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.

People diagnosed with depression find difficult to stop smoking

People diagnosed with depression are about twice as likely to smoke as the general population. A survey of 6811 participants from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the USA, published today in the scientific journal Addiction, found that although depressed smokers tried to quit smoking more often than other smokers, they were more likely to return to smoking within a month.

22 Feb 2016

FDA-approved Alzheimer's medications may help people quit smoking

Despite several safe drug therapies available to help smokers quit, three-quarters report relapsing within six months of a quit attempt. University of Pennsylvania researchers Rebecca Ashare and Heath Schmidt saw potential for a permanent cessation solution in a class of FDA-approved medications used to improve cognitive impairments from Alzheimer's disease.

19 Feb 2016

Smoking linked to worsening degenerative disc disease in cervical spine

Adding to the already length list of reasons not to smoke, researchers have connected smoking to worsening degenerative disc disease in the cervical spine, according to research presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Sacramento, Calif.

18 Feb 2016

University of Louisville researcher reveals potentially harmful effects of e-cigarettes

While e-cigarette use is increasing worldwide, little is known about the health effects e-cigarettes pose for users. A University of Louisville researcher is working to change that status.

12 Feb 2016

Penn investigators explore new treatment option for cocaine dependence

In the ongoing fight against drug addiction, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine have discovered a unique application for an FDA-approved drug currently used for obese patients and type 2 diabetics: treatment for cocaine dependence.

11 Feb 2016

Cherry-flavoured e-cigarette users may be exposed to potentially harmful chemical

An analysis of 145 different electronic-cigarette flavoring products reveals that many e-cigarette users may be exposed to a potentially harmful chemical. In a research letter published online today in the peer-reviewed journal Thorax, a research team led by Maciej Goniewicz, PhD, PharmD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute reports that high levels of the respiratory irritant benzaldehyde were detected in the vapor from most of the flavored nicotine products they studied, with the highest concentrations in vapor from cherry-flavored products.

1 Feb 2016

Researchers developing new methods to better analyze effects of e-cig flavorings

Faculty and student researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf are developing methods to better analyze the effects of flavorings used in electronic cigarettes (e-cigs).

29 Jan 2016

Second-hand smoke exposure linked to larger waist, poorer cognition in children

Exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with a larger waist and poorer cognition in children, researchers say.

29 Jan 2016

Indoor air quality in hospitality venues that allow smoking is worse than outdoor, study finds

Research carried out in six cities with dangerous levels of air pollution indicates that air quality inside venues that allow smoking is even worse than outdoors.

28 Jan 2016

Study shows regular caffeine consumption does not lead to extra heartbeats

Contrary to current clinical belief, regular caffeine consumption does not lead to extra heartbeats, which, while common, can lead in rare cases to heart- or stroke-related morbidity and mortality, according to UC San Francisco researchers.

27 Jan 2016

E-cigarettes suppress immune defenses, alter inflammation and boost bacterial virulence

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System report data suggesting that e-cigarettes are toxic to human airway cells, suppress immune defenses and alter inflammation, while at the same time boosting bacterial virulence.

27 Jan 2016

Adult smokers who use e-cigarettes 28% less likely to quit smoking

Electronic cigarettes are widely promoted and used to help smokers quit traditional cigarettes, but a new analysis from UC San Francisco found that adult smokers who use e-cigarettes are actually 28 percent less likely to stop smoking cigarettes.

18 Jan 2016

Topiramate drug curbs marijuana use among young smokers, but with serious side effects

Combining the drug topiramate with psychological counseling curbed marijuana use among young smokers significantly more than did counseling alone, according to newly published results of a small randomized, controlled trial at Brown University. The results come with a caveat, however: many study volunteers couldn't tolerate the medicine's side effects.

18 Jan 2016

Teens who rate e-cigarettes ads as effective more likely to try them in the future

Adolescents are more likely to say they will try electronic cigarettes if they perceive TV ads for these products as effective, according to a new study by RTI International researchers.

12 Jan 2016

Small differences in specific genetic variant could alter nicotine consumption

Nicotine is an addictive substance and genetic factors are known to play a role in smoking behaviors. Recently, a team of researchers at Penn State and the University of Colorado determined how small differences in a particular region of the mouse genome can alter nicotine consumption.

11 Jan 2016

E-cigarettes share similar short-term safety profile as Nicorette products

A new study, published in the Journal of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, found that e-cigarettes share a similar short-term safety profile as Nicorette products and are comparable in reducing tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

7 Jan 2016

Nearly 7 in 10 middle and high school students exposed to e-cigarette ads

About 7 in 10 middle and high school students – more than 18 million young people – see e-cigarette advertising in stores, online, in newspapers and magazines, or on television and in movies, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report.

6 Jan 2016

SDSU researchers explore ways to eradicate thirdhand smoke

When cigarette smoke is blown into the environment, its chemical constituents don't just vanish into thin air. Residue from the smoke settles into, accumulates and is stored in the surrounding environment, such as upholstery, carpets, walls, clothing and curtains.

30 Dec 2015

E-cigarettes damage cells in ways that could lead to cancer

Adding to growing evidence on the possible health risks of electronic cigarettes, a lab team at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System tested two products and found they damaged cells in ways that could lead to cancer. The damage occurred even with nicotine-free versions of the products.

29 Dec 2015

Enteric nerves of irritable bowel syndrome patients respond poorly to inflammatory substances

For the first time, biopsies of patients with irritable bowel syndrome have shown that the nerves in their gut wall respond poorly to a cocktail of inflammatory substances. This refutes the previous theory that patients with irritable bowel syndrome have an overly sensitive gut.

21 Dec 2015