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Habitual betel quid consumption and spitting contribute to tuberculosis (TB) transmission due to direct exposure to pathogens, immunosuppression, and social contact. Despite betel quid being classified as a group 1 human carcinogen and a high prevalence of betel quid consumption in patients with TB, there exists a knowledge gap in the relationship between quid use and TB, which presents as a neglected opportunity to address the global burden of TB in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding such a knowledge gap is crucial when taking measures at various levels, including research prioritization, behavior change communication, and legislation to address the availability and access of quid products, coupled with community-based interventional strategies. This article thus presents empirical evidence on quid use and its effects on TB spread and identifies feasible, applicable changes required at various levels to curtail the spread of TB among betel quid users.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofae577 | DOI Listing |
J Community Health
September 2025
Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, 47000, Malaysia.
Betel quid chewing is a culturally-rooted oral health risk behavior that is prevalent in many Southeast Asian communities. Among Malaysia's indigenous community, particularly in isolated areas, data on betel quid chewing remain limited. This study investigated the influencing factors and health perceptions of betel quid use among 180 adults from a Proto-Malay Orang Asli community in Peninsular Malaysia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOdontology
August 2025
Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, and Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a precancerous oral condition, with betel quid chewing and smoking identified as potential risk factors. However, the relationship between these factors, particularly their interaction, remains inconclusive. In this study, we observed that low-dose nicotine exposure (< 500 nM) increased arecoline-induced proliferation of human oral mucosa fibroblasts, whereas high doses of nicotine (1000 nM and 5000 nM) inhibited fibroblast proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeoplasia
October 2025
Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 402, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Betel quid (BQ) chewing is a profound risk for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Southeast Asia. Yet, the detailed mechanisms by which BQ chewing damages the genome and creates a unique tumor niche that ultimately cause OSCC are still not fully understood. To address this, we conducted a multi-omics survey, including exome sequencing of tumor-normal pairs from 261 male patients with OSCC (129 habitual BQ chewers and 132 non-BQ users), alone with integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomics of a set of tumors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethn Subst Abuse
August 2025
Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
Betel quid chewing poses significant public health risks across a range of countries from South to Southeast Asia, particularly in India. We aimed to identify factors influencing betel quid dependence (BQD) among consumers in a rural area of Southern India. A secondary aim was to find out which of the two instruments namely the Motivation to Stop Scale(MTSS), and Stages of Change Behavior scale was a better predictor of BQD among current betel quid users.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cancer
July 2025
Institute of Translational Medicine and New Drug Development, China Medical University, Taichung 406040, Taiwan.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are derived from the mucosal epithelium in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx, and are predominantly linked to behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption. In Taiwan, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent subtypes of HNSCC and ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the country. The Chromobox (CBX) gene family encodes core subunits of the canonical Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (cPRC1), a key epigenetic regulator mediating chromatin compaction and transcriptional silencing through histone modification.
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