Feature Channels: Smoking

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An analysis of data from two nationally representative surveys reports a greater proportion of U.S. adults perceived electronic cigarettes to be as, or more, harmful than cigarettes and a decreasing proportion of U.S. adults perceived e-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarettes. The findings underscore the need to accurately communicate the risks of e-cigarettes to the public because the authors suggest some cigarette smokers may have been deterred from using or switching to e-cigarettes.

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A recent study has demonstrated that smoking is not associated with a higher risk of dementia.

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In this issue, find research on texting while driving laws, new data on Yoga use increasing, dairy milk in school breakfasts, pregnancy outcomes in prison and more.

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In a new study from the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, researchers have identified eight new gene mutations that may cause or contribute to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease not caused by known external influences, such as high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, or diseased coronary arteries.

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Peer approval is the best indicator of the tendency for new college students to drink or smoke, according to new research from Michigan State University. This new finding is key to help universities address the problems of underage or binge drinking.

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Flight attendants with past exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) have preclinical signs of accelerated vascular aging, reports a study in the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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A study led by MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) researchers is the first to examine parents' rules about prohibiting both electronic cigarette and regular cigarette use in homes and cars.

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In a study that analyzed Airbnb listings across 17 countries, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that less than half of the Airbnb venues that allow smoking are equipped with smoke detectors, while nearly two-thirds of Airbnb venues that do not allow smoking are equipped with smoke detectors.

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The first findings to result from a collaboration between Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Microsoft data scientists provides expecting mothers new information about how smoking before and during pregnancy contributes to the risk of an infant dying suddenly and unexpectedly before their first birthday.

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“Snus” may be less harmful for smokers unable or unwilling to quit tobacco

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• Exposure to secondhand smoke was linked with a higher prevalence of kidney disease, as well as development of incident kidney disease. • This association was present even at low levels of exposure.

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When adolescent boys viewed fake-warning ads for electronic cigarettes, those marketing messages stuck with them, according to the new study, which appears in the journal Tobacco Control and was led by Brittney Keller-Hamilton of The Ohio State University.

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Dr. Zab Mosenifar, 70, has run every day of his adult life -- mostly in the Santa Monica Mountains -- and racked up about 135,200 miles (the equivalent of 5.6 times around the Earth). This Saturday, he will run his 100th marathon -- the Catalina Island Marathon, rated the sixth toughest in the world.

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Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have identified a clear group of characteristics that predict heightened risk for experiencing increased anxiety or worsening of mood that interferes with daily activities when using a smoking cessation drug. Results are published in the February 27 online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

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UNC School of Medicine professor and prominent tobacco researcher, Dr. Adam Goldstein, suggests the effect of e-cigarette flavors on youth tobacco product use is so great, the FDA should consider banning the sale of flavors.

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Smokers are at high risk for low back pain, and also have higher rates of healthcare utilization and opioid use, and physicians should ask these patients about other comorbidities that may make their pain treatment more difficult.

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What misdeeds warrant corporate death penalties? A new study explores two case studies focused on industries that kill more people than they employ. The study lays out the rationale for establishing an actionable threshold and offers insights into solutions. Using case studies in coal and tobacco, it calculates the number of deaths attributed to the coal and tobacco industries and finds surprising results.

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Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day can damage your vision, a study co-authored by a Rutgers researcher finds.

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With new findings that show an unprecedented jump in nicotine-containing electronic cigarette usage among teens, many parents wonder how best to approach the topic.

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Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR, announced the publication of new research showing that the use of financial incentives to encourage engagement with tobacco quit line treatment is a cost-effective option to enhance smoking cessation rates for low-income smokers.

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Two chemicals widely used to flavor electronic cigarettes may be impairing the function of cilia in the human airway, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Inmates want to quit smoking but don’t have access to smoking cessation programs in state prisons, increasing the risk – especially among black male inmates -- of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other smoking-related diseases, according to Rutgers researchers.

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In this issue, find research on police-related deaths, homocide in Mexico and life expectancy, tobacco and polytobacco use in young adults, and a 1970s heroin intervention

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Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey researcher Sharon R. Pine, PhD, has received a $200,000 Lung Cancer Discovery Award from the American Lung Association to examine potential new treatment options for patients with a sub-type of non-small cell lung cancer.

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Did you know that some instruments used during operations can produce smoke that is hazardous to surgical teams and patients? Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland decided it was time to do something about the situation.

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Heart disease is the greatest killer in the world today, and it is widely accepted that our genes interact with traditional lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and/or a sedentary life to promote an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, a new study in sheep, publishing January 22 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, by a team from Cambridge University, finds that offspring whose mothers had a complicated pregnancy may be at greater risk of heart disease in later life, suggesting that our cards may be marked even before we are born.

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Researchers know that lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are more likely than heterosexuals to use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, but until now they didn't know to what degree.

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Using discarded foreskins from circumcisions, researchers were able to identify a potential cellular mechanism that connects a mother's smoking while pregnant with an increased risk of offspring obesity later in life

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Expert quoted in the New York Times

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The pancreas is an organ located behind the stomach that produces enzymes and hormones that help with digestion and blood-sugar regulation. Both heavy drinking and gallstones can cause an inflamed pancreas, called pancreatitis, which is associated with significant illness and, in about 10% of cases, death. The recent use of cannabis to manage the development of pancreatitis and its progression has yielded conflicting results. This study assessed the impact of cannabis use on both acute (sudden onset) and chronic (persistent) pancreatitis.

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New research from Duke Health suggests men in their child-bearing years should consider how THC could impact their sperm and possibly the children they conceive during periods when they’ve been using the drug. Much like previous research that has shown tobacco smoke, pesticides, flame retardants and even obesity can alter sperm, the Duke research shows THC also affects epigenetics, triggering structural and regulatory changes in the DNA of users’ sperm.

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Researchers at McMaster University have identified trends linking health and lifestyle factors like access to public transit, the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in grocery stores, the prices of popular foods, the availability and prices of cigarettes and alcohol, and the promotion, or lack thereof, of healthy foods in restaurants. The study findings are based on detailed data collected across Canada’s 10 provinces.

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Scott Shainker, DO, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center discusses placenta disorders and who is at risk

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A study from researchers at Indiana University has found that CBD -- a major chemical component in marijuana -- appears to increase pressure inside the eye of mice, suggesting the use of the substance in the treatment of glaucoma may actually worsen the condition.

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The introduction of plain tobacco packaging led to an increase in the price of leading products, according to new research from the University of Stirling.

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In a study of adolescent mice with a version of a gene linked to serious human mental illnesses, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have uncovered a possible explanation for how marijuana may damage the brains of some human teens.

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The largest study to date to compare exposure to toxicants among users of electronic cigarettes, smokers and nonsmokers has been completed, suggesting possible benefits for smokers who switch completely to electronic cigarettes

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New Year’s has become a time when many smokers make a resolution to quit for good, but what happens after that? Quitting smoking is tough, and even with the strongest resolve, many smokers need a few quit attempts in order to stay quit. To support quitters everywhere, Quit & Stay Quit Monday, an initiative of The Monday Campaigns and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, developed the “Monday Quit Kit”. The toolkit provides evidence-based resources for individuals and tobacco cessation professionals that can help quitters stay on track over the long haul. After quitting on New Year’s, quitters can use every Monday as a weekly cue to recommit to their quit, celebrate progress, and quit again if they relapse.

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A medida que el nuevo año se aproxima, entre las resoluciones de muchas personas está alcanzar un buen estado físico y mejorar el bienestar. Ahora, los científicos descubren que ambas mejoras pueden llevar a vivir más largo.

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Vitamin C may reduce the harm done to lungs in infants born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy, according to a randomized, controlled trial published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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In a small study of infrequent cannabis users, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have shown that, compared with smoking cannabis, vaping it increased the rate of short-term anxiety, paranoia, memory loss and distraction when doses were the same.

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New research from Cornell University suggests graphic warning labels on cigarette ads have the same anti-smoking effect as similar warning labels on cigarette packs.

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Chicago adults identified drug abuse, obesity, and child abuse and neglect as the top three big health problems for children and adolescents in the city, according to results from a new survey developed by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

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In this issue, find research on how vacant lot cleanup reduces shootings, opioid and amphetamine births increase, e-cigarette trust and public health sources, vaccine exemption laws and more.

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Baylor Scott & White Health is announced today on a new facility with a goal of promoting the community’s health and wellbeing while advancing sports medicine and injury prevention in the Waco area.

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Women tend to be more conservative than men on political questions related to marijuana. A recent study finds that this gender gap appears to be driven by religion and the fact that men are more likely to have used marijuana.

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Executive functions of the brain’s frontal lobes help individuals regulate their behavior and work toward long-term goals. Working memory (WM), the ability to maintain and process information during short periods of time, is a critical executive function. Alcohol is known to impair executive functioning, which can in turn contribute to alcohol use disorder (AUD) progression and to poorer treatment outcomes. This study investigated whether WM training could reduce alcohol use through improved cognitive functioning.