Daily Cigarette Smokers Research Articles

E-cigarette use among women of reproductive age: Impulsivity, cigarette smoking status, and other risk factors

IntroductionThe study aim was to examine impulsivity and other risk factors for e-cigarette use among women of reproductive age comparing current daily cigarette smokers to never cigarette smokers. Women of reproductive age are of special interest because of the additional risk that tobacco and nicotine use represents should they become pregnant. MethodSurvey data were collected anonymously online using Amazon Mechanical Turk in 2014. Participants were 800 women ages 24–44years from the US. Half (n=400) reported current, daily smoking and half (n=400) reported smoking <100 cigarettes lifetime. Participants completed questionnaires regarding sociodemographics, tobacco/nicotine use, and impulsivity (i.e., delay discounting & Barratt Impulsiveness Scale). Predictors of smoking and e-cigarette use were examined using logistic regression. ResultsDaily cigarette smoking was associated with greater impulsivity, lower education, past illegal drug use, and White race/ethnicity. E-cigarette use in the overall sample was associated with being a cigarette smoker and greater education. E-cigarette use among current smokers was associated with increased nicotine dependence and quitting smoking; among never smokers it was associated with greater impulsivity and illegal drug use. E-cigarette use was associated with hookah use, and for never smokers only with use of cigars and other nicotine products. ConclusionsE-cigarette use among women of reproductive age varies by smoking status, with use among current smokers reflecting attempts to quit smoking whereas among non-smokers use may be a marker of a more impulsive repertoire that includes greater use of alternative tobacco products and illegal drugs.

Tobacco use and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, malignancyand allcauses in a large cohort

Introduction: 67.6% of all Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) deaths are attributable to Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) and Cancers. Of the 14.2 million annual deaths attributable to modifiable behavioural factors, tobacco use accounts for 6 million (42.2%). This study aims to determine the relationship between tobacco use and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), malignancy, and all-causes among adults (>18 years) in the US. Materials and Methods: A cohort of 96164 adults with data on tobacco use was selected from the public-use dataset of the US National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS). The various forms of tobacco use- smoking, smokeless, both smoking and smokeless- were examined in relationship to specific-cause and all-cause mortality. Results: In bivariate analyses age category and sex were identified as possible confounders. Separate analyses were performed for CVD mortality, cancer mortality and all-cause mortality. Factors that reached statistical significance were subjected to multivariate analyses. Apart from age category, daily cigarette smoking was significantly associated with both cancer and CVD mortality (p: <0.0001). There was a statistically significant relationship between age category, sex, any tobacco use and all-cause mortality (p: <0.0001). Conclusions: CVD and cancer mortality in the US are significantly associated with daily cigarette smoking. All-cause mortality in the US is associated with any tobacco use.

Persistence and amplitude of cigarette demand in relation to quit intentions and attempts.

The cigarette purchase task (CPT) is a method that can be used to assess the relative value of cigarettes. Based on cigarettes purchased across a price range, five derived metrics (Omax, Pmax, breakpoint, intensity, and elasticity) can assess cigarette demand. A study with adolescent smokers found that these could be reduced to two latent factors: persistence (price insensitivity) and amplitude (volumetric consumption). We sought to replicate this structure with adult smokers and examine how these variables relate to cessation efforts. Web-based survey conducted in 2014 among adult (18years and above) current daily cigarette smokers (N = 1194). Participants completed the CPT, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), reported past-year quit attempts, and future quit intentions. We included published scales assessing perceived prevalence of smoking, social reactivity, smoker identity, and risk perception. Our analysis supported two latent variables, persistence and amplitude, which correlated positively with FTND. Persistence was correlated with several psychosocial factors and was higher among those intending to quit very soon, but did not vary by number of past-year quit attempts. Amplitude differed across quit attempts and intention (p < 0.001) and, in multivariable models, was significantly associated with lower 30-day quit intention (OR = 0.76, p = 0.001). Persistence and amplitude factors characterized CPT data in adults, discriminated known groups (e.g., smokers by intentions to quit), and were positively associated with nicotine dependence. Factor scores also appear to relate to certain psychosocial factors, such as smoker identity and perceptions of risk. Future research should examine the predictive validity of these constructs.

Posttraumatic stress symptom severity and cognitive-based smoking processes among trauma-exposed treatment-seeking smokers: The role of perceived stress

Trauma exposure and smoking co-occur at an alarmingly high rate. However, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underlying this clinically significant relation. The present study examined perceived stress as an explanatory mechanism linking posttraumatic stress symptom severity and smoking-specific avoidance/inflexibility, perceived barriers to smoking cessation, and negative affect reduction/negative reinforcement expectancies from smoking among trauma-exposed smokers. Participants were trauma-exposed, treatment-seeking daily cigarette smokers (n=179; 48.0% female; Mage=41.17; SD=12.55). Results indicated that posttraumatic stress symptom severity had an indirect significant effect on each of the dependent variables via perceived stress. The present results provide empirical support that perceived stress may be an underlying mechanism that indirectly explains posttraumatic symptoms relation to smoking-specific avoidance/inflexibility, perceived barriers to smoking cessation, and negative affect reduction/negative reinforcement expectancies among trauma-exposed smokers. These findings suggest that there may be clinical utility in targeting perceived stress among trauma-exposed smokers via stress management psychoeducation and skills training.

Associations between ADHD symptoms and smoking outcome expectancies in a non-clinical sample of daily cigarette smokers.

Smoking outcome expectancies for positive reinforcement (PR: beliefs that smoking produces desirable outcomes) and negative reinforcement (NR: beliefs that smoking alleviates negative affect) are modifiable cognitive manifestations of affect-mediated smoking motivation. Based on prior data and theory, we hypothesized that NR and PR expectancies are associated with ADHD symptom levels in a non-clinical sample of cigarette smokers. (Am J Addict 2016; XX:XX -XX) METHODS: Daily cigarette smokers (N = 256) completed self-report measures of ADHD symptoms and smoking outcome expectancies. Cross-sectional associations of overall ADHD symptomatology and the ADHD symptom dimensions of inattention (IN: difficulty concentrating and distractibility) and hyperactivity impulsivity (HI: poor inhibitory control and motor activity restlessness) with PR and NR smoking outcome expectancies were examined. Higher levels of overall, IN and HI ADHD symptoms were positively associated with NR smoking expectancies after statistically controlling for anxiety, depression, alcohol/drug use problems, nicotine dependence, and other smoking expectancies. Although neither HI nor IN symptom dimensions exhibited empirically unique relations to NR expectancies over and above one another, the collective variance across IN and HI was associated with NR expectancies. PR expectancies were not associated with ADHD symptoms. Although PR and NR expectancies may be important etiological influences in the overall population of smokers, NR outcome expectancies appear to be disproportionately expressed in smokers with elevated ADHD symptoms. Cognitive manifestations of NR motivation, which may be modifiable via intervention, are prominent in smokers with elevated ADHD symptoms. Beliefs that smoking alleviates negative affect may underlie ADHD-smoking comorbidity.

Anxiety sensitivity in relation to quit day dropout among adult daily smokers recruited to participate in a self-guided cessation attempt

Anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of anxiety and internal sensations) has been implicated in a variety of aspects of smoking, including difficulties achieving and maintaining abstinence during tobacco cessation. However, research has yet to evaluate whether AS impacts premature termination of initiating a quit attempt. Therefore, the aim of the present investigation was to explore the extent to which AS was associated with tobacco cessation dropout, as indexed by attendance on the scheduled quit day visit. Participants included 84 adult daily cigarette smokers (61.7% male; Mage=34.6years, SD=13.9), who were recruited to participate in a self-guided quit attempt (an attempt to quit smoking without professional or pharmacological aid). Results indicated that after controlling for the effects of participant sex, race, current (past month) psychological disorder, cigarettes smoked per day, number of years as a regular smoker, and pre-quit levels of motivation to quit, AS significantly predicted increased odds of study dropout prior to attending the scheduled quit day. These findings suggest that AS may be a mechanism involved with challenges in the initiation of quitting.

Multisubstance Use Among Treatment-Seeking Smokers: Synergistic Effects of Coping Motives for Cannabis and Alcohol Use and Social Anxiety/Depressive Symptoms

ABSTRACTObjective: This study examined the impact of coping motives for cannabis and alcohol use on the relation between social anxiety/depressive symptoms and severity of substance use for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis among treatment-seeking smokers who also use cannabis and alcohol. Methods: The sample included 197 daily cigarette smokers (MAge 34.81 years, SD = 13.43) who reported using cannabis and alcohol. Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted wherein separate models were constructed for each dependent variable. Among individuals with higher social anxiety, alcohol coping motives were associated with heavier drinking, and this was more pronounced among those low in depressive symptoms. Similarly, those at greater risk for nicotine dependence were anxious individuals with lower depressive symptoms who endorse coping-oriented motives for using cannabis. Further, among those with higher social anxiety, cannabis coping motives were associated with marginally greater drinking, particularly for those high in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The present findings support the perspective that among multisubstance users, the interplay between social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and coping-oriented motives for using one substance (e.g., cannabis or alcohol) may pose difficulties in refraining from other substances (e.g., tobacco). This observation highlights the importance of tailoring multisubstance treatments to specific needs of multiusers for whom single-substance interventions may be less effective. Findings also support previous work exploring the benefits of concurrently treating co-occurring substance use and lend credence to the perspective that motivation to use substances for coping reasons is of central theoretical and clinical relevance.

Distributions of Serum Cotinine and Urinary NNAL among daily Cigarette Smokers and Inter-Correlations

Distributions of Serum Cotinine and Urinary NNAL among daily Cigarette Smokers and Inter-Correlations

Upregulation of ICAM-1 and IL-1β protein expression promotes lung injury in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a devastating lung disorder characterized by sustained airway flow restriction that is not fully reversible. The precise pathogenic mechanisms are unknown, but it is clear that cigarette smoking and chronic inflammatory stimulation are the major causes of COPD. Lung inflammation associated with COPD involves multiple cytokines, aggregation, and activation of neutrophils in the airway and lung tissue, and release of proteases and oxygen free radicals. In this study, a rat model of COPD was established by daily cigarette smoke exposure plus endotoxin treatment (the experimental group). Respiratory curves were recorded by the BL-420 biological signal collecting and processing system. Furthermore, the contents of inflammatory mediators, intercellular adhesion molecular (ICAM)-1 and interleukin (IL)-1β, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for experimental, smoke-exposed only (control), and untreated (blank) rat groups. Protein expression levels of ICAM-1 and IL-1β in the lung tissue were also compared among groups by the immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase method. The COPD model rats exhibited severe dyspnea and lung inflammation as evidenced by significantly prolonged expiratory duration, higher respiratory rate, elevated ICAM-1 and IL-1β in BALF, and higher ICAM-1 and IL-1β protein expression in lung tissue compared to control and blank group rats. Chronic cigarette smoke exposure plus endotoxin is a feasible and reliable model of COPD that recapitulates many clinical signs and pathogenic responses. ICAM-1 and IL-1β upregulation are possible early contributors to COPD-associated inflammatory lung injury.

Association of Cigarette Smoking With Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence in a Large Community-Based Sample.

Substance use is a major risk factor for various forms of violence, yet how cigarette smoking influences violence outcomes is incompletely understood. We investigated associations between cigarette smoking and three types of violence in a large, nationally representative, community-based sample. Adult subjects participating in both Wave 1 (2001-2002; N = 43 093) and Wave 2 (2004-2005; N = 34 653) of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) were stratified by daily cigarette smoking status at Wave 1, and individuals with unchanged smoking status between waves were analyzed (nonsmokers [consisting of never and former daily smokers]: N = 22 529; daily smokers: N = 7442). We created composites of other- and self-directed violence and victimization occurring between Waves 1 and 2, and performed logistic regression models, controlling for psychiatric diagnoses, alcohol and substance use, and relevant demographic covariates. Daily smokers at Wave 1 were 2.1 (95% CI: 1.5-3.0), 2.5 (2.1-2.9), and 1.7 (1.5-2.1) times more likely than nonsmokers to report self-directed violence, other-directed violence, or victimization between Waves 1 and 2, respectively. Former daily smokers were significantly less likely to report other-directed violence than individuals who were never daily smokers. Daily cigarette smoking is temporally associated with multiple forms of violence compared to never and former cigarette smokers, even when common covariates associated with violence are controlled. Smoking status should be carefully controlled for in studies designed to identify risk factors for violence, and may be a useful component of violence risk assessment. The findings suggest that cigarette smoking status should be carefully and systematically controlled for in studies of violence risk factors. The findings also support further investigation of the utility of cigarette smoking status for violence risk assessment, and whether smoking cessation strategies mitigate violence risk.

Interleukin-10 modulates pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation induced by cigarette smoke exposure

ABSTRACTAim of the Study: Interleukin (IL)-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine, but its role in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced inflammation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of IL-10 deficiency on CS-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice in vivo and in vitro. Materials and Methods: IL-10-deficient and wild-type control mice with a C57BL6/J genetic background were exposed to CS, and inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and mRNA of cytokines in lung were evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: During 12 days of daily CS exposure to wild-type mice, neutrophil counts in BAL fluid and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α mRNA expression were increased, peaked at day 8, and then declined on day 12 when the level of IL-10 reached its peak. In IL-10-deficient mice, neutrophil recruitment and TNF-α mRNA levels induced by CS exposure were significantly greater than those in wild-type mice. Keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC; murine ortholog of human CXCL8) and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mRNA levels or matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-9 protein levels were not correlated with neutrophil count. Conclusions: IL-10 had a modulatory effect on CS-induced pulmonary neutrophilic inflammation and TNF-α expression in mice in vivo and therefore appears to be an important endogenous suppressor of airway neutrophilic inflammation.

Current cigarette smoking among adults - United States, 2005-2014.

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, resulting in approximately 480,000 premature deaths and more than $300 billion in direct health care expenditures and productivity losses each year (1). To assess progress toward achieving the Healthy People 2020 objective of reducing the percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes to ≤12.0%,* CDC assessed the most recent national estimates of smoking prevalence among adults aged ≥18 years using data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 16.8% in 2014. Among daily cigarette smokers, declines were observed in the percentage who smoked 20–29 cigarettes per day (from 34.9% to 27.4%) or ≥30 cigarettes per day (from 12.7% to 6.9%). In 2014, prevalence of cigarette smoking was higher among males, adults aged 25–44 years, multiracial persons and American Indian/Alaska Natives, persons who have a General Education Development certificate, live below the federal poverty level, live in the Midwest, are insured through Medicaid or are uninsured, have a disability or limitation, or are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Proven population-based interventions, including tobacco price increases, comprehensive smoke-free laws, high impact mass media campaigns, and barrier-free access to quitting assistance, are critical to reduce cigarette smoking and smoking-related disease and death among U.S. adults.

State space modeling of time-varying contemporaneous and lagged relations in connectivity maps

Most connectivity mapping techniques for neuroimaging data assume stationarity (i.e., network parameters are constant across time), but this assumption does not always hold true. The authors provide a description of a new approach for simultaneously detecting time-varying (or dynamic) contemporaneous and lagged relations in brain connectivity maps. Specifically, they use a novel raw data likelihood estimation technique (involving a second-order extended Kalman filter/smoother embedded in a nonlinear optimizer) to determine the variances of the random walks associated with state space model parameters and their autoregressive components. The authors illustrate their approach with simulated and blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 30 daily cigarette smokers performing a verbal working memory task, focusing on seven regions of interest (ROIs). Twelve participants had dynamic directed functional connectivity maps: Eleven had one or more time-varying contemporaneous ROI state loadings, and one had a time-varying autoregressive parameter. Compared to smokers without dynamic maps, smokers with dynamic maps performed the task with greater accuracy. Thus, accurate detection of dynamic brain processes is meaningfully related to behavior in a clinical sample.

Cross-section survey on smoking behavior and cognition in Chongqing, 2014

To investigate the prevalence of smoking, smoking cessation, passive smoking and awareness of the dangers of tobacco in population in Chongqing and provide evidence for developing prevention and control measures. A total of 5 400 residents aged ≥18 years were selected from 9 districts/counties in Chongqing through stratified multi-stage cluster sampling and face-to-face interviews were conducted among them. Indicators as current smoking rates, smoking cessation rates and passive smoking rates were calculated by the weight of age proportions from 2010 population census. The analytical method was based on complex sampling design. The current smoking rate of the residents aged ≥18 years was 27.4% (male: 53.5% and female: 1.1%), which was highest in age group 40-50 years (58.4%) for males. The current smoking rate among rural residents was higher than that in urban residents. The prevalence of daily cigarette smoking was 27.5%, which was significantly higher in southeastern Chongqing. The rate of passive smoking was 52.4%. Among daily smokers, the mean number of cigarettes smoked was 17.5 per day (men: 17.6 per day; women: 13.5 per day). The daily smoked cigarette number in males was higher in age group 40-50 years (20.1 per day) and those with junior middle school education level (18.9 per day). The proportion of the current smokers who smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day (the rate of heavy smoker) was higher in males than in females and in rural residents than in urban residents. The proportion of heavy smokers was 59.3%, which was highest in age group 40-50 years (66.8%), followed by those with junior middle school educational level (65.2%). The average age of smokers when they stared to smoke was 20.8 years old, which was low in males and rural residents. About 80.2% of the smokers stared to smoke under 25 years old, and 70.3% of the smokers stared to smoke between 15 and 25 years old. The overall rate of smoking cessation was 20.1% and the successful smoking cessation rate was 13.7%. The two rates increased with age, the successful smoking cessation rate was lowest in age group 18-40 years (4.8%). The awareness of the tobacco risk related knowledge seemed poor among the residents, only 19.6% of the residents were aware that smoking could cause serious diseases (stoke, heart disease and lung cancer). 21.9% of the residents were aware that passive smoking could cause serious diseases (heart disease, lung disease and lung cancer). Current prevalence of smoking in males in Chongqing remains at a high level, indicating that the publicity programs on the tobacco risk related knowledge needs to be strengthened and the tobacco control needs more efforts. The tobacco control in Chongqing is still facing serious challenge.

The indirect effect of emotion dysregulation in terms of negative affect and smoking-related cognitive processes

IntroductionAlthough negative affect is associated with a number of smoking-related cognitive processes, the mechanisms underlying these associations have yet to be examined. The current study sought to examine the indirect effect of emotion regulation difficulties in terms of the association between negative affect and smoking-related cognitive processes (internal barriers to cessation, negative affect reduction smoking motives, negative affect reduction smoking outcome expectancies). MethodParticipants were 126 daily cigarette smokers (70.4% male, Mage=36.5years, SD=13.0; 69.8% Caucasian) who smoked an average of 18.5 (SD=8.7) cigarettes per day and reported moderate nicotine dependence. ResultsFormal mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS to examine the indirect effect of negative affect on internal barriers to cessation and negative affect reduction smoking motives and outcome expectancies through emotion regulation difficulties. After accounting for the effects of gender, daily smoking rate, and anxiety sensitivity, negative affect was indirectly related to internal barriers to cessation and negative affect reduction smoking motives through emotion regulation difficulties. There was no significant indirect effect for negative affect reduction smoking outcome expectancies. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that greater negative affect is associated with a desire to smoke to reduce this negative affect and perceptions that quitting smoking will be difficult due to negative emotions because of greater difficulties managing these negative emotions. Thus, emotion regulation difficulties may be an important target for smoking cessation interventions.

Cannabis use and other predictors of the onset of daily cigarette use in young men: what matters most? Results from a longitudinal study.

BackgroundAccording to the gateway hypothesis, tobacco use is a gateway of cannabis use. However, there is increasing evidence that cannabis use also predicts the progression of tobacco use (reverse gateway hypothesis). Unfortunately, the importance of cannabis use compared to other predictors of tobacco use is less clear. The aim of this study was to examine which variables, in addition to cannabis use, best predict the onset of daily cigarette smoking in young men.MethodsA total of 5,590 young Swiss men (mean age = 19.4 years, SD = 1.2) provided data on their substance use, socio-demographic background, religion, health, social context, and personality at baseline and after 18 months. We modelled the predictors of progression to daily cigarette smoking using logistic regression analyses (n = 4,230).ResultsIn the multivariate overall model, use of cannabis remained among the strongest predictors for the onset of daily cigarette use. Daily cigarette use was also predicted by a lifetime use of at least 50 cigarettes, occasional cigarette use, educational level, religious affiliation, parental situation, peers with psychiatric problems, and sociability.ConclusionsOur results highlight the relevance of cannabis use compared to other potential predictors of the progression of tobacco use and thereby support the reverse gateway hypothesis.

Initial Validation of the Pleasure and Health Behavior Inventory - A Measure of Motivation to Engage in Health-damaging Behavior to Overcome Deficient Pleasure.

To validate the Pleasure and Health Behavior Inventory (PHBI) - a novel 7-item self-report measure of motivation to engage in addictive, health-damaging behaviors (ie, substance use, gambling, casual sex, overeating) to overcome deficient pleasure. In a cross-sectional analysis of daily cigarette smokers (N = 206), we examined the PHBI's internal consistency, factor structure, and convergent validity with smoking-related characteristics, alcohol and drug use, BMI and other factors. The PHBI had adequate internal consistency and a largely unifactorial structure. The PHBI composite, which amalgamates motivation to engage in several types of unhealthy behaviors for pleasure, positively correlated with unhealthy behaviors. Individual PHBI items were associated with corresponding behavior-specific outcomes. The PHBI may be useful for understanding the psychological underpinnings of health-damaging behavior.

Heavier smoking may lead to a relative increase in waist circumference: evidence for a causal relationship from a Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis. The CARTA consortium.

ObjectivesTo investigate, using a Mendelian randomisation approach, whether heavier smoking is associated with a range of regional adiposity phenotypes, in particular those related to abdominal adiposity.DesignMendelian randomisation meta-analyses using a genetic variant (rs16969968/rs1051730 in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene region) as a proxy for smoking heaviness, of the associations of smoking heaviness with a range of adiposity phenotypes.Participants148 731 current, former and never-smokers of European ancestry aged ≥16 years from 29 studies in the consortium for Causal Analysis Research in Tobacco and Alcohol (CARTA).Primary outcome measuresWaist and hip circumferences, and waist-hip ratio.ResultsThe data included up to 66 809 never-smokers, 43 009 former smokers and 38 913 current daily cigarette smokers. Among current smokers, for each extra minor allele, the geometric mean was lower for waist circumference by −0.40% (95% CI −0.57% to −0.22%), with effects on hip circumference, waist-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI) being −0.31% (95% CI −0.42% to −0.19), −0.08% (−0.19% to 0.03%) and −0.74% (−0.96% to −0.51%), respectively. In contrast, among never-smokers, these effects were higher by 0.23% (0.09% to 0.36%), 0.17% (0.08% to 0.26%), 0.07% (−0.01% to 0.15%) and 0.35% (0.18% to 0.52%), respectively. When adjusting the three central adiposity measures for BMI, the effects among current smokers changed direction and were higher by 0.14% (0.05% to 0.22%) for waist circumference, 0.02% (−0.05% to 0.08%) for hip circumference and 0.10% (0.02% to 0.19%) for waist-hip ratio, for each extra minor allele.ConclusionsFor a given BMI, a gene variant associated with increased cigarette consumption was associated with increased waist circumference. Smoking in an effort to control weight may lead to accumulation of central adiposity.

Nicotine delivery and pharmacologic response from Verve, an oral nicotine delivery product

Verve, an oral nicotine delivery product (ONDP), was introduced by Nu Mark (Altria Client Group, Richmond VA) for smokers to use in places where smoking is prohibited. This study assessed the effect of this ONDP on plasma nicotine levels, heart rate, product satisfaction, and ability to suppress smoking urge and cigarette cravings. Thirteen daily cigarette smokers [8 men and 5 women; average age 33.4years] attended two laboratory sessions, one occurred after overnight tobacco abstinence. Plasma samples were collected before and after ONDP use and measured for nicotine. In non-abstinent smokers, mean plasma nicotine levels increased from 18.3 to 21.0ng/mL. In abstinent smokers, average nicotine levels increased from 3.1 to 4.5ng/mL. After overnight tobacco abstinence, ONDP use significantly (p<0.01) increased heart rate from 69beats per minute (bpm) to 75bpm; while urge to smoke decreased significantly (p<0.01) from a score of 8.6 to 4.9. Participants indicated moderate product satisfaction that was not changed by tobacco abstinence. Analysis of unused ONDP revealed total nicotine levels of 1.68±0.09mg/disc. Spent ONDP discs were also analyzed to determine % nicotine liberated during chewing; results were 80% in the non-abstinent and 82% in the abstinent conditions (ns). Our study results indicate that ONDP use can increase plasma nicotine levels and heart rate and reduce cigarette cravings in abstinent smokers.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Substance Use among Adolescents in Slovenian Urban Area.

BackgroundStudies of the relationship between leisure time physical activity, sedentary behaviour and substance use among adolescents report contradictory results. The aim of our study was to examine the association between self-reported leisure time physical activity, sedentary behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use among adolescents in Slovenia.MethodsSubjects consisted of 822 school children aged from 14 to 16 years, living in urban area of Ljubljana and Maribor. The data was collected using the EURO URHIS 2 survey. Logistic regressions were conducted to assess the correlation between the independent variables of physical activity; time spent watching television and using the computer, and each of the five substance use dependent variables.ResultsFrequency of daily smoking was significantly associated with leisure time physical activity, while alcohol and cannabis use were not. Watching TV ≥ 2 hours per day was associated with heavy episodic drinking in the past month, no associations were found for smoking and cannabis use. Using the computer ≥ 2 hours per day was positively associated with daily smoking, drinking alcohol in the past month, heavy episodic drinking in the past month and ever being intoxicated, while cannabis use was not.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that leisure time physical activity is associated with daily cigarette smoking, and leisure time sedentary behaviour is associated with alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents. The results of our study show the need for the formation of suitable preventive measures concerning reduced sitting time as well as leisure time physical activity targeted to adolescents.