Smoking and Tobacco News

Cigarette smoking is associated with a higher mortality rate among patients with invasive, nonmetastatic colorectal cancer, according to results of a study led by investigators from the American Cancer Society.

ISTANBUL — A study comparing corneal biomechanics of heavy smokers and nonsmokers in Turkey found no significant difference, but there was a tendency for increased stiffness in the corneas of heavy smokers, particularly those older than 40 years.

New-onset gastroesophageal reflux symptoms are associated with weight gain, especially after tobacco smoking cessation, and a variety of other factors, according recent study data.

The use of e-cigarettes is continuing to increase steadily, with sales of the battery-powered devices expected to exceed those of regular cigarettes by 2021.

Increasing the dosage of varenicline in smokers who had little initial response to the drug showed no substantial effect on their withdrawal symptoms, according to data recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers observed a reduction in asthma-related ED visits in both adults and children after a smoke-free workplace law took effect in Minnesota, according to study results.

Smoking appears to confer a higher risk for myocardial infarction in HIV patients than in the overall population, according to recent findings.

Secondhand smoke exposure rates in the U.S. have been cut in half since 1999, but exposure among children, non-Hispanic blacks, those in poverty and those who rent their housing remains high.

To achieve goals for decreasing the global burden of noncommunicable diseases by 2025, countries must redouble their efforts at the governmental level, the WHO said in a press release.

Treating smokers who metabolize nicotine normally with varenicline and treating smokers who metabolize nicotine slowly with a nicotine patch may provide a feasible approach to smoking cessation, according to new study findings.