptive immune response. Thus, the data presented in this work show toxic mechanisms of HQ that have not yet been described, and it also points out HQ as an environmental pollutant which should be considered on risk assessments.

O anestésico local é o medicamento mais utilizado na Odontologia e sua associação com vasoconstrictores aumenta a duração da anestesia, diminuindo seus efeitos sistêmicos. A hipertensão e o tabagismo são freqüentes na população, sendo responsáveis por complicações sistêmicas. A felipressina, por não interferir com receptores simpáticos, poderia ser um vasoconstrictor indicado para pacientes hipertensos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a reatividade cardiovascular de animais simultaneamente hipertensos e fumantes passivos aos agentes vasoconstritores associados aos anestésicos locais, verificando também o efeito do tratamento com atenolol. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar machos, divididos em 5 grupos: 1) normotensos não fumantes; 2) normotensos fumantes passivos; 3) hipertensos não fumantes; 4) hipertensos fumantes passivos; 5) hipertensos fumantes passivos tratados com atenolol. A hipertensão renal foi induzida pela remoção do rim direito e instalação de clip de prata (abertura 0,25mm) na artéria renal esquerda, após anestesia com quetamina e xilazina. Os ratos fumantes passivos foram colocados diariamente por 10 minutos, durante 28 dias, em caixa de madeira de 30cmX25cmX15cm dividida em dois compartimentos. Em um deles, eram acesos 10 cigarros e no outro ficavam os animais. A tampa da caixa era fechada e um sistema de ventilação lançava fumaça dos cigarros para o compartimento dos ratos, num fluxo de 10l/min. Após medida indireta da pressão arterial, 14 dias após a cirurgia, o grupo tratado com atenolol foi medicado durante 14 dias seguintes (90 mg/Kg) por gavage. No 28o dia, todos receberam catéter de polietileno na artéria carótida esquerda (para medida de pressão) e outro na veia jugular direita (para injeção de drogas). Para os 5 grupos foram utilizadas: adrenalina (80, 160, 320, 640 e 1280ng) e felipressina (0,125, 0,25, 0,5, 1, 2 e 3 x 10-3UI). O catéter arterial era conectado a transdutor de pressão e o registro realizado por software específico. Foram analisadas: menor resposta hipotensora, maior resposta hipertensora e duração de resposta para cada dose. Os dados foram analisados por análise de variância de medidas repetidas, seguida do teste de Tuckey ou Holm-Sidack, com nível de significância de 5%. Os resultados mostraram que o fumo passivo reduziu significativamente a resposta vasodilatadora produzida pela adrenalina, em animais normotensos e hipertensos, potencializou suas respostas hipertensoras e aumentou a duração das respostas à adrenalina, ampliadas ainda mais pelo tratamento com atenolol. O tratamento com atenolol promoveu aumento adicional das respostas hipertensoras à adrenalina nos hipertensos-fumantes. A felipressina não apresentou ações vasodilatadoras e suas ações hipertensoras foram potencializadas pelo fumo passivo, em amplitude e duração. O atenolol não promoveu aumento adicional da amplitude das respostas à felipressina. Nos animais hipertensos, o tratamento com atenolol associado ao fumo passivo teve efeito expressivo, aumentando significativamente a duração total das respostas à felipressina. A felipressina, quando comparada à adrenalina, não apresentou efeitos hipotensores diretos, a resposta hipertensora máxima foi nitidamente inferior e a duração das respostas à felipressina foi o dobro da adrenalina. Dessa forma, a felipressina se torna uma droga interessante na hipertensão, devido a sua capacidade de promover vasoconstrição prolongada, sem potencializar a atividade simpática sistêmica. / The local anesthetic is the most common drug in dentistry and the associated vasoconstrictors increase the duration of anesthesia, decreasing its systemic effects. Hypertension and smoking are problems commonly found in the general population, being responsible for systemic complications. Felypressin, a vasoconstrictor that does not interact with sympathetic receptors, could be indicated to hypertensive patients. This study investigated the cardiovascular reactivity of hypertensive and passive smoker animals under atenolol treatment to epinephrine and felypressin. Male wistar rats were divided into five groups: 1) normotensive and non-smokers, 2) normotensive and passive smokers, 3) hypertensive and non-smokers, 4) hypertensive and passive smokers; 5) hypertensive, passive smokers and treated with atenolol. Renal hypertension was induced by removal of the right kidney and installation of a silver clip (with 0.25-mm opening) in the left renal artery, after anesthesia with ketamine and xylazine. The passive smoker rats were placed, 10 minutes per day, during 28 days in a 30cmX25cmX15cm wood box divided into two compartments. Ten cigarettes were lit in one compartment, and the rats were placed in the other. The box lid was closed and a ventilation system threw the cigarette smoke to the rat compartment. After indirect measurement of blood pressure, 14 days after the surgery, the group of rats treated with atenolol was medicated during the following fourteen days (90 mg/kg) by gavage. On the 28th day, a polyethylene catheter was inserted into the left carotid artery (for direct blood pressure measurements) and into the right jugular vein (for drug injection). The groups received epinephrine (80, 160, 320, 640 and 1280ng) or felypressin (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 x 10-3UI). The arterial catheter was connected to a pressure transducer and recording was made by a specific computer software. The following parameters were analyzed for all groups: lower hypotensive response, higher hypertensive response and duration of response for each dose. Data were statistically analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance, followed by Tukey test or Holm-Sidack test, at a significance level of 5%. The results showed that passive smoking significantly decreased the vasodilator response produced by epinephrine in normotensive and hypertensive animals, increasing their hypertensive responses and increased the duration of response to epinephrine, that was further increased by atenolol treatment. Atenolol treatment increased the hypertensive responses in hypertensive-smokers rats. The felypressin did not show vasodilator responses and its hypertensive responses were increased by passive smoking. The atenolol did not cause additional increase in felypressin responses. In hypertensive animals, the atenolol treatment associated with passive smoking had expressive effects, significantly increasing the total duration of response to felypressin. Felypressin, when compared with epinephrine, did not show direct hypotensive effects, the higher hypertensive responses were smaller and the duration of response to felypressin was twice the epinephrine time. Then, felypressin becomes an interesting drug to hypertensive patients, due to its capacity to promote prolonged vasoconstrictor effect without increasing the sympathetic nerve activity.

Introduction. The adverse health effects of cigarette smoking are well established, including the direct effects of nicotine on human endothelial cells and fibroblasts. However, the direct effects of nicotine in the nasal cavity remain uninvestigated. The study aim was to ascertain the direct effect of chemical components in cigarette smoke on the microbial flora or microbiota of the nasal cavity. Methods. We enrolled 40 participants from the Benson Idahosa University’s Health clinics to conduct this study. Information on demographic characteristics including age, sex, and smoking duration was obtained at baseline. We collected nasal swabs of 20 smokers and 20 non-smokers. The wool content of the swap stick was immediately stored in mac Cathy bottles containing 9 ml of normal saline and transported to the laboratory in less than 45 minutes after collection for microbiological analysis under aseptic condition. The enumeration of the microorganisms was carried out using the streak and pours plate method on Nutrient agar, Blood agar, Chocolate agar, Mac coney agar and Potato Dextrose agar (PDA). A two-sample t-test was used to determine differences in enumeration of microorganisms and isolates between smokers and non-smokers. Results. Total bacterial counts for the smokers ranged from 177 - 307 x 102 cfu/ml and 223 - 551 x 102 cfu/ml for non-smokers with (p = 0.046 Nutrient agar, and p = 0.011 PDA). The bacteria isolates were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus vulgaris and Streptococcus pneumonia, and the fungi isolates were identified as Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Tricoderma viridae, respectively. The mean of nutrient agar in smokers is significantly lower (12.10) than that in nonsmokers (19.35), and the mean of PDA in smokers is significantly higher in smokers (5.75) than in nonsmokers (2.35). Higher percentages of gram-negative rods including Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%), Escherichia coli (20%) and Proteus vulgaris (20%) were identified in the smokers, which is in contrast to higher percentage of gram-positive cocci including Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia identified in non-smokers. The most commonly isolated fungus in smokers was Aspergillus niger (45%) and nonsmokers was Rhizopus stolonifer (60%). Conclusions. Study findings demonstrated increased bacterial count and isolates in nasal cavity of smokers than non-smokers. Future studies should be warranted to understand the mechanistic role of nicotine in influencing microbiota of the nasal cavity.