Category: Science

Relx Opens Bioscience Lab to Research E-Cigs

Photo: RELX Technology
RELX Opens Bioscience Lab to Enhance E-Cigarette Research
RELX Technology has started operations at its newly established e-cigarette bioscience laboratory to conduct systematic research on the effects of e-cigarettes through in vivo and in vitro tests, as well as conduct pre-clinical safety assessments.
Located in Shenzhen, China, the bioscience laboratory is currently conducting research on the impact of RELX products on animal cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems, to better carry out a comprehensive impact evaluation of vapor products.
“Science is the foundation of trust. As the industry leader, we have the responsibility to expand the borders of e-cigarette science and explore the unknown,” said Kate Wang, founder and CEO of RELX, in a statement.
At the company’s recent lab open day, RELX also announced its plan to establish a “1+4” scientific research approach—i.e. anchored by platform development, followed by toxicological assessment, clinical assessment, perception behavior study and long-term assessment.
“E-cigarettes are sometimes viewed with suspicion because we have incomplete knowledge,” said Yilong Wen, RELX Co-founder and head of science, research and development and supply chain, “The RELX bioscience lab’s mission is to explore the unknown. We want to collect evidence through a scientific approach and strive to prove the potential for e-cigarettes to be less harmful, and in doing so, provide users the option to choose an alternative.”
To ensure the reliability and quality of its products, RELX established a chemical and physical laboratory in 2018. The laboratory is certified by the internationally recognized China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment.
RELX is currently conducting research projects on different topics with six universities including the Sun Yat-sen University and Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two hospitals and nine scientific research institutions.
September 18, 2020
Vaping Soars in U.S., According to New Study

Photo: Lorendiz Gonzalez from Pixabay
Nearly 14 million U.S. adults vaped in 2018, up from just over 11 million adults in 2016, according to a new study published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
“An increasing number of individuals are using e-cigarettes, especially in the younger age groups, which suggests that more individuals are becoming addicted to e-cigarettes rather than just experimenting with them, making the increased uptake among tobacco-naive individuals even more concerning,” said lead researcher Olufunmilayo Obisesan, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, in Baltimore.
Between 2016 and 2018, young adults aged 18 to 24 years old were the fastest-growing population to start using e-cigarettes. E-cigarette use in that age group increased from 9 percent in 2016 to 15 percent in 2018, Among students, e-cigarette use increased from 6 percent in 2016 to 12 percent in 2018.
E-cigarette use even increased among people who had never smoked traditional cigarettes—from more than 1.4 percent in 2016 to 2.3 percent in 2018, the findings showed.
The increase was seen in all socioeconomic groups, the researchers found.
For the study, the researchers collected data on more than 1 million Americans who took part in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2016 to 2018.
September 9, 2020
Canadian Group Concerned By E-vapor Misinformation

Credit: Sarah J
Misinformation in the vapor industry is a growing concern, according to an industry advocacy group. The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) says its alarmed by the resurgence of media reports inaccurately depicting vaping as being as harmful as smoking, as well as linking vaping to increased COVID-19 symptom severity.
The organization says both claims have long been disproven and it is concerning to see a sudden return of misinformation coming out of the United States.
Darryl Tempest, executive director of the CVA says that disregarding the facts in bad faith jeopardizes the health of millions of smokers globally.
In addition to misleading smokers about the relative harm vaping products pose, Tempest says it is equally troubling to the CVA that many publications continue to link vaping to COVID-19 long after health authorities have verified that there is no proven connection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated, “E-cigarette use can expose the lungs to toxic chemicals, but whether those exposures increase the risk of COVID-19 is not known.,” a press release states.
The Science Media Research Center released statements regarding their understanding of vaping and COVID-19, and these statements clearly demonstrate that the scientific community recognizes the great harm reduction potential of vaping products.
“There is no evidence that vaping increases the risk of infection or progression to severe conditions of COVID-19. However, vapers with a long previous smoking history could exhibit conditions seen in vulnerable patients. However, this would not be an effect of vaping but of previous smoking. Since completely switching from smoking to vaping improves cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, smokers who switch to vaping might be expected to have a better prognosis if infected by COVID-19,” said Dr. Caitlyn Notley. “E-cigarettes are the most popular consumer option for stop smoking support, and they are effective. People should be encouraged to switch to vaping rather than continuing to smoke tobacco.”.
August 9, 2020
NIH Grants $2.3 Million for Study on Vaping Pregnant

Credit: National Cancer Institute
Studies have shown that pregnant women who smoke increase the risk of their children having asthma, and that those children—even if non-smokers—can pass it on to their own children.
There have been few objective studies that evaluated the effects of vaping nicotine while pregnant. This week, investigators from The Lundquist Institute (LI) received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research the multi-generational effect of vaping, or smoking an electronic cigarette, while pregnant.
Using established models for the study, investigators will determine whether e-cigarette vapor increases the risk of asthma in the offspring of pregnant mice. They will go on to test whether those offspring, who will not be exposed to e-cigarettes, bear an increased risk of giving birth to offspring with asthma, according to a press release.
The study will also assess the effects of nicotine and e-cigarette flavorings on viability and the epigenetic memory of germ cells, seeking to determine how these new flavoring technologies affect cells.
August 4, 2020
Medicago Starts Human Trials of Covid-19 Vaccine

Photo: Dimitri Houtteman from Pixabay
Medicago, a Quebec-based biotechnology company backed by Philip Morris International as well as other large investors, has begun human testing for its Covid-19 vaccine, reports Bloomberg.
The vaccine is derived from the plant nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative to tobacco, to provoke an immune response to the virus.
Medicago’s human trials will involve 180 patients ages 18 to 55. It will test various doses of the vaccine, both alone and combined with two adjuvants—one from GlaxoSmithKline and another from Dynavax Technologies.
If the trial is successful, Medicago plans to start late-stage trials in October and manufacture 100 million doses by the end of next year.
July 15, 2020
Nicotine Effective for Covid-19 at Most Virulent Stage

Nicotine can help battle Covid-19, according to new research. A Spanish study found that the drug that can be found in vapor products can be an effective tool in stopping coronavirus in its most virulent phase.
Researchers at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, working with the public hospitals of Alcazar de San Juan, Avila and Salamanca, made the discovery. According to the study, while smokers are more vulnerable to catching Covid-19 due to damaged and weakened lungs, less of them end up in hospital or ICUs compared to non-smokers.
Researchers say this is because the nicotine in their system can act as an inhibitor, stopping Covid’s cytokines from inflaming the lungs, which often proves fatal. The study analyzed patients across the three hospitals during the peak of the pandemic, according to a story on politicopathy.com.
Investigators discovered that there were far fewer numbers of habitual smokers than expected. This, the study suggests, is because the chemical can prevent a so-called cytokine storm, which can lead to respiratory failure and the attack of healthy tissues, causing multi-organ failure.
Several other studies, including in Israel, the U.S. and the U.K., have also suggested that nicotine could be beneficial in fighting the virus. “Nicotine has effects on the immune system that could be beneficial in reducing the intensity of the cytokine storm,” said Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, from the University of West Attica, Greece, writing in Internal and Emergency Medicine in June.
“The potential benefits of nicotine…. could explain, at least in part, the increased severity or adverse outcome among smokers hospitalised for COVID-19 since these patients inevitably experience abrupt cessation of nicotine intake during hospitalization,” says Farsalinos. “This may be feasible through repurposing already approved pharmaceutical nicotine products such as nicotine patches.”
July 1, 2020
Study Claims Vaping Ads May Increase Teen Vaping

Credit: Denys Nevozhai
A new study from Canadian researchers shows banning e-cigarette advertising reduces teen vaping. The study compared teen vaping rates in Quebec and Manitoba where there are strict laws against e-cigarette ads, to other provinces that do not restrict these ads.
Researchers at University of Waterloo in Ontario found that exposure to vaping ads was more prevalent in areas without restrictions, and teens who noticed the ads were more likely to vape. The study was published in ‘Pediatrics.’
Study author David Hammond, a professor of public health at the University of Waterloo, said this situation set up a “unique natural experiment” for researchers as Canada went from ban to a more open market, in an article from US News and World Report.
“It allowed us to answer the hypothetical question: Would lifting the restrictions make a difference in teen e-cigarette use?” he said.
The answer? “E-cigarette marketing does make a difference,” Hammond said. “It does reach minors. What our study says is that regulating marketing limited the amount of vaping.”
June 29, 2020
Arizona Bar Bans Vapor Over Covid-19 Concerns

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A bar in Chandler, Arizona is asking customers to vape outside because they worry vape clouds could spread Covid-19. The bar, Tom Ryan’s, recently took to their social media pages to inform customers that vaping was no longer allowed indoors.
Bar manager Paige Lokkessmoe said that after seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases it wasn’t sitting well with them to allow people to keep vaping inside, according to an article on azfamily.com. Numerous public health experts, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said there is no evidence e-cigarette vapor spreads Covid.19
“We decided to stop allowing vaping in the bar because we were, kind of, just looking at the vaping smoke and seeing it settle everywhere around us. And the concern is the ice [and] the bottles that have pour spouts on them,” Lokkessmoe said.
According to Dan Quan, a toxicologist from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, the droplets that people produce when they sneeze or cough are the same as when they exhale, say, a cloud of smoke.
“Let’s say I take a deep breathe in and I exhale forcibly, I mean, there are still some droplets that form– and that’s why we suggest everyone wear masks because it does cut down on the amount of droplets dispersed in the air,” Quan said, adding that if you’re going to vape, take it outside because the fresh air will help dilute the droplets. Vaping and smoking will still be allowed on the patio at Tom Ryan’s.
June 26, 2020
Wisconsin Officials: Dramatic Decline in EVALI Cases

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The number of lung disease cases in Wisconsin has seen a dramatic decline. Only eight vaping-related injuries have been reported as of May 31. Last year, there were 103 cases, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, which tracks vaping-related injuries.
State health officials said they don’t know the reasons for the decline but suggest it could be due to the changes in the formulation of THC vaping products and fewer people using them, according to an article on wkow.com.
In 2019, CDC identified Vitamin E Acetate as the potential culprit behind thousands of vaping illnesses that sent several Wisconsin teens to the hospital resulting in significant lung damage.
“People producing these THC products have learned from this and have really improved their manufacturing standards and are doing a better job of keeping out the Vitamin E Acetate out of the products,” said Megan Piper, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin Tobacco Research Center.
Last year a DHS investigation found 89 percent of the 27 cases that reported lung disease due to vaping was tied to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
Another reason for the decline could be due to a flavor ban on Juul products and raising the tobacco age to 21 in Wisconsin, according to Piper.
“If your source for vaping products was informal, meaning you got it from someone from school, you no longer have those connections and your supply may have gone away,” said Piper.
June 19, 2020
Study: Assessment of Relative Risk Determined by Questioning

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The share of people who believe e-cigarettes are equally harmful or more harmful than traditional cigarettes depends on how the question is asked, according to new research published in Tobacco Control.
Tobacco companies often claim that a large proportion of the population perceives potential modified risk tobacco products as equally or more harmful than cigarettes, and argue misperceptions need to be corrected using modified risk claims.
However, the studies they cite predominantly use one specific measurement of comparative risk, according to the researchers.

Image: Tobacco Control
The authors studied the way questions were posed in the 2017 Tobacco Products and Risk Perceptions Survey. When asked directly to compare harms of e-cigarettes and cigarettes, 33.9 percent of participants identified e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes, 36.4 percent reported equal harm, 4.3 percent said e-cigarettes were more harmful and 25.3 percent said, “I don’t know.”
When asked indirectly, however, 42.1 percent identified e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes, 23.8 percent said they were of equal harm, 7.1 percent perceived e-cigarettes to be more harmful and 27.1 percent did not know.
The authors say researchers should use both direct and indirect risk questions when assessing the public’s perceptions of harms associated with novel tobacco products.
June 18, 2020