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.

Great-grandmother's cigarette habit could be cause of child's asthma

With some 300 million people around the world living with asthma, a study by Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) researchers that was released ahead-of- print found for the first time that maternal smoking can cause the third generation of offspring to suffer from the chronic lung disease.

6 Aug 2013

New NIH projects to target Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction and AMD

The National Institutes of Health has launched three innovative projects that will focus on development of therapeutics for Fragile X syndrome, nicotine addiction, and age-related macular degeneration. These projects are funded through the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network which provides access to a variety of drug development resources.

1 Aug 2013

Study explores whether reducing smoke toxicant exposure affects biomarkers of biological effect

British American Tobacco has published the protocol for a clinical study designed to determine whether using reduced-toxicant prototype cigarettes that reduce smokers' exposure to smoke toxicants impacts biological effect (ISRCTN81286286).

29 Jul 2013

Contrasting perspectives on e-cigarettes from smoking cessation experts

The increasing popularity and availability of e-cigarettes (otherwise known as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, or ENDS) in many countries has prompted fierce debate among public health professionals, with some expressing concerns that lack of safety information for the devices could result in unforeseen damage to public health if they are not appropriately regulated.

25 Jul 2013

Smokers who try e-cigarettes to quit are younger and more motivated to quit, study finds

University of Hawaii Cancer Center Prevention and Control Program researchers Pallav Pokhrel, PhD and Thaddeus Herzog, PhD have found that smokers who use e-cigarettes as a tool to stop smoking tend to be younger and more motivated to quit smoking as compared to other smokers.

24 Jul 2013

Molecularly imprinted polymer receptors for nicotine recognition in biological systems

Researchers from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Nehru Marg, India have added another piece to the puzzle of how to synthetize an artificial nicotine receptor.

10 Jul 2013

NIDA grants $3.3M to design vaccine conferring immunity to nicotine

A chemical component present in the nightshade family of plants is one of the world's most tenaciously addictive substances. It is the nicotine contained in tobacco and found in high concentrations in cigarettes. Smoking remains a global scourge; in the U.S. it is the leading source of preventable death.

3 Jul 2013

Ritalin helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction

A single dose of a commonly-prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction, according to an imaging study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

28 Jun 2013

UH receives NIDA grant to study transdiagnostic CBT to address tobacco cessation

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. resulting in more than 440,000 premature deaths a year. An additional 25 million smokers will most likely die of a smoking related illness.

27 Jun 2013

MGHfC physicians describe how pediatric practices can help address parental smoking

Finally some good news for parents who smoke: you may now be able to get help quitting from an unlikely source, your child's doctor. A study in the journal Pediatrics, which has been posted online, shows that it is feasible for pediatric practices to incorporate into their normal routine efforts to inform patients' parents about services available to help them quit smoking.

25 Jun 2013

Weill Cornell public health study sheds light on hidden cost of terrorism

The 9/11 attacks on America appear to have caused about one million former smokers across the country to take up the habit again and maintain it, according to a Weill Cornell Medical College public health study.

21 Jun 2013

Thirdhand smoke causes significant genetic damage in human cells

A study led by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found for the first time that thirdhand smoke-the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out-causes significant genetic damage in human cells.

21 Jun 2013

NIH awards $12.7M to research groups to explore new treatments for patients in eight disease areas

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $12.7 million to match nine academic research groups with a selection of pharmaceutical industry compounds to explore new treatments for patients in eight disease areas, including Alzheimer's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and schizophrenia.

19 Jun 2013

Study shows smoking in entrances to bars, restaurants increases concentration of nicotine

The protection provided by the smoking ban decreases when people can still smoke outside the venue For the first time, a study has analysed the effects of the modification to the Spanish tobacco control law, implemented in 2011 in hospitality venues in Spain.

15 Jun 2013

Researchers identify genetic variants that can predispose children to dyslexia, language impairment

A new study of the genetic origins of dyslexia and other learning disabilities could allow for earlier diagnoses and more successful interventions, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine. Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective.

14 Jun 2013

Studies highlight role of workplace and financial stress on health behaviors

Two studies from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington highlight the negative impact workplace and financial stress can have on health behaviors. The lead author urges workplace wellness and smoking cessation programs to consider such impacts as the economy sputters along.

13 Jun 2013

Anti-nicotine vaccination can increase accumulation of nicotine in the brain, say neuroscientists

Researchers have yet again been sent back to the drawing board in the development of the much-sought-after vaccination for smokers, which would hypothetically inhibit the action of nicotine and its pleasure-producing chemical response in the brain.

12 Jun 2013

Discovery highlights protective role of liver enzyme in treating jaundice

Helping to protect newborns and older patients against more severe effects of jaundice is the hope of University of Guelph researchers, who have shown how a liver enzyme protects cells from damage caused by the condition.

10 Jun 2013

Research roundup: Health spending on kids with special needs

Between 2008 and 2010, the rate of growth for health care spending declined. The recession, many researchers believe, was a key contributor to this decline. In this study, researchers explored whether the recession also had an impact on health care spending for children, especially those with special health care needs.