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2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 17979

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens

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Guest Editor

Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Interests: thirdhand smoke exposure; secondhand smoke exposure; tobacco smoke exposure biomarkers; tobacco cessation; tobacco prevention; child health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ashley L. Merianos

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Guest Editor

Health Promotion and Education Program, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
Interests: tobacco smoke exposure; secondhand smoke exposure; thirdhand smoke exposure; secondhand aerosol exposure; thirdhand aerosol exposure; child health; epidemiology; public health education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the second edition of our Special Issue. The first edition attracted the interest of researchers worldwide, leading to over 20 peer-reviewed publications that are freely available for download at the following IJERPH website: https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/journal/ijerph/special_issues/Tobacco_Product.

Although prevalence rates of cigarette use are at an all-time low, the rates of noncombustible tobacco product use (e.g., electronic cigarettes) continue to increase. There is concern that this rapidly changing landscape of tobacco product use will negate the positive gains we have achieved with decades worth of tobacco control efforts. There is also concern that a new generation of young people will soon be addicted to nicotine and tobacco use. Along with this broad spectrum of tobacco use patterns, health concerns related to tobacco use and tobacco smoke exposure are also changing. More research is needed to investigate vaping-related harms and concerns related to smoking/vaping and COVID-19 and other infections. Evolution is also being seen in tobacco smoke exposure research, in which studies are needed to evaluate the epidemiology, sources, and related clinical effects of exposure to secondhand smoke, secondhand aerosol, thirdhand smoke, and thirdhand aerosol. Given these issues, tobacco control and tobacco smoke exposure reduction interventions and policies are urgently needed to curb these alarming trends in tobacco product use and exposure.

The second edition of this Special Issue aims to continue providing an overview for patterns of newer tobacco product use and exposure, biomarkers of tobacco use and tobacco smoke exposure, the related spectrum of clinical or neurobehavioral effects in diverse age and racial/ethnic groups, and interventions aimed to reduce current tobacco use and exposure patterns.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Epidemiology and/or biomarker patterns of tobacco use and tobacco smoke exposure;
Clinical effects of tobacco product use, particularly electronic cigarettes;
Clinical and neurobehavioral effects of prenatal and postnatal tobacco smoke exposure;
Associations of tobacco product use or tobacco smoke exposure and clinical biomarkers or diagnostic tests;
Healthcare utilization patterns associated with tobacco product use and tobacco smoke exposure;
Interventions to promote tobacco cessation or tobacco smoke exposure.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Toxics.

Disclaimer: We will not accept research funded in part or full by any tobacco companies in this Special Issue. For more details, please check: https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/1660-4601/15/12/2831/htm.

Prof. Dr. E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens
Dr. Ashley L. Merianos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nicotine
tobacco
e-cigarettes
electronic cigarettes
vaping
tobacco cessation
smoking cessation
tobacco smoke exposure
environmental tobacco smoke pollution
secondhand smoke
secondhand aerosol
thirdhand smoke
thirdhand aerosol
biomarkers

Related Special Issues

2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use in Toxics (6 articles)
Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (33 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 1465 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution inside Vehicles: Making a Bad Situation Worse

by Naowarut Charoenca, Stephen L. Hamann, Nipapun Kungskulniti, Nopchanok Sangchai, Ratchayaporn Osot, Vijj Kasemsup, Suwanna Ruangkanchanasetr and Passara Jongkhajornpong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(21), 6970; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20216970 - 25 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1333

Abstract

Thailand has successfully forwarded Article 8, Protection from Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). It achieved its 100% smoke-free goals in public places in 2010, next pursuing other bans in outdoor places to lower particulate matter air pollution (PM_2.5). Our aim was to expose the secondhand smoke levels in vehicles since SHS is a danger to everyone, but especially to children and youth. This is the first experimental study of its kind in Thailand. We measured PM_2.5 for 20 min under four conditions in 10 typical Thai vehicles, including commonly used sedans and small pickup trucks. We used an established protocol with two real-time air monitoring instruments to record PM_2.5 increases with different vehicle air exchange and air conditioning conditions. Monitoring was recorded in the vehicle’s front and back seats. The most common Thai ventilation condition is all windows closed with fan/air conditioning (AC) in operation because of Thai tropical conditions. Mean exposure levels were three and nearly five times (49 and 72 μg/m³) the 24 h WHO standard of 15 μg/m³ in the back and front seats, respectively. These high PM_2.5 exposure levels warrant action to limit vehicle smoking for public health protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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12 pages, 505 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Associations of Trans-3′-Hydroxy Cotinine, Cotinine, and the Nicotine Metabolite Ratio in Pediatric Patients with Tobacco Smoke Exposure

by E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, Georg E. Matt, Roman A. Jandarov and Ashley L. Merianos

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5639; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20095639 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1199

Abstract

(1) Background: Trans-3′-hydroxy cotinine (3HC) and cotinine (COT) are tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) biomarkers and the 3HC/COT ratio is a marker of CYP2A6 activity, an enzyme which metabolizes nicotine. The primary objective was to assess the associations of these TSE biomarkers with sociodemographics and TSE patterns in children who lived with ≥1 smoker. (2) Methods: A convenience sample of 288 children (mean age (SD) = 6.42 (4.8) years) was recruited. Multiple linear regression models were built to assess associations of sociodemographics and TSE patterns with urinary biomarker response variables: (1) 3HC, (2) COT, (3) 3HC+COT sum, and (4) 3HC/COT ratio. (3) Results: All children had detectable 3HC (Geometric Mean [GeoM] = 32.03 ng/mL, 95%CI = 26.97, 38.04) and COT (GeoM = 10.24 ng/mL, 95%CI = 8.82, 11.89). Children with higher cumulative TSE had higher 3HC and COT (

\hat{β}

= 0.03, 95%CI = 0.01, 0.06, p = 0.015 and

\hat{β}

= 0.03, 95%CI = 0.01, 0.05, p = 0.013, respectively). Highest 3HC+COT sum levels were in children who were Black (

\hat{β}

= 0.60, 95%CI = 0.04, 1.17, p = 0.039) and who had higher cumulative TSE (

\hat{β}

= 0.03, 95%CI = 0.01, 0.06, p = 0.015). Lowest 3HC/COT ratios were in children who were Black (

\hat{β}

= −0.42, 95%CI = −0.78, −0.07, p = 0.021) and female (

\hat{β}

= −0.32, 95%CI = −0.62, −0.01, p = 0.044). (4) Conclusion: Results indicate that there are racial and age-related differences in TSE, most likely due to slower nicotine metabolism in non-Hispanic Black children and in younger children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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11 pages, 349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Tobacco Urge Management Scale (TUMS)

by Samantha M. Chin, Stephen J. Lepore, Bradley N. Collins, Levent Dumenci and Maria A. Rincon

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(8), 5453; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20085453 - 10 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1206

Abstract

Background: During quit attempts, smokers must overcome smoking urges triggered by environmental cues and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the 12-item Tobacco Urge Management Scale (TUMS), a new measure of smoking urge management behaviors. Methods: We analyzed secondary data (n = 327) from a behavioral smoking cessation intervention trial, Kids Safe and Smokefree (KiSS). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the TUMS indicated that a one-factor model and a correlated two-factor model had similar model fit indices, and a Chi-square difference test supported the one-factor model. Further study of the parsimonious one-factor scale provided evidence of reliability and construct validity. Known group validity was evidenced by significantly higher TUMS scores in the KiSS intervention arm receiving urge management skills training than in the control arm (p < 0.001). Concurrent validity was evidenced by TUMS’s inverse association with cigarettes smoked per day and positive associations with nonsmoking days, 7-day abstinence, and self-efficacy to control smoking behaviors (p’s < 0.05). Conclusion: The TUMS is a reliable, valid measure of smoking urge management behaviors. The measure can support theory-driven research on smoking-specific coping mechanisms, inform clinical practice by identifying coping strategies that might be under-utilized in treatment-seeking smokers, and function as a measure of treatment adherence in cessation trials that target urge management behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

17 pages, 424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Educating Substance Use Treatment Center Providers on Tobacco Use Treatments Is Associated with Increased Provision of Counseling and Medication to Patients Who Use Tobacco

by Brian J. Carter, Ammar D. Siddiqi, Tzuan A. Chen, Maggie Britton, Isabel Martinez Leal, Virmarie Correa-Fernández, Anastasia Rogova, Bryce Kyburz, Teresa Williams, Kathleen Casey and Lorraine R. Reitzel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4013; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20054013 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1493

Abstract

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in America and is elevated among patients with non-tobacco substance use disorders. Substance use treatment centers (SUTCs) do not commonly address their patients’ tobacco use. Lack of knowledge on treating tobacco use with counseling and medication may be a barrier that underlies this inaction. A multi-component tobacco-free workplace program implemented in Texas SUTCs educated providers on treating tobacco use with evidence-based medication (or referral) and counseling. This study examined how center-level changes in knowledge from pre- to post-implementation (i.e., over time) affected center-level behavioral changes in providers’ provision of tobacco use treatment over time. Providers from 15 SUTCs completed pre- and post-implementation surveys (pre N = 259; post N = 194) assessing (1) perceived barriers to treating tobacco use, specifically, a lack of knowledge on treating tobacco use with counseling or medication; (2) receipt of past-year education on treating tobacco use with counseling or medication; and (3) their intervention practices, specifically, the self-reported regular use of (a) counseling or (b) medication intervention or referral with patients who use tobacco. Generalized linear mixed models explored associations between provider-reported knowledge barriers, education receipt, and intervention practices over time. Overall, recent counseling education receipt was endorsed by 32.00% versus 70.21% of providers from pre- to post-implementation; the regular use of counseling to treat tobacco use was endorsed by 19.31% versus 28.87% from pre- to post-implementation. Recent medication education receipt was endorsed by 20.46% versus 71.88% of providers from pre- to post-implementation; the regular use of medication to treat tobacco use was endorsed by 31.66% versus 55.15% from pre- to post-implementation. All changes were statistically significant (ps < 0.05). High versus low reductions in the provider-reported barrier of “lack of knowledge on pharmacotherapy treatment” over time were a significant moderator of effects, such that SUTCs with high reductions in this barrier were more likely to report greater increases in both medication education receipt and medication treatment/referral for patients who use tobacco over time. In conclusion, a tobacco-free workplace program implementation strategy that included SUTC provider education improved knowledge and resulted in increased delivery of evidence-based treatment of tobacco use at SUTCs; however, treatment provision rates—in particular, offering tobacco cessation counseling—remained less than desirable, suggesting that barriers beyond lack of knowledge may be important to address to improve tobacco use care in SUTCs. Moderation results suggest (1) differences in the mechanisms underlying uptake of counseling education versus medication education and (2) that the relative difficulty of providing counseling versus providing medication persists regardless of knowledge gains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

17 pages, 1419 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Estimating Income-Related Health Inequalities Associated with Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption in Namibia

by Martha Tangeni Nghipandulwa and Alfred Kechia Mukong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1062; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20021062 - 06 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1184

Abstract

Disparities in resources and access to material opportunities are important determinants of income-related health inequality. This paper hypothesises that the gradient of the inequality in health between the poor and the rich is likely to depend on differences in lifestyle practices including tobacco use and alcohol abuse. Using the 2015/16 Namibia Household Income and Expenditure Survey and the Erreygers corrected concentration index, we estimate the effect of tobacco and alcohol use on income-related health inequalities. A decomposition technique was used to estimate the separate and joint contribution of tobacco and alcohol use to income-related health inequalities. The results indicate that tobacco use widens the income-related health inequality gap while alcohol consumption reduces health disparities. The simultaneous consumption of these goods has a stronger multiplicative effect on income-related health inequality. For instance, the simultaneous consumption of both goods contribute up to 1.03% of the inequality in health while tobacco use alone contributed only 0.6%. While policy options for each of these goods could be essential in reducing inequalities in health, there is a need to advocate additional measures that could simultaneously control the consumption of both goods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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12 pages, 852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

E-Cigarette Vapour Increases ACE2 and TMPRSS2 Expression in a Flavour- and Nicotine-Dependent Manner

by Rhys Hamon and Miranda P. Ween

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14955; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192214955 - 13 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

COVID-19 infects via the respiratory system, but it can affect multiple systems and lead to multi system failure. There is growing evidence that smoking may be associated with higher rates of COVID-19 infections and worse outcomes due to increased levels of ACE2 in lung epithelial cells, but it is unknown whether E-cigarette use may lead to increased risk of COVID-19 infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this study, healthy donor bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) were exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or nicotine or flavoured E-cigarette vapour extract (EVE) before the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 recognition receptors ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes. MDMs exposed to CSE and Tobacco EVE showed increased ACE2 expression; however, no treatment altered the TMPRSS2 expression. ACE2 was found to be upregulated by >2-fold in NHBE cells exposed to CSE, as well as nicotine, banana, or chocolate EVE, while TMPRSS2 was only upregulated by CSE or nicotine EVE exposure. These findings suggesting that flavourings can increase ACE2 expression in multiple cell types, while TMPRSS2 expression increases are limited to the epithelial cells in airways and may be limited to nicotine and/or cigarette smoke exposure. Therefore, increased risk of COVID-19 infection cannot be ruled out for vapers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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12 pages, 9986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating the Health Effect of Cigarette Smoking Duration in South Africa

by Alfred Kechia Mukong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13005; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192013005 - 11 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1265

Abstract

This paper deepens the empirical analysis of the health effects of smoking by using the average treatment effect on the treated (ATET) and regression discontinuity design (RDD) to estimate the impact of smoking duration on health. The paper estimates the effect of cigarette smoking on health, that is, the exogenous increase in the probability of smoking-related ill health when individuals smoke up to a certain number of years. Using the National Income Dynamic survey (NIDS), the study finds that the probability of reporting poor health and/or suffering smoking-related diseases increases with the years of smoking. The magnitude of the effect is higher when smoking-related diseases rather than self-assessed health is considered but varies across time, socioeconomic status, and with different health outcomes. The effects are robust under several different parametric and non-parametric models. Using RDD, the paper also finds evidence of a discrete jump in poor health when individuals smoke up to 30 years. The results suggest that policies that are designed to reduce current levels of cigarette smoking may have a desirable impact and can create both current and future public health benefits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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13 pages, 397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organization-Level Factors Associated with Changes in the Delivery of the Five A’s for Smoking Cessation following the Implementation of a Comprehensive Tobacco-Free Workplace Program within Substance Use Treatment Centers

by Cassidy R. LoParco, Tzuan A. Chen, Isabel Martinez Leal, Maggie Britton, Brian J. Carter, Virmarie Correa-Fernández, Bryce Kyburz, Teresa Williams, Kathleen Casey, Anastasia Rogova, Hsien-Chang Lin and Lorraine R. Reitzel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 11850; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191911850 - 20 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1786

Abstract

Many adults with a substance use disorder smoke cigarettes. However, tobacco use is not commonly addressed in substance use treatment centers. This study examined how provider beliefs about addressing tobacco use during non-nicotine substance use treatment, provider self-efficacy in delivering tobacco use assessments, and perceived barriers to the routine provision of tobacco care were associated with changes in the delivery of the evidence-based five A’s for smoking intervention (asking, advising, assessing, assisting, and arranging) at the organizational level. The data were from 15 substance use treatment centers that implemented a tobacco-free workplace program; data were collected before and after the program’s implementation. Linear regression examined how center-level averages of provider factors (1) at pre-implementation and (2) post- minus pre-implementation were associated with changes in the use of the five A’s for smoking in substance use treatment patients. The results indicated that centers with providers endorsing less agreement that tobacco use should be addressed in non-nicotine substance use treatment and reporting lower self-efficacy for providing tobacco use assessments at pre-implementation were associated with significant increases in asking patients about smoking, assessing interest in quitting and assisting with a quit attempt by post-implementation. Centers reporting more barriers at pre-implementation and centers that had greater reductions in reported barriers to treatment over time had greater increases in assessing patients’ interest in quitting smoking and assisting with a quit attempt by post-implementation. Overall, the centers that had the most to learn regarding addressing patients’ tobacco use had greater changes in their use of the five A’s compared to centers whose personnel were already better informed and trained. Findings from this study advance implementation science and contribute information relevant to reducing the research-to-practice translational gap in tobacco control for a patient group that suffers tobacco-related health disparities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

11 pages, 2167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Time-Varying Effect Model (TVEM) of the Complex Association of Tobacco Use and Smoke Exposure on Mean Telomere Length: Differences between Racial and Ethnic Groups Assessed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

by Francisco Alejandro Montiel Ishino, Claire E. Rowan, Kevin Villalobos, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa and Faustine Williams

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11069; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191711069 - 04 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1356

Abstract

Telomere length is affected by lifestyle and environmental factors and varies between racial and ethnic groups; however, studies are limited, with mixed findings. This study examined the effects of tobacco use and smoke exposure on mean telomere length to identify critical age periods by race/ethnicity. We used time-varying effect modeling on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for continuous years 1999–2002 to observe the effects of active tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke—measured through serum cotinine—and mean telomere length for adults 19 to 85 and older (N = 7826). Models were run for Mexican American, other Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and other/multi-race categories to allow for time-varying group differences, and controlled for biological sex, socioeconomic status, education, and ever-smoker status. Serum cotinine was found to have an increasing effect on telomere length from age 37 to approximately age 74 among Mexican Americans. Among other/multi-race individuals serum cotinine was found to have a decreasing effect at approximately age 42, and among Blacks, it had an overall decreasing effect from age 61 to 78. Findings reveal a further need to focus additional support and resources to intervene regarding disparate health effects from tobacco use and environmental smoke exposure for already vulnerable groups at particular ages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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11 pages, 1358 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Short-Term Effects of Side-Stream Smoke on Nerve Growth Factor and Its Receptors TrKA and p75^NTR in a Group of Non-Smokers

by Anna Maria Stabile, Alessandra Pistilli, Desirée Bartolini, Eleonora Angelucci, Marco Dell’Omo, Gabriele Di Sante and Mario Rende

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10317; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph191610317 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1332

Abstract

Environmental tobacco smoke remains a major risk factor, for both smokers and non-smokers, able to trigger the initiation and/or the progression of several human diseases. Although in recent times governments have acted with the aim of banning or strongly reducing its impact within public places and common spaces, environmental tobacco smoke remains a major pollutant in private places, such as the home environment or cars. Several inflammatory and long-term biomarkers have been analysed and well-described, but the list of mediators modulated during the early phases of inhalation of environmental tobacco smoke needs to be expanded. The aim of this study was to measure the short-term effects after exposure to side-stream smoke on Nerve Growth Factor and its receptors Tropomyosin-related kinase A and neurotrophin p75, molecules already described in health conditions and respiratory diseases. Twenty-one non-smokers were exposed to a home-standardized level of SS as well as to control smoke-free air. Nerve Growth Factor and inflammatory cytokines levels, as well the expression of Tropomyosin-related kinase A and neurotrophin receptor p75, were analysed in white blood cells. The present study demonstrates that during early phases, side-stream smoke exposure induced increases in the percentage of neurotrophin receptor p75-positive white blood cells, in their mean fluorescent intensity, and in gene expression. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the urine cotinine level and the percentage of neurotrophin receptor-positive white blood cells. For the first time, the evidence that short-term exposure to side-stream smoke is able to increase neurotrophin receptor p75 expression confirms the very early involvement of this receptor, not only among active smokers but also among non-smokers exposed to SS. Furthermore, the correlation between cotinine levels in urine and the increase in neurotrophin receptor p75-positive white blood cells could represent a potential novel molecule to be investigated for the detection of SS exposure at early time points. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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Review

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19 pages, 398 KiB

Open AccessReview

Electronic Cigarette Harms: Aggregate Evidence Shows Damage to Biological Systems

by Stephen L. Hamann, Nipapun Kungskulniti, Naowarut Charoenca, Vijj Kasemsup, Suwanna Ruangkanchanasetr and Passara Jongkhajornpong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(19), 6808; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph20196808 - 22 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2864

Abstract

Evidence of the harms of e-cigarettes has been unfolding slowly and has been documented in many reviews and reports worldwide. A narrative review of new evidence is presented since, as research has continued, newly aggregated evidence of the dangers of electronic cigarettes on the brain, heart, and lungs is vital to inform decisions on restricting the use of e-cigarettes. Several biomedical research databases were searched for electronic cigarette health effects, emphasizing reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Over 50 review studies, primarily in 2022 and 2023, illustrate some of the latest information on e-cigarette harms. Results show studies of respiratory, neurological, and cardiovascular effects. Researchers call for expanding studies through new methods to elaborate on initial findings of multiple harms emerging in clinical investigations. Since the use of electronic cigarettes for adult cessation is not sanctioned in most countries, it is clear that health authorities see significant costs to the health of the general population if the promotion and use of electronic cigarettes occur worldwide. Regulatory action to control electronic cigarettes should consider the substantial evidence of electronic cigarette harm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 2nd Edition: Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Tobacco Product Use)

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