Nicotine

One could say that nicotine is the straw that broke the Camel's back! JIM HULGAN Azusa

Older people with mild cognitive impairment may get some help from a nicotine patch, a study suggests. Researchers tested nicotine patches and a placebo on memory and other brain functions in 74 people (average age 76)  in a double-blind study. None of the participants, who had minor memory loss, was a current smoker, although some had smoked previously. The patches were worn for six months and tests on memory and thinking skills were administered at the start of the study, and three and six months later.

Older people with mild cognitive impairment may get some help from a nicotine patch, a study suggests. Researchers tested nicotine patches and a placebo on memory and other brain functions in 74 people (average age 76)  in a double-blind study. None of the participants, who had minor memory loss, was a current smoker, although some had smoked previously. The patches were worn for six months and tests on memory and thinking skills were administered at the start of the study, and three and six months later.

Smokers who count on nicotine patches or gum to help them quit may want to reconsider: A new study finds that these and other nicotine replacement products aren't effective at preventing former smokers from relapsing in real-world conditions. Among 787 adults who had quit smoking within the previous two years, nearly a third reported having returned to using cigarettes, according to a study published online Monday by the journal Tobacco Control. Those who had used nicotine patches, gum, inhalers or nasal sprays were just as likely to relapse as those who had quit without them, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts found.

Some smokers won’t quit because they think they’ll gain weight if they do -- and statistically speaking, they’re probably right. But now that scientists have found nicotine receptors in the brains of mice that appear to influence appetite, there’s hope that researchers could eventually engineer a weight-loss drug that mimics nicotine. It just won't happen anytime soon. In the new study, scientists from Yale University and the Baylor College of Medicine investigated how nicotine worked in the brains of mice to suppress their appetite.

Smoking a pack (or two) of cigarettes each day is obviously not good for your lungs. But for those who enjoy an occasional smoke, an obvious question is, “How many cigarettes can I smoke before I start to do some damage?” The sobering answer: Zero. That’s the conclusion of a new study from researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell University in New York. The researchers recruited 121 healthy volunteers to pee into a cup and submit to a bronchoscopy , a procedure that included removing cells from the lining of the part of the airway that would first come into contact with inhaled smoke.

Mouthing, chewing or sucking on an unlit cigar can still deliver a heavy nicotine punch, a Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researcher said Saturday. "If you're sucking on a cigar when the pH [alkalinity] is high enough, you might as well have a wad of chewing tobacco in your mouth," said Jack Henningfield, an associate professor of behavioral biology.

Ever wonder how nicotine got its name? OK, OK, we're pretty sure you haven't. But we're going to tell you anyway. We stumbled upon the origins of the word while puffing (sorry) through various sites on the Web till we came to one called MedicineNet (http://www.medicinenet.com). There we read about a 16th century Frenchman named Jean Nicot, one-time French ambassador to Portugal.

A coming report by U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop that will label tobacco as one of the most addictive of drugs will constitute perhaps the most sweeping indictment of smoking in more than 20 years, experts familiar with it say. The report, to be released Monday, is expected to lead to even greater ostracism of smokers, these experts believe, but will probably not result in tobacco prohibition.

A candy-like lozenge designed to satisfy a smoker's nicotine craving could prove dangerously tempting to little ones, researchers point out. Cinnamon- and mint-flavored Camel Orbs were launched on the U.S. market last year, aimed at smokers needing a nicotine fix when they can't light up. But the Tic Tac-sized product's "candy-like appearance and added flavorings" are virtually certain to tempt children to sneak one (or a few), with potentially disastrous effects, an article published in advance of May's issue of the journal Pediatrics concludes.

Getting smokers to quit can be tough, but two studies reporting success with smoking-cessation programs released Monday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine offer some hope. One study focused on using a practice quit-attempt program and nicotine therapy for smokers who weren't motivated to quit. Researchers worked with 849 people in a randomized trial; participants were assigned to a six-week practice quit-attempt program or a program that also included sampling nicotine lozenges to increase the impetus to quit.

Nicotine appears to be a potent "gateway" drug that enhances the effects of cocaine and possibly boosts the chances of becoming addicted, researchers reported Wednesday in a landmark paper on drug addiction. While the study was performed in lowly mice, the findings suggest that reducing smoking and the use of other tobacco products -- and even nicotine replacement products and exposure to secondhand smoke -- in humans may have the bilateral impact of curbing addiction to other addictive substances.

Some smokers won’t quit because they think they’ll gain weight if they do -- and statistically speaking, they’re probably right. But now that scientists have found nicotine receptors in the brains of mice that appear to influence appetite, there’s hope that researchers could eventually engineer a weight-loss drug that mimics nicotine. It just won't happen anytime soon. In the new study, scientists from Yale University and the Baylor College of Medicine investigated how nicotine worked in the brains of mice to suppress their appetite.

What makes nicotine so addictive? The answer to that question could help researchers develop a drug that would help smokers give up cigarettes for good. A study published online this week provides some useful clues. Researchers zeroed in on a particular gene called OPRM1. This gene contains instructions for building a type of receptor that allows opioids – including drugs like heroin and morphine as well as opioids produced inside the body – to make their presence known in the brain, triggering release of the feel-good chemical dopamine.

Two studies published online Tuesday by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine tell consumers more -- a little bit more, anyway -- about electronic cigarettes and their potential to help smokers cut back or quit the habit. Electronic cigarettes are built to look like real cigarettes.  They're made of plastic, run on batteries and allow users to inhale nicotine in a vapor form.  Unlike nicotine delivery products such as gum, lozenges or patches, or smoking cessation medications like Chantix, they allow users to hold something that feels like a cigarette and mimic the behavior of smoking.

By late March, tobacco companies will have to reveal to the Food and Drug Administration what sorts of new additives they've recently put in their products. But the ruling doesn't apply to electronic cigarettes, whose makers are locked in legal battle with the FDA. Meanwhile, the e-cigs are starting to gain a pop-culture foothold – in the fall film “The Tourist,” actor Johnny Depp extols the devices’ virtues to Angelina Jolie, and Katherine Heigl showed up recently on the "Late Show with David Letterman" smoking the e-cigarette indoors.

What makes nicotine so addictive? The answer to that question could help researchers develop a drug that would help smokers give up cigarettes for good. A study published online this week provides some useful clues. Researchers zeroed in on a particular gene called OPRM1. This gene contains instructions for building a type of receptor that allows opioids – including drugs like heroin and morphine as well as opioids produced inside the body – to make their presence known in the brain, triggering release of the feel-good chemical dopamine.

Chewing a wad of tobacco is actually worse than smoking in terms of nicotine exposure, according to a study. Dr. Neal Benowitz, a medical professor at UC San Francisco, said his studies found chewing tobacco for half an hour exposes a person to more nicotine than smoking three cigarettes. When ingested, nicotine can harm the cardiovascular system by raising the heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine is also thought to cause damage to the walls of blood vessels.

What does it cost to stop smoking? For just about anyone, less than it does to keep smoking. Many smokers burn through thousands of dollars each year buying cigarettes alone. Then there are peripheral costs like breath mints, extra trips to the dry cleaner and higher premiums for health insurance. Quitting costs money too, but it's a better long-term investment. Plus, much of what you'll need to get started — nicotine gum, patches and even counseling sessions — is often available free.