New Hampshire Health News Digest

Letter: Smoking causes, worsens diabetes. EDITOR: Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes and the number is rising daily. Since 1980, the percentage of people under 45 with diabetes has increased by 167 percent. There are many risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. Many of these, like family history, can’t be changed. But you can avoid or change some risk factors. One of these is smoking. We have known for some time that smoking makes diabetes complications worse. But new findings from the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report now confirm that smoking actually causes Type 2 diabetes. How does smoking cause diabetes, or make diabetes worse? • Smokers have more abdominal or “belly” fat. This kind of fat makes the body more resistant to insulin. • Nicotine in cigarette smoke may make the body more resistant to insulin. This means that smokers with diabetes may need to take more insulin and have worse control of their blood sugar than non-smokers. • Smokers with diabetes are more likely to hav...

Being overweight does affect your libido. But small changes can jump-start your sex drive. How Too Much Weight Hampers Sex Drive According to a recent study conducted by Binks and his colleagues at Duke, up to 30% of obese people seeking help controlling their weight indicate problems with sex drive, desire, performance, or all three. Often, the latest research shows, these problems can be traced to physical conditions that co-exist with obesity. "Medical conditions such as high cholesterol and insulin resistance [an early indicator of type 2 diabetes] do have the ability to impact sexual performance, which in turn impacts desire, particularly in men," says Andrew McCollough, MD, director of sexual health and male infertility at NYU Medical Center in New York. Because both conditions can cause the tiny arteries in the penis to shut down, particularly when vessel-clogging fatty deposits begin to form, McCollough says impotence or erectile dysfunction is often the result. ...

Individuals With ADHD Inattention Subtype More Likely to Quit Smoking : Investigators at Columbia Medical Center, in New York, found individuals with ADHD who have the subtype of the disorder characterized by inattention alone are more likely to benefit from combination therapy with bupropion and nicotine patches than their counterparts who have ADHD with elevated symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, with or without inattention. Greater understanding of the divergent associations that exist between the different kinds of ADHD have important public-health consequences for smoking cessation and decreased tobacco-related mortality in this population, principal investigator Lirio S. Covey, PhD, said in a statement. The study is published in the December issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research. As shown in previous research, as a group, smokers with ADHD had greater difficulty quitting than smokers without ADHD. However, the researchers showed for the first time that individuals with...

Cigarette smoking exacerbates alcohol-induced brain damage Heavy alcohol consumption is known to cause brain damage. A new imaging study has compared 24, one-week-abstinent alcoholics (14 smokers, 10 nonsmokers) in treatment with 26 light-drinking "controls" (7 smokers, 19 nonsmokers), and found that cigarette smoking can both exacerbate alcohol-induced damage as well as independently cause brain damage. The damage is most prominent in the frontal lobes (important in planning, decision-making, and multi-tasking among other functions). Independent of alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking also had adverse effects on brain regions involved in fine and gross motor functions and balance and coordination. Roughly 80% of alcohol-dependent individuals report smoking regularly.

Molecular Switch in Brain May End Smokers’ Cravings - Health News - Health.com Blocking a neuropeptide receptor in the brain may be one way to quickly lessen the desire for a cigarette, a new study suggests. Hypocretin-1, or Orexin A, a short chain of amino acids found in nerve tissue, appears to initiate a series of closely linked biochemical reactions that makes lab rats crave nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, according to researchers at the Scripps Florida research institute in Jupiter. If duplicated in humans, the finding could be lead to new smoking-cessation treatments, the researchers said. “Blocking hypocretin-1 receptors not only decreased the motivation to continue nicotine use in rats, it also abolished the stimulatory effects of nicotine on their brain reward circuitries,” study leader Paul Kenny, a scientist at Scripps Florida, explained in a news release issued by the institute. “This suggests that hypocretin-1 may play a major role in driving tobacco use in sm...

HowStuffWorks "How Nicotine Works" Effects of Nicotine Nicotine changes how your brain and your body function. The net results are somewhat of a paradox: Nicotine can both invigorate and relax a smoker, depending on how much and how often they smoke. This biphasic effect is not uncommon. Although the actions of nicotine and ethanol in the body are quite different, you also see dose-dependent effects when you drink alcoholic beverages. Your first drink may loosen your inhibitions and fire you up, but after several drinks, you're usually pretty sedate. Nicotine and the Body Nicotine initially causes a rapid release of adrenaline, the "fight-or-flight" hormone. If you've ever jumped in fright at a scary movie or rushed around the office trying to finish a project by your deadline, you may be familiar with adrenaline's effects: * Rapid heartbeat * Increased blood pressure * Rapid, shallow breathing Adrenaline also tells your body to dump some of ...

Erectile Dysfunction Linked To Smoking Men who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction, and the more cigarettes smoked, the greater the risk, according to a study by Tulane University researchers published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Nicotine up-regulates expression of orexin and its...[Endocrinology. 2000] - PubMed Result Nicotine up-regulates expression of orexin and its receptors in rat brain. Kane JK, Parker SL, Matta SG, Fu Y, Sharp BM, Li MD. Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis 38163, USA. Orexins are two recently discovered neuropeptides that can stimulate food intake. As the chronic use of tobacco typically leads to a reduction in body weight, it is of interest to determine whether nicotine, the major biologically active tobacco ingredient, has an effect on orexin metabolism in the brain. Using a semiquantitative RT-PCR technique, the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) for prepro-orexin, orexin A (OX1-R) and orexin B (OX2-R) receptors were 20-50% higher in rats receiving nicotine for 14 days at the level of 2-4 mg/kg day compared with rats receiving saline solvent alone. In animals treated with nicotine at 4 mg/kg x day, the expression levels of mRNA for prepro-orexi...

Transient Tic Disorder - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment A large kindred affected by TS and identified two family members with TTD who are very likely obligate carriers of the TS gene. These tics are more noticeable during stressful, fatiguing or emotional times. Tics appear to get worse with emotional stress and do not occur during sleep. Tics increase in frequency and severity with stress, during relaxation after physical exercise, idleness, fatigue, exposure to heat, and use of dopaminergic drugs, such as steroids, caffeine, and CNS stimulants. Tics usually diminish with performance of engaging mental or physical activities or with consumption of marijuana, alcohol or nicotine. Some people can control the tic urges so that they only tic in the privacy of a safe place, such as their home. Tics are severe to cause problems in school or occupational functioning, then behavioral techniques are recommended. Tics may be precipitated in with ADHD when they are given methylphenidate (Ritalin...

Addiction Breakthrough May Lead To New Treatments Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered why some individuals may be predisposed to drug addiction and believe it may lead to better treatments for this brain disorder. The new findings, published in today's edition of Science, may lead to more targeted treatments for addiction and other compulsive behaviour disorders with fewer side effects than current alternatives. Certain changes in brain chemistry have been linked with drug addiction in humans. However, previous studies were unable to conclude whether individuals were predisposed to drug addiction because of these chemical changes or if chronic drug use itself caused the chemical changes in the brain. Dr Jeff Dalley and colleagues, at the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, may have resolved this debate by demonstrating that changes in a neurotransmitter receptor in a particular part of the brain actually pre-dates drug use. Using positron emission...

Lean plate club: Science asks: Is food addictive? Lean plate club: Science asks: Is food addictive? Research is still scanty, but the evidence that exists "is extremely interesting and provocative." By Sally Squires, Washington Post Alcohol, nicotine and cocaine are just a few of the substances known to be addictive. Now some scientists wonder if food should be added to the list. "Are there certain things in food that act on the brain and set up a classic addictive process, like tolerance, withdrawal and craving?" asks psychologist Kelly Brownell, who organized a recent scientific meeting on food addiction at Yale University. While the research is still scanty, the evidence that exists "is extremely interesting and provocative and suggests to me that something is there," Brownell says. That's not news to many Lean Plate Club members who e-mailed me recently about their food struggles. Most asked not to be named, reflecting how they feel stigmatized by ...

Reward deficiency syndrome: a biogenetic model for...[J Psychoactive Drugs. 2000] - PubMed Result The dopaminergic system, and in particular the dopamine D2 receptor, has been implicated in reward mechanisms. The net effect of neurotransmitter interaction at the mesolimbic brain region induces "reward" when dopamine (DA) is released from the neuron at the nucleus accumbens and interacts with a dopamine D2 receptor. "The reward cascade" involves the release of serotonin, which in turn at the hypothalmus stimulates enkephalin, which in turn inhibits GABA at the substania nigra, which in turn fine tunes the amount of DA released at the nucleus accumbens or "reward site." It is well known that under normal conditions in the reward site DA works to maintain our normal drives. In fact, DA has become to be known as the "pleasure molecule" and/or the "antistress molecule." When DA is released into the synapse, it stimulates a number a DA recept...

|| DukeMedNews || Smoking and Caffeine May Protect Against Parkinson's Disease DURHAM, N.C. – In families affected by Parkinson's disease, the people who smoked cigarettes and drank a lot of coffee were less likely to develop the disease, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center. The findings suggest that both genetic and environmental factors may influence the development of Parkinson's, a progressive neurodegenerative disease marked by trembling of the arms and legs, stiffness and rigidity of the muscles and slowness of movement. Previous studies have suggested that smokers and coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease. However, this is the first study to look specifically at cigarette smoking and caffeine consumption within families affected by the disease, the researchers said. Smoking cigarettes and consuming copious amounts of caffeine carry their own risks and should not be taken up in an attempt to avoid developing Parkinson...

Researchers Light Up for Nicotine, the Wonder Drug Smoking may be bad for you, but researchers and biotech companies are quietly developing pharmaceuticals that are decidedly good for brains, bowels, blood vessels and even immune systems -- and they're inspired by tobacco's deadly active ingredient: nicotine. Nicotine acts on the acetylcholine receptors in the brain, stimulating and regulating the release of a slew of brain chemicals, including seratonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Not surprisingly, the first scientific work that identified these chemicals and how they affect the body came out of nicotine research -- much of it performed by tobacco companies. Now drugs derived from nicotine and the research on nicotine receptors are in clinical trials for everything from helping to heal wounds, to depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, anger management and anxiety. "Nicotine is highly stigmatized -- and for good reason, because the delivery ...

Both Alcoholism and Chronic Smoking Can Damage The Brain's Prefrontal Cortex | HealtyWorld Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Alcoholism commonly co-occurs with chronic smoking. Both alcohol and nicotine act on the brain’s “drug-reward pathway” or mesocorticolimbic system. New findings indicate that alcoholism and chronic smoking have a higher number of common genetic targets than previously believed. Alcoholism is commonly associated with chronic smoking, and both alcohol and nicotine are believed to act on the same brain region. A study in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research builds upon previous research that identified four potential alcohol-sensitive genes in the prefrontal cortex, finding that smoking also influences the expression of these genes. “Nicotine and alcohol are both addictive drugs,” said Traute Flatscher-Bader, a postdoctoral research officer at the Alcohol Research Unit of the University of Queensland, Brisbane and cor...

DRD2 Gene Predicts Success in Quitting Smoking DRD2 Gene Predicts Success in Quitting Smoking by Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD on August 30th, 2005 Researchers at the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found gene-dependent differences in people’s responses to anti-smoking drug therapy. The drugs examined in this study were Zyban (buproprion), a drug that acts at the neurological level to reduce nicotine craving without nicotine replacement, transdermal nicotine patch, and nicotine nasal spray. In two randomized clinical trials, they found that smokers with two copies of the DRD2 -141 Ins C variant of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene were significantly more likely to still be tobacco-free at the six-month follow-up if they used Zyban as compared to smokers carrying the Del C variant. Smokers carrying the Del C variant had significantly higher quit rates if they used nicotine replacement therapy instead. “This study ...

ScienceDaily: Addiction Breakthrough May Lead To New Treatments Addiction Breakthrough May Lead To New Treatments Science Daily — Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered why some individuals may be predisposed to drug addiction and believe it may lead to better treatments for this brain disorder. The new findings, published in today's edition of Science, may lead to more targeted treatments for addiction and other compulsive behaviour disorders with fewer side effects than current alternatives. Certain changes in brain chemistry have been linked with drug addiction in humans. However, previous studies were unable to conclude whether individuals were predisposed to drug addiction because of these chemical changes or if chronic drug use itself caused the chemical changes in the brain. Dr Jeff Dalley and colleagues, at the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, may have resolved this debate by demonstrating that changes in a neurotransmitter receptor in a p...

Smoking Parkinson's - Euthenist.org Those with the proper genetic makeup are less likely to develop Parkinson's Disease if they had smoked and drank coffee according to a University of Miami study published in April's Archives of Neurology. Doctors take a different look at coffee, cigarettes 9 April 2007 - By Fred Tasker - miamihearld.com A new Parkinson's study co-written by a researcher at the University of Miami has found benefits to smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. But there are a lot of unknowns. People who smoke cigarettes and drink coffee are less likely to have Parkinson's disease. The same can't be said of those who take aspirin. Those are the conclusions of a new study coauthored by a researcher at the University of Miami School of Medicine. [...] One theory: Both caffeine and smoking increase the body's supply of the ''pleasure hormone'' dopamine. And typically, as people develop symptoms of Parkinson's disease, they beg...

ScienceDaily: More Studies Show That Hard Core Smokers May Be Using Nicotine To Manage Depression, ADHD, Anxiety Or Bulimia Science Daily — ANN ARBOR---You still see them huddled over their cigarettes in public doorways, despite 30 years of increasing social pressure and education about health risks. Why can't they quit? "There is mounting evidence that smoking is becoming increasingly concentrated in people at-risk for major depressive disorders, adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders and bulimia or binge-eating. People with these conditions or co-factors often use nicotine to help manage their symptoms," according to Cynthia S. Pomerleau, a researcher with the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center and the Nicotine Research Laboratory in the U-M Department of Psychiatry. "Many of those who have given up smoking in the past appear to have been the 'easy quits' or casual adult smokers," she added. "H...

New Scientist Cannabis smoking 'more harmful' than tobacco - Breaking News : "Smoking pure marijuana is at least as harmful to lungs as smoking tobacco, a report from the British Lung Foundation concludes. And in some key ways, it may be more dangerous. For example, the BLF's review of previous research highlights that just three marijuana joints a day causes the same damage to the lung's airways as 20 cigarettes, mainly because of the way joints are smoked. Individually, cannabis and tobacco produce the same constituents and quantities of chemicals known to be toxic to respiratory tissue, other than nicotine, the report says. But when cannabis and tobacco are smoked together, the health effects are worse. 'These statistics will come as a surprise to many people, especially those who choose to smoke cannabis rather than tobacco in the belief it is safer for them,' says Mark Britton, chairman of the BLF. A UK survey conducted earlier in 2002 found that 79 pe...