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.

UF Health researcher reveals how betel nut's psychoactive chemical works in the brain

For hundreds of millions of people around the world, chewing betel nut produces a cheap, quick high but also raises the risk of addiction and oral cancer. Now, new findings by a University of Florida Health researcher reveal how the nut's psychoactive chemical works in the brain and suggest that an addiction treatment may already exist.

22 Oct 2015

Researchers to present case report of acute inhalation lung injury related to use of e-cigarettes

Researchers from White River Junction VA Hospital, in Junction, Vermont, will present a case report of acute inhalation lung injury related to the use of e-cigarettes and a flavored e-cigarette liquid containing diacetyl.

20 Oct 2015

New research shows nicotine increases codeine-induced analgesia

According to new research in rat models, nicotine use over time increases the speed that codeine is converted into morphine within the brain, by increasing the amount of a specific enzyme. It appears smokers' brains are being primed for a bigger buzz from this common pain killer - which could put them at a higher risk for addiction, and possibly even overdose.

19 Oct 2015

Alternative tobacco products pose a new challenge in the war against tobacco

The increasing use of alternative tobacco products, such as water pipes and e-cigarettes, by children under the age of 18 is a burgeoning public health crisis, researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center write in a commentary in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Oct 2015

Palm Beach Vapors unveils safe, fully customizable vaping technology for tobacco users

Millions of smokers worldwide have used vaping to help finally break free from the shackles of tobacco. An April 2015 study released by a team of researchers at Kings College London showed electronic cigarettes to be up to 95 percent less harmful than traditional cigarette smoking.

13 Oct 2015

Study: Nurses can play pivotal role in helping reduce smoking rates in China

China has a big smoking problem. Three-hundred-fifty million Chinese people smoke and 1 million deaths a year in China are attributed to smoking-related illnesses. By 2020, that's expected to double to 2 million Chinese people dying annually from using tobacco.

12 Oct 2015

Smoking cessation medication 46% effective in women

The most effective prescription drug used to quit smoking initially helps women more than men, according to a Yale School of Medicine study. The study, published Oct. 7 by the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, found that varenicline, marketed as Chantix, was more effective earlier in women, and equally effective in women and men after one year.

8 Oct 2015

UK Biobank genetic study shows link between lung disease and smoking behaviour

New research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and presented at this year's European Respiratory Society meeting in Amsterdam presents the first analyses of genetic data from the UK Biobank that reveal new associations with lung disease and smoking behaviour.

28 Sep 2015

NIH-supported study explores effects of substance use on adolescent brain development

The National Institutes of Health today awarded 13 grants to research institutions around the country as part of a landmark study about the effects of adolescent substance use on the developing brain.

26 Sep 2015

Secondhand smoke exposure doubles risk of hospitalization for kids with asthma

The risk for hospitalization doubles for kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a study led by Mayo Clinic Children's Research Center. "The results of this review serve as a reminder to parents of just how dangerous it is to expose their children to secondhand smoke," says Avni Joshi, M.D., senior author and pediatric allergist and immunologist at Mayo Clinic Children's Center.

24 Sep 2015

Bionomics’ BNC210 Phase 1 trial for anxiety and depression meets primary endpoint

Bionomics Limited, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) and cancer, today reported positive data from the completed Phase 1 multiple ascending dose, placebo controlled clinical trial of BNC210, an orally administered negative allosteric modulator of the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha-7 receptor) being developed for the treatment of anxiety and depression.

16 Sep 2015

Three studies point to mGluR2 as new molecular target for addiction treatment

The latest issue of Biological Psychiatry presents the results of three studies implicating metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) as a new molecular target for the treatment of addiction.

15 Sep 2015

Nicotine reinforcement demonstrated in study with ‘never-smokers’

In a study with 18 adults who had never smoked, scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have demonstrated one of the earliest steps — nicotine “reinforcement” — in the process of addiction, and shown that some people are far more vulnerable to nicotine addiction than others.

10 Sep 2015

Study points to genetic/metabolic factors that make people vulnerable to nicotine addiction

In a study with 18 adults who had never smoked, scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have demonstrated one of the earliest steps — nicotine "reinforcement" — in the process of addiction, and shown that some people are far more vulnerable to nicotine addiction than others.

10 Sep 2015

Penns' Abramson Cancer Center rated as 'exceptional' by NCI

The University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) has received an "exceptional" rating by the National Cancer Institute during an extensive peer-review process for its five-year competitive research support grant. The rating is the highest possible for an NCI cancer center.

9 Sep 2015

Studies suggests that insular cortex may hold key to treating addiction

A pair of studies suggests that a region of the brain - called the insular cortex - may hold the key to treating addiction. Scientists have come to this conclusion after finding that smokers who suffered a stroke in the insular cortex were far more likely to quit smoking and experience fewer and less severe withdrawal symptoms than those with strokes in other parts of the brain.

8 Sep 2015

Study: High school athletes use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate compared to non-athletes

High school athletes who play on sports teams smoke tobacco products at a lower rate than non-athletes, but use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

3 Sep 2015

CVS Health’s data shows measurable reduction in cigarette purchases

CVS Health today marked the first anniversary of ending tobacco sales at CVS/pharmacy by releasing new data showing a measurable reduction in cigarette purchases over the past year.

3 Sep 2015

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

New research may help explain why drug treatments for addiction and depression don't work for some patients. The conditions are linked to reward and aversion responses in the brain. Working in mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered brain pathways linked to reward and aversion behaviors are in such close proximity that they unintentionally could be activated at the same time.

3 Sep 2015

One in every 17 college students smokes marijuana on daily or near-daily basis

Daily marijuana use among the nation's college students is on the rise, surpassing daily cigarette smoking for the first time in 2014.

1 Sep 2015

Nicotine News and Research

Further Reading

UF Health researcher reveals how betel nut's psychoactive chemical works in the brain

Researchers to present case report of acute inhalation lung injury related to use of e-cigarettes

New research shows nicotine increases codeine-induced analgesia

Alternative tobacco products pose a new challenge in the war against tobacco

Palm Beach Vapors unveils safe, fully customizable vaping technology for tobacco users

Study: Nurses can play pivotal role in helping reduce smoking rates in China

Smoking cessation medication 46% effective in women

UK Biobank genetic study shows link between lung disease and smoking behaviour

NIH-supported study explores effects of substance use on adolescent brain development

Secondhand smoke exposure doubles risk of hospitalization for kids with asthma

Bionomics’ BNC210 Phase 1 trial for anxiety and depression meets primary endpoint

Three studies point to mGluR2 as new molecular target for addiction treatment

Nicotine reinforcement demonstrated in study with ‘never-smokers’

Study points to genetic/metabolic factors that make people vulnerable to nicotine addiction

Penns' Abramson Cancer Center rated as 'exceptional' by NCI

Studies suggests that insular cortex may hold key to treating addiction

Study: High school athletes use smokeless tobacco at a higher rate compared to non-athletes

CVS Health’s data shows measurable reduction in cigarette purchases

Research findings may help explain why drug treatments for addiction, depression are not always effective

One in every 17 college students smokes marijuana on daily or near-daily basis

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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