Feature Channels: Smoking

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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.

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Cigarette smoking dramatically decreased between 2013 and 2017 just as e-cigarette use became more popular, according to a comprehensive analysis examining the relationship between vaping and smoking among youth and young adults led by a Georgetown University investigator.