Vapor Products Research Articles

<< MEMS-Based PVA/PPy/MIP Polymeric- Nanofiber Sensor Fabricated by LIFT-OFF Process for Detection 2,4-Dinitrotoluene Vapor

We designed a highly selective sensor to monitor 2,4-dinitrotoluene vapor. Sensor includes a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based- polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers containing nanoparticles of polypyrrole and molecularly imprinted molecule that fabricated via lift-off process. Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were synthesized by polyvinyl alcohol as a functional polymer, glutaraldehyde as cross-linker and 2,4-dinitrotoluene as the template molecule. SEM, FT-IR and XRD techniques found properties of molecular template nanoparticles and synthesized polypyrrole. Results showed that 56 and 45 nm, respectively, were the typical particle size of synthesized polypyrrole and molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles. Sensor surface was deposited via the electrospinning technique by composite nanofibers like polyvinyl alcohol/polypyrrole/molecularly imprinted polymer. AFM analysis on MEMS surface showed that sensor surface area increased from approximately 300 nm (coating nanofiber) to approximately $3.5~\mu \text{m}$ (coating nano mat). Sensor was characterized by a dynamic set-up designed for the production of explosive vapors at a wide range of concentrations of the explosive vapor (10-1000 ppb). The limit of detection for the sensor was projected as 65 ppb. The developed MEMS sensor was measured at a steady 2,4-dinitrotoluene concentration in presence of vapor from other organic compounds. The developed sensor was highly sensitive and was highly selective against 2,4-dinitrotoluene.

Differences in Levels of Biomarkers of Potential Harm Among Users of a Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Product, Cigarette Smokers, and Never-Smokers in Japan: A Post-Marketing Observational Study.

IntroductionCigarette smoking is associated with the risk of certain diseases, but non-combustible products may lower these risks. The potential long-term health effects of the next-generation non-combustible products (heat-not-burn tobacco products (HNBP) or electronic vapor products) have not been thoroughly studied. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of biomarkers of potential harm (BoPH) of one of HNBP (a novel vapor product: NTV (novel tobacco vapor)), under the conditions of actual use.Aims and MethodsThis study was an observational, cross-sectional, three-group, multi-center study. Exclusive NTV users (NTV, n = 259), conventional cigarette smokers (CC, n = 100) and never-smokers (NS, n = 100) were enrolled. Biomarkers of tobacco smoke exposure (cotinine and total 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL)) and BoPH including parameters of physical pulmonary functions relevant to smoking-related diseases were examined, and subjects answered a questionnaire on cough-related symptoms (J-LCQ) and health-related quality of life (SF-36v2®).ResultsLevels of cotinine, total NNAL and BoPH (high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride, sICAM-1, WBC count, 11-DHTXB2, 2,3-d-TXB2, 8-epi-PGF2α, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), % predicted value of FEV1 (%FEV1) and maximum midexpiratory flow (FEF25-75)) were significantly different in the NTV group as compared to levels in CC group (p < .05). Significantly higher levels of cotinine, total NNAL, and 2,3-d-TXB2, and lower levels of FEV1 and %FEV1, were observed among NTV users compared to the NS group.ConclusionIn a post-marketing study under actual use conditions, BoPH associated with smoking-related disease examined in exclusive NTV users were found to be favorably different from those of CC smokers, a finding attributable to a reduction in exposure to harmful substances of tobacco smoke.ImplicationsCigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary diseases like COPD, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers. There is a growing body of evidence that HNBP reduces the exposure associated with smoking and that there is a favorable change in BoPH. However, long-term effects regarding the relative health risks to HNBP users compared to CC smokers have not been examined. This study provides post-marketing data under actual use conditions of the effects on biomarkers of potential harm in NTV, one of HNBP, exclusive users compared to CC smokers and never-smokers. The evidence suggests that exclusive NTV users have favorable levels of BoPH compared to CC smokers, and that is result from a sustained reduction in exposure to harmful substances of tobacco smoke.

Utilization of WRF 3D Meteorological Data to Calculate Slant Total Delay for InSAR Atmospheric Correction

The atmosphere introduces excess delays into the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signal trajectory, especially in the troposphere. InSAR atmospheric correction methods include the use of SAR data and external water vapor products. The latter is more effective. However, since the removal of atmospheric effects should use atmospheric delay products in the direction of the line of sight (LOS), it is necessary to convert the zenith total delay to slant delay in the LOS direction. Conventionally, the zenith delay is divided by the cosine of the average incident angles to obtain slant phase delays. But this method could cause large errors because it ignores the atmospheric horizontal gradient change and the small-scale vertical structure. These problems can be solved by using three-dimensional atmospheric data simulated by numerical models, especially in the case of intense weather changes or complex terrain. However, few scholars paid attention to the application into InSAR atmospheric correction, because of the computation complexity and low efficiency. As the requirement for higher accuracy and the introduction of large errors caused by increasing incidence angles, it is significantly imperative to make the utmost of this method. Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model can provide the precipitate water vapor (PWV) and refraction index at different levels in the three dimensions, and then the slant total delay can be obtained for removing the atmospheric effect on the InSAR process. The results demonstrate that using 3D data can obtain more accurate slant total delay and improve the accuracy of surface deformation from InSAR technology.

A thermodynamic modeling of 2-bed adsorption desalination to promote main equipment performance

Abstract Adsorption desalination utilizes the discrete adsorption of the water vapor from the evaporator, and is capable of being discharged to the condenser. This study illuminated an advanced cycle of mass and heat recovery among beds, condensers, and evaporators. Morover, the thermodynamic modeling of adsorption desalination systems (ADS) under different operating conditions was investigated. Furthermore, its effect on the evaporator vapor production and the water vapor adsorption and desorption in the adsorption beds were accounted for. Parenthetically, the mathematical model of ADS thermodynamics was validated with the experimental data. Besides, the advanced ADS modeling was conducted via mass and heat recovery among beds, condensers, and evaporators. In addition to the amount of desalinated water, the time history chart of the equipment applied in the process with and without the thermal and mass recovery is also illustrated. Finally, under such operating conditions, the specific daily water production (SDWP) advanced ADS is 153% higher than conventional ADS.

Improvement of Integrated Water Vapor Products from Sentinel-3 OLCI NIR Channels Using Ground-based GPS Measurements

High-quality remote sensing water vapor monitoring plays a vital role in Earth's weather and climate observation. In this work, we developed a model to improve the accuracy of integrated water vapor (IWV) products retrieved from the Ocean and Land Color Instrument (OLCI) near-infrared (NIR) channels using ground-based GPS-derived IWV data. This algorithm uses the empirical regression equations to calibrate the official OLCI IWV products published by Sentinel-3. The reference IWV data, from June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019, from 453 GPS sites over Australia, were employed to calculate the differential IWV data by subtracting GPS IWV data from OLCI IWV data. The OLCI IWV pixels were grouped into two categories according to the quality flag of each pixel. For each group, the relationship between the differential IWV data and the official OLCI IWV products was defined, and the model parameters were independently calculated from each season. The performance of the model was evaluated using reference IWV data from GPS and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 over Australia. Taking GPS IWV data as reference, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) has reduced 27.63% from 3.475 to 2.515 mm for Sentinel-3A, and 18.06% from 4.030 to 3.302 mm for Sentinel-3B. Taking ECMWF IWV data as reference, the RMSE was reduced by 25.27% from 3.490 to 2.608 mm for Sentinel-3A, and by 23.54% from 3.535 to 2.703 mm for Sentinel-3B. The improvement of OLCI IWV products was further confirmed in Mainland China, with smaller RMSE against reference IWV data from 214 GPS stations from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020.

Acute electronic vapour product whole aerosol exposure of 3D human bronchial tissue results in minimal cellular and transcriptomic responses when compared to cigarette smoke

The use of electronic vapour products (EVPs) continues to increase worldwide and with advances in cell culture systems, molecular biology and the computational sciences there is also accumulating evidence of their potential reduced toxicity and reduced potential harm when compared to cigarette smoke. To further understand the potential risks and health effects associated with exposure to EVP aerosols we have assessed the cellular and transcriptomic response from a commercially available lung tissue culture system (MucilAirTM) following a single sub-cytotoxic exposure to cigarette smoke and the equivalent nicotine delivered dose of EVP aerosol. The transcriptomic, cellular (cilia beat frequency (CBF) and percent active area (%AA), trans epithelial electrical resistance (TEER), histology) and cytokine release were assessed at 4- and 48- hours following recovery from air, EVP aerosol (8.4% V/V: mybluTM blueberry flavour, 2.4% nicotine) and 3R4F smoke (3.5% V/V: exposure). No pathological changes were observed at either recovery time point from any exposure. Air and EVP aerosol exposure had no effect on CBF, %AA nor TEER at 48 hours. Exposure to cigarette smoke resulted in a decrease in TEER, an increase in CBF and the release of proinflammatory cytokines at both recovery time points. Although the number of significantly expressed genes was minimal following exposure to EVP aerosol, exposure to 3R4F smoke resulted in a significant upregulation of several disease relevant pathways. These data provide evidence that following an acute exposure to EVP aerosol there is significantly less damage to lung cells in culture than the equivalent, nicotine based, dose of cigarette smoke.

Multi-endpoint analysis of human 3D airway epithelium following repeated exposure to whole electronic vapor product aerosol or cigarette smoke

Smoking is a cause of serious diseases in smokers including chronic respiratory diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the tobacco harm reduction (THR) potential of an electronic vapor product (EVP, myblu™) compared to a Kentucky Reference Cigarette (3R4F), and assessed endpoints related to chronic respiratory diseases. Endpoints included: cytotoxicity, barrier integrity (TEER), cilia function, immunohistochemistry, and pro-inflammatory markers. In order to more closely represent the user exposure scenario, we have employed the in vitro 3D organotypic model of human airway epithelium (MucilAir™, Epithelix) for respiratory assessment. The model was repeatedly exposed to either whole aerosol of the EVP, or whole 3R4F smoke, at the air liquid interface (ALI), for 4 weeks to either 30, 60 or 90 puffs on 3-exposure-per-week basis. 3R4F smoke generation used the ISO 20778:2018 regime and EVP aerosol used the ISO 20768:2018 vaping regime.Exposure to undiluted whole EVP aerosol did not trigger any significant changes in the level of pro-inflammatory mediators, cilia beating function, barrier integrity and cytotoxicity when compared with air controls. In contrast, exposure to diluted (1:17) whole cigarette smoke caused significant changes to all the endpoints mentioned above. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effects of repeated whole cigarette smoke and whole EVP aerosol exposure to a 3D lung model at the ALI. Our results add to the growing body of scientific literature supporting the THR potential of EVPs relative to combustible cigarettes and the applicability of the 3D lung models in human-relevant product risk assessments.

Use of a rapid human primary cell-based disease screening model, to compare next generation products to combustible cigarettes

A growing number of public health bodies, regulators and governments around the world consider electronic vapor products a lower risk alternative to conventional cigarettes. Of critical importance are rapid new approach methodologies to enable the screening of next generation products (NGPs) also known as next generation tobacco and nicotine products. In this study, the activity of conventional cigarette (3R4F) smoke and a range of NGP aerosols (heated tobacco product, hybrid product and electronic vapor product) captured in phosphate buffered saline, were screened by exposing a panel of human cell-based model systems using Biologically Multiplexed Activity Profiling (BioMAP® Diversity PLUS® Panel, Eurofins Discovery). Following exposure, the biological activity for a wide range of biomarkers in the BioMAP panel were compared to determine the presence of toxicity signatures that are associated with specific clinical findings. NGP aerosols were found to be weakly active in the BioMAP Diversity PLUS Panel (≤3/148 biomarkers) whereas significant activity was observed for 3R4F (22/148 biomarkers). Toxicity associated biomarker signatures for 3R4F included immunosuppression, skin irritation and thrombosis, with no toxicity signatures seen for the NGPs. BioMAP profiling could effectively be used to differentiate between complex mixtures of cigarette smoke or NGP aerosol extracts in a panel of human primary cell-based assays. Clinical validation of these results will be critical for confirming the utility of BioMAP for screening NGPs for potential adverse human effects.

Vapor deposition synthesis of polypyrrole nanoparticles with a tunable photothermal conversion capacity

In recent years, nanomaterials have aroused people's interest in the field of biomedicine. Polypyrrole (PPy) has become a research hotspot because of its simple synthesis, excellent photothermal conversion performance, and high biocompatibility. Here, we report the synthesis of PPy nanoparticles (PPy-PVP NPs) using a vapor deposition method, for tumor photothermal therapy. In this method, the slowly produced volatile pyrrole vapor was absorbed by the PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone)/FeCl3 aqueous solution. This slow vapor production and absorption allows the formation of uniform PPy-PVP NPs at room temperature. Then, the effects of the molecular weight of PVP on the photothermal property and anti-tumor efficiency of PPy-PVP NPs were compared. It was found that the selection of PVP40kDa as the template and surface linker can ensure a better application performance of the synthesized nanomaterials. This work provides a theoretical basis for the rational design of nano-therapy carriers and biomedical applications.

Water Vapor Retrievals from Near-infrared Channels of the Advanced Medium Resolution Spectral Imager Instrument onboard the Fengyun-3D Satellite

Water vapor plays a key role in weather, climate and environmental research on local and global scales. Knowledge about atmospheric water vapor and its spatiotemporal variability is essential for climate and weather research. Because of the advantage of a unique temporal and spatial resolution, satellite observations provide global or regional water vapor distributions. The advanced Medium Resolution Spectral Imager (MERSI) instrument—that is, MERSI-II—onboard the Fengyun-3D (FY-3D) meteorological satellite, has been one of the major satellite sensors routinely providing precipitable water vapor (PWV) products to the community using near-infrared (NIR) measurements since June 2018. In this paper, the major updates related to the production of the NIR PWV products of MERSI-II are discussed for the first time. In addition, the water vapor retrieval algorithm based on the MERSI-II NIR channels is introduced and derivations are made over clear land areas, clouds, and sun-glint areas over the ocean. Finally, the status and samples of the MERSI-II PWV products are presented. The accuracy of MERSI-II PWV products is validated using ground-based GPS measurements. The results show that the accuracies of the water vapor products based on the updated MERSI-II instrument are significantly improved compared with those of MERSI, because MERSI-II provides a better channel setting and new calibration method. The root-mean-square error and relative bias of MERSI-II PWV products are typically 1.8–5.5 mm and −3.0% to −14.3%, respectively, and thus comparable with those of other global remote sensing products of the same type.

Evaporation rate of sprayed seawater droplets in upward and downward direction and analyzing the effect of the injection pressure and nozzle type in solar water desalination systems

ABSTRACT Water and energy are two inseparable issues that play an important role in human life. The oceans are massive resources of water, but the main problem is their high salinity. Solar desalination systems have been considered as a suitable solution to solve the problem of water deficit and to overcome the environmental problems caused by the conventional water desalination plants. One of the important points in raising the efficiency of solar water desalination systems is increasing the evaporation rate in a system with specified dimensions. The direction of the spraying of seawater in the chamber is one of the effective parameters in elevating the discharged rate of vapor in solar desalination systems. In this study, the effects of other parameters including injection pressure, nozzle outlet diameter, nozzle type, and relative humidity inside the chamber were investigated in both upward and downward injection directions by a mathematical model. The results of the model indicated variations in the rate of vapor generation in upward and downward directions. Also, the effects of other important parameters were studied including injection pressure (in the range of 1 to 5 bar), outlet diameter of the nozzle (in the range of 0.9 to 1.1 mm), type of nozzle (long cone orifice, drilled steel orifice, and sapphire orifice) and relative humidity (within the range of 20% to 60%). Overall, the results indicated increased vapor production at an injection pressure of 5 bar, nozzle outlet diameter of 0.9 mm, long cone orifice nozzle, a relative humidity of 20%, and upward direction.

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of unsteady mixing in spacer-filled direct contact membrane distillation channels

Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) is a promising means of concentrating brines to their saturation limit. During that process, membrane spacers play a key role in temperature polarization, concentration polarization, and mineral scaling. These interactions are not well understood, because they are difficult to study experimentally and numerically, and the flow regimes are not fully charted. We consequently develop a tailored in-house CFD code that simulates unsteady two-dimensional heat and mass transport in plate-and-frame DCMD systems with cylindrical spacers. The code uses a combination of finite-volume methods in space, projection methods in time, and recent advances in immersed boundary methods for the spacer surfaces. Using the code, we explore how the transition to unsteady laminar vortex shedding affects polarization and permeate production of DCMD systems. We show that the impact of spacers can be explained by examining the various steady and unsteady vortical flow structures generated in the bulk and near the membranes. Overall, we show that though unsteady vortex structures tend to mix temperature polarization layers with the bulk, they are not similarly able to mix the concentration layers. Rather, vortical structures tend to create regions of preferential salt accumulation. In the vortex shedding regime, the net result is that spacers often increase vapor production at the expense of increasing the risk of mineral scaling.

Effect of Ce2O3 on the fluoride vaporization of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3-(Ce2O3) slag used for vacuum electroslag remelting

Abstract In order to explore the slag with less fluoride vaporization for vacuum electroslag remelting of Ce-bearing steel, the fluoride vaporization behavior of CaF2–CaO–Al2O3-(Ce2O3) slag was investigated by thermo gravimetry analysis at 1673 K. For the purpose of figuring out the mechanism of the Ce2O3 effect on fluoride vaporization in slags, the viscosity of slags was measured, and the activity of components in molten slag was calculated based on the ion and molecule coexistence theory. The fluoride vaporization of slag under vacuum condition at 1823 K was also studied. The results show that the fluoride vaporization products are CaF2 and AlF3. The weight loss caused by fluoride vaporization reduces with increasing Ce2O3 content. The Ce2O3 addition lowers the breaking temperature of viscosity, which leads to the decrease of viscosity at 1673 K with the increase in Ce2O3 content. It implies the viscosity change is not the reason inhibiting fluoride vaporization because a lower viscosity will promote the fluoride vaporization. The vapor pressure of CaF2 and AlF3 decreases with increasing Ce2O3 content due to activity change, which contributes to the suppression effect on the fluoride vaporization in investigated slags. The fluoride vaporization of slag under vacuum is inhibited because of Ce2O3 addition as well.

Numerical study of mixing of cavitating flows in a Venturi tube

AbstractThis work is devoted to a computational investigation of the cavitation and mixing characteristics of two miscible (Schmidt number Sc = 103) turbulent water flows with different viscosity ratios in a Venturi tube. The 2D axis‐symmetric RANS and 3D LES turbulence models are used for the prediction of flow characteristics. The numerical results reveal that the RANS solutions underpredict the rate of vapour production and overestimate the mixing rate of two miscible fluids in comparison to LES simulations for the inlet Reynolds number of 19 738 (Case‐1) and 19 286 (Case‐2). In particular, there is a larger cavitation zone in the Venturi tube with LES in comparison to RANS calculations.

Production of Mixed Powders of Actinide Dioxides by Thermal Reductive Denitration Using Microwave Heating

The use of microwave heating to produce solid solutions of actinide oxides in the processes of thermal denitration of model nitric acid solutions formed in reducing stripping schemes at the final stages of the PUREX process, containing U and Th (Pu simulator) and unreacted reducing agents (hydrazine, etc.), is proposed. As a result, after quantitative distilling of water vapor, acid, and volatile products into the collector, denitration reductive thermolysis of the concentrate (melt) of actinide nitrates containing 100% of a solid solution of oxides U(Th)О2 takes place. The U–Th oxide powders obtained meet the regulatory requirements (TU 95414-2005) for ceramic powders.

Electronic Vapor Products, Marijuana Use, Smoking, and Asthma in US Adolescents

YY Han, F Rosser, E Forno, JC Celedon. J Allergy Clin Immunol . 2020;145(3):1025–1028.e6 Consumption of e-cigarettes can lead to cigarette smoking and use of other combustible products, but little is known about concurrent use of e-cigarettes, marijuana, and cigarettes in adolescents. Use of e-cigarettes has been associated with symptoms and exacerbations of asthma and the authors hypothesized that e-cigarette use would be associated with asthma in adolescents, and that such association would be stronger when e-cigarette use is combined with marijuana and/or cigarette smoking. Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) system from 2015 …

The Multivariable Control of Carbon Dioxide Absorption System using the Proportional Integral Plus (PIP) Controller

The present article investigates the implementation of non-minimal state space (NMSS) representation with proportional-integral-plus (PIP) controller for the carbon dioxide absorption process of Shiraz petrochemical ammonia unit. The PIP controller is a logical extension of conventional PI/PID controllers with additional dynamic feedback and input compensators. PIP controller is used for multivariable control without limitation on the number of controlled variables. A Multi Input - Multi Output (MIMO) square model was extracted from step response test. In this way, input water flow rate to carbon dioxide absorption system, the heat duty of input absorbent cooler to tray (1) of absorption tower and re-boiler heat duty of stripping tower are chosen as manipulated variables (inputs), while carbon dioxide mole fraction in absorption tower vapor product, the water mole fraction in absorption tower liquid product and tray temperature No. 36 of stripping tower are determined as controlled ones (outputs). The system identification is performed with three input and three output variables using step response test. As a result, continuous and discrete time transfer function matrices and suitable NMSS model for PIP controller are reported. Finally, in order to evaluate the PIP control performance, the feed flow rate increases by 2%. The results show the proper performance of designed PIP controller for both disturbance rejection and set point tracking.

A novel method to quantify urban surface ecological poorness zone: A case study of several European cities

A set of factors cause the Surface Ecological Status (SES) of urban areas to become largely different from the surrounding rural areas. Hence, the degree of poorness of SES in urban areas versus surrounding rural areas forms a zone, which is named Urban Surface Ecological Poorness Zone (USEPZ). The main objective of this study was to propose a new method to quantify USEPZ Intensity (USEPZI). To this end, Landsat-8 satellite images, water vapor products, and High Resolution Imperviousness Layer (HRIL) datasets of Budapest, Bucharest, Ciechanow, Hamburg, Lyon, Madrid, Porto, and Rome cities were used. Firstly, Single Channel (SC) algorithm, Tasseled cap transformation, and spectral indices were used to model the surface biophysical characteristics including Land Surface Temperature (LST), Wetness, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Difference Soil Index (NDSI). Then, SES was modeled based on the combination of surface biophysical characteristics using Remote Sensing-based Ecological Index (RSEI). Finally, the USEPZI was modeled based on the linear regression function obtained from RSEI-Impervious Surface Percentage (ISP) feature space. The spatial variability of the ISP, LST, NDVI, NDSI and Wetness of the selected cities was found to be heterogeneous. The coefficient of determination (R2) between RSEI and ISP values for Budapest, Bucharest, Ciechanow, Hamburg, Lyon, Madrid, Porto, and Rome cities were obtained to be 0.99, 0.97, 0.98, 0.99, 0.98, 0.99, 0.99, and 0.94, respectively. Also, the USEPZI values of these cities were 0.14, 0.31, 0.41, 0.26, 0.40, 0.81, 0.44 and 0.46, respectively. Our findings show that the significant differences in their SES and USEPZI are due to the surface biophysical characteristics. The USEPZI in the selected cities with humid climate conditions was higher than the selected cities in dry climate conditions. Also, the use of the RSEI-ISP feature space is quite useful in modeling USEPZI of cities in different conditions.

Cigarette smoke, but not novel tobacco vapor products, causes epigenetic disruption and cell apoptosis

Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) products, generating vapor without combusting tobacco leaves, have been developed with the expectation that the number and quantity of chemicals in the vapor of these products would be reduced compared with the smoke from conventional combustible cigarettes. However, whether the lower chemical levels correlate with lower toxicity remains to be determined.Here we examined differences in the biological effects of conventional cigarette smoke (CS) and two HNB products, Ploom TECH and Ploom TECH+, using the cultured cancer cell line A549 and the normal bronchial epithelium cell line BEAS-2B. The conventional CS 3R4F extract (0.5%) markedly decreased cell proliferation of both A549 and BEAS-2B cells; however, 0.5% extracts of these commercially available HNB products did not affect cell growth. To determine the cause of decreased cell proliferation, a TUNEL assay was performed, and the results indicated that apoptosis had occurred in both A549 and BEAS-2B cells at 24 h after exposure to 3R4F. To further explore the effect of CS on epigenetics, we performed western blotting to detect histone H2A phosphorylation, which is known to affect transcriptional regulation. Only the 3R4F extract decreased histone H2A phosphorylation in both A549 and BEAS-2B cells. Next, we examined alterations in gene expression after treatment of A549 cells with Ploom TECH, Ploom TECH+, or 3R4F extracts. It was found that 339, 107, and 103 genes were upregulated more than 2 fold in A549 cells treated with 3R4F, Ploom TECH, or Ploom TECH + extracts, respectively. Among the 339 genes that were upregulated in response to 3R4F, we focused on EGR1, FOS, and FOSB, since they were upregulated more than 100 fold, which was confirmed using RT-qPCR. These results suggest that CS, but not HNB products, cause epigenetic disruption and cell apoptosis, possibly by elevating transcription of genes such as EGR1.

Comparison of the biological impact of aerosol of e-vapor device with MESH® technology and cigarette smoke on human bronchial and alveolar cultures

Exposure to aerosol from electronic vapor (e-vapor) products has been suggested to result in less risk of harm to smokers than cigarette smoke (CS) exposure. Although many studies on e-vapor products have tested the effects of liquid formulations on cell cultures, few have evaluated the effects of aerosolized formulations. We examined the effects of acute exposure to the aerosol of an e-vapor device that uses the MESH® technology (IQOS® MESH, Philip Morris International) and to CS from the 3R4F reference cigarette on human organotypic bronchial epithelial culture and alveolar triculture models. In contrast to 3R4F CS exposure, exposure to the IQOS MESH aerosol (Classic Tobacco flavor) did not cause cytotoxicity in bronchial epithelial cultures or alveolar tricultures despite its greater concentrations of deposited nicotine (3- and 4-fold, respectively). CS exposure caused a marked decrease in the frequency and active area of ciliary beating in bronchial cultures, whereas IQOS MESH aerosol exposure did not. Global mRNA expression and secreted protein profiles revealed a significantly lower impact of IQOS MESH aerosol exposure than 3R4F CS exposure. Overall, our whole aerosol exposure study shows a clearly reduced impact of IQOS MESH aerosol relative to CS in bronchial and alveolar cultures, even at greater nicotine doses.