UKECRF Research Roundup
The UK E-Cigarette Research Forum issues its latest coverage of vape and tobacco harm reduction related research and passes comments on some studies
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by Dave Cross
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The research briefing is part of a series of monthly updates aiming to provide an overview of new studies on electronic cigarettes. The briefings are intended for researchers, policy makers, health professionals and others who hold an interest in such matters.
Further information about the UKECRF can be found here: [link]
Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 – [link]
The study found there was no association between ever and past 30-day smoking and reporting COVID-19 symptoms or testing positive. The researchers also found there was no association between ever exclusive use of e-cigarettes and reporting COVID-19 symptoms, however ever exclusive users were more likely to have been tested and to test positive. Past 30-day dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes was associated with an increased risk of reporting COVID-19 symptoms.
UKECRF said the team relied on cross sectional data, meaning it could not be used to establish causality. Also, being self-reported, it meant that recall bias and error could play a large factor. Lastly, the team did not adjust the data for all potential confounders which may affect COVID-19 infection.
UKECRF said: “There is almost no existing research on vaping and Covid-19 which may explain why this study received media attention with headlines such as ‘Vaping teens and young adults up to seven times more likely to contract Covid-19’. This is in contrast to smoking and Covid-19, where there are a number of studies to date.”
QuitNic: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Nicotine Vaping Products With Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smoking Cessation Following Residential Detoxification – [link]
The study team said that their work showed that after 12 weeks, 14% of the vape group and 18% of the traditional NRT group “reported not smoking at all in the last 7 days.” The study was used by some in the media to say that nicotine replacement therapy works better than vaping.
The analysis worried that the sample size was small, the drop-out rate high, and the self-reported smoking abstinence had not been biochemically verified. “Whilst this study was small pilot with several limitations,” said UKECRF, “the findings indicate that e-cigarette use for smoking cessation in this group should be explored further.”
Youth vaping and smoking and parental vaping: a panel survey – [link]
The team concluded: “While measured confounding accounted for much of the associations between youth vaping and youth smoking, indicating support for underlying propensities, our estimates suggested residual effects that could only be explained away by considerable unmeasured confounding or by smoking leading to vaping. Estimated effects of youth vaping on youth smoking were stronger among the general youth population than among the small group of youth who actually vaped. Associations of parental vaping with youth smoking and vaping were either explained by measured confounding or could be relatively easily explained by unmeasured confounding.”
UKECRF commented: “The estimates assume a directional relationship from vaping to smoking, however estimates could be explained by reverse causality. Vaping status was determined by asking ‘do you ever use e-cigarettes’, meaning that participants who had used them once or infrequently may have been included. This also does not account for motivations or patterns of vaping. The overall prevalence of smoking and vaping in participants was very low. As such, confidence intervals were wide which may have affected the accuracy of estimates.”
“The findings didn’t support concerns that parents using e-cigarettes to quit smoking could directly contribute to children taking up smoking or vaping.”
Vaping and harm reduction studies this month:
Patterns of use
- Trends in youth e-cigarette and cigarette use between 2013 and 2019: insights from repeat cross-sectional data from the COMPASS study
- Prevalence of Flavored e-Cigarette Use Among Subpopulations of Adults in the United States
- Electronic Cigarettes Prevalence and Awareness Among Jordanian Individuals
- E-cigarette use and cigarette smoking initiation among Australian women who have never smoked
- Home smoking and vaping policies among US adults: results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, wave 3
- Marijuana Vaping in U.S. Adults: Evidence From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
- E-Cigarette Use and Transition in Adult Smoking Frequency: A Longitudinal Study
Perception
- Descriptive and Injunctive Norms Related to E-Cigarettes
- "Don't do vape, bro!" A qualitative study of youth's and parents' reactions to e-cigarette prevention advertisements
- Knowledge and Beliefs of Jordanian Community Toward E-cigarettes: A National Survey
- The Dilemma of Correcting Nicotine Misperceptions: Nicotine Replacement Therapy versus Electronic Cigarettes
- Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Young Adults About Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems in the United States: An Integrative Review
- Vape shop owners/managers' opinions about FDA regulation of e-cigarettes
- Comparison of a General and Conditional Measure of E-Cigarette Harm Perceptions
- Where there's smoke, there's fire: what current and future providers do and do not know about electronic cigarettes
Cessation
- QuitNic: A pilot randomised controlled trial comparing nicotine vaping products with nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation following residential detoxification
- E-Cigarette Use to Aid Long-Term Smoking Cessation in the US: Prospective Evidence from the PATH Cohort Study
Youth
- Association of E-cigarettes with adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking-drunkenness: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- E-cigarette environmental and fire/life safety risks in schools reported by secondary school teachers
- School Use and Normative Perceptions of Electronic Nicotine Product Use Among Middle and High School Students-November 2018
- Tobacco Product Promotions Remain Ubiquitous and are Associated with Use and Susceptibility to Use among Adolescents
- Up in Smoke: Exploring the Relationship between Bullying Victimization and E-Cigarette Use in Sexual Minority Youths
- Youth vaping and smoking and parental vaping: a panel survey
- Factors associated with electronic cigarette use among adolescents asthma in the Republic Of Korea
- Exploring Associations between Susceptibility to the Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and E-Cigarette Use among School-Going Adolescents in Rural Appalachia
- Characterizing Social Media Messages Related to Underage JUUL E-Cigarette Buying and Selling: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Reddit Subreddits
- The Road to Vaping: E-cigarette Susceptibility and Curiosity Among U.S. Adolescents Susceptible and Nonsusceptible to Cigarette Smoking
Harms and harm reduction
- Exclusive e-cigarette users report lower levels of respiratory symptoms relative to dual e-cigarette and cigarette users
- Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and Coronavirus Disease 2019
- Vaped Humectants in E-cigarette are a Source of Phenols
- Pod-based menthol and tobacco flavored e-cigarettes cause mitochondrial dysfunction in lung epithelial cells
- In utero Exposure to Nicotine Containing Electronic Cigarettes Increases the Risk of Allergic Asthma in Female Offspring
- Cell invasion, RAGE expression, and inflammation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells exposed to e-cigarette flavoring
In vivo assessment of the toxicity of electronic cigarettes to zebrafish ( Danio rerio) embryos, following gestational exposure, in terms of mortality, developmental toxicity, and hair cell damage: Toxicity of E-cigs to zebrafish embryos - The Impact of Device Settings, Use Patterns, and Flavorings on Carbonyl Emissions from Electronic Cigarettes
- Electronic cigarette extract induced toxic effect in iPS-derived cardiomyocytes
- Tobacco, but Not Nicotine and Flavor-Less Electronic Cigarettes, Induces ACE2 and Immune Dysregulation
- Replacing smoking with vaping during pregnancy: impacts on metabolic health in mice
- Glyoxal and Methylglyoxal as E-cigarette Vapor Ingredients-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine and Mucins Expression in Human Nasal Epithelial Cells
- Electronic Cigarette (e-cigarette) Use and Frequency of Asthma Symptoms in Adult Asthmatics in California
- Differential effects of tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes on endothelial function in healthy young people
- Urinary Biomarkers of Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Wave 1 (2013-2014)
- Electronic cigarette liquid substances propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin induce an inflammatory response in gingival epithelial cells
- Analysis of potential associations of JUUL flavours with health symptoms based on user-generated data from Reddit
- The JUUL E-Cigarette Elevates the Risk of Thrombosis and Potentiates Platelet Activation
- Potential effects of E-cigarettes and vaping in pediatric asthma
- Burn injuries related to E-cigarettes reported to poison control centers in the United States, 2010-2019
- Electronic cigarette vapor increases Streptococcus mutans growth, adhesion, biofilm formation, and expression of the biofilm-associated genes
- Metabolites of Tobacco- and E-Cigarette-Related Nitrosamines Can Drive Cu 2+-Mediated DNA Oxidation
- Toxic Metal-Containing Particles in Aerosols from Pod-Type Electronic Cigarettes
- Electronic nicotine delivery system-induced alterations in oral health via saliva assessment
- Hot Wires and Film Boiling: Another Look at Carbonyl Formation in Electronic Cigarettes
- Chemical and Toxicological Characterization of Vaping Emission Products from Commonly Used Vape Juice Diluents
Marketing
Misc
- Are In silico approaches applicable as a first step for the prediction of e-liquid toxicity in e-cigarettes?
- E-Cigarette Demand: Impact of Commodity Definitions and Test-Retest Reliability
- Green Apple e-Cigarette Flavorant Farnesene Triggers Reward-Related Behavior by Promoting High-Sensitivity nAChRs in the Ventral Tegmental Area
- E-cigarette Tobacco Retail Licensing Laws: Variance Across US States as of January 1, 2020
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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