April 2026 Current Abstracts

A systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether exercise-based interventions help people quit smoking and using e-cigarettes. The research synthesized evidence on how physical activity can support nicotine cessation as a behavioral strategy to address limitations in current cessation approaches.

Cancer patients in Brazil who continue smoking after diagnosis may have reduced awareness of tobacco-related harms compared to those who quit, potentially due to unique local smoking practices like straw cigarettes. Understanding these divergent perceptions between patients and caregivers is important for developing targeted cessation interventions that address specific beliefs and misconceptions about tobacco use among cancer survivors.

A multicenter Italian study evaluated the real-world effectiveness of a smoking cessation intervention delivered during routine HIV care for people living with HIV, using long-term follow-up data. The research assessed outcomes from an intervention integrated into standard clinical practice at infectious disease centers, providing evidence on smoking cessation success rates in this vulnerable population.

A narrative review proposes an evidence-based four-stage behavioral support model for helping patients quit smoking within the context of periodontal care. The model integrates established behavioral theories with psychological communication processes to support smoking cessation, recognizing that tobacco use is a critical modifiable risk factor for periodontal and implant-related diseases.

People with severe mental illness face unique challenges in quitting tobacco and nicotine, with success varying by gender and race/ethnicity. Understanding how these demographic factors interact can help public health and mental health practitioners develop more tailored, culturally-responsive cessation approaches for this vulnerable population.

Researchers evaluated whether a single auriculotherapy session (a complementary therapy involving stimulation of ear acupuncture points) could help people quit smoking. The study was a randomized controlled trial designed to test whether this single-session approach could be an effective smoking cessation tool, addressing previous inconsistencies in how auriculotherapy has been administered and studied.

Parents of children with acute respiratory diseases were surveyed to understand their smoking cessation success rates and identify factors that influence quitting attempts. The study examined how parental characteristics and circumstances—such as having a child with respiratory illness—are associated with the likelihood of successfully stopping smoking.

A randomized controlled trial tested whether brief motivational interviewing delivered through instant messaging on mobile phones could help noncommunicable disease patients who smoke but have no intention to quit. The study evaluated whether this digital approach could increase smoking abstinence rates in this hard-to-reach population of chronic smokers.

Integrating smoking cessation support into lung cancer screening programs in England could be a cost-effective way to reduce smoking-related health inequalities, particularly in deprived communities where smoking rates are highest. The analysis examined the distribution of costs and health benefits across different population groups to understand how this health systems approach could address smoking disparities.

Healthcare providers play a crucial role in advising patients about tobacco use and smoking cessation, making their understanding of product risks essential. This study examined how U.S. healthcare providers perceive and compare the health risks of various tobacco and nicotine-containing products to understand what information they are equipped to share with patients.

This cross-sectional study examined how electronic patient record (ePR) systems in hospitals can support smoking cessation by enabling systematic identification and coordination of cessation care. The research highlights the potential for hospital ePR systems to improve access to and delivery of evidence-based smoking cessation interventions during clinical encounters, though implementation barriers among clinicians may need to be addressed.

Healthcare professionals in England were surveyed about their capacity to support cessation for non-cigarette tobacco products (such as cigars, pipes, and heated tobacco). The study found significant gaps in providers' confidence, training, and resources to offer cessation support for these products beyond cigarettes, identifying key barriers to expanding tobacco cessation services across the healthcare system.

Nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR)—a measurement of how quickly the body breaks down nicotine—may help personalize smoking cessation treatments to improve quit rates in Jordan, a country with among the world's highest smoking prevalence. The research examines whether NMR-informed approaches could be used to tailor cessation strategies and explores healthcare providers' attitudes toward adopting this biomarker-guided treatment method.

GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, a class of drugs already used to treat diabetes and obesity, are being investigated as potential treatments to help people quit smoking and address other substance use disorders. This review examines the therapeutic promise of GLP-1 therapies for smoking cessation, given that cigarette smoking causes substantial disease burden and mortality rates among people with substance use disorders.

Researchers investigated how nicotine self-administration affects impulsive behavior and whether certain nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) modulators could reduce this impulsivity using a Go/No-Go task model. The study explores the neurobiological mechanisms linking nicotine use to compulsive smoking patterns and poor cessation outcomes, with implications for developing pharmacological interventions that target impulse control deficits in tobacco use disorder.

A randomized trial is testing whether offering people living with HIV a choice of different nicotine replacement products (rather than a single standard option) helps them quit smoking more effectively. This approach recognizes that tobacco smoking significantly increases the risk of heart disease and cancer in people with HIV, and aims to improve quit rates by allowing individuals to select the nicotine substitute product that best fits their preferences and lifestyle.

This commentary recommends that perinatal smoking cessation be included in federal funding eligibility under SAMHSA's contingency management program, which provides financial incentives to support behavioral change. The authors argue that expanding this evidence-based intervention to pregnant and postpartum smokers could help address the significant public health burden of smoking during pregnancy.

Teachers can be influential informal health educators in preventing youth smoking, but their motivation to initiate these conversations depends on how they perceive responsibility for student health. Using attribution theory, this research identified factors that influence whether teachers will engage in preventive discussions about smoking with adolescents, offering insights that could improve school-based tobacco prevention efforts.

This study protocol describes the adaptation and implementation of a school-based smoking prevention program in Greece that uses "Implementation Intentions" (If-Then planning strategies) to help adolescents refuse cigarettes. The approach combines practical refusal planning with anti-smoking messaging to prevent smoking initiation during a critical developmental period when most people begin smoking habits.

Researchers tested whether sending text messages to adolescents and young adults who use nicotine could help connect them to treatment services within a large health network. The pilot study evaluated whether this approach was practical to implement, acceptable to young people, and effective at increasing engagement in nicotine cessation treatment.

Pictorial warning labels on cigarettes may be more effective at preventing smoking initiation and supporting cessation among Korean adolescents when adolescents find the warnings believable and convincing. The study analyzed responses from 308 Korean youth tobacco users to understand how their perception of warning label credibility relates to their likelihood of quitting or not starting smoking.

Researchers conducted a behavioral pharmacology study comparing tobacco-flavored and menthol-flavored pod-based e-cigarettes with 5% nicotine to understand their potential to help smokers switch from traditional cigarettes while minimizing addiction risk in non-smokers. The study examined how satisfying and reinforcing these products are, which are key factors in determining whether they could serve as effective smoking alternatives without creating new dependence.

Researchers investigated whether the nicotine concentration levels in e-cigarettes are associated with dependence on e-cigarettes and/or combustible tobacco among U.S. adults using cross-sectional analysis. Understanding the relationship between nicotine concentration and dependence risk is important for assessing the potential public health impact of e-cigarette product characteristics and informing regulatory approaches.

This narrative review examined the addictive potential of vaping by synthesizing existing research literature on addiction paradigms, with particular attention to youth perspectives in Norway. The study provides a heuristic discussion of how vaping may create addiction, considering current evidence on the addictive properties of e-cigarettes, which is relevant for understanding youth vulnerability to nicotine dependence through vaping products.

A systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether varenicline, a medication already used to help people quit smoking, could also help people stop vaping. The review synthesized evidence from randomized controlled trials to assess how effective and safe varenicline is for e-cigarette cessation, providing evidence to guide clinical practice and cessation interventions for vapers.

A systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether e-cigarette use is associated with quitting smoking or reducing cigarette consumption among people who smoke. This evidence synthesis followed rigorous methodological guidelines to identify and characterize the relationship between e-cigarette use and changes in combustible cigarette smoking patterns.

England launched a pioneering public health initiative in 2024 that provides free vapes and behavioral support to smokers, with a focus on populations with higher smoking rates. This survey examined how aware adults in England were of this "Swap to Stop" program and explored which demographic and smoking-related factors were associated with awareness of the initiative.

Researchers used the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine how mental health factors (stress, anxiety, and depression) influence young adults' intentions to stop vaping. The study explored whether the relationship between mental health and vaping abstinence intentions differs depending on whether someone is an active vaper or has already quit, providing insights into how psychological factors may impact vaping cessation motivations across different user groups.

Researchers examined which emerging adults use nicotine pouches and how their use relates to e-cigarette use, withdrawal symptoms, and nicotine dependence. The study provides insights into patterns of concurrent nicotine product use among young adults and identifies sociodemographic groups most likely to use these emerging oral nicotine products.

Young adults' perceptions of e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes may influence whether they use e-cigarettes alone, switch to cigarettes, or use multiple nicotine and tobacco products. Understanding these perceived harms is important for predicting how changes in public awareness about e-cigarette risks could affect overall tobacco and nicotine product use patterns among young people.

A case report documents a 30-year-old male who developed exogenous lipoid pneumonia (a serious lung condition involving lipid accumulation) after using e-cigarettes while exposed to paraffin-based oil spray and waterproofing spray. The case suggests that combining e-cigarette use—which contains glycerin and propylene glycol—with exposure to organic solvents in household products may increase the risk of developing this rare but serious respiratory condition.

This scoping review examined research on how vaping affects oral health in young people, a topic of growing concern given youth's frequent e-cigarette use during a critical developmental period. The review synthesizes evidence on the oral health impacts of exposure to harmful chemicals and nicotine from electronic cigarettes, helping to clarify what is currently known about vaping's effects on youth dental and oral health outcomes.

Researchers used advanced mass spectrometry techniques to track how toxic metals from e-cigarette aerosols are deposited in lung tissue and accumulate over time. The study found that e-cigarettes expose users to harmful metals that can build up in the lungs, challenging the perception that these devices are a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products.

This article examines the carcinogenic risks associated with vaping, particularly in the context of its promotion as a smoking cessation tool. The research suggests that while vaping was initially marketed as a safer alternative to help smokers quit by gradually reducing nicotine, the potential health risks of vaping itself may offset the benefits gained from eliminating traditional cigarette smoke exposure.

This review examines how e-cigarette aerosols—which contain metals, aldehydes, solvents, and other chemicals—may disrupt metabolic regulation through effects on mitochondrial function, circadian rhythms, and neurobehavioral processes. Evidence from cellular, animal, and early human studies suggests that despite being marketed as reduced-harm alternatives to combustible tobacco, e-cigarettes have systemic health impacts beyond traditional smoking-related diseases. The findings highlight potential metabolic and neurological concerns that warrant further investigation and consideration in public health messaging about e-cigarette safety.

Researchers investigated how nicotine in e-cigarette juice chemically breaks down over time during storage, specifically through oxidation processes involving hydroxyl radicals. The study reveals the mechanisms behind the formation of tobacco-specific alkaloids (TSAs) in aged e-juices, which has implications for understanding potential health exposures from vaping products that may have been stored for extended periods. These findings highlight an overlooked aspect of e-juice safety—that chemical changes occurring during storage could alter the composition and potential toxicity of vaping products.

Nicotine pouches are an emerging tobacco product available in multiple flavors, with mint being the most popular flavor choice among adult users in the United States. The study examined flavor preferences and identified characteristics distinguishing adults who used only flavored pouches versus only unflavored pouches based on 2022-23 tobacco use survey data.

Researchers used advanced laboratory techniques to measure how volatile organic compounds are released from heated tobacco products when glycerol is added and at different heating temperatures. The findings provide detailed information about the chemical composition of aerosols produced by these products, which can inform understanding of what users are inhaling.

Researchers identified and characterized 4-fluorometomidate, a novel derivative of etomidate (a surgical anesthetic), in e-cigarette products using advanced analytical techniques. This finding adds to growing evidence that dangerous pharmaceutical substances and their analogs are being illicitly added to e-cigarettes, raising significant public health and safety concerns related to unregulated product contamination.

VAPGAMO is a digital game-based learning intervention being tested in Malaysian secondary schools to reduce adolescents' intention to vape. This cluster-randomised controlled trial evaluates whether the theory-driven intervention can effectively lower vaping intentions among youth at 3-month follow-up, addressing youth vaping as a significant global public health challenge.

Researchers investigated whether e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults is associated with changes in cognitive function, emotional intelligence, and dementia risk, building on established knowledge that nicotine exposure affects developing brains. This study examined potential links between vaping and attention-related disorders, contributing to the evidence base on how e-cigarette use may impact brain development and long-term neurological health in younger populations.

Researchers examined whether e-cigarette use during adolescence is associated with changes in brain structure, specifically looking at brain surface area and cortical volumes. The study analyzed neuroimaging data from adolescents to determine if regular e-cigarette use correlates with measurable differences in how their brains develop.

Researchers tracked adolescents and young adults over 12 months to examine the relationship between e-cigarette use patterns and respiratory symptoms, accounting for cannabis and tobacco use, COVID-19 exposure, and asthma history. Young people who sustained their e-cigarette use over the year experienced greater frequency of respiratory symptoms compared to those who did not continue using e-cigarettes.

Local flavored tobacco ban policies were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in reducing electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use among youth in the US. The research examined whether such bans can address the concerning trend of increasing frequency of use among current youth users, particularly high school students, despite overall declining ENDS prevalence.

This study examined how neighbourhood characteristics and socio-economic factors together influence smoking behaviour among Cypriot adults. The research explored whether features of the built environment (such as access to services, walkability, or availability of tobacco retailers) interact with individual socio-economic status to shape smoking patterns, helping identify which populations and communities may be at higher risk for smoking.

Early substance use before age 15 is an important predictor of substance use problems later in life. This research examined how various social, contextual, and individual factors influence adolescent vaping, smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use, with attention to inequalities across different populations. Understanding these substance-general and substance-specific risk and protective factors can help public health efforts target prevention strategies more effectively for vulnerable youth.

Sexual and gender minority youth use multiple tobacco and nicotine products at higher rates than cisgender and heterosexual youth, but little research has examined how patterns of use differ across these populations. This study analyzed data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey to better understand the intersection of gender identity, sexual orientation, and the simultaneous use of different tobacco/nicotine products among young people.

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized available research to estimate electronic cigarette use rates across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where comprehensive e-cigarette prevalence data has been lacking. The findings provide consolidated prevalence estimates for e-cigarette use in the LAC region, filling an important gap in understanding the regional scope of e-cigarette adoption in this population.

Using nationally representative US survey data from 2022-2023, researchers examined patterns of nicotine pouch use, including how often people use them and whether they use them to try quitting cigarettes or e-cigarettes. The study identified current nicotine pouch users, former users, and never users, while also documenting which brands are most commonly used across the US population.

Researchers analyzed healthcare expenditure data from 1.6 million adults in Hong Kong's public healthcare system to estimate the economic burden of smoking in the territory. The study found that even as smoking prevalence declines, the economic costs associated with smoking-related diseases remain substantial, highlighting that progress in reducing smoking rates does not automatically translate to proportional reductions in healthcare spending.

This research examined whether continued smoking increases the risk of developing a second smoking-associated cancer among people who have already survived one cancer diagnosis. The study provides evidence on how smoking affects second cancer risk across different groups of cancer survivors, including those whose first cancer was not originally caused by smoking.

This study examined the global burden of esophageal cancer caused by smoking and alcohol use from 1990 to 2021 and projected trends through 2040 using Global Burden of Disease data. The analysis identified smoking and alcohol as major preventable risk factors for esophageal cancer and documented long-term trends and disparities across populations. These findings highlight the substantial health burden attributable to these modifiable risk factors and provide projections to inform future public health planning and prevention efforts.

Researchers investigated how nicotine affects lung adenocarcinoma development and progression by examining different molecular patterns of how cancer cells respond to nicotine exposure. The study aimed to better understand the mechanisms through which nicotine promotes lung cancer and to identify patient characteristics that could predict treatment responses to immunotherapy.

Researchers used Mendelian randomization, a statistical method to identify causal relationships, to investigate whether nicotine exposure increases the risk of glioblastoma (a serious brain cancer). The study examined genetic data related to serum cotinine levels (a marker of nicotine exposure) and glioblastoma cases to determine if nicotine has a causal role in developing this cancer type.

A global database analysis examined the relationship between smoking and seven vision-threatening eye conditions, including cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinal vascular occlusion, uveitis, and ischemic optic neuropathy. This research adds to the growing evidence that smoking poses significant risks to eye health and vision outcomes across multiple ocular diseases.

Researchers used combined genetic and protein analysis to identify potential biomarkers that could distinguish between smoking-induced vocal fold lesions that will and will not develop into cancer. This work aims to help predict which patients with laryngeal dysplasia or Reinke's edema are at highest risk for malignant transformation, enabling more targeted clinical management and monitoring.

This nationwide Korean study examined how smoking, alcohol use, and exercise affect weight loss in gastric cancer patients after surgery. The research investigates lifestyle factors as potential modifiers of post-surgical weight loss, which is an important long-term complication affecting cancer prognosis and quality of life in survivors.

A crossover pilot study compared the acute cardiovascular and oral blood flow effects of traditional cigarettes and heated tobacco products in adult smokers. Traditional cigarette smoking impaired oral circulation and affected cardiac function, with implications for understanding how different tobacco product types impact cardiovascular and oral health outcomes.

A retrospective study examined how smoking status affects recovery outcomes and healthcare use in patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery. Smokers typically experience worse surgical outcomes, including increased pain and complications, which may lead to greater healthcare resource utilization during the recovery period. Understanding smoking's impact on orthopedic surgery outcomes reinforces the importance of smoking cessation before elective procedures.

Researchers investigated whether heated tobacco products (HTPs), which are promoted as safer alternatives to cigarettes, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Given that conventional smoking is a known diabetes risk factor, this study helps fill an important gap in understanding the metabolic health impacts of newer tobacco products.

Researchers examined whether nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR), a measure of how quickly the body breaks down nicotine, is associated with depression symptoms in U.S. adults. The study found that this association appears to be specific to current smokers, suggesting that how individuals metabolize nicotine may influence their risk for clinically significant depressive symptoms.

Researchers examined how depression affects brain activity patterns in chronic nicotine users during acute nicotine exposure, comparing one user with depression to one without. The study found that depression modulates the interaction between the hippocampus (memory center) and cortical regions (higher brain functions) in response to nicotine, suggesting that depression may alter how the brain processes and responds to nicotine use. These findings indicate that underlying mental health status may contribute to differences in how individuals respond to nicotine and potentially to treatment outcomes.

Young smokers experience significant disruptions in sleep microstructure, specifically in slow-wave sleep and sleep spindles, which are important for memory consolidation and brain health. The severity of these sleep alterations correlates with the amount and intensity of cigarette smoking exposure, suggesting that smoking may impair critical sleep processes during a developmentally sensitive period.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and personal smoking exposure were examined as risk factors for osteoarthritis development across multiple joint sites in over 321,000 UK adults. The study investigated whether genetic susceptibility to osteoarthritis modified the relationship between smoking exposure and osteoarthritis risk, providing insight into how environmental and genetic factors may interact to influence joint disease development.

Pregnant BALB/c mice exposed to marijuana smoke showed reduced fetal and neonatal outcomes, including lower birthweight and increased placental weight. Researchers examined placental tissue samples to identify the structural changes in the placenta that may explain these adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with prenatal marijuana smoke exposure.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased incidence and severity of congenital heart disease in offspring, representing a significant modifiable risk factor for infant health. Despite ongoing public health efforts to reduce smoking in pregnancy, a substantial proportion of pregnant women continue to smoke, highlighting a continued public health concern for preventing birth defects.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is linked to increased behavioral problems in children, but researchers investigated whether these effects are specific to externalizing behaviors (like aggression and impulsivity) or also affect internalizing problems (like anxiety and depression), and whether the risks differ by child age and sex. Understanding these patterns can help identify which children are most vulnerable and may need targeted intervention and support.

Researchers examined how cigarette smoke damages the cells that line lung lymphatic vessels, which are critical for removing fluid, transporting immune cells, and fighting infections in the lungs. The study identified specific structural and molecular changes caused by smoking and raised questions about whether vaping causes similar damage. These findings suggest that smoking-induced damage to lung lymphatics may contribute to respiratory disease development.

Researchers examined how cigarette smoking affects lung function and exercise performance in elite athletes across different sports disciplines. The study assessed the prevalence of smoking among top-level competitors and measured how smoking impacts cardiopulmonary parameters, with particular attention to gender-specific differences in these effects.

Researchers analyzed blood protein patterns from over 38,000 UK Biobank participants to identify molecular changes associated with smoking and quitting. Using machine learning on 2,920 different proteins, the study revealed specific immune and metabolic disruptions linked to smoking exposure and documented how these changes improve after smoking cessation, providing biological evidence of how smoking damages health at the molecular level.

This mendelian randomization study examined whether genetic factors that increase smoking susceptibility are associated with increased risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, a common nerve compression condition. By using genetic variants as natural experiments, the research aimed to determine if smoking itself causally contributes to carpal tunnel syndrome, moving beyond the limitations of previous observational studies that couldn't definitively separate smoking's effects from other confounding factors.

Researchers examined how different smoking behaviors affect various immune system markers, including white blood cell counts and other immune components. Using large observational studies and genetic analysis methods, they identified specific ways that cigarette smoking impairs immune function. These findings help clarify which immune system components are most vulnerable to smoking-related damage.

Researchers investigated whether changes in the bacterial communities living in the lungs are associated with accelerated biological aging and whether smoking or e-cigarette use influence these relationships. The study examined lung microbiome composition and epigenetic markers of aging in disease-free individuals to understand how microbial communities in the lungs may contribute to lung aging and disease susceptibility.

Researchers compared how smoking affects the body's inflammatory response to periodontal (gum) disease treatment. Smokers with stage 3 periodontitis showed different levels of inflammatory markers (Gremlin-1, Syndecan-4, and IL-1β) compared to non-smokers with the same condition, suggesting that smoking may impair the body's healing response to gum disease treatment.

Researchers investigated whether tobacco in cigarettes contains microplastics that smokers inhale directly during smoking, beyond the plastic particles already known to come from cigarette filters. This study is the first to examine the tobacco portion itself as a potential source of inhaled microplastic exposure, which is important because microplastics are emerging contaminants with known respiratory health risks.

Smoking is known to worsen chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), but how it affects the severity seen on CT scans may vary depending on the type of CRS. Researchers examined whether smoking's impact on CT scan findings differed between eosinophilic CRS and other CRS subtypes to better understand smoking's role in disease progression across different patient groups.

A study examined whether the quality of dietary antioxidants consumed might influence the relationship between smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk in adults. Since smoking causes inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, and dietary antioxidants are known to reduce these harmful processes, the research assessed whether better antioxidant intake could potentially modify smoking's harmful effects on lung health.

Researchers examined how smoking and vascular risk factors affect disease relapse in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), a rare neurological condition. The study analyzed data from MOGAD patients in an Oxford clinic to understand whether smoking and cardiovascular risk factors influence how frequently patients experience disease relapses.

Researchers examined how different cannabis vaping advertisements and warning labels influenced perceptions among 3,581 US young adults aged 18-30 in 2024. The study evaluated the effectiveness of specific advertising messages and warning combinations to inform evidence-based marketing regulations and public health messaging strategies for cannabis vaping products.

Tobacco companies are marketing cigarettes containing WS-3, a synthetic cooling agent that produces a cooling sensation, as substitutes for menthol cigarettes in jurisdictions like California where menthol cigarette sales are prohibited. This research examines whether WS-3 cigarettes are being used to circumvent menthol restrictions and potentially maintain the appeal of flavored cigarettes to consumers who previously used menthol products.

Researchers analyzed nicotine pouches and heated tobacco heatsticks to assess whether their flavourings, nicotine content, and elemental composition comply with regulatory standards. The study provides analytical methods and findings that can help regulatory bodies monitor these emerging tobacco products for compliance with nicotine reduction and safety requirements, particularly given their growing use among young people.

Rural and regional Victorian pharmacists were surveyed about their perceptions of new legislation requiring vapes for smoking cessation and nicotine dependence to be dispensed exclusively through participating pharmacies. The study explores how pharmacists in these settings view and implement these regulatory changes to vape supply and access.

A 2024 national survey examined how smokers respond to menthol cigarette bans by using menthol flavour enhancer products that can be added to regular cigarettes. The research assessed both current use of these workaround products and smokers' intentions to use them if menthol cigarettes become unavailable, providing insights into potential regulatory gaps created by flavour-adding alternatives.

Researchers measured levels of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in 15 best-selling cigarette brands sold in middle China to establish baseline data on heavy metal contamination. Using respiratory tract deposition modeling and simulated lung fluid extraction, the study assessed how these toxic metals are absorbed when cigarette smoke is inhaled, providing evidence to support the development of standardized regulatory criteria for heavy metals in cigarettes globally.

A 12-week clinical trial examined whether very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes, which the US FDA proposed regulating in 2025, might lead to unintended increases in cannabis or alcohol use as smokers seek alternative substances. The study evaluated whether reducing nicotine in cigarettes affects use of other substances, which is important for understanding the full public health impact of nicotine reduction policies.

This study examined how US adults who vape adjust their choices among different e-cigarette models and traditional cigarettes in response to price changes and taxes. The research provides evidence on cross-price elasticities between various e-cigarette types and between e-cigarettes and cigarettes, addressing a gap in understanding how state-level e-cigarette taxes influence consumer behavior and product switching patterns.

Researchers used passive Wi-Fi packet sensing technology to measure both secondhand smoke concentrations and the number of people present in and around a designated outdoor smoking area. This innovative approach provides new insights into how many nonsmokers may be exposed to outdoor secondhand smoke in public spaces, complementing previous studies that focused only on smoke levels without accounting for actual human exposure patterns.

Researchers estimated deaths caused by secondhand smoke exposure in Brazilian state capitals from 2009 to 2021 among adults aged 35 and older, using population attributable fraction calculations. This longitudinal study tracked how passive smoking-related mortality evolved over the 12-year period across Brazil's 27 state capitals and by gender, providing evidence on the burden of disease from involuntary smoke exposure in urban populations.

Researchers developed and tested a new tool called the Second-Hand Smoking Knowledge Test to measure how much people know about the health risks of secondhand smoke exposure in a Turkish population. The study evaluated whether this test accurately and consistently measures knowledge about secondhand smoke, providing public health practitioners with a validated instrument to assess community understanding of this important health issue.

This review examines the microbial communities involved in cigar tobacco leaf fermentation and how these microbial populations assemble and function during the production process. While the research focuses on the scientific and biotechnological aspects of tobacco fermentation rather than public health outcomes, understanding these microbial processes may have implications for tobacco product characteristics and quality control in manufacturing.

This research examined how nicotine residue in soil—a byproduct of tobacco cultivation—affects potato plants grown on contaminated land. Using advanced molecular analysis techniques, researchers identified the specific biological mechanisms by which nicotine stress damages potato seedling leaves, providing insights into potential food safety risks when potatoes are cultivated in tobacco-affected soil.

This agricultural research examined how rotating tobacco and peanut crops in China's Shandong region affects pest management. The study found that tobacco-peanut rotation significantly reduced aphid populations in peanut crops, likely due to residual nicotine remaining in the soil from previous tobacco cultivation, which also led to increased peanut yields.

Researchers investigated whether nicotine and nicotine-related compounds could inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, inspired by anecdotal reports of lower infection rates among smokers. They identified 3-vinylpyridine as a weak binder to the protease and used it as a template to design new inhibitor compounds that can chemically attach to specific amino acid residues in the virus's catalytic region. This work demonstrates a novel chemical approach to antiviral drug development based on nicotine chemistry, though further research would be needed to evaluate therapeutic potential.

This article is not relevant to tobacco research. It is a clinical case report describing orthopedic surgical treatment of a tibial bone fracture complication using bone morphogenetic protein-2, with no connection to tobacco use, cessation, e-cigarettes, or tobacco policy.

This research addresses food safety in smoking processes by developing composite films made from zein and ethyl cellulose that can reduce the transfer of harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to smoked meats while preserving desirable smoke flavors. The findings may inform food industry practices to minimize exposure to carcinogenic smoke compounds during meat smoking, though this work focuses on food safety rather than tobacco control or smoking cessation.

Researchers examined how two types of smokeless tobacco—black shammah and DZRT snuff—affect the appearance and surface quality of dental ceramic materials used in computer-aided manufacturing. The study measured color changes and surface roughness in these materials after exposure to smokeless tobacco staining, providing information relevant to dental professionals treating smokeless tobacco users.