Negative Health Effects Of Smoking Research Articles

Electrophysiological Evaluation of Common Peroneal Nerve in Chronic Cigarette Smokers.

Background: Researchers have identified multiple negative health effects of smoking on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. It was recently reported that substances in cigarette smoke also have pathological effects on peripheral nerves, which causes neuronal impairment. The common peroneal nerve conduction study is an essential electrodiagnostic test of the lower limb for the detection of peripheral motor nerve dysfunction.Objectives: To assess the potential influence of smoking on the electrophysiological status of common peroneal nerve in young male chronic cigarette smokers.Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka, from July 2017 to June 2018, including thirty male cigarette smokers aged 25 to 40 years. For comparison, another thirty age and BMI-matched healthy male non-smoker subjects were selected in the control group. The electrophysiological parameters (distal latency, amplitude, and motor nerve conduction velocity) of the left common peroneal nerve were evaluated by standard methods in the Department of Neurology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital. For the statistical analysis, an independent t-test was performed.Result: In this study, the mean distal latency of the common peroneal nerve was slightly prolonged, while the mean amplitude was slightly reduced in smokers. However, these changes were not statistically significant. However, the motor nerve conduction velocity was significantly (p ˂ 0.05) slower in cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers.Conclusion: Chronic cigarette smoking causes significant impairment of common peroneal motor nerve conduction, while it does not affect the amplitude in young individuals. KYAMC Journal Volume: 14, No: 03, October 2023: 111-115.

Cannabidiol as a potential cessation therapeutic: Effects on intravenous nicotine self-administration and withdrawal symptoms in mice

Cigarette smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and death worldwide. Due to the devastating negative health effects of smoking, many users attempt to quit, but few are successful in the long-term. Thus, there is a critical need for novel therapeutic approaches. In these investigations, we sought to examine whether cannabidiol (CBD) has the potential to be repurposed as a nicotine cessation therapeutic. In the first study, male and female mice were trained to respond for intravenous nicotine infusions at either a low or moderate nicotine dose and then were pretreated with CBD prior to their drug-taking session. We found that CBD produced a significant decrease in the number of nicotine rewards earned, and this effect was evidenced across CBD doses and with both the low and moderate levels of nicotine intake. These effects on drug intake were not due to general motor-related effects, since mice self-administering food pellets did not alter their behavior with CBD administration. The potential effects of CBD in mitigating nicotine withdrawal symptoms were then investigated. We found that CBD attenuated the somatic signs of nicotine withdrawal and prevented nicotine's hyperalgesia-inducing effects. Taken together, these results demonstrate that modulation of cannabinoid signaling may be a viable therapeutic option as a smoking cessation aid.

Conveying The Negative Health Consequences of Smoking For The Development of School-Based Social Marketing Programs: An Experimental Study

Cigarette products certainly have a negative impact on health, especially for teenagers. Although there is a growing body of literature on the positive social influence of peers as a preventative measure, it is unclear how they react when convinced of the truth of its negative impact on health. This experimental study aims to examine the impact of negative health consequences on adolescents' emotions and behavior. Through an online invitation and randomization process, 78 high school students from South Sumatra Province, Indonesia were eligible to participate in the online experimental study. We compared two groups (experimental vs. control) to examine the impact of negative health consequences on their emotions (empathy) and behavior (prosocial behavior). Our findings show that, as compared to adolescents in the non-convincing health message condition (n=40), adolescents in the convincing negative health message condition (n=38) had higher empathy (sign=0.005) and prosocial behavior (sign=0.028) to assist their smoking peers. Our findings provide a valuable information to sustainability development in the future through reducing underage smokers. We suggest that the use of convincing method to develop a school-based social marketing program for handling adolescent smoking problem

Parents Role in Providing Health Care for Their Children (Analytical Study of Smoking Parents and Children)

The health consequences of smoking are well-known, and yet, children continue to smoke, placing their health and well-being at risk. Parents of smoking children play a crucial role in facilitating healthcare for their children and promoting healthy habits. However, caring for smoking children can be challenging, and parents who smoke face several unique challenges when providing healthcare for their children. This study aimed to explore the challenges faced by parents of smoking children when providing healthcare for their children and to identify potential intervention strategies that can facilitate better healthcare provision. A qualitative research design was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 parents who had smoking children. Thematic analysis was performed to identify common patterns and themes in the data. The study found that parents face several challenges when caring for their smoking children, including difficulty in communicating with their children about smoking, worry about the negative health effects of smoking, difficulty in accessing healthcare services, inadequate parental education, and limited availability of family-friendly work environments. Parents highlighted the need for multi-pronged approaches to address these challenges, including parental education programs, health promotion campaigns, policy advocacy, and the use of technology. Parental education programs can empower parents by providing them with knowledge and skills to manage and prevent smoking in their children. Health promotion campaigns can reinforce the benefits of healthy habits and promote a smoke-free environment. Policy advocacy can facilitate changes in policies and regulations to improve healthcare access and support family-friendly work environments. The use of technology, such as telemedicine, can provide parents with access to healthcare services from the comfort of their homes. In conclusion, caring for smoking children can be challenging for parents who smoke. This study highlights the need to develop tailored intervention strategies to address the challenges faced by parents and to improve healthcare provision for smoking children. The recommended intervention strategies can help parents to better manage and prevent smoking in their children and promote healthy habits, leading to improved health outcomes for smoking children. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these intervention strategies in improving healthcare provision for smoking children.

Socioeconomic Factors Related to Nicotine Dependence in Mongolia

Objectives: This study is aimed to investigate potential socio-economic risk factors associated with Nicotine Dependence among UB residents. It is important to identify and understand the various elements that may make people more susceptible to the negative health effects of smoking. Methods: We applied a cross-sectional study design to define the level of nicotine dependence on 875 participants. In addition, risk factors associated with nicotine dependence were assessed through a questionnaire survey. Results: Higher nicotine dependence in this study was associated with being a female (OR=1.208), older age groups (OR=1.5-2.9), divorced (OR=1.091), living in a house (OR=1.602), having a high school education level (OR=1.794), not having a regular job (OR=1.137), having a higher alcohol consumption level (OR=1.18-1.62), and age at initiation of smoking at 18 or younger (OR=1.796). Conclusion: According to the results of our research, countries with low and moderate levels of income, such as Mongolia, have a significant problem with high levels of nicotine dependence. In addition to this, it underscores the importance of developing smoking cessation programs that consider the extent of nicotine dependence while placing a greater emphasis on early interventions of the linked factors.

Economic cost of cigarette smoking in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BackgroundCigarette use is one of the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 41.1% of adults being current smokers in 2019 and almost half of current...

Less harmful ≠ safe: Effects of cigarette graphic health warnings on E-cigarette evaluations

ABSTRACTAs mandated by the FDA, color graphics depicting some of the lesser-known negative health consequences of smoking will soon be required on all cigarette packaging and advertising. Extensive prior research has demonstrated that Graphic Health Warnings (GHW) are a highly cost-effective way to demarket cigarettes. However, the results of this study suggest that GHW may have unintended negative health implications for consumers. While e-cigarette Addiction Warnings (AW) increased fears about the negative health effects of vaping, cigarette GHW decreased fears and beliefs about the negative health effects of vaping. GHW also had an indirect effect on consumers’ beliefs about the negative health risks of vaping. Consumers’ mindfulness (low vs. high) moderated these effects. The results provide initial insight into the inter-relationships between cigarette GHW, e-cigarette AW, and individual difference.

Experienced Effects on Well-Being following Smoking Cessation: Findings from the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Background and Aims: There has been limited research addressing changes in subjective well-being as a result of quitting smoking. This paper examines recent ex-smokers’ well-being related experiences overall and as a function of (1) duration of cessation and (2) continued nicotine use from vaping. Methods: A sample of 1379 ever-daily smoking ex-smokers (quit for up to 5 years) from the 2020 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey (Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US), of which 27.1% currently vaped daily. Well-being measures were perceived changes post-quitting in emotion coping (stress and negative emotions), enjoyment of life, and day-to-day functioning. We also assessed the level of persisting worry about past smoking leading to future health problems. Results: Overall, among those answering all four well-being measures, 51.8% of the ex-smokers reported positive effects and no negatives, but 27.3% reported at least one negative effect, with the remainder reporting no change in any measure. Positive effects were greater among those who had quit more than 1 year prior. The largest improvement (56.3%) was for daily functioning, which showed improvement over time since having quit. Current daily vapers reported similar well-being as those not vaping; however, fewer daily vapers reported worsening ability to cope with stress (10.2% vs. 20.7%). Overall, 84% reported being worried about future negative health effects of smoking, with no clear differences by quitting duration or vaping status. Conclusions: Most ex-smokers reported changes in their well-being since quitting, with more reporting improvements than declines. Well-being improved with duration of time since quitting, but did not appear to be influenced by daily vaping use, but stress coping may be better among vapers. Persisting worries about possible future health effects from smoking may be reducing the experienced benefits of quitting smoking for some.

Biologically Active Compounds Present in Tobacco Smoke: Potential Interactions Between Smoking and Mental Health.

Tobacco dependence remains one of the major preventable causes of premature morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are well over 8,000 compounds present in tobacco and tobacco smoke, but we do not know what effect, if any, many of them have on smokers. Major interest has been on nicotine, as well as on toxic and carcinogenic effects and several major and minor components of tobacco smoke responsible for the negative health effects of smoking have been elucidated. Smokers themselves report a variety of positive effects from smoking, including effects on depression, anxiety and mental acuity. Smoking has also been shown to have protective effects in Parkinson’s Disease. Are the subjective reports of a positive effect of smoking due to nicotine, of some other components of tobacco smoke, or are they a manifestation of the relief from nicotine withdrawal symptoms that smoking provides? This mini-review summarises what is currently known about the components of tobacco smoke with potential to have positive effects on smokers.

Public Support for Cigarette Pack Pictorial Health Warnings Among US Adults: A Cross-sectional Analysis of the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule requiring new warnings for cigarette packages and advertisements. This study examines population-level characteristics of support for-versus neutrality or opposition toward-cigarette pack warnings that use text and images to portray the negative health effects of smoking. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data of US adults age 18 and older from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 3865). Frequencies and weighted proportions were calculated for neutrality toward, opposition to, and support for pictorial warnings across sociodemographics and other predictors. Weighted, multivariable logistic regression examined predictors of being neutral or opposed versus supportive of pictorial warnings. In 2020, an estimated 69.9% of US adults supported pictorial warnings, 9.1% opposed, and 20.9% neither supported nor opposed them. In fully adjusted models, current smokers had almost twice the odds of being neutral or opposed to pictorial warnings as never smokers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99, confidence interval [CI] 1.12, 3.52). Adults 75 years and older (vs. 18-34) (OR = 0.55, CI 0.33, 0.94) and those with children under 18 in their household (vs. no children) (OR = 0.67, CI 0.46, 0.98) were less likely to be neutral or opposed. In advance of the Food and Drug Administration's implementation of pictorial warnings on cigarette packages, nearly 70% of American adults support this policy. Disseminating information about the effectiveness of pictorial warnings may further strengthen support among current smokers who are less supportive than never smokers. Furthermore, framing messages around the benefits of pictorial warnings for protecting youth may increase public support. While public support for pictorial warnings on cigarette packages is high in the United States, it may increase further after policy implementation and be strengthened by utilizing information campaigns that convey the evidence that pictorial warnings are an effective public health strategy.

Association Between Tobacco Retailer Density and Smoking Among Adults With Diabetes and Serious Mental Illness in New York State.

IntroductionSmoking prevalence is high among adults with comorbid diabetes and serious mental illness. This population is at elevated risk of smoking-related health consequences and premature death. We focused on the community environment and investigated the association between tobacco retailer density and smoking in this population.MethodsWe obtained individual-level data from the 2017 Patient Characteristics Survey, a medical record–based survey of patients served by the public mental health system in New York State. We computed the density of state-authorized tobacco retailers at the 3-digit zip code level.ResultsThe data included 19,492 adults (aged ≥18) with comorbid diabetes and serious mental illness. Of these, 55.6% resided in New York City, 53.1% were female, 38.1% were non-Hispanic White, 30.7% were non-Hispanic Black, 25.2% were Hispanic, and 38.1% were smokers, including electronic cigarette users. The density of tobacco retailers (range, 6.1–16.4 per 10,000 population) was positively associated with smoking (odds ratio = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03–1.07) after adjusting for sex, race or ethnicity, education, employment, health insurance coverage, obesity, and region (New York City vs outside New York City). We observed no interaction between region and tobacco retailer density.ConclusionFindings of this study suggest that allocating more smoking cessation resources to zip code areas with a high density of tobacco retailers, especially in rural areas, along with supporting policy change to reduce tobacco retailor density, may mitigate the negative health consequences of smoking among people with comorbid diabetes and serious mental illness.

Less Harmful ¹ Safe: Effects of Cigarette Graphic Health Warnings on E-Cigarette Evaluations

As mandated by the FDA, color graphics depicting some of the lesser-known negative health consequences of smoking will soon be required on all cigarette packaging and advertising. Extensive prior research has demonstrated that Graphic Health Warnings (GHW) are a highly cost-effective way to demarket cigarettes. However, the results of this study suggest that GHW may have unintended negative health implications for consumers. While e-cigarette Addiction Warnings (AW) increased fears about the negative health effects of vaping, cigarette GHW decreased fears and beliefs about the negative health effects of vaping. GHW also had an indirect effect on consumers’ beliefs about the negative health risks of vaping. Consumers’ mindfulness (low vs. high) moderated these effects. The results provide initial insight into the inter-relationships between cigarette GHW, e-cigarette AW, and individual differences.

Aversive drug cues reduce cigarette craving and increase prefrontal cortex activation during processing of cigarette cues in quitting motivated smokers.

Aversive drug cues can be used to support smoking cessation and create awareness of negative health consequences of smoking. Better understanding of the effects of aversive drug cues on craving and the processing of appetitive drug cues in abstinence motivated smokers is important to further improve their use in cessation therapy and smoking-related public health measures. In this study, 38 quitting motivated smokers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while performing a novel extended cue-reactivity paradigm. Pictures of cigarettes served as appetitive drug cues, which were preceded by either aversive drug cues (e.g., smokers' leg) or other cues (neutral or alternative reward cues). Participants were instructed to rate their craving for cigarettes after presentation of drug cues. When aversive drug cues preceded the presentation of appetitive drug cues, behavioural craving was reduced and activations in prefrontal (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and paralimbic (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex [dACC] and anterior insulae) areas were enhanced. A positive association between behavioural craving reduction and neurofunctional activation changes was shown for the right dACC. Our results suggest that aversive drug cues have an impact on the processing of appetitive drug cues, both on a neurofunctional and a behavioural level. A proposed model states that aversive drug-related cues activate control-associated brain areas (e.g., dACC), leading to increased inhibitory control on reward-associated brain areas (e.g., putamen) and a reduction in subjective cravings.

Eye tracking outcomes in smoking health warning labels

Graphic health warning label is an advertisement approach to promote greater public understanding on negative health consequences of smoking. A large volume of data has accumulated on the issue of cigarette smoking health warning labels recently, as the number of smokers are yet still growing, reaching 1.1 billion people who smoked every day. This rising in number of smokers were predicted to significantly impact the number of cases to increase directly proportional related to critical disease such as heart disease and stroke. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy needs for efficient tobacco control, an informative communication campaign and strategy such as pictorial disease warning label that have been conducted since 2009. However, justification of the current evidence on relative warning labels effectiveness are still questionable. This study therefore targeted to investigate the abilities of warning labels in informing the negative consequences related with cigarette smoking, through the cutting technology of eye tracking. 30 students had completed this experiment including both smokers and non-smokers in order to directly assess on how the eye movements react towards the graphic stimuli using eye tracking method. Tobii TX300 eye tracker were used for data collection, filtration and analysis, as the device were more detailed and proven to be less bias compared to usual verbal report. Which helping in interpreting human behaviour in obtaining subjects attention. The collected data sets were further analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. With the small difference in results of significant value at 2.15 x 10−19 for eye movement event occur between two categories of subjects, shows that their eye activities towards pictorial warning labels are significantly same, as both categories of subjects focused on same part of the image. Pictorial warning labels were believed to be inefficient to continue as a strategy of tobacco control nowadays as the result showed that critical disease images were ineffective in informing the negative consequences related with smoking cessation. The findings indicate that the strategies could be improve besides using pictorial warning labels that have been conducted over a decade.

On providing smoking cessation services in alcohol and other drug treatment settings: Results from a U.S. national survey of attitudes among recovering persons

BackgroundNicotine addiction through cigarette use is highly prevalent among individuals suffering from alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems and remains a prominent risk factor for morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization. Whereas most people agree that providing smoking cessation services (SCS) to this vulnerable population is vitally important, the timing of such service provision has been hotly debated, including whether such services should be excluded, available (but not offered), offered, or fully integrated into AOD treatment settings. Important stakeholders in this debate are those in recovery from AOD problems who, in addition to having often been AOD treatment patients themselves, frequently hold influential clinical, research or policy positions and thus can influence the likelihood of SCS provision. This study sought to understand the attitudes of this important stakeholder group in providing SCS in AOD treatment settings. MethodWe assessed a national cross-sectional sample of individuals in recovery from an AOD problem (n = 1973) on whether SCS should be: a. excluded; b. available; c. offered; or d. integrated into AOD services. We estimated associations between participants' demographic, clinical, and recovery support service use history, and SCS attitude variables, using multinomial logistic regression. ResultsRoughly equal proportions endorsed each attitudinal position (23.5% excluded, 25% available, 24.6% offered; 26.9% integrated). Correlates of holding more positive SCS implementation attitudes were Black race; primary substance other than alcohol, greater intensity of former or recent smoking, and less mutual-help organization participation; older individuals achieving recovery between 30 and 40 years ago also had more positive attitudes toward integrating SCS. ConclusionsAbout half of those sampled were either against SCS inclusion in AOD settings or were in favor of making it “available” only, but not in offering it or integrating it. This oppositional pattern was accentuated particularly among those with primary alcohol problem histories and those participating in mutual-help organizations. Given the universally well-known negative health effects of smoking, understanding more about the exact reasons why certain groups of recovering persons may endorse such positions is an area worthy of further investigation, as it may uncover potential barriers to SCS implementation in AOD treatment settings.

Influence of Warning Statements on Understanding of the Negative Health Consequences of Smoking.

Pursuant to the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is developing new cigarette health warnings to convey the negative health consequences of cigarette smoking. This study assessed which of 15 revised warning statements (10 on topics similar to TCA statements and 5 on other topics) promoted greater understanding of cigarette smoking risks relative to TCA statements. In February 2018, adolescent and adult smokers and adolescents susceptible to smoking (n = 2505) completed an online experiment. Control condition participants viewed TCA statements; treatment condition participants viewed combinations of TCA and revised statements. Analyses compared revised statements to TCA statements on the same health topic or to randomly selected TCA statements if there were no statements on the same topic. Relative to TCA statements, 12 of 15 revised statements were more likely to be considered new information, and 12 resulted in more self-reported learning. Three revised statements made participants think more about health risks than TCA statements; the reverse was true for one revised statement. Participants rated most TCA and revised statements as moderately believable and informative. Seven revised statements were found to be less believable and factual, and one revised statement more believable and factual. Treatment condition participants correctly selected more smoking-related health conditions than control condition participants (13.79 versus 12.42 of 25). Findings suggest that revised statements can promote greater understanding of cigarette smoking risks. Results informed FDA's selection of warning text that was paired with images for testing in a follow-up study. The US FDA may adjust the text of the cigarette warning statements provided in the TCA if the revised statements promote greater public understanding of the negative health consequences of cigarette smoking. Most of the revised warning statements tested were more likely to be considered new information and resulted in more self-reported learning compared with paired TCA statements, providing support for using revised statements as part of cigarette health warnings. These results informed the development of pictorial cigarette warnings by FDA that were tested in a follow-up study and included in a proposed rule.

Impact of Pictorial Cigarette Warnings Compared With Surgeon General's Warnings on Understanding of the Negative Health Consequences of Smoking.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires cigarette packages and advertisements to bear health warnings with "color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking." This study assessed whether new US Food and Drug Administration developed pictorial cigarette warnings (PCW) increased understanding of smoking-related risks relative to the current Surgeon General's (SG) warnings. In March-May 2019, adolescent and adult smokers and nonsmokers participated in an online experiment with three sessions completed over approximately 2 weeks. Participants viewed 1 of 16 PCW (treatment conditions) or an SG warning (control) on mock cigarette packages and advertisements. Measures assessed whether warnings provided new information, induced thinking about risks, changed smoking-related health beliefs, and were accurately recalled, among other outcomes. The majority of PCW (≥13 conditions) resulted in greater learning of new information, higher self-reported learning, and greater reports of thinking about smoking risks; they were viewed as more informative, understandable, and attention-drawing compared with the control condition. Most participants believed the warning were factual, although 8 PCW were perceived as less factual than the control. There were changes toward more agreement with health beliefs for 11 PCW between Sessions 1 and 2 and 7 PCW between Sessions 1 and 3. Participants in all treatment conditions were more likely than control condition participants to correctly recall the warning. Across outcomes, PCW related to addiction, death, and quitting did not perform as well as other PCW. Many of the PCW tested increased understanding of the risks associated with cigarette smoking relative to current SG warnings. The Tobacco Control Act requires cigarette packages and advertisements to bear PCW depicting the negative health consequences of smoking. This study tested whether any of 16 newly proposed PCW increased understanding of smoking-related risks relative to existing SG warnings. Results suggest that most PCW tested, particularly those related to less widely known health effects, resulted in greater learning of new information, higher self-reported learning, and greater reports of thinking about smoking risks compared with SG warnings. These results, along with other factors, informed the US Food and Drug Administration's selection of proposed PCW.

Networked collective intelligence improves dissemination of scientific information regarding smoking risks.

Despite substantial investments in public health campaigns, misunderstanding of health-related scientific information is pervasive. This is especially true in the case of tobacco use, where smokers have been found to systematically misperceive scientific information about the negative health effects of smoking, in some cases leading smokers to increase their pro-smoking bias. Here, we extend recent work on ‘networked collective intelligence’ by testing the hypothesis that allowing smokers and nonsmokers to collaboratively evaluate anti-smoking advertisements in online social networks can improve their ability to accurately assess the negative health effects of tobacco use. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, we conducted an online experiment where smokers and nonsmokers (N = 1600) were exposed to anti-smoking advertisements and asked to estimate the negative health effects of tobacco use, either on their own or in the presence of peer influence in a social network. Contrary to popular predictions, we find that both smokers and nonsmokers were surprisingly inaccurate at interpreting anti-smoking messages, and their errors persisted if they continued to interpret these messages on their own. However, smokers and nonsmokers significantly improved in their ability to accurately interpret anti-smoking messages by sharing their opinions in structured online social networks. Specifically, subjects in social networks reduced the error of their risk estimates by over 10 times more than subjects who revised solely based on individual reflection (p < 0.001, 10 experimental trials in total). These results suggest that social media networks may be used to activate social learning that improves the public’s ability to accurately interpret vital public health information.

Recent Updates in Animal Models of Nicotine Withdrawal: Intracranial Self-Stimulation and Somatic Signs.

Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of disease, disability, and death in the world. Despite the negative health consequences of smoking and the fact that most people would like to quit, very few people are able to maintain abstinence. Nicotine, the main psychoactive component of tobacco, is mildly rewarding and plays a role in the initiation and maintenance of smoking. Cessation of nicotine intake induces mild somatic withdrawal symptoms that may contribute to the maintenance of smoking. However, it has been hypothesized that negative affective nicotine withdrawal signs are of greater motivational significance in contributing to relapse and continued smoking (Markou and Koob (eds) Intracranial self-stimulation thresholds as a measure of reward, vol 2. Oxford University Press, New York, 1993; Koob et al., Semin Neurosci 5:351-358, 1993). Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) has been established as a method to assess the acute rewarding properties of nicotine and the dysphoria associated with nicotine withdrawal. The ICSS method provides a means to measure the negative affective aspects of nicotine withdrawal in animal models and may contribute to the understanding of the neurobiological bases of nicotine dependence.

Tobacco Use Worldwide: Legislative Efforts to Curb Consumption.

Tobacco smoking is recognized as a major preventable cause of disease worldwide and is linked to 6 million deaths annually, 30% of which are due to cancer. The negative health consequences of smoking currently represent one of the greatest global public health challenges. Additionally, secondhand smoke, which was declared carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2004, is a major source of morbidity and premature death in nonsmokers, particularly children. Negative health effects associated with exposure to secondhand smoke have been well documented and include lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. International and national policies to implement cost-effective strategies to curtail smoking will have a significant impact on population health and will protect nonsmokers. Effective interventions, such as smoking bans, tobacco price increases, easy access to tobacco cessation treatments, and anti-tobacco media campaigns, should continue. Reducing tobacco use would be a major step towards the goal of decreasing health disparities by 2030, as 80% of the projected tobacco-related deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries.