Nicotine News and Research

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Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (''Solanaceae'') which constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulating in the leaves.

Smoking parents may underestimate kid’s exposure to secondhand smoke

Four out of 10 children in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to the American Heart Association. A new Tel Aviv University study suggests that parents who smoke mistakenly rely on their own physical senses to gauge the presence of tobacco smoke in the air.

15 Nov 2017

Many Americans not aware of major court findings against tobacco companies, survey shows

On Nov. 26, Altria, Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds and other tobacco companies will begin to publish court-ordered "corrective statements" about cigarettes, the result of a 2006 federal court verdict that found the companies in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

8 Nov 2017

Roundworms may provide new clues to nicotine dependence

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute found that a previously dismissed genetic mechanism may contribute to nicotine dependence, and to the withdrawal effects that can make quitting smoking so difficult.

7 Nov 2017

Energy-drink consumption influences alcohol-induced body sway

Heavy drinking impairs balance and motor coordination, which is why increased body sway is a useful indicator to both police and bartenders that a person may be intoxicated.

7 Nov 2017

Nicotine alters gut microbiome differently in males and females, mice study shows

Many people who smoke or chew tobacco can't seem to escape nicotine's addictive properties. Studies show that women in particular seem to have a harder time quitting, even with assistance, when compared to men.

3 Nov 2017

Brief intervention delivered by peers can help reduce smoking among youth

Participating in a brief intervention delivered by their peers in community settings can help reduce smoking among youth and young adults, a new study from a team of tobacco-cessation researchers shows.

27 Oct 2017

National study to examine effects of nicotine patch on older adults with MCI

Three years ago Reece Dean, of Nashville's Bellevue community, retired at age 69 from a career as a busy truck driver. With her husband of 49 years home more consistently, Mary Ann Dean began to notice some changes in his memory and behavior.

26 Oct 2017

New survey finds huge decline in substance abuse, delinquency among teens

More than a decade of data indicates teens have become far less likely to abuse alcohol, nicotine and illicit drugs, and they also are less likely to engage in delinquent behaviors, such as fighting and stealing, according to results of a national survey analyzed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

25 Oct 2017

New York bans vaping, e-cigs from everywhere that smoking is

Governor of New York Andrew M. Cuomo has signed a legislation that prohibits electronic cigarette smoking in areas and regions where smoking tobacco products are banned. This is an addition to the Clean Indoor Air Act. This bill - S.2543A/ A.516A, is meant to prevent the exposure to the harmful chemicals from the e-cigarettes to people around these smokers.

24 Oct 2017

Findings suggest e-cigarettes may be just as bad as traditional cigarettes

E-cigarettes appear to trigger unique immune responses as well as the same ones that cigarettes trigger that can lead to lung disease, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

20 Oct 2017

On back roads of Appalachia’s coal country, mental health services are as rare as jobs

Every other month, Tanya Nelson travels 32 miles from the heart of Appalachia's coal country for an appointment with the nearest psychiatrist for therapy and to renew prescriptions. But the commute, which should take less than an hour through the winding mountain roads of southern West Virginia, consumes her entire day.

17 Oct 2017

Scientists better understand how rabies virus induces drastic changes in behavior

Scientists may finally understand how the rabies virus can drastically change its host's behavior to help spread the disease, which kills about 59,000 people annually.

11 Oct 2017

Genetic variant found to increase likelihood of developing nicotine dependence

A DNA variant- located in the DNMT3B gene and commonly found in people of European and African descent-increases the likelihood of developing nicotine dependence, smoking heavily, and developing lung cancer, according to a new study led by RTI International.

10 Oct 2017

Much ado over cigarette pack labels and health risk warnings

Soon the US cigarettes companies would be published more blunt statements making people aware of the health risks that arise out of smoking. This came from the 1999 lawsuit that was brought by the federal government.

4 Oct 2017

SBP researcher awarded $10.8 million grant to pursue development of new drug for substance abuse

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is pleased to announce the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health has awarded Nicholas Cosford, Ph.D., a three-year, $10.8 million grant to pursue the preclinical development of a new class of medicine to treat substance use disorders.

26 Sep 2017

Increased adrenaline levels in non-smokers’ hearts seen with the use of one e-cigarette with nicotine

A new study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that if non-smokers use one electronic cigarette that contains nicotine, they experience a rise in adrenaline levels in their heart; however, if the e-cigarette is nicotine-free, there was no increase in the levels of adrenaline.

21 Sep 2017

Metabolic changes after quitting could help explain how ill-effects of smoking may be reversible

Even after years of smoking, the body has a remarkable ability to repair itself. Now in a study appearing in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, scientists report that certain metabolic changes occur soon after quitting, and these changes could help explain how some ill-effects of smoking might be reversible.

21 Sep 2017