Author: Michelle Villar

12 Dec What is a Juul? And Why Are Teens Using Them?

The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) has skyrocketed over the last few years, with one brand currently in the spotlight: Juul. Juul use has become increasingly problematic among teens because of the brand’s “cool image” marketing aimed at young people. Originally intended for use by tobacco cigarette smokers attempting to quit, Juul has now become the ENDS product of choice for youth, most of whom had never smoked tobacco cigarettes in the first place. This is no coincidence; the sleek design and color ranges available make this product look more like a USB than a nicotine-deliverance device. It is thus less problematic to have out in public, easy to hide, and easy to consume. At the same time, it is easier to forget the huge impact that this tiny device can have on one’s health, and how deleterious it can truly be.

Below is an in-depth video detailing the phenomenon of the Juul, and how it became an indicative brand name in the movement to get underage teens to stop using ENDS. 

05 Dec FIU News Publishes Article in Collaboration With ReACH Lab

Officials from the Center for Children and Families (CCF) at Florida International University (FIU) reached out to the ReACH lab and the ACE Project with a request to collaborate on an article intended to inform the community on the truth behind e-cigarettes. Members of the CCF, the ReACH lab, and the ACE Project contributed to the article, which was recently posted on the FIU News web page. Below are some key points from the posting:

Most e-cigarettes contain the highly addictive drug nicotine

Most types of e-cigarettes, including the most popular brand Juul, contain nicotine, the addictive drug found in traditional tobacco cigarettes. One Juul pod contains roughly the same amount of nicotine found in 20 cigarettes (or one pack). Nicotine is highly addictive and can cause brain changes leading to compulsive use of e-cigarettes.

Long-term effects of vaping are unknown

Although e-cigarettes were developed in part to help adult smokers cut their tobacco-use and to provide a “healthier” alternative, no study has yet been conducted that can provide information on the long-term effects of e-cigarette use. Due to the recent dramatic increase in e-cigarette use, preliminary findings are now showing that there is a negative effect on heart and lung function associated with e-cigarette use. However, there is still no definitive answer on whether these risks outweigh the benefits of switching from traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Vaping leads to higher risk of cigarette smoking in teens

Teenage e-cigarette users are actually at a higher risk of smoking tobacco cigarettes compared to non-users. More than 30 percent of adolescent e-cigarette users start smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes within six months.

Vaping can produce second-hand effects

Although e-cigarettes do not produce smoke, breathing in the second-hand vapor is not harmless. The aerosol from e-cigarettes contains many potentially harmful chemicals, including lead and other heavy metals. It also has flavorings including diacetyl, which has been linked to lung disease. The second-hand vapor can also contain nicotine, which when inhaled by non-users can increase their risk of becoming nicotine dependent. There is also the danger of third-hand exposure, which occurs when residual nicotine from the second-hand vapor remains on surfaces and is absorbed through unintentional ingestion or through the skin via contact.

If you’d like to read the full article, follow this link. 

28 Nov FDA Targets High School Bathrooms in New E-Cigarette Warning Campaign

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin an educational campaign using posters in high school bathrooms across the nation, a first for the agency, in order to increase awareness of the dangers of e-cigarette use. A newly burgeoning fad among teens, using e-cigarettes or “vaping” has overwhelmed school officials all over the U.S., especially due to the discreet nature of most e-cigarette devices which makes it easy to vape in public places. Officials have a right to be worried; from 2011-2015, e-cigarette use in high school students increased 900%, with two million teens using in 2017 and 10.7 million teens currently at risk, potentially creating an unprecedented addiction to nicotine for a large portion of this young population.

Not only is the FDA targeting high school bathrooms, a popular destination for teens to vape in due to the discreet and quickly disappearing scent of vapes, but the agency is also launching videos on websites popular among teens, like Spotify and YouTube. The campaign, which is funded through fees collected from the tobacco industry by the FDA, created videos which display gruesome images of things like damaged lungs in the hopes of scaring teens away from using e-cigarettes. The campaign wanted to ensure the message of the posters and videos was effective, and utilized focus groups of young people in order to narrow down ad ideas. They eventually found that specific health related messages, in comparison to vague “vaping is bad” ideas, were more effective for a younger population and utilized these findings to create the posters and videos.   

For more information on the FDA’s new campaign, click here or here. 

21 Nov ReACH Lab Member Awarded with ABRCMS 2018 Presentation Award

Undergraduate research assistant Patricia Otero continues to make the ReACH lab proud! She presented her poster “The Impact of Genetic Risk on the Association Between Parental Monitoring and Problematic Alcohol Use from Adolescence to Early Adulthood” at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) last week, and was awarded with the ABRCMS 2018 Presentation Award. 

Patrica investigated the effect of parental monitoring on problematic alcohol use from adolescence to early adulthood across variants of a specific genetic risk factor: GABRA2 single nucleotide polymorphism. Using data collected by the Michigan Longitudinal Study, she found that the relation between parental monitoring and problematic alcohol use changes over time and may differ depending on the youth’s genetic makeup. This work makes an important contribution to the field in determining when parenting practices have the strongest impact on youth drinking and which youth are most vulnerable to poor parenting practice.

If you’d like to read more about Patricia’s Research, follow this link: Patricia Otero Poster.

Way to go Patricia! 

14 Nov Are E-Cigarettes Safe?

Traditional cigarettes have been in constant use for most of modern history, and with them they have brought a never-ending list of science-backed risks and health problems. Health officials are constantly looking into alternatives for health-harming substances like cigarettes, so e-cigarettes seemed like an innovative and healthy alternative… but are they? The truth is no one knows yet. Although e-cigarettes have been around for decades, the recent inflation of e-cigarette use has only just brought these devices to scientists’ attention. Studies are mixed, and there is little to no long-term data on e-cigarettes and their effect on health. Preliminary data is showing that there is a negative effect on cardiac and pulmonary function associated with e-cigarette use, but the public still has no definitive answer on if these risks outweigh the benefits of switching from carcinogenic traditional cigarettes, which includes harmful products and chemicals like tar and formaldehyde.

Another issue altogether is the use of e-cigarettes among non-cigarette users, specifically teens, who are now becoming individuals with a nicotine dependence without any prior traditional cigarette use. Even though e-cigarette use is illegal to anyone under the age of 18, teen use has skyrocketed in the last decade, therefore offering no potential benefits like the switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes might bring. So not only are teens now heavily using a product with potential health risks, they are becoming increasingly addicted to nicotine without a previous addiction from traditional cigarettes.

E-cigarettes currently face an uncertain future, with heavily mixed results on health benefits, potential risks, and usefulness of traditional cigarette smoking cessation. Hopefully with time and further scientific studies, a more clear-cut answer will arise concerning e-cigarettes. For more information from the article, follow this link.

07 Nov Hong Kong Bans E-Cigarettes for Minors

Hong Kong authorities this week have banned e-cigarette use amongst minors. The measure comes after a rise in e-cigarette use of 55% among youth in Hong Kong, leaving the government concerned about the risks and the implied consequences of these statistics. E-cigarettes contain carcinogenic substances such as nicotine and propylene glycol, a clear liquid also used in antifreeze. While some traditional smokers use them to help with smoking reduction, and eventually cessation, others (namely teens) who had never smoked before, have started to use e-cigarettes because of their growing popularity.

Hong Kong fares well when compared to other countries; it has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world—around 10% of the population. However, it is not immune to globalization and to the e-cigarette trend. This ban is an attempt to reverse the damage done and to discourage teens from potentially becoming addicted to nicotine. However, many see the measure as a violation of rights, and believe that the government is overstepping, imposing on the rights of people to choose “less dangerous” substances (or at least perceived as such).

For now, it is too soon to tell the effects that this ban will have on smoking rates, especially amongst youth, and especially with e-cigarettes.

If you want to learn more about this legislation, follow the link here. 

31 Oct ReACH Lab Fall 2018 Team Photo

The ReACH Lab is looking good! Love those smiles from our new Fall 2018 lab photos.

24 Oct ReACH Lab Member Presents Research

ReACH Lab undergraduate research assistant Patricia Otero isn’t slowing down! She presented her poster “The Impact of Genetic Risk on the Association Between Parental Monitoring and Problematic Alcohol Use from Adolescence to Early Adulthood” at the McNair Conference at Florida International University from October 18-19, and will also be presenting at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) from November 14-17.

Using data collected by the Michigan Longitudinal Study, she found that the relation between parental monitoring and problematic alcohol use changes over time and may differ depending on the youth’s genetic makeup. This work makes an important contribution to the field in determining when parenting practices have the strongest impact on youth drinking and which youth are most vulnerable to poor parenting practice.

If you’d like to read more about Patricia’s Research, follow this link: Patricia Otero Poster.

17 Oct Miami Beach Trying to Crack Down on Underage E-Cigarette Use

Last month, Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber announced he plans to restrict e-cigarette use among underage teenagers by enforcing companies to confirm a customer’s age as 18 years or older before delivering any Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). Currently, most major retailers don’t require a confirmation in age before sending out a purchased ENDS product, making it easy for teens to use a parent’s credit card online and have an ENDS product shipped directly to them discretely.

E-Cigarette use has skyrocketed among teens, as the article points out; among high school students, use of e-cigarettes has grown by 900% in recent years. Dan Gelber hopes his proposed plan will reduce e-cigarette use among teens, as well as increase awareness on the dangers of ENDS products.

For more information, click to check out the Miami Herald article.

08 Oct 3D Printed Brain

Just another perk of getting to work at the ReACH Lab! Brigitte, the ACE Project Senior Research Assistant, volunteered to test out our MRI protocol before ARM A of the ACE project began, and got this unique gift in exchange. Using a 3D printer, a small copy of her brain was printed in plastic, resulting in the coolest keepsake a research lover could have! Now that Brigitte has two brains, maybe we’ll give her double the work…..