Nicotine, the main compound in cigarettes, leads to smoking addiction. Nicotine acts on the limbic dopamine reward loop in the midbrain by binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, promoting the release of dopamine, and resulting in a rewarding effect or satisfaction. This satisfaction is essential for continued and compulsive tobacco use, and therefore dopamine plays a crucial role in nicotine dependence. Numerous studies have identified genetic polymorphisms of dopaminergic pathways which may influence susceptibility to nicotine addiction. Dopamine levels are greatly influenced by synthesis, storage, release, degradation, and reuptake-related genes, including genes encoding tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine decarboxylase, dopamine transporter, dopamine receptor, dopamine 3-hydroxylase, catechol-O-methyltransferase, and monoamine oxidase. In this paper, we review research progress on the effects of polymorphisms in the above genes on downstream smoking behavior and nicotine dependence, to offer a theoretical basis for the elucidation of the genetic mechanism underlying nicotine dependence and future personalized treatment for smoking cessation.

UNASSIGNED: Cigarette smoking is one of the world\'s largest avoidable risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies have investigated the association between smoking and hypertension (HTN). Although observational data and cross-sectional research often exhibit a link between smoking and HTN, establishing causation remains challenging owing to potential confounding variables. Mendelian randomization (MR), a genetic epidemiological technique that employs genetic variants as instrumental variables, offers a more robust approach for evaluating causal links. This review aimed to explore both the observational and causal relationships between smoking and the risk of HTN.
UNASSIGNED: A comprehensive literature search across major electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies on smoking and HTN risk. Various characteristics were included during study selection, such as study design, exposure assessment, and age range. Standardized processes were used for data retrieval and quality evaluation.
UNASSIGNED: Analysis of observational data revealed a paradoxical association between smoking and the risk of HTN, where a lower risk was observed among current smokers when compared to non-smokers. However, observational analysis also presented a dose-response effect with greater smoking intensity showed a modest linear increase in HTN risk, and older smoking initiation was associated with a slight increase in HTN risk (compared with younger). In contrast, MR-based causal estimates provide inconsistent evidence regarding the causal relationship between smoking behavior and HTN. Some MR analyses indicated a potential causal link between smoking and HTN; but this was not consistent.
UNASSIGNED: Observational studies suggest a paradoxical association between smoking and HTN. However, MR studies do not provide sufficient evidence to establish a causal relationship. Regardless, lifestyle variables remain crucial for overall health. Healthcare professionals should regularly assess smoking status and provide counseling for quitting. Further research is needed to clarify the underlying processes, identify mediators, and evaluate the interventions.

UNASSIGNED: The addition of tiny rows of holes in the tipping paper (filter ventilation) of cigarettes allows air to mix with the smoke, which can change risk perceptions. In this study, we examine smokers\' knowledge and beliefs about filter ventilation.
UNASSIGNED: Web-based panel surveys conducted in 2016 and 2017 of current adult cigarette smokers (N = 2355) provided data on awareness and understanding of filter vents in their cigarettes, whether they believed blocking the holes would change the taste of their cigarettes, and their perceptions about their future risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer. The most commonly used cigarette brands reported by participants also were characterized on the presence and level of ventilation holes.
UNASSIGNED: Approximately 40% of participants (mostly younger and male) reported awareness of the filter ventilation in their cigarettes. Only 30% of the participants were both aware of and understood the function of filter ventilation; they also were significantly more likely to worry about developing lung cancer.
UNASSIGNED: Although misleading descriptors associated with filter ventilation are prohibited, most smokers still smoked cigarettes with filter vents, and many are unaware and misunderstand the potential risks of filter ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of studies have documented more severe COVID-19 symptoms and worse outcomes among smokers compared to non-smokers. The aim of this research is to understand the views, risk perceptions, and behaviors of Lebanese adult smokers during the pandemic.
METHODS: We conducted 18 qualitative online structured interviews with adults who smoke cigarettes and waterpipe tobacco residing in Lebanon from November 2020 through April 2021. Participants were recruited predominantly via paid social media ads. Interviews were audio-recorded using Zoom software then transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed thematically.
RESULTS: The findings showed three main themes: changes to smoking behaviors, concerns over the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, and using coping methods to protect smokers from COVID-19. Although there was an increased risk perception of COVID-19 in relation to smoking, most participants reported an increase in smoking. Instead of being encouraged to quit, participants developed coping strategies against COVID-19 while smoking.
CONCLUSIONS: Smoking behavior did not seem to decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support cessation initiatives and raise awareness, effective health messaging aimed at smokers is pivotal. Smoking cessation programs need to be better equipped at supporting people who smoke in finding healthier coping mechanisms during a pandemic. Moreover, policies to regulate the propagation of misinformation are required to prevent the development of a false sense of safety and protection from COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have preliminarily revealed an association between smoking and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, little is known about the causal relationship and shared genetic architecture between the two. This study aims to explore their common genetic correlations by leveraging genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of smoking behavior-specifically, smoking initiation (SI), never smoking (NS), ever smoking (ES), cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), age of smoking initiation(ASI) and GERD.
METHODS: Firstly, we conducted global cross-trait genetic correlation analysis and heritability estimation from summary statistics (HESS) to explore the genetic correlation between smoking behavior and GERD. Then, a joint cross-trait meta-analysis was performed to identify shared \"pleiotropic SNPs\" between smoking behavior and GERD, followed by co-localization analysis. Additionally, multi-marker analyses using annotation (MAGMA) were employed to explore the degree of enrichment of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability in specific tissues, and summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) was further utilized to investigate potential functional genes. Finally, Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to explore the causal relationship between the smoking behavior and GERD.
RESULTS: Consistent genetic correlations were observed through global and local genetic correlation analyses, wherein SI, ES, and CPD showed significantly positive genetic correlations with GERD, while NS and ASI showed significantly negative correlations. HESS analysis also identified multiple significantly associated loci between them. Furthermore, three novel \"pleiotropic SNPs\" (rs4382592, rs200968, rs1510719) were identified through cross-trait meta-analysis and co-localization analysis to exist between SI, NS, ES, ASI, and GERD, mapping the genes MED27, HIST1H2BO, MAML3 as new pleiotropic genes between SI, NS, ES, ASI, and GERD. Moreover, both smoking behavior and GERD were found to be co-enriched in multiple brain tissues, with GMPPB, RNF123, and RBM6 identified as potential functional genes co-enriched in Cerebellar Hemisphere, Cerebellum, Cortex/Nucleus accumbens in SI and GERD, and SUOX identified in Caudate nucleus, Cerebellum, Cortex in NS and GERD. Lastly, consistent causal relationships were found through MR analysis, indicating that SI, ES, and CPD increase the risk of GERD, while NS and higher ASI decrease the risk.
CONCLUSIONS: We identified genetic loci associated with smoking behavior and GERD, as well as brain tissue sites of shared enrichment, prioritizing three new pleiotropic genes and four new functional genes. Finally, the causal relationship between smoking behavior and GERD was demonstrated, providing insights for early prevention strategies for GERD.

OBJECTIVE: This research aims to analyze the influence of cigarette content marketing on student behavior, and on cigarette purchasing decisions, as well as the influence of behavior on cigarette purchasing decisions.
METHODS: This research is quantitative, using a sample of 500 smoking students from twelve universities in the city of Medan, Indonesia, who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires that had been tested for convergent validity with an Outer Loading value > 0.7 and an AVE value > 0.5, and for discriminant validity with an HTMT value < 0.9. The data was analyzed using a multivariate analysis technique which combines factor analysis and regression analysis.
RESULTS: The research results show that the t-statistical value for the behavioral variable (BHV) is 4.128 (> 1.98) and the p-value is 0.000 (< 0.05), which means that the BHV variable has a significant effect on the cigarette purchasing decision variable (PD). The t-statistical value for the content marketing (CM) variable is 27.57 (> 1.98) and the p-value is 0.000 (< 0.05), which means that the CM variable has a significant effect on the BHV variable. The t-statistical value for the CM variable is 18,542 (> 1.98) and the p-value is 0.000 (< 0.05), which means that the CM variable has a significant effect on the PD variable.  93.2% of respondents admitted that they had seen cigarette marketing content on social media, many of them (43%) believed that smoking was detrimental to their health, but the most influential factor was their perception regarding the activity of smoking.
CONCLUSIONS: Cigarette marketing content has been proven to influence students\' behavior towards cigarettes, as well as directly influencing their decision to purchase cigarettes. Students\' behavior towards cigarettes also influences their decisions in purchasing cigarettes.

BACKGROUND: Perceptions, personal perspectives, and public awareness of e-cigarette information have a significant impact on e-cigarette smoking behavior, and provide comprehensive information that can help reduce interest in e-cigarette smoking and reduce the number of new smokers. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions towards e-cigarettes related to e-cigarette use and how that information related to people\'s use of them.
METHODS: The data for this cross-sectional study were collected via an online questionnaire. Thai nationals who were aged ≥18 years provided data between June 2021 and January 2022. Multivariable logistic regression and the chi-squared test were used to analyze the data.
RESULTS: There were 340 respondents, 76 e-cigarette users, and 264 non-e-cigarette users. Most of the perceptions of information that differed statistically significantly between e-cigarette users and non-e-cigarette users included information on regulations, products, health effects, and the effectiveness of smoking cessation. The association between factors and e-cigarette smoking behavior revealed that the perception of the product information and male gender were associated with e-cigarette smoking behavior (AOR=13.59; 95% CI: 2.35-78.60, and AOR=5.19; 95% CI: 2.87-9.40, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: The perception of e-cigarette product information and male gender were associated with e-cigarette smoking behavior.

UNASSIGNED: Cigarette smoking is the most recognized risk factor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. However, there are no studies analyzing the impact of different smoking behaviors on pulmonary function and pulmonary hypertension (PH) among Chinese male patients with COPD.
UNASSIGNED: Chinese male smokers with COPD performed pulmonary function tests. Clinical characteristics, smoking behavior features, spirometry and echocardiographic results were compared between the two groups stratified by initial smoking age (18 years old) or complicated PH.
UNASSIGNED: The early-smoking group had more respiratory symptoms, more severe smoking behavior, worse pulmonary function with lower FEV1%pre (38.5% vs 70.2%) and FEV1/FVC% (47.5% vs 63.8%), and higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP: 38.6 vs 33.9 mmHg) than the late-smoking group. Initiating smoking before adulthood was an independently contributing factor of ventilatory dysfunction and Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage escalation. It also had a significant interaction with long smoking duration (≥30 years), characterized by markedly decreased lung volumes (VC%pre: 64.0% vs 84.5%), impaired diffusing capacity (DLCO%pre: 58.0% vs 76.8%) and severe emphysema (RV/TLC%pre: 145.2% vs 130.2%). COPD patients complicated with PH exhibited worse ventilatory function (FEV1%pre: 43.2% vs 56.2%), impaired diffusion capacity (DLCO%pre: 56.7% vs 77.1%) and decreased lung volume (VC%pre: 67.67% vs 75.38%). Both severe smoking behaviors and impaired pulmonary function had close correlations with sPAP.
UNASSIGNED: The early-smoking group exhibited predominantly ventilation dysfunction and had complex interactions with long smoking duration to further affect lung volume and diffusion capacity. Different smoking behaviors influenced variations of pulmonary dysfunction and comorbid PH in patients with COPD.

UNASSIGNED: In 2013, 31.61% of students perceived quitting smoking as difficult, 61.73% considered smoking less attractive, and 73.89% believed that secondhand smoke is definitely harmful to health.
UNASSIGNED: The percentage of students who perceived quitting smoking as difficult increased from 31.61% in 2013 to 38.83% in 2021, while the percentage of students who found smoking less attractive rose from 61.73% to 69.40%. Conversely, there was a decrease in the percentage of students who perceived secondhand smoke as harmful, from 73.89% to 68.46%. An increased awareness of the hazards of secondhand smoke was associated with a reduction in smoking behaviors.
UNASSIGNED: It is imperative to enhance health education efforts that aim to raise awareness of the hazards of secondhand smoke.

This study attempts to identify factors that significantly encourage the cessation of smoking in the context of Pakistan. The study distributes a modified questionnaire among 421 respondents (current as well as former smokers) in the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad. The binary regression method was employed to data for analyzing predictors of making quit attempts and successful smoking cessation. The result indicates that respondents having strong intentions to quit, high socioeconomic status, low nicotine dependency, and past quit attempts, and those having no-smoking friends, are more likely to quit cigarette smoking successfully. On the other hand, factors like social pressure to quit smoking, religious information against smoking, intention to quit smoking, and public regulation on smoking are more likely to encourage smokers to make quit attempts. The study calls for community and school-wide smoking cessation campaigns involving officials, peers and parents, religious leaders, and other influential individuals to inform people about the dangers of smoking. In addition, religious leaders should be encouraged to issue rulings against smoking especially during \"Friday Prayer.\" Furthermore, the government should pronounce more strict and comprehensive regulations on smoking by properly monitoring its implementation to encourage cessation of cigarette smoking.