For smokers who are better at math, the decision to quit just adds up, a new study suggests. Researchers found that smokers who scored higher on a test of math ability were more likely than others to say they intended to quit smoking.
Tag: Smoking
Study finds evidence that loneliness makes it harder to quit smoking
In a study published today (15 June 2020) in Addiction, University of Bristol researchers have found evidence for a causal link between prolonged experience of loneliness and smoking.
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Smoking and Vaping Effects on COVID-19 Patients
Smoking and vaping-related lung injuries create an underlying medical condition that can make people more susceptible to respiratory infections like the flu and COVID-19, according to experts at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s department of emergency medicine. “Both COVID-19 and…
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.
Forensic Chemist’s Laser Technology Can Detect Crime Scene Smokers
Igor Lednev’s innovative laser-light technology is adding another use to its forensics toolbox – being able to determine if a smoker was at the crime scene based on biological evidence.
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.
Can Vaping Scar Your Lungs? New Insights and a Possible Remedy
Researchers report evidence that the compounds in e-cigarette liquid could potentially cause the body’s tissue repair process to go haywire and lead to scarring inside the lungs.
Say No to Vaping: Blood Pressure, Heart Rate Rises in Healthy, Young Nonsmokers
New research finds that nicotine-filled e-cigarettes cause increases in heart rate and blood pressure in young people, health issues that remain even after a vaping session.
Smoking Increases Risk for COVID-19 Complications—So It’s a Great Time to Quit
It is well known that smoking results in worse outcomes in people with pneumonia or influenza, and we are learning that smoking can pose significant risks in those with COVID-19.
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.
Childhood physical abuse linked to heavy cigarette use among teens who smoke
A new study in kids at risk for maltreatment shows that physical abuse, especially when they’re toddlers or teens, dramatically increases the odds that their adolescent experimentation with cigarettes will lead to a heavy smoking habit.
For Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Who Quit Smoking, Relapse is Common
Although 1 in 7 adults smoke cigarettes the year prior to undergoing weight-loss surgery, nearly all successfully quit at least a month before their operation. However, smoking prevalence steadily climbs to pre-surgery levels within seven years, according to new research.
Nicotine Boosts Production of Inflammation-causing Hormones, Worsens Kidney Disease
Article title: COX-2 derived prostaglandins as mediators of the deleterious effects of nicotine in chronic kidney disease Authors: Sunil Rangarajan, Gabriel Rezonzew, Phillip Chumley, Huma Fatima, Mikhail Golovko, Wenguang Feng, Ping Hua, Edgar A. Jaimes From the authors: “In these studies,…
Most Young People Do Not Vape, and Even Fewer Vape Regularly
While youth vaping rates have increased in recent years, most middle and high school students don’t vape or smoke and very few vape or smoke daily, finds a study led by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health.
Medical Minute: Trying to quit smoking? Don’t go it alone.
We live in an era of self-empowerment. But when it comes to quitting smoking, going it alone isn’t the best approach. Read on for effective strategies from Penn State Health experts.
Menthol Ban Could Increase Health Equity
Current policies that include restrictions on the sale of menthol flavored tobacco and nicotine products are less likely to reach those that would benefit from them the most, according to new research from the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine.
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…
Knee-jerk vaping bans will fail public health, experts argue
Bans and other policies restricting e-cigarette sales could do more public harm than good, according to a group of public-health, tobacco-policy and ethics experts.
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.
Trying to Quit Smoking? Experts Provide Helpful Hints
Experts at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center share tips for quitting smoking
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Experts from the Rutgers Tobacco Dependence Program share more about the causes and risk factors for lung cancer, which include smoking. At focus is prevention, including tobacco cessation.
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.
Carolyn Calfee, MD, is a professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at UCSF Department of Medicine. Dr. Calfee was one of the ATS members who collaborated with the CDC on the clinical guide on…
@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…
E-cigs Can Trigger Same Lung Changes Seen in Smokers, Emphysema
UNC scientists found that the lungs of vapers – like the lungs of smokers – have elevated levels of protease enzymes, a condition known to cause emphysema in smokers. The researchers also found that the nicotine in vaping liquids is responsible for the increase in protease enzymes.
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.
How Cigarette Smoke Makes Head and Neck Cancer More Aggressive
A change in the tumor metabolism due to tobacco exposure could open new treatment avenues in head and neck cancer.
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).
From Simple Tools to High-Level Buy-In, How Doctors Can Help Cancer Patients Quit Tobacco
Penn study shows Moonshot-funded program is making an impact PHILADELPHIA – A simple set of decision-support tools combined with institutional buy-in can help increase the number of cancer patients who engage in treatment to help them quit tobacco, data from…