scholarly journals About One in Five Novice Vapers Buying Their First E-Cigarette in a Vape Shop Are Smoking Abstinent after Six Months

Author(s):  
Karolien Adriaens ◽  
Dinska Van Gucht ◽  
Frank Baeyens

Background: E-cigarette use is rising with the majority of vapers purchasing their e-cigarettes in vape shops. We investigated the smoking/vaping trajectories and quit-smoking success rates of smokers deciding to start vaping for the first time and buying their e-cigarette in brick-and-mortar vape shops in Flanders. Methods: Participants filled out questionnaires assessing smoking/vaping behaviour at three moments (intake, after three and six months) and smoking status was biochemically verified using eCO measurements. Results: Participants (n = 71) were regular smokers (MeCO-intake = 22 ppm), half of whom reported a motivation to quit smoking in the near future. Participants bought 3rd/4th generation e-cigarettes and e-liquid with a nicotine concentration averaging 7 mg/mL. A smoking reduction of 53% (17 cigarettes per day (CPD) at intake to 8 CPD after six months) was observed, whereas eCO decreased to 15 ppm. Eighteen percent of participants had quit smoking completely (eCO = 2 ppm), another 25% had at least halved CPD, whereas 57% had failed to reduce CPD by at least 50% (including 13% lost to follow-up). Quitters consumed more e-liquid than reducers and those who continued to smoke. Conclusions: Around one in five smoking customers buying their first e-cigarette in a brick-and-mortar vape shop had quit smoking completely after six months.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kupiainen ◽  
V. L. Kinnula ◽  
A. Lindqvist ◽  
D. S. Postma ◽  
H. M. Boezen ◽  
...  

Smoking cessation is the cornerstone of COPD management, but difficult to achieve in clinical practice. The effect of comorbidities on smoking cessation and risk factors for mortality were studied in a cohort of 739 COPD patients recruited in two Finnish University Hospitals. The diagnosis of COPD was done for the first time on average 5.5 years prior to the enrollment. Data from the medical records and followup questionnaires (years 0, 1, 2, and 4) have been analyzed. The patients’ lung function varied greatly; mean FEV158% of predicted. A total of 60.2% of men and 55.6% of women had been able to quit smoking. Alcohol abuse (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.3) and psychiatric conditions (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2–2.7) were strongly related to low success rates of quitting. Among current smokers high nicotine dependency was again explained by alcohol abuse and psychiatric conditions. Non-quitters were younger than quitters, but their mortality rates remained significantly higher even when the model was adjusted for impairment of lung functions and comorbidities. In conclusion, co-existing addiction and psychiatric diseases significantly decreased the success rates in smoking cessation and increased mortality among the patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mégane Héron ◽  
Anne-Laurence Le Faou ◽  
Gladys Ibanez ◽  
Brigitte Métadieu ◽  
Maria Melchior ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Compared to smokers with favorable socio-economic position (SEP), those with low SEP are less likely to have a successful smoking cessation attempt. Tailored approaches are therefore needed, and general practitioners could help reaching and assisting usually hard-to-reach population. Method STOP (Sevrage Tabagique à l’aide d’Outils dédiés selon la Préférence) is a pilot study, examining the feasibility, acceptability and potentiality of a smoking cessation intervention centered on smoker’s preference. Smokers with low SEP, wishing to quit, were recruited in six healthcare centers in the Greater Paris area. They were asked to choose between different types of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products and/or e-cigarette with liquids delivered free of charge to aid their smoking cessation attempt. We describe the characteristics of recruited participants, their perception of smoking cessation aids, and the evolution of their smoking status 4 to 6 weeks after recruitment. Results We recruited 49 participants, of which 29% chose an e-cigarette, 29% chose NRT and 42% chose both an e-cigarette and NRT. The intervention was shown to be acceptable by participants and health professionals. Among the 24 participants followed for at least one month, 14 (28% of all participants) stopped smoking, and 9 (18%) considerably reduced their consumption. Conclusion The STOP intervention is feasible and acceptable, even if more efforts should be made to limit lost-to-follow-up. This preference-based intervention also shows interesting prospect in helping smokers with low SEP quit smoking. We will test the efficacy of this preference-based intervention in a randomized controlled trial.


2018 ◽  
pp. 47-52

Epimedium elatum (Morren & Decne) of family Berberidaceace is a rare perennial medicinal plant, endemic to high altitude forests of Northwestern Himalayas in India. Ethnobotanically, it has been used as an ingredient for treatment of bone-joint disorders, impotence and kidney disorders in Kashmir Himalayas. Phytochemically, it is rich in Epimedin ABC and Icariin; all of these have been demonstrated to possess remarkable biological activities like PDE-5 inhibition (treatment of erectile dysfunction), anticancer, antiosteoporosis antioxidant and antiviral properties. The present investigation reports its traditional usage, comprehensive distribution and conservation status from twenty ecogeographical regions in Kashmir Himalayas, India. The species was reported from Gurez valley for the first time. Numerous threats like excessive grazing, deforestration, habitat fragmentation, tourism encroachment, landslides and excessive exploitation have decreased its natural populations in most of the surveyed habitats. Consequently, its existence may become threatened in near future if timely conservation steps are not taken immediately by concerned stakeholders involved in medicinal plant research. Moreover, use of plant tissue culture techniques is recommended for development of its in vitro propagation protocols. Therefore, introduction of this medicinal plant in botanical gardens, protected sites and development of monitoring programmes are needed for its immediate conservation in Northwestern Himalayas, India.


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Kočovský

This review summarizes the main topics of our research and covers the period of the last 15 years. The prime interest is focused on various ways of controlling the regio- and stereoselectivity of selected organic reactions, in particular electrophilic additions, cleavage of cyclopropane rings, and allylic substitutions by means of neighboring groups and/or transition and non-transition metals. In the first part, the factors governing the course of electrophilic additions are assessed, culminating in the formulation of selection rules for the reactivity of cyclohexene systems, and in a concise synthesis of the natural cardioactive drug, strophanthidin. These studies also contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms of electrophilic additions. The second part describes recent developments in the stereo- and regiocontrolled cleavage of cyclopropane rings by non-transition metals (Tl and Hg), and the reactivity and transmetalation (with Pd) of the primary products. This methodology has resulted in novel routes to unique polycyclic structures, and will have synthetic applications in the near future. Evidence for the stereospecific "corner" cleavage of the cyclopropane ring has been provided for the first time for Tl and later for Hg. The third part deals with transition metal-catalyzed allylic substitution. Evidence for a new "syn" mechanism for the formation of the intermediate (π-allyl)palladium complex has been provided, which runs counter to the generally accepted "anti" mechanism. A novel method for a Pd-catalyzed allylic oxidation has been developed and employed in the synthesis of natural sesquiterpenes. The increasing importance of transition and non-transition metals for synthetic organic chemistry is demonstrated by their unique reactivity in a number of the papers included in this review.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Temmer

AbstractThe Sun, as an active star, is the driver of energetic phenomena that structure interplanetary space and affect planetary atmospheres. The effects of Space Weather on Earth and the solar system is of increasing importance as human spaceflight is preparing for lunar and Mars missions. This review is focusing on the solar perspective of the Space Weather relevant phenomena, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), flares, solar energetic particles (SEPs), and solar wind stream interaction regions (SIR). With the advent of the STEREO mission (launched in 2006), literally, new perspectives were provided that enabled for the first time to study coronal structures and the evolution of activity phenomena in three dimensions. New imaging capabilities, covering the entire Sun-Earth distance range, allowed to seamlessly connect CMEs and their interplanetary counterparts measured in-situ (so called ICMEs). This vastly increased our knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of interplanetary space due to solar activity and fostered the development of Space Weather forecasting models. Moreover, we are facing challenging times gathering new data from two extraordinary missions, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (launched in 2018) and ESA’s Solar Orbiter (launched in 2020), that will in the near future provide more detailed insight into the solar wind evolution and image CMEs from view points never approached before. The current review builds upon the Living Reviews article by Schwenn from 2006, updating on the Space Weather relevant CME-flare-SEP phenomena from the solar perspective, as observed from multiple viewpoints and their concomitant solar surface signatures.


1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Philip E. Chartrand

In December 1974, Ian Smith, the leader of the white minority regime in Rhodesia, announced for the first time since declaring his country’s independence from Britain in 1965 that his government was willing to begin direct negotiations with the African liberation movements seeking to achieve majority rule in Rhodesia. The prospect of such talks leading to an end to guerrilla fighting in Rhodesia and a termination of the United Nations authorized sanctions against the illegal Smith regime is dimmed by the fact that the Africans demand African rule for Rhodesia in the near future if not immediately, while Smith and his supporters have refused to consider such a development “in his lifetime.” Still the announcement constituted a step forward which few informed observers would have deemed likely even a few weeks before.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Partha S. Das

Abstract Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) designed, built and has operated two JOHNSON-SEA-LINK (JSL) manned submersibles for the past 25 years. The JSL submersibles each incorporate a 66–68 in. (1.6764–1.7272 m) OD, 4–5.25 in. (0.1016–0.13335 m) thick acrylic two-man sphere as a Pressure Vessel for Human Occupancy (PVHO). This type of spherical acrylic sphere or submersible was first introduced in around 1970 and is known as Naval Experimental Manned Observatory (NEMO) submersibles. As the demand increases for ocean exploration to 3000 ft. (914.4 m) depth to collect samples, to study the ocean surfaces, the problem of developing cracks at the interface of these manned acrylic submersibles following few hundred dives have become a common phenomena. This has drawn considerable attentions for reinvestigation of the spherical acrylic submersible in order to overcome this crack generation problem at the interface. Therefore, a new full-scale 3-D nonlinear FEA (Finite Element Analysis) model, similar to the spherical acrylic submersible that HBOI uses for ocean exploration, has been developed for the first time in order to simulate the structural behavior at the interface and throughout the sphere, for better understanding of the mechanical behavior. Variation of the stiffness between dissimilar materials at the interface, lower nylon gasket thickness, over designed aluminum hatch are seemed to be few of the causes for higher stresses within acrylic sphere at the nylon gasket/acrylic interface. Following the basic understanding of the stresses and relative displacements at the interface and within different parts of the submersible, various models have been developed on the basis of different shapes and thickness of nylon gaskets, openings of the acrylic sphere, hatch geometry and its materials, specifically to study their effect on the overall performance of the acrylic submersible. Finally, the new model for acrylic submersible has been developed by redesigning the top aluminum hatch and hatch ring, the sphere openings at both top and bottom, as well as the nylon gasket inserts. Altogether this new design indicates a significant improvement over the existing spherical acrylic submersible by reducing the stresses at the top gasket/acrylic interface considerably. Redesigning of the bottom penetrator plate, at present, is underway. In this paper, results from numerical modeling only are reported in details. Correlation between experimental-numerical modeling results for the new model will be reported in the near future.


2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 535-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Köhler ◽  
S. Avenarius ◽  
A. Rabsilber ◽  
C. Gerloff ◽  
G. Jorch

Meconium samples collected from 115 neonates were analysed for nicotine, cotinine and trans -3-hydroxycotinine (OH-cotinine) by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify prenatal smoke exposure. The self-reported maternal smoking status during pregnancy was determined by means of a questionnaire and verified by measurements in urine prior to childbirth. The total sum of nicotine and its metabolites (Sumtot) of the first passed meconium samples was 1560 ± 1024 pmol/g in newborns of smoking mothers. Smoking of less than five cigarettes was clearly detected. Sumtot remained constant in all meconium samples passed by a neonate in succession. However, the proportion of nicotine decreased with the time of passage after birth and the OH-cotinine proportion increased, whereas cotinine hardly changed. Nicotine or its metabolites were not detectable in meconium (detection limit < 20 pmol/g), when the mothers were only exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) using the HPLC method. The hypothesis that the content of nicotine metabolites in meconium reflects long-term smoke exposure could not be confirmed in newborns whose mothers had quit smoking during the latter half of pregnancy. Determining Sumtot enables the intensity of continuous smoking during pregnancy to be estimated in all meconium samples passed by a newborn. Human & Experimental Toxicology (2007) 26: 535—544


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