Continued nicotine use promotes brain tumors in lung cancer patients, Wake Forest study suggests

Researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine have discovered that nicotine promotes the spread of lung cancer cells into the brain, where they can form deadly metastatic tumors. The study, which will be published June 4 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that nicotine replacement therapies may not be suitable strategies for lung cancer patients attempting to quit smoking. In addition, the researchers show that the naturally occurring drug parthenolide blocks nicotine-induced brain metastasis in mice, suggesting a potential therapeutic option in humans.

UniSA research uncovers treatment combo that sees smokers six times more likely to stop smoking and stay smoke-free

New research led by the University of South Australia has found that smokers who receive the medication varenicline tartrate combined with Quitline counselling following a period of hospitalisation due to a tobacco-related illness are six times more likely to quit smoking than those who attempt to stop without support.

Does smoking increase your risk for dementia and cognitive decline?

Scientists from the Uniformed Services University (USU), Emory University and the University of Vermont have found that cigarette smoking is linked to increased lesions in the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities. White matter hyperintensities, detected by MRI scan, are associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. These findings may help explain the link between smoking and increased rates of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline.

Rutgers Tobacco, Vaping Expert Available to Discuss FDA’s Finalized Enforcement Policy Targeting Flavored E-cigarettes That Appeal to Youth

Rutgers Tobacco, Vaping Expert Available to Discuss FDA’s Finalized Enforcement Policy Targeting Flavored E-cigarettes That Appeal to Youth A Rutgers University expert on tobacco and vaping is available to comment on the FDA’s enforcement policy on unauthorized flavored cartridge-or pod-based…

Do obesity and smoking impact healing after wrist fracture surgery?

Both obesity and smoking can have negative effects on bone health. A recent study led by a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) examined whether they also impact healing in patients who have undergone surgery for fractures of the wrist, or the distal radius, which are among the most common bone fractures.

Virginia Tech researcher calls for a balanced approach when regulating electronic cigarettes

Banning e-cigarettes could potentially have some unexpected consequences, according to Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC addiction research expert Warren Bickel, especially if it causes more Americans to revert back to smoking conventional cigarettes. The rapid rise in e-cigarettes’ popularity,…

@atscommunity members join #CDC to craft guidance on #vaping associated lung injury. Available for comment.

Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, is the medical director of the Advanced Lung Disease Program and the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Programs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He is a Professor of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Surgery at The Ohio…

Rutgers study examines smoking status, health conditions in older Chinese American men

The findings of the study by the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research underscore the need for culturally targeted interventions to prevent and reduce tobacco use, manage chronic disease and screen for lung cancer.

What You Need to Know About Vaping-Associated Lung Injury

Vaping-associated lung injury is a condition characterized by lung inflammation and damage that can lead to respiratory failure and death. Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, and chest pain, as well as fatigue, fever, and weight loss. Many patients report gastrointestinal symptoms too.

Healthcare experts are urging people to avoid vaping because the exact cause of vaping-associated lung injury is unknown.

People who are using vaping products — especially young people, who have been most frequently affected by the condition — should closely monitor their health and seek immediate medical care if they develop symptoms.

Expert Available to Discuss Dangers of Vaping and Associated Lung Illness

WHO: Keith S. Naunheim, MD, Vallee L. Melba Willman Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Saint Louis University (SLU), and past president of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons WHY: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers…

In first-of-its-kind study, UCI researchers highlight hookah health hazards

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 12, 2019 – Hookah waterpipe use has grown in popularity in recent years – 1 in 5 college students in the U.S. and Europe have tried it – but the practice could be more dangerous than other forms of smoking, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, published recently in Aerosol Science and Technology.

Teens falling victim to the Juul effect

“We were seeing a real drop-off in youth smoking, but now we’re seeing an increase,” says Dr. Beth Ebel, a UW Medicine pediatrician and researcher with the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. Among teens as young as middle-school age, vaping with products that have nicotine “predisposes you to cigarette smoking later on.”

Nicotine, once derived from tobacco plants to kill insects, works by altering the nervous system. “We’ve used it, refined it, concentrated it, and now we have a pure form of one of the most addictive substances known,” Ebel says in downloadable video soundbites (2:22).