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.

Mayo Clinic receives Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award

Mayo Clinic is among 66 employers nationwide receiving the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles today at the Leadership Summit sponsored by the National Business Group on Health's Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being in Washington, D.C. Mayo Clinic is receiving the Platinum Award for the first time due to the efforts of its healthy living programs and ability to continue improving and adding innovation year after year. Sixteen other employers are receiving this award at the Platinum status.

24 Jun 2010

Misperceptions about 'light,' 'low,' 'mild' cigarettes

Today, new legislation will go into effect surrounding the ban of word descriptors such as "light," "low," and "mild" on all packaging and advertising of existing cigarettes and smokeless products. However, a new survey, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, shows that many smokers will choose the cigarettes in lighter-colored packaging because they incorrectly believe these cigarettes would be less harmful to their health or make it easier to quit smoking.

23 Jun 2010

New Zealanders sucking in more nicotine per cigarette than most other smokers worldwide

Smokers in New Zealand are taking in more nicotine than Australians says a new study. The study found that smokers there have a distinct preference for high nicotine containing brands of cigarettes and have the greatest average amount of tar exposure out of 5,703 smokers in eight countries. Where Australians took 1.36mg of nicotine per cigarette, New Zealanders took in 1.62mg.

21 Jun 2010

Researchers study risks and consequences of cigarette smoking in people living in multiple-unit housing

In an effort to protect children from harmful tobacco smoke exposure, health and medical professionals are pushing for a ban on smoking in public housing in a report appearing in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Jun 2010

FDA should reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes to non-addictive levels: Former FDA commissioner

Today at Legacy's Warner Series Lecture on the impact of the Family and Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Food and Drug Administration authority over tobacco), Dr. David Kessler, former commissioner of the FDA, called on the FDA to reduce the nicotine level in cigarettes, reducing the yield to non-addictive levels.

17 Jun 2010

AMA recommends classification of e-cigarettes as drug delivery devices

New policy adopted today by the American Medical Association (AMA) recommends that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) be classified as drug delivery devices, subject to the same FDA regulations as all other drug delivery devices. Additional policy adopted supports prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes that are not FDA approved.

15 Jun 2010

People who smoke immediately after waking may be at risk for lung cancer: Study

People who smoke their first cigarette within minutes after waking up have much higher levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine when processed by the body, than those who wait to smoke, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked.

10 Jun 2010

Secondhand smoke exposure associated with psychological distress

Exposure to secondhand smoke appears to be associated with psychological distress and the risk of future psychiatric hospitalization among healthy adults, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the August print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

SHS exposure associated with psychological distress, risk of future psychiatric illness: UCL research

Second hand smoke exposure is associated with psychological distress and risk of future psychiatric illness, according to new UCL research that suggests the harmful affects of passive smoking go beyond physical health.

8 Jun 2010

Loophole in CHIP costs feds millions in lost revenue

"A tobacco tax loophole in President Barack Obama's children's health insurance program cost the government more than $250 million in its first year, public health officials say. The loophole allowed companies to avoid huge tax increases on loose rolling tobacco by relabeling their product as pipe tobacco. The simple marketing twist lets companies pay $2.83 per pound, rather than the $24.78 per pound levied on rolling tobacco. That proved an expensive technicality in the way the government pays for health insurance for poor children."

3 Jun 2010

$Smoking cessation for first 6-weeks after acute fracture surgery reduces risk of postoperative complications$

Smoking cessation for first 6-weeks after acute fracture surgery reduces risk of postoperative complications

Smokers who refrain from using tobacco during the six-week period following emergency surgery for an acute fracture heal more quickly and experience fewer complications than patients who continue to smoke during the healing process, according to a study published in the June 2010 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS).

2 Jun 2010

Nurses use up-to-date techniques to help smokers quit, says RNAO

As World No Tobacco Day 2010 (May 31) approaches, Canadians thinking about quitting smoking can rely on nurses to help them butt out. The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario says nurses are using the most up-to-date techniques to help smokers quit, which is reducing the number of smokers and preventing diseases.

26 May 2010

Researchers test NicVAX vaccine to help people quit smoking, avoid relapses

In a unique twist to a decades-old health crisis, Michigan State University researchers are testing a new vaccine to help people quit smoking and avoid relapses.

21 May 2010

Smoking cessation treatments effective and safe for people with schizophrenia

In a study published today in the journal Addiction, researchers have determined that treatment for smoking dependence is as effective among people with severe mental illnesses as it is for the general population. Importantly, they also found that offering such treatments does not appear to cause deterioration in mental health.

21 May 2010

Long-term smoking cessation success possible with treatment philosophy and individualized information

A recently completed randomized trial compared three ways to deliver a behavioral smoking cessation program using varenicline (Chantix®): by phone, web, or both. Although phone counseling had greater treatment advantage for early cessation and appeared to increase medication adherence, no differences in abstinence outcomes were seen at six months.

19 May 2010

Computerized model for treating nicotine addiction wins first place at ISEF science competition

A project using cutting edge computer modeling to identify potential new medications for nicotine addiction won first place distinction at the annual Addiction Science Awards at this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) --- the world's largest science competition for high school students.

15 May 2010

Tobacco-free cigarettes may be more carcinogenic than tobacco products: Study

Using the same technique they developed to document the harmful effects of tobacco products, a team of researchers found that cigarettes made without tobacco or nicotine may be more carcinogenic because they actually induce more extensive DNA damage than tobacco products.

13 May 2010

Computerized bilingual decision aid can prompt Hispanic smokers to quit: Study

A computerized bilingual decision aid - placed in safety-net clinics and health fairs - can prompt Hispanic and other smokers to set a quit date and choose effective treatments.

12 May 2010

Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind smoking cessation effect

The tobacco addiction epidemic is a major public health problem worldwide. Professor Zhao Baolu and his group from the State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences set out to tackle this problem. After 20 years of innovative research, they have developed a novel tea filter to treat cigarette addiction and have discovered the molecular mechanism behind the smoking cessation effect.

12 May 2010

One-quarter of young adults use waterpipes

As fewer people puff on cigarettes, a new smoking trend may be gaining popularity among North American youth. A study published in the journal Pediatrics has found that almost one-quarter of young adults in Montreal had used waterpipes (also known as shishas or hookahs) in the past year.

11 May 2010