Nicotine Addiction Research Articles

Quitting smoking with…smoke? Unauthorized claims used by herbal cigarette manufacturers.

Herbal cigarettes are made with non-tobacco plant materials (e.g., tea leaves, hemp), are typically sold pre-rolled in packs and with filters, and are combusted and smoked like tobacco cigarettes. Herbal cigarette manufacturers have a history of making misleading health claims and at least one company has previously settled with the US Federal Trade Commission over deceptive advertising. This study examined current claims and product characteristics of herbal cigarettes sold by a popular online retailer. We searched Amazon.com for "herbal cigarettes" and "hemp cigarettes" and identified all herbal cigarette products sold on the first page of search results (n=51). Two coders independently content analyzed each product's Amazon page for claims (e.g., smoking cessation, health), product characteristics (e.g., flavors), and presence of disclaimers and warnings. Overall, 78.4% of product pages made smoking cessation claims (e.g., "A more scientific way to quit smoking", "…decreases nicotine craving symptom and helps to quit tobacco smoking"). Further, 45.1% of product pages included claims describing lower risk/exposure compared to tobacco products (e.g., "…without the addictive nicotine and toxic chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes"). Some herbal products were available in multiple flavors, including menthol (21.6%) and fruit (17.7%). Only 35.3% of products included visible health warnings on product packaging. Many herbal cigarette products sold on Amazon.com make unauthorized cessation and health claims. Regulatory agencies must act decisively to stop the misleading advertising of these products and develop appropriate warnings to educate the public about the potential harms of herbal cigarettes. This content analysis documents the use of unauthorized and misleading claims made in the marketing of herbal cigarettes.These findings highlight the need for enforcement of existing federal regulations, which prohibit deceptive advertising.Research is needed to inform the development of appropriate warning labels that can be used to inform consumers of the potential harms of smoking herbal cigarettes.

Relationship between Nicotine Addiction and Perceived Stress in Students of Faculty of Sport Sciences: Case of A Public University

Relationship between Nicotine Addiction and Perceived Stress in Students of Faculty of Sport Sciences: Case of A Public University

The Role of e-Cigarette Packaging as a Health Communications Tool: A Focus Group Study With Adolescents and Adults in England and Scotland.

In the United Kingdom, e-cigarette and refill packaging must display a nicotine addiction warning. This study explored how this message is perceived, responses to alternative on-pack messages, and other options for using e-cigarette packaging to discourage youth and people who neither smoke nor use e-cigarettes while encouraging smokers to switch. Between August and September 2022, 16 focus groups (n = 70) were conducted to explore these topics with adolescents (n = 31, aged 11-17 years) and adults (n = 39, nonsmokers, smokers that use e-cigarettes, smokers that do not use e-cigarettes) in England and Scotland. While several participants thought the current nicotine addiction warning could help increase awareness of nicotine addiction, most reported that it failed to capture attention and was not a deterrent. Alternative messages shown on packs (about harm, toxicity, wellness, litter, or relative risk) received mixed responses. Relative risk messages were perceived as most beneficial for smokers switching but also thought to potentially encourage uptake among nonsmokers. Some participants considered certain harm and toxicity messages to potentially dissuade uptake. Participants proposed several ideas to reduce the appeal of e-cigarette packaging and devices to deter youth uptake, including more prominent warnings, standardized packaging, and devices that are plain or include health messages. Packaging can play a crucial role in communicating product and health messages to different consumer groups. Further consideration of how packaging and labeling can meet the needs of non-nicotine users while simultaneously reaching those who may benefit from using e-cigarettes to stop smoking is warranted. While some viewed the nicotine addiction warning required on e-cigarettes and refill packaging in the United Kingdom as helpful in raising awareness of nicotine addiction, it did not resonate with most of our sample of adolescents and adults. The findings suggest that e-cigarette packaging could be better used to encourage smokers to switch to a less harmful alternative, with relative risk messages showing promise. Furthermore, strengthening on-pack messaging (eg increasing salience and rotating messages) and reducing the appeal of packaging (eg drab colors) and devices (eg including warnings) may help increase awareness of e-cigarette harms while deterring use among adolescents and nonsmokers.

FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PENGGUNAAN ROKOK ELEKTRIK PADA KALANGAN PEROKOK DEWASA DI INDONESIA

Indonesia is experiencing a tobacco epidemic, with smokers known to be the largest consumers of cigarettes. The increasing use of e-cigarettes among adults raises important public health concerns. E-cigarettes are as harmful as any other tobacco product. Awareness of this trend has sparked discussion about the reasons behind e-cigarette use among adult smokers. This study aimed to determine the factors influencing e-cigarette use among adults. This study used secondary data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Indonesia 2021. The target population included all men and women aged 15 years or older. The data analysis used was logistic regression. The results showed that the variables that significantly influenced the use of e-cigarettes included nicotine addiction (p-value = 0.000), use in places where smoking is prohibited (p-value = 0.016), perception of e-cigarettes is not more dangerous than cigarettes (p-value = 0.002), e-cigarettes are cheaper than tobacco cigarettes (p-value = 0.000).

Perceptions of the Addictiveness of Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Versus Typical Cigarettes and Exposure to Tobacco Industry-Sponsored Corrective Campaign

Background In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a regulatory plan to reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes. This study examines the association of exposure to industry-sponsored corrective statements on perceptions of the addictiveness of low-nicotine cigarettes relative to typical cigarettes within the general US population. Methods The study comprised 4975 US adult respondents of the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 3). Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine associations between exposure to tobacco industry corrective messages and perceptions of the addictiveness of low-nicotine cigarettes relative to typical cigarettes. Results In the overall population, 4.1% reported that low-nicotine cigarettes were much more addictive than typical cigarettes, 67.5% said they were equally addictive, while 28.4% reported they were slightly/much less addictive. Adults exposed to industry-sponsored corrective messages had higher odds of perceiving low-nicotine cigarettes as equally addictive as typical cigarettes (aOR 1.57; 95% CI, 1.13–2.19) than those who saw no corrective messages. Those exposed to the corrective messages specifically about the addictiveness of smoking and nicotine had higher odds of perceiving low-nicotine cigarettes as equally addictive as typical cigarettes (aOR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.07–2.81) compared to those who saw no corrective message. Conclusions Our findings suggest that exposure to court-ordered tobacco industry corrective statements may have reinforced perceptions on the addictive potential of nicotine. However, study findings indicate a need for campaigns specifically tailored to address misperceptions observed in this study.

Evaluating trends in recruitment challenges in vape shop research, e-cigarette product characteristics and use among shop customers from 2019 to 2023: A mixed-methods study.

Brick-and-mortar vape shops specialize in the sale of e-cigarettes and remain a primary source for purchasing emerging e-cigarette products. New regulatory policies have been implemented at local-, state- and federal-level; the retail environment at vape shops and product preferences among vape shop customers shifted accordingly. From 2019 to 2023, we collected anonymous interview data from vape shop customers (n=572) from 83 vape shops in Southern California. We aggregated the data by month and treated each month as the unit of analysis to document changes in recruitment efforts among the vape shops in relation to major policy implementations over 4 years. We also examined the systematic fluctuations and trends in customers' e-cigarette product preferences and nicotine content in these products. The monthly average shop-level consent rate was 52.9% (SD=8.7), with an overall decreasing trend over time. It was necessary for our data collection team to approach a greater number of vape shops to obtain consent with implementation of various state and federal tobacco regulations and following COVID-19. We observed an increase in the purchase of disposable products and nicotine concentrations in the products, while the average use frequency remained the same. Our findings demonstrated that user preferences, product characteristics and challenges in research involving vape shops are closely associated to changes in regulations. We documented a dramatic increase in nicotine concentration in products. Future policies restricting the amount of nicotine in tobacco products at the federal level are necessary to protect consumers from further nicotine addiction. This study provides documentation over time of the drastic increases in nicotine concentration among e-cigarette users as a result of the fluctuations in the product market. Regulating nicotine content in tobacco products could safeguard against further unsafe modifications in e-cigarettes and other types of tobacco products.

Altered dynamic functional connectivity of insular subdivisions among male cigarette smokers.

Insular subdivisions show distinct patterns of resting state functional connectivity with specific brain regions, each with different functional significance in chronic cigarette smokers. This study aimed to explore the altered dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) of distinct insular subdivisions in smokers. Resting-state BOLD data of 31 smokers with nicotine dependence and 27 age-matched non-smokers were collected. Three bilateral insular regions of interest (dorsal, ventral, and posterior) were set as seeds for analyses. Sliding windows method was used to acquire the dFC metrics of different insular seeds. Support vector machine based on abnormal insular dFC was applied to classify smokers from non-smokers. We found that smokers showed lower dFC variance between the left ventral anterior insula and both the right superior parietal cortex and the left inferior parietal cortex, as well as greater dFC variance the right ventral anterior insula with the right middle cingulum cortex relative to non-smokers. Moreover, compared to non-smokers, it is found that smokers demonstrated altered dFC variance of the right dorsal insula and the right middle temporal gyrus. Correlation analysis showed the higher dFC between the right dorsal insula and the right middle temporal gyrus was associated with longer years of smoking. The altered insular subdivision dFC can classify smokers from non-smokers with an accuracy of 89.66%, a sensitivity of 96.30% and a specify of 83.87%. Our findings highlighted the abnormal patterns of fluctuating connectivity of insular subdivision circuits in smokers and suggested that these abnormalities may play a significant role in the mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction and could potentially serve as a neural biomarker for addiction treatment.

Health Risks Associated with Tobacco Consumption in Humans: An Overview

Tobacco use remains a significant public health concern globally, with over 8 million anticipated deaths annually by 2030, despite declining rates in some high-income nations. Smoking is prevalent worldwide, particularly in developing and middle-income countries, where over 80% of smokers reside. The inhalation of tobacco substances leads to various diseases, including cancer and respiratory ailments, resulting in more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis, and other major causes combined. Secondhand smoke exposure also poses significant health risks. The economic burden of tobacco-related deaths and diseases is substantial, especially in low- and middle-income economies, where almost 80% of tobacco-related deaths occur. Lack of awareness, societal influence, and ineffective enforcement of anti-tobacco laws contribute to widespread tobacco use. Although anti-tobacco campaigns and policies have shown some success, challenges persist, particularly in rural areas where tobacco dependence is high. In India, despite declining tobacco use attributed to awareness campaigns and increased taxes on cigarettes, certain demographics, such as middle-aged individuals, illiterates, and rural residents, continue to have high tobacco consumption rates due to inadequate implementation of anti-tobacco norms and limited access to information. Quitting smoking can significantly extend life expectancy and reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases. However, nicotine addiction poses a challenge, with only a small percentage of users successfully quitting without assistance. Professional support and cessation drugs can double the likelihood of successful quitting, and nicotine replacement therapy has shown effectiveness. Overall, there is no safe level of cigarette use, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive tobacco control efforts to mitigate the global health and economic impacts of tobacco use. This review deals with the health risks associated with tobacco consumption in humans. Keywords: Tobacco, Nicotine, Carcinogens, Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases.

Functions and pharmacology of α2β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors; in and out of the shadow of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Although α2 was the first neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) receptor subunit to be cloned, due to its low level of expression in rodent brain, its study has largely been neglected. This study provides a comparison of the α2 and α4 structures and their functional similarities, especially in regard to the existence of low and high sensitivity forms based on subunit stoichiometry. We show that the pharmacological profiles of the low and high sensitivity forms of α2β2 and α4β2 receptors are very similar in their responses to nicotine, with high sensitivity receptors showing protracted responses. Sazetidine A, an agonist that is selective for the high sensitivity α4 receptors also selectively activates high sensitivity α2 receptors. Likewise, α2 receptors have similar responses as α4 receptors to the positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) and NS9283. We show that the partial agonists for α4β2 receptors, cytisine and varenicline are also partial agonists for α2β2 receptors. Studies have shown that levels of α2 expression may be much higher in the brains of primates than those of rodents, suggesting a potential importance for human therapeutics. High-affinity nAChR have been studied in humans with PET ligands such as flubatine. We show that flubatine has similar activity with α2β2 and α4β2 receptors so that α2 receptors will also be detected in PET studies that have previously presumed to selectively detect α4β2 receptors. Therefore, α2 receptors need more consideration in the development of therapeutics to manage nicotine addiction and declining cholinergic function in age and disease.

Estrogens and Olfactomedins May Induce a Feedback Loop that Increases Nicotine Consumption in Females via the Brain Reward Circuitry

Estrogen is associated with enhanced nicotine use in women, with enhanced vulnerability to nicotine use disorders being associated with higher levels of circulating estrogen. In ovariectomized (OVX) female rats, estradiol (E2) treatments increased estrogen receptor β (ERβ) and not ERα in a key brain reward region, the nucleus accumbens core (NAcore). Therefore, we hypothesized that ERβ might be important in the reward circuitry for regulating nicotine use in females. To determine ERβ-specific functions that might regulate nicotine use, we analyzed large sequencing datasets of estrogen-induced genes and narrowed the list to those expressed in the brain and that have a hormone function. We found one class of genes known as the olfactomedins (OLFMs), which meet these criteria. Therefore, we wanted to determine whether ERα or ERβ regulates the expression of the OLFM isoforms. We used human uterine cells (Ishikawa) that express both ER isoforms and the OLFMs and found that two-hour E2 treatments induced the expression of OLFM1 and OLFM3. However, nicotine only suppressed the E2-induction of OLFM1 and not the others. We next performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays with these cells and treatments using antibodies for ERα, ERβ, or GFP control. We found that the OLFM1 promoter was only enriched by ERβ, and no binding of ERα was observed. We next treated OVX female rats with E2, nicotine, E2+nicotine, or vehicle and found that Olfm1 and Olfm2 significantly increased in the NAcore, and all three OLFM isoforms were significantly higher in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), another key region within the mesolimbic reward pathway. Nicotine suppressed the E2-induced OLFM expression in the NAcore and VTA. These new findings suggest that ERβ-induction of the olfactomedins might serve as a feedback loop for driving nicotine addiction processes, which is suppressed when nicotine is on board. These results indicate a potential new target for therapeutic cessation of nicotine use in women. None. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Is impulsivity related to attentional bias in cigarette smokers? An exploration across levels of nicotine dependency and deprivation.

Research has largely focused on how attentional bias to smoking-related cues and impulsivity independently influence the development and maintenance of cigarette smoking, with limited exploration of the relationship between these mechanisms. The current experiments systematically assessed relationships between multiple dimensions of impulsivity and attentional bias, at different stages of attention, in smokers varying in nicotine dependency and deprivation. Nonsmokers (NS; n = 26), light-satiated smokers (LS; n = 25), heavy-satiated smokers (HS; n = 23) and heavy 12-hour nicotine-deprived smokers (HD; n = 30) completed the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, delayed discounting task, stop-signal task, information sampling task and a visual dot-probe assessing initial orientation (200 ms) and sustained attention (2000 ms) toward smoking-related cues. Sustained attention to smoking-related cues was present in both HS and LS, while initial orientation bias was only evident in HS. HS and LS also had greater levels of trait motor and nonplanning impulsivity and heightened impulsive choice on the delay discounting task compared with NS, while heightened trait attentional impulsivity was only found in HS. In contrast, in HD, nicotine withdrawal was associated with no attentional bias but heightened reflection impulsivity, poorer inhibitory control and significantly lower levels of impulsive choice relative to satiated smokers. Trait and behavioral impulsivity were not related to the extent of attentional bias to smoking-related cues at any stage of attention, level of nicotine dependency or state of deprivation. Findings have both clinical and theoretical implications, highlighting the unique and independent roles impulsivity and attentional bias may play at different stages of the nicotine addiction cycle.

Acute nicotine activates orectic and inhibits anorectic brain regions in rats exposed to chronic nicotine

Nicotine use produces psychoactive effects, and chronic use is associated with physiological and psychological symptoms of addiction. However, chronic nicotine use is known to decrease food intake and body weight gain, suggesting that nicotine also affects central metabolic and appetite regulation. We recently showed that acute nicotine self-administration in nicotine-dependent animals produces a short-term increase in food intake, contrary to its long-term decrease of feeding behavior. As feeding behavior is regulated by complex neural signaling mechanisms, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that nicotine intake in animals exposed to chronic nicotine may increase activation of pro-feeding regions and decrease activation of pro-satiety regions to produce the acute increase in feeding behavior. FOS immunohistochemistry revealed that acute nicotine intake in nicotine self-administering animals increased activation of the pro-feeding arcuate and lateral hypothalamic nuclei and decreased activation of the pro-satiety parabrachial nucleus. Regional correlational analysis also showed that acute nicotine changes the functional connectivity of the hunger/satiety network. Further dissection of the role of the arcuate nucleus using electrophysiology found that putative POMC neurons in animals given chronic nicotine exhibited decreased firing following acute nicotine application. These brain-wide central signaling changes may contribute to the acute increase in feeding behavior we see in rats after acute nicotine and provide new areas of focus for studying both nicotine addiction and metabolic regulation.

ВЕРОЯТНОСТЬ ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ НИКОТИНОВОЙ ЗАВИСИМОСТИ У КУРЯЩИХ ПАЦИЕНТОК С ХРОНИЧЕСКОЙ ОБСТРУКТИВНОЙ БОЛЕЗНЬЮ ЛЕГКИХ С УЧЕТОМ СТАЖА КУРЕНИЯ И КОЛИЧЕСТВА ВЫКУРИВАЕМЫХ СИГАРЕТ

Introduction. This paper presents the results of assessing the likelihood of developing nicotine addiction, depending on smoking history and on the number of cigarettes smoked per day by women of fertile age. The aim is to establish the prognostic probability of nicotine addiction development in smokers, depending on smoking history and on the number of cigarettes smoked. Materiаls and Methods. The prospective study included 107 smoking female patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and nicotine addiction of different stages (hereinafter referred to as nicotine addiction). The patients were divided into 2 groups, depending on their secondhand smoke: 53 smoking patients with and 54 smoking patients without secondhand smoke. The observational group consisted of 42 non-smoking women without any chronic diseases. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was diagnosed based on the clinical recommendations of the Russian Respiratory Society (2021). Reliability of the outcomes was assessed using the methods of parametric and nonparametric statistics. Prior to the application of all statistical research methods, we checked whether our sam- pling complied with the Gaussian (normal) distribution law. The distribution law was described using the Kolmogorov- Smirnov and Lilliefors normality criteria, and a single-sample Shapiro-Wilco normality test. Nonlinear links of binary features with quantitative or qualitative features were evaluated using logistic regression. Logistic regression analysis made it possible to create a statistical model for predicting the probability of an event based on available data. Results and Discussion. With an average smoking activity of 14 cigarettes per day, the onset of nicotine addiction in the first group (a combination of active and secondhand smoke) began with the smoking experience of 12 years, reaching the maximum probability with the experience of 15 years. In the second group, nicotine addiction appeared and reached its maximum (100 %) four years later than in the first group. With an increase in the number of cigarettes up to 16 per day, an identical pattern was observed within the course of earlier nicotine addiction. Conclusions. Secondhand smoke, in addition to active smoking, increases the nicotine load with the development of more pronounced prerequisites for the pathogenetic processes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease development.

АНАЛИЗ ВЗАИМОСВЯЗИ НИКОТИНОВОЙ ЗАВИСИМОСТИ И ПАССИВНОГО КУРЕНИЯ СО СТЕПЕНЬЮ ТЯЖЕСТИ ХРОНИЧЕСКОЙ ОБСТРУКТИВНОЙ БОЛЕЗНИ ЛЕГКИХ У КУРЯЩИХ ЖЕНЩИН РЕПРОДУКТИВНОГО ВОЗРАСТА

Introduction. We studied the nicotine addiction stage and secondhand smoke interrelationships with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity in smokers of reproductive age. Aim of the study was to research in the nicotine addiction and secondhand smoke impact upon the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity in smoking women of reproductive age. Materials and Methods. Using the questionnaire methodology developed, the nicotine addiction stage was analyzed in reproductive women with and without secondhand smoke (based on questionnaire survey outcomes). There were 107 smoking female patients of reproductive age divided into two groups: Those with secondhand smoke and those without it. Observational group consisted of 42 non-smoking women without any chronic diseases. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was diagnosed based on the clinical recommendations of the Russian Respiratory Society (2021). The data obtained during the study were analyzed followed by the comparison of the outcomes between the groups of smoking patients with secondhand and non-secondhand smoking, against the observational group. The outcomes led us to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship between secondhand smoke and nicotine addiction stage in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The reliability of the outcomes was assessed using the methods of parametric and nonparametric statistics. Before using all statistical research methods, we checked whether the sampling complied with the Gaussian (normal) distribution law. Variables that did not obey the normal distribution law or those with the uncertain distribution law were analyzed using a nonparametric statistical method, i. e., Pearson criterion. Results and Discussion. Average age of the smoking patients is 26.5 years. Average index of smokers was 6.59 pack-years. The smokers’ index exceeded the middle of the indicator contributing to the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease development (10 pack – years), which is typical for a young age and their smoking experience. It was found that the nicotine addiction stage correlates with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity with a statistically significant reliability. Conclusions. Secondhand smoke in addition to active smoking, reduces the temporal characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity.

Prevalence of smoking and consumption of nicotine-containing products among students of medical and technical universities (PROTECT)

BACKGROUND: The article presents data of the study “Prevalence of smoking and consumption of nicotine-containing products among students of medical and technical universities” (PROTEСT), carried out in 2023 at North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov and Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI) named after V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin).
 AIM: To study the prevalence and patterns of consumption of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, attitudes to smoking behaviour.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a random sample of student groups included 1105 respondents.
 RESULTS: The average age of respondents was 20.7 ± 2.0 years, 44.3% were men. 6.8% of participants smoked cigarettes; more often men than women (9.4 vs. 4.7%, p 0.01). The prevalence of nicotine-containing products consumption was 15.7%. There were no differences by gender (men 15.7% and women 15.8%). The use of a combination of cigarettes and nicotine-containing products was noted by 6.6% of students, which led to increase the tobacco smokers number to 13.4%; and the number of people consuming nicotine-containing products to 22.4%. The main reason for starting smoking/consuming nicotine-containing products was the example of friends (in 35.8 and 34% of cases). The reason for the start of smoking and consuming nicotine-containing products were problems in school and family among 21.1% of women and 6.6% of men (p 0.05), and nicotine-containing products by 16.0% of women and 5.7% of men (p 0.05). The majority of consumers of cigarettes and nicotine-containing products combination (38.4%) use them in a 20/80 ratio. Among the respondents, the proportion of smoking relatives is 40.3%, friends — 66.2%, classmates/dormitory neighbors — 71.9%.
 CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in tobacco smoking and an increase in the proportion of people using nicotine-containing products and their combination with tobacco, as well as the absence of gender differences in nicotine-containing products consumption, indicates a change in the smoking behavior of students and increases the risk of developing nicotine addiction and harmful health consequences. Differences in the motivation for starting smoking/using nicotine-containing product among men and women requires more detailed study.

Tobacco use profile among COVID-19 infected adults and clinical disease spectrum in Qatar during the early pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective To describe the tobacco use profile among COVID-19-infected adult smokers, to assess the nicotine addiction level, and its impact on the disease progression and outcome in Qatar during the early pandemic. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted between May 2020 and May 2021. Setting Electronic medical records from Qatar’s National Health Information System under the Communicable Disease Center. Participants All confirmed COVID-19-infected adults who could communicate in English and Arabic were randomly selected and invited to participate in a telephone survey. Result Among 576 subjects, 118 (20.48%) had a smoking history, with 76.3% being current tobacco smokers and 23.7% former smokers. Current smokers were predominantly male (93.3%), single (51.1%), and highly educated (80%). Cigarette smoking was prevalent among 66.4% of current smokers, with 49.3% smoking ten or fewer cigarettes daily and 71% having low nicotine dependence. In addition, many cigarette users smoked more than one tobacco product during the pandemic. Among COVID-19-infected smokers, 75.6% were symptomatic, and highly nicotine-addicted individuals experienced more hospitalizations, including ICU admissions, with all deaths occurring in this group. Conclusion This research concludes that deaths and poor health outcomes were more frequent among COVID-19-infected smokers. Prioritizing smokers for vaccination and promoting cessation is critical.

Evaluation of a smoking cessation program for adults with severe mental illness in a public mental health service.

Smoking rates have decreased in the general population but remain high among people with severe mental illness (SMI). An individualized smoking cessation program was tested with 99 adults with SMI. The program showed it is possible to help people with SMI smoke fewer cigarettes and reduce nicotine addiction. Customized smoking cessation programs are essential for those with high nicotine dependence and mental health challenges. Mental health services should offer tailored tobacco cessation programs because these programs can improve the health of people with mental illness who smoke. It is important for mental health services to follow government guidelines and provide evidence-based support. INTRODUCTION: Despite significant reductions in smoking rates in the general population over recent decades, smoking rates remain relatively unchanged among people with SMI. To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Keep Quitting in Mind pilot program, an individualized smoking cessation program for people experiencing SMI. In total, 99 adult participants with SMI and engaged with a community mental health service, participated in the intervention. The intervention included motivational interviewing and goal setting, in addition to provision of pharmaceutical aids (including nicotine replacement therapy). Analysis determined that the Keep Quitting in Mind pilot program was feasible in a public adult mental health service and participation in the program was associated with reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked daily and level of nicotine addiction. This real-world pilot program demonstrated feasibility and potential effectiveness in reducing smoking among adults with mental illness. Aligning with government guidelines, tailored smoking cessation programs are crucial due to high nicotine dependence and mental health complexities. Given the high rates of cigarette smoking by people with mental illness and the cardiometabolic health risks associated with this, mental health services should consider adding evidence-based and bespoke tobacco cessation programs as part of core business.

Integrated use of biofeedback and neurofeedback techniques in treating pathological conditions and improving performance: a narrative review.

In recent years, the scientific community has begun tо explore the efficacy оf an integrated neurofeedback + biofeedback approach іn various conditions, both pathological and non-pathological. Although several studies have contributed valuable insights into its potential benefits, this review aims tо further investigate its effectiveness by synthesizing current findings and identifying areas for future research. Our goal іs tо provide a comprehensive overview that may highlight gaps іn the existing literature and propose directions for subsequent studies. The search for articles was conducted on the digital databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies to have used the integrated neurofeedback + biofeedback approach published between 2014 and 2023 and reviews to have analyzed the efficacy of neurofeedback and biofeedback, separately, related to the same time interval and topics were selected. The search identified five studies compatible with the objectives of the review, related to several conditions: nicotine addiction, sports performance, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The integrated neurofeedback + biofeedback approach has been shown to be effective in improving several aspects of these conditions, such as a reduction in the presence of psychiatric symptoms, anxiety, depression, and withdrawal symptoms and an increase in self-esteem in smokers; improvements in communication, imitation, social/cognitive awareness, and social behavior in ASD subjects; improvements in attention, alertness, and reaction time in sports champions; and improvements in attention and inhibitory control in ADHD subjects. Further research, characterized by greater methodological rigor, is therefore needed to determine the effectiveness of this method and the superiority, if any, of this type of training over the single administration of either. This review іs intended tо serve as a catalyst for future research, signaling promising directions for the advancement оf biofeedback and neurofeedback methodologies.

Medical societies in Germany call for a ban on flavors in e-cigarettes - A Position Paper of the German Respiratory Society (DGP) in cooperation with other professional associations and organizations

E-cigarettes are primarily used by teenagers and young adults. Flavors in e-cigarettes increase their attractiveness and encourage young people and adults to start using them. This exposes young people in particular to the risk of nicotine addiction and various toxic substances from the aerosol of e-cigarettes. There are indications that various flavors in e-cigarettes are harmful to health, although toxicological studies are still lacking for the majority of flavors. There is a need for independent scientific investigations in this area. The scientific societies involved are calling for a ban on flavors in e-cigarettes, a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, effective regulation of the sale of e-cigarettes and effective control and implementation of the provisions for the protection of minors.

Biomarker Assessment of Nicotine Exposure Among Adolescent E-Cigarette Users: 2018-2019.

Despite the increasing prevalence of vaping e-cigarettes among adolescents, there remains a lack of population-level assessments regarding the objective measurement of nicotine exposure. This study analyzed a nationally representative sample of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years from Wave 5 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study conducted between 2018 and 2019. Urinary nicotine metabolites, including cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (3-HC), were assessed among exclusive nonnicotine e-cigarette users (n = 56), exclusive nicotine e-cigarette users (n = 200), and nonusers (n = 1059). We further examined nicotine exposure by past 30-day vaping frequency (ie, occasional [1-5 days], intermittent [6-19 days], and frequent [20+ days]) and flavor types among nicotine e-cigarette users. Multivariable linear regressions tested pairwise group effects, and biomarkers were normalized by the log transformation. Compared with nonusers, both nonnicotine and nicotine e-cigarette users exhibited higher levels of cotinine and 3-HC. Nicotine e-cigarette users had mean cotinine concentrations (61.3; 95% confidence interval, 23.8-158.0, ng/mg creatinine) approximately 146 times higher (P < .0001) than nonusers (0.4; 0.3-0.5), whereas nonnicotine users (4.9; 1.0-23.2) exhibited cotinine concentrations ∼12 times higher (P = .02). Among nicotine e-cigarette users, the levels of cotinine and 3-HC increased by vaping frequency, with cotinine increasing from 10.1 (2.5-40.1) among occasional users to 73.6 (31.8-170.6) among intermittent users and 949.1 (482.5-1866.9) among frequent users. Nicotine exposure was not significantly different by flavor type. E-cigarette use poses health-related risks resulting from nicotine exposure among adolescents. Comprehensive regulations of e-cigarette products and marketing, vaping prevention, cessation, and public policies are needed to prevent youth from developing nicotine addiction.