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Tag: research

  • Dutch Hospitals Tracking ER Nicotine Cases Today

    Dutch Hospitals Tracking ER Nicotine Cases Today

    Today (November 13), hospitals across the Netherlands are recording the number of patients arriving at emergency rooms with medical problems linked to smoking, vaping, and/or snus, in a nationwide effort to measure nicotine’s impact on emergency care, NOS reports. The initiative, led by Dr. Nicole Kraaijvanger of Leiden University Medical Center, aims to provide concrete data on how nicotine use contributes to acute medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and chronic bronchitis.

    The results of the study, supported by medical associations and prevention groups, are expected to guide future smoking and vaping policies in the Netherlands.

  • Global Survey Finds Strong Support for Smoke-Free Alternatives

    Global Survey Finds Strong Support for Smoke-Free Alternatives

    A new international survey commissioned by Philip Morris International and conducted by Povaddo shows overwhelming global support for smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes, alongside growing public concern that tobacco policies are being shaped more by ideology than science.

    The survey of 9,040 adults across nine countries found:

    • 78% agree adult smokers should have access to smoke-free alternatives.
    • 76% worry that public health decisions are influenced by ideology rather than evidence.
    • 87% say governments should prioritize science in making public health policies.
    • In countries where smoke-free products are restricted, such as Argentina, Brazil, and India, concern about bans was even higher (up to 94%).
    • 80% believe public health organizations should share all available evidence on smoke-free alternatives.
    • 77% of respondents outside Sweden think their country should emulate Sweden’s approach to smoke-free products.

    “Countries embracing smoke-free products have seen declines in cigarette sales and smoking rates,” Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak said. “There is strong demand globally for fact-based policies that keep pace with innovation and deliver better outcomes for society.”

    The survey was conducted between September 11–17, in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S., among adults aged 21 and older.

  • CORESTA Launches Public Knowledge Repository

    CORESTA Launches Public Knowledge Repository

    The CORESTA Consumer Reported Outcome Measures (CROM) Task Force announced that it has released its new Knowledge Repository, a centralized platform providing free public access to psychometric and descriptive CROM related to tobacco and nicotine research. The tool is designed to streamline the selection and implementation of CROM for scientists, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

    The repository currently includes 36 psychometric CROM across domains such as perceived dependence, quality of life, and intention to use, with detailed information on sources, characteristics, and psychometric properties. It also catalogs 57 descriptive questions, complete with response options and recommendations, which can be exported directly to Word for survey development.

    With smart search and flexible browsing features, the repository aims to simplify comparison and selection of measures for research projects. The Task Force invites users to explore the resource at www.coresta.org/crom and share feedback on its application.

  • ‘Clear’ E-Cigarettes Linked to Higher Heart Risks

    ‘Clear’ E-Cigarettes Linked to Higher Heart Risks

    A new study suggests that e-cigarettes marketed as “clear” (i.e. less flavorful and potentially not subject to flavor bans) may pose greater cardiovascular risks than other vapes. In the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers reported that “clear vape” users experienced sharper spikes in blood pressure, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure compared with non-users and users of menthol or other flavored products.

    In tests with young adult participants, clear vapers showed nearly 10 mm Hg increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with a 10 beat-per-minute rise in heart rate. Chemical analysis of 19 “clear” products revealed they all contained odorless synthetic cooling agents such as WS-3 or WS-23, and most also included menthol and other flavorings, raising concerns about violations of state flavor bans.

    Researchers said the synthetic additives may make vaping smoother, leading to higher puff volumes and nicotine exposure. They called for more studies to assess the health impact of these chemicals and warned that “clear” products, though marketed as neutral, may in fact deliver more harmful cardiovascular effects.

  • Researchers Developing App to Detect Starch in Tobacco Leaves

    Researchers Developing App to Detect Starch in Tobacco Leaves

    Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have developed a low-cost, immediate, general, and high-throughput (LIGHt) total starch determination of plant leaves using smartphone colorimetry. The performance of LIGHt smartphone colorimetry repeatedly provided significant consistency compared with traditional spectrophotometry detection, which can be easily transferred into a portable, low-cost, Android-based handheld device for convenient colorimetric measurements.

    The LIGHt smartphone colorimetry returned an average relative error of 5.74%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) ranging from 2.58 to 4.31%, a detection limit of 1.53 µg/mL, and an average recovery rate of 95.72%. 

    “While there is still slightly lower detection precision compared to traditional spectroscopic instruments like microplate readers, the method has proven its feasibility for rapid detection of starch content in tobacco powder and its potential for on-site testing in the tobacco industry due to its good reproducibility and stability,” researchers wrote. “The method does not require complex laboratory equipment or professional personnel to operate, enabling rapid on-site testing. Furthermore, the LIGHt smartphone colorimetry for starch detection resulted in a BAGI score of 80, reflecting its alignment with green chemistry principles and its high practicality.

    “The results showed that the LIGHt smartphone colorimetry is expected to effectively improve the efficiency of real-time monitoring of tobacco leaf quality. The proposed method greatly reduces detection costs and operational complexity. The LIGHt total starch determination can be extended to the detection of starch content in fruits, vegetables, and other foods.”

    Read the entire report here.

  • Researchers Look to Sewage for Truth on Tobacco Use

    Researchers Look to Sewage for Truth on Tobacco Use

    University of California at Merced’s (UCM) Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center has embarked on an innovative partnership with university researchers who can track an entire community’s health and habits with samples of human sewage. The project, which plans to have a pilot running by this summer, aims to determine trends and levels of nicotine use in San Joaquin Valley communities through chemicals in wastewater.

    The project will start by collecting wastewater from two cities in Merced and Stanislaus counties and from the UCM campus. Sewage samples will be analyzed for nicotine metabolites over a span of several months, allowing researchers to observe trends and patterns of use.

    “You can see if it’s increasing or decreasing at certain times of the year,” said UCM environmental engineer Professor Colleen Naughton. “You also can see if your interventions are working, based on whether concentrations rise or fall.”

    Traditional methods of collecting data about nicotine use, such as surveys and phone calls, often suffer from low response rates and difficulties in connecting with hard-to-reach populations. The data collected with this study will allow local public health agencies, community organizations, and tobacco-control researchers to make more informed decisions.

    “We continue to have significant gaps in reliable measurements of how many people smoke or use other tobacco products in the San Joaquin Valley. This could help fill those gaps,” Public health Professor Arturo Durazo said. “From there, perhaps the research could extend to other substances such as cannabis, alcohol or fentanyl.”

  • Study: Physically Activity in Children Diminishes Smoking Chances

    Study: Physically Activity in Children Diminishes Smoking Chances

    A new study published in the Journal of Behaviour Research and Therapy suggests people are less likely to initiate tobacco smoking if they engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from childhood. Universities from Bristol and Exeter in the UK, and the University of Eastern Finland followed more than 2,500 children from the age of 11 until they were 24 and found that 0.6% of those who engaged in MPVAs began smoking by age 13, compared to 1.5% who began smoking that did not engage in activity. The study thus concludes MVPA reduces the risk of initiating tobacco smoking by 60% for 13-year-olds.

    The study was the largest and the longest follow-up of accelerometer-based MVPA and smoking behavior of young people in history. Physical activity intervention studies have reported reduced smoking rates among adults; however, physical activity studies in preventing smoking in children and adolescents have been inconclusive due to short study durations, small population sizes, and lack of accelerometer-measured physical activity data.

    “Stopping smoking in adulthood is good but late since a residual long-term risk of heart disease for the next thirty years still exists,” said Andrew Agbaje, physician and associate professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health at the University of Eastern Finland. “Thus, preventing childhood smoking initiation is critical to lifelong health and these findings may be extrapolated to vaping and electronic cigarette use in teenagers since the same active ingredient in both smoke and smokeless tobacco is nicotine.”

    The study also found that the prevalence of smoking at ages 13, 15, and 24 years was 1.5%, 13.5%, and 26.6%, respectively.

  • Freebase Nicotine Safer than Salts: Study

    Freebase Nicotine Safer than Salts: Study

    A new University of Louisville study shows the nicotine in certain types of electronic cigarettes can increase the risk for an irregular heartbeat, according to a press release.

    Tests in mice showed that nicotine salts used in pod-based e-cigarettes led to heart arrhythmias and could trigger a fight-or-flight response in higher doses.

    “This suggests the nicotine is harmful to the heart and counters popular claims that the nicotine itself is harmless,” Alex Carll, an assistant professor in UofL’s Department of Physiology who led the study, said in a news release Thursday. “Our findings provide new evidence that nicotine type and concentration modify the adverse cardiovascular effects of e-cigarette aerosols, which may have important regulatory implications.”

    Researchers state that regulating nicotine salts could help mitigate the health risks of vaping.

    The research also suggests choosing e-cigarettes with freebase nicotine instead of nicotine salts, or using e-cigarettes with a lower nicotine content could reduce the risk of harm.

  • New Guidance on Perception/Intention Studies

    New Guidance on Perception/Intention Studies

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Today issued a final guidance on guidance perception and intention studies.

    The guidance, “Tobacco Products: Principles for Designing and Conducting Tobacco Product Perception and Intention Studies,” is intended to help applicants design and conduct tobacco product perception and intention (TPPI) studies that may be submitted as part of a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) application, a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA), or a substantial equivalence report (SE Report).

    TPPI studies can be used to assess, among other things, individuals’ perceptions of tobacco products, understanding of tobacco product information (e.g., labeling, modified risk information), and intentions to use tobacco products, according to the FDA.

    These studies provide critical information during the review of product applications and this guidance provides recommendations on how to perform these studies.

    The final guidance addresses several scientific issues for applicants to consider when designing and conducting TPPI studies to support tobacco product applications:

    • Developing study aims and hypotheses
    • Designing quantitative and qualitative studies
    • Selecting and adapting measures of study constructs
    • Determining study outcomes
    • Selecting and justifying study samples
    • Analyzing study results

    The guidance document is intended to provide clarity to applicants regarding existing requirements under the law, according to FDA.

    “FDA guidance documents, including this guidance, should be viewed as recommendations for consideration, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited,” the release states.