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Rubio-Asensio JS, Saitta D, Intrigliolo DS. Moderate salinity and high ammonium/nitrate ratio enhance early growth in "summer wonder" lettuce cultivar. J Plant Physiol 2024; 294:154183. [PMID: 38295651 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2024.154183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Because its impact in plant development and growth and its interaction with Na+ and Cl-, the supply of different N-forms to crops can be an easy-to-use tool with effective results on salinity tolerance. Here the effect of four N-NO3-/N-NH4+ ratios (mM; 2/0, 1.6/0.4, 0.4/1.6, 0/2) on adaptation to salt conditions (15 mM NaCl in a first experiment and 40 mM NaCl in a second experiment) was studied in young lettuce (cv "Summer wonder") plants. The experiments were carried out in greenhouse and under hydroponics conditions. The results show that this cultivar tolerates and adapts to moderate salinity by deploying several structural and physiological mechanisms; (i) increasing allocation of biomass to the root, (ii) increasing root Na+ uptake and storing it in the shoot and root tissues, (iii) increasing intrinsic water use efficiency and (iv) increasing root N and P uptake. The beneficial effect of salt exposure on growth was greater when the predominant N-form was N-NO3-. These plants with higher tissue N-NO3- concentration, decreased Cl- uptake and shoot and root Cl- concentration. Regardless of salt conditions, plants with a high proportion of N-NH4+ (1.6 mM) and a low proportion of N-NO3- (0.4 mM) had a greater growth and nitrogen use efficiency, that was associated with the improved uptake of nutrients, and the maintenance of water status.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Salvador Rubio-Asensio
- Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Diego S Intrigliolo
- Dept. Ecology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas - Centro de Investigación sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UV-GV), Carretera CV-315, km 10.7, 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain
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2
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Tomaselli V, Ferrara P, Cantone GG, Romeo AC, Rust S, Saitta D, Caraci F, Romano C, Thangaraju M, Zuccarello P, Rose J, Ferrante M, Belsey J, Cibella F, Caci G, Ferri R, Polosa R. The effect of laboratory-verified smoking on SARS-CoV-2 infection: results from the Troina sero-epidemiological survey. Intern Emerg Med 2022; 17:1617-1630. [PMID: 35419722 PMCID: PMC9007731 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-022-02975-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous research yielded conflicting results on the association between cigarette smoking and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since the prevalence of smoking is high globally, the study of its impact on COVID-19 pandemic may have considerable implications for public health. This study is the first to investigate the association between the SARS-CoV-2 antibody sero-positivity and biochemically verified smoking status, to refine current estimates on this association. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and serum cotinine levels (a well-known marker of tobacco exposure) were assessed in a large sero-epidemiological survey conducted in the town of Troina (Sicily, Italy). A propensity score matching was carried out to reduce the effect of possible factors on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among study participants. Of the 1785 subjects included in our study, one-third was classified as current smokers, based on serum cotinine levels. The overall proportion of subjects with positive serology for SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 5.4%. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity and previous COVID-19 diagnosis were reduced in smokers. This reduced prevalence persisted after adjusting for possible confounders (such as sex, age, previous infection, chronic conditions, and risk group) at regression analyses, and the point estimates based on the PS-matched models resulted consistent with those for the unmatched population. This study found a lower proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 serology among current smokers, using direct laboratory measures of tobacco exposure and thus avoiding possible bias associated with self-reported smoking status. Results may also serve as a reference for future clinical research on potential pharmaceutical role of nicotine or nicotinic-cholinergic agonists against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venera Tomaselli
- Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Pietro Ferrara
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Center for Public Health Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Giulio G Cantone
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Ettore Majorana", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Sonja Rust
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Caraci
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
- Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Murugesan Thangaraju
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | - Pietro Zuccarello
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Jed Rose
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | - Margherita Ferrante
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Cibella
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy
- Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, National Research Council of Italy, Palermo, Italy
| | - Grazia Caci
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Polosa
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), University di Catania, Catania, Italy.
- ECLAT Srl, Spin-off of the University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
- Institute of Internal Medicine, AOU "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Via S. Sofia, 78, Catania, Italy.
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3
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Polosa R, Tomaselli V, Ferrara P, Romeo AC, Rust S, Saitta D, Caraci F, Romano C, Thangaraju M, Zuccarello P, Rose J, Cantone GG, Ferrante M, Belsey J, Cibella F, Interlandi E, Ferri R. Seroepidemiological Survey on the Impact of Smoking on SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Outcomes: Protocol for the Troina Study. JMIR Res Protoc 2021; 10:e32285. [PMID: 34678752 PMCID: PMC8610447 DOI: 10.2196/32285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background After the global spread of SARS-CoV-2, research has highlighted several aspects of the pandemic, focusing on clinical features and risk factors associated with infection and disease severity. However, emerging results on the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility or COVID-19 outcomes are conflicting, and their robustness remains uncertain. Objective In this context, this study aims at quantifying the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence, studying the changes in antibody levels over time, and analyzing the association between the biochemically verified smoking status and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods The research design involves a 6-month prospective cohort study with a serial sampling of the same individuals. Each participant will be surveyed about their demographics and COVID-19–related information, and blood sampling will be collected upon recruitment and at specified follow-up time points (ie, after 8 and 24 weeks). Blood samples will be screened for the presence of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies and serum cotinine, being the latter of the principal metabolite of nicotine, which will be used to assess participants’ smoking status. Results The study is ongoing. It aims to find a higher antibody prevalence in individuals at high risk for viral exposure (ie, health care personnel) and to refine current estimates on the association between smoking status and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Conclusions The added value of this research is that the current smoking status of the population to be studied will be biochemically verified to avoid the bias associated with self-reported smoking status. As such, the results from this survey may provide an actionable metric to study the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 outcomes, and therefore to implement the most appropriate public health measures to control the pandemic. Results may also serve as a reference for future clinical research, and the methodology could be exploited in public health sectors and policies. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/32285
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Polosa
- Institute of Internal Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria "Policlinico - V. Emanuele", Catania, Italy.,Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Venera Tomaselli
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Pietro Ferrara
- Center for Public Health Research, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.,Value-based Healthcare Unit, Research Institute, IRCCS, MultiMedica, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sonja Rust
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Filippo Caraci
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Oasi Research Institute, IRCCS, Troina, Italy.,Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Murugesan Thangaraju
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Pietro Zuccarello
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Jed Rose
- Bioanalytical Laboratory, Center for Smoking Cessation, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Giulio Giacomo Cantone
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ettore Majorana, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Margherita Ferrante
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Cibella
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, Palermo, Italy
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Caponnetto P, Caruso M, Maglia M, Emma R, Saitta D, Busà B, Polosa R, Prosperini U, Pennisi A, Benfatto F, Sartorio C, Guastella M, Mondati E. Non-inferiority trial comparing cigarette consumption, adoption rates, acceptability, tolerability, and tobacco harm reduction potential in smokers switching to Heated Tobacco Products or electronic cigarettes: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2020; 17:100518. [PMID: 31956726 PMCID: PMC6962654 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite the introduction of tobacco control measures, smoking remains highly prevalent in most EU countries. In Italy, one in four adults were still regular smokers in 2017. Increasing use of combustion-free delivering nicotine technologies for cigarette substitution may accelerate the current downward trends in smoking prevalence. Whether Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) are more effective tobacco smoking substitutes that may potentially facilitate adoption and full conversion compared to e-cigarettes (ECs) is not known. We have designed a prospective study to compare changes in cigarette consumption and adoption rates among smokers randomized to either HTPs or ECs. Product acceptability, tolerability, and their tobacco harm reduction potential will be also compared. Methods 220 healthy smokers, not motivated to quit, will be randomized into a 12-weeks single-center, open label, non-inferiority trial comparing study outcomes from HTPs vs. ECs use. The primary outcome will be biochemically verified self-reported continuous abstinence at 12-weeks from the previous visit. Secondary outcomes will include: smoking reduction from baseline, adoption rates and product acceptability, tolerability, changes in step test values and in the level of selected biomarkers of exposure in exhaled breath (i.e. eCO) and in spot urine samples. A follow-up visit will be also included at 24-weeks to review product usage and smoking behavior under naturalistic condition of use. Recruitment of participants started in May 2019 and enrolment is expected to be completed in November 2019. Discussion This will be the first study directly comparing Heated Tobacco Products with Electronic Cigarettes in term of reduction in cigarette consumption, adoption rates, product acceptability, tolerability, and tobacco harm reduction potential. This knowledge can contribute to a better understanding of the potential role of this new technology in the evolving nicotine consumer market. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03569748. Registered June 25, 2018. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/LoginUser?ts=1&cx=-jg9qo4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Caponnetto
- Centro per La Prevenzione e Cura Del Tabagismo (CPCT), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Massimo Caruso
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Marilena Maglia
- Centro per La Prevenzione e Cura Del Tabagismo (CPCT), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Rosalia Emma
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Barbara Busà
- UOC Farmacia Ospedaliera, ARNAS Garibaldi, Catania, Italy
| | - Riccardo Polosa
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Alfio Pennisi
- Casa di Cura Musumeci-Gecas, Gravina di Catania, Italy
| | - Francesca Benfatto
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Carlo Sartorio
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Matteo Guastella
- Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Enrico Mondati
- Centro per La Prevenzione e Cura Del Tabagismo (CPCT), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.,Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
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Puglisi I, Nicolosi E, Vanella D, Lo Piero AR, Stagno F, Saitta D, Roccuzzo G, Consoli S, Baglieri A. Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Orange Trees to Different Deficit Irrigation Regimes. Plants (Basel) 2019; 8:E423. [PMID: 31627476 PMCID: PMC6843479 DOI: 10.3390/plants8100423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The article presents the results of research consisting of the application of deficit irrigation (DI) criteria, combined with the adoption of micro-irrigation methods, on orange orchards (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) in Sicily (Italy) during the irrigation season of 2015. Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI, T3) and partial root-zone drying (PRD, T4) strategies were compared with full irrigation (T1) and sustained deficit irrigation (SDI, T2) treatments in terms of physiological, biochemical, and productive crop response. A geophysical survey (electrical resistivity tomography, ERT) was carried out to identify a link between the percentages of drying soil volume in T4 with leaves abscisic acid (ABA) signal. Results highlight that the orange trees physiological response to water stress conditions did not show particular differences among the different irrigation treatments, not inducing detrimental effects on crop production features. ABA levels in leaves were rather constant in all the treatments, except in T4 during late irrigation season. ERT technique identified that prolonged drying cycles during alternate PRD exposed more roots to severe soil drying, thus increasing leaf ABA accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Puglisi
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Elisabetta Nicolosi
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Daniela Vanella
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Angela Roberta Lo Piero
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Fiorella Stagno
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, via la Canapona, 1bis - 47121 Forlì, Italy; (F.S.); (G.R.)
| | - Daniela Saitta
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Giancarlo Roccuzzo
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria, Centro di Ricerca Olivicoltura, Frutticoltura e Agrumicoltura, via la Canapona, 1bis - 47121 Forlì, Italy; (F.S.); (G.R.)
| | - Simona Consoli
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
| | - Andrea Baglieri
- Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 98, 95123 Catania, Italy; (I.P.); (E.N.); (A.R.L.P.); (D.S.); (S.C.); (A.B.)
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Saitta D, Chowdhury A, Ferro GA, Nalis FG, Polosa R. A Risk Assessment Matrix for Public Health Principles: The Case for E-Cigarettes. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2017; 14:ijerph14040363. [PMID: 28362360 PMCID: PMC5409564 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14040363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Besides nicotine replacement therapies, a realistic alternative for smoking cessation or for smoking substitution may come from electronic cigarettes (ECs), whose popularity has been steadily growing. As for any emerging behaviour associated with exposure to inhalational agents, there is legitimate cause for concern and many health organizations and policy makers have pushed for restrictive policy measures ranging from complete bans to tight regulations of these products. Nonetheless, it is important to reframe these concerns in context of the well-known harm caused by cigarette smoking. In this article, we discuss key public health principles that should be considered when regulating ECs. These include the concept of tobacco harm reduction, importance of relative risk and risk continuum, renormalization of smoking, availability of low-risk product, proportionate taxation, and reassessment of the role of non-tobacco flavours. These public health principles may be systematically scrutinized using a risk assessment matrix that allows: (1) to determine the measure of certainty that a risk will occur; and (2) to estimate the impact of such a risk on public health. Consequently, the ultimate goal of responsible ECs regulation should be that of maximizing the favourable impact of these reduced-risk products whilst minimizing further any potential risks. Consumer perspectives, sound EC research, continuous post-marketing surveillance and reasonable safety and quality product standards should be at the very heart of future regulatory schemes that will address concerns while minimizing unintended consequences of ill-informed regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Saitta
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Via Palermo 636, 95121 Catania, Italy.
| | - Azim Chowdhury
- Keller and Heckman LLP, 1001 G Street N.W., Suite 500W, Washington, DC 20001, USA.
| | | | - Federico Giuseppe Nalis
- School of Specialization in Occupational Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98122 Messina, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Polosa
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Via Palermo 636, 95121 Catania, Italy.
- Centre for Tobacco Cessation and Prevention, Teaching Hospital "Policlinico-V. Emanuele", Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy.
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Abstract
A growing body of scientific studies show that e-cigarettes may serve as an acceptable substitute for smoking tobacco cigarettes, thereby reducing or eliminating exposure to harmful elements in smoke. The success of e-cigarettes is such that sales of these products are rapidly gaining on traditional cigarettes. The rapidly evolving phenomenon is raising concerns for the health community, pharmaceutical industry, health regulators and state governments. Obviously, these products need to be adequately regulated, primarily to protect users. Depending on the form and intended scope, certain regulatory decisions may have diverse unintended consequences on public health and may face many different challenges. Ideally, before any regulations are enacted, the regulatory body will require sufficient scientific research to verify that a problem does exist, quantify the problem, explore all potential solutions including making no change at all, determine the possible consequences of each, and then select the solution that is best for public health. Here we present an overview on the existing and deeming regulatory decisions for electronic cigarettes. We challenge them, based on the mounting scientific evidence with the ultimate goal of proposing appropriate recommendations while minimizing potential unintended consequences of ill-informed regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Saitta
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Polosa
- UOC di Medicina Interna, Edificio 4, Piano 3, AOU 'Policlinico-V. Emanuele', Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy
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8
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Caponnetto P, Alamo A, Maglia M, Saitta D, Benfatto F, Polosa R. [Electronic cigarette: current overview and future perspectives]. Epidemiol Prev 2014; 38:138-141. [PMID: 24986413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are experiencing a great popularity and their market has surprisingly grown in a few years. However, the rapidly evolving phenomenon is raising concerns about the safety and efficacy of these products. Opinions and information from the popular press, but also from the scientific community, are often divergent, confused, warning and sometimes purposely false, raising inconsistent doubts and disproportionate concerns for the public health. This can be easily overcome by the application of rational, plausible, evidence-based regulations for e-cigs. In this short article, we will consider the doubts, evaluate the evidence and formulate some proposals for a more equitable and balanced regulation of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Caponnetto
- Centro per la prevenzione e la cura del tabagismo, Azienda ospedaliero-universitaria "Policlinico Vittorio Emanuele", Università di Catania; Dipartimento di biomedicina clinica e molecolare, Università di Catania
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