New evidence shows e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are a popular aid for quitting smoking, but it is taking time for scientific research to catch up and provide clear answers on how well they work, and whether they are safe to use for this purpose. An updated review of the evidence, covering 50 studies and more than 12,000 participants, now provides greater confidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine can help more people to quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapy (such as gums or patches) or e-cigarettes without nicotine. [...]

2020-10-15
theconversation.com

E-cigarettes ‘better than gum or patches in helping smokers quit'

Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine are more effective in helping smokers quit than gum or patches, according to scientists. But the researchers have said more evidence is needed on the potential long-term harm of using e-cigarettes. In a newly updated review published in the Cochrane Library, the team looked at three studies involving 1,498 people that compared e-cigarettes with nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or gum. The results showed that more people gave up smoking if they used e-cigarettes containing nicotine than if they used another form of nicotine replacement.

2020-10-15
irishnews.com

Chemistry at work in e-liquids is still poorly understood, worrying researchers

Studies on the chemical composition of e-cigarette liquids are raising concern that regulation is lagging behind the data. The Yale Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science is a National Institute of Health and US Food and Drug Administration funded research group tasked with investigating the influence of flavours on tobacco addiction. Part of this work involves assessing the composition of e-cigarette liquids being sold to users. E-liquids contain mainly nicotine, flavourings and a solvent in which ingredients are dissolved.

2020-10-15
chemistryworld.com

COVID and Vaping: A Perfect Storm of Misleading Science and Media

Seven months and more than a million deaths into the pandemic, scientists around the globe still don’t understand why some people infected with coronavirus get extremely ill and die, while others survive. The sheer range of outcomes for people who get COVID-19—from asymptomatic, to mild symptoms, to moderate disease leading to months-long complications, to death—has infectious disease doctors baffled. In a desperate race against time, researchers are rushing through work to better understand the disease, to find treatments and ultimately to develop an effective vaccine.

2020-10-15
filtermag.org

How Russia earns hundreds of billions on smokers

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian budget has incurred heavy expenses. To compensate for them, apparently, the government decided to use additional taxation of a number of goods. In September, the ministry of finance of the Russian Federation announced an increase in excise taxes on cigarettes, tobacco products and e-cigarettes by 20% from 2021. The analysts of Realnoe Vremya calculated how much money the excise taxes on cigarettes bring to the budget and from which regions they come the most.

2020-10-15
realnoevremya.com

Understanding the health risks of e-cigarettes and vaping

Dr Lyndon Bauer, a GP on the Central Coast and the Health Promotion Service's research and evaluation officer, answers the burning questions around e-cigarettes and vaping – including the risks associated with COVID-19 – and debunks some myths along the way.

2020-10-15
youtube.com