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Globally, rapid urbanisation is one of the major drivers for land-use changes, many of which have a marked impact on urban air quality. Urban forestry has been increasingly proposed as a means of reducing airborne pollutants; however, limited studies have comparatively assessed land-use types, including urban forestry, for their relationship with air pollution on a city scale. We, thus, investigated the spatial relationships between three air pollutant concentrations, NO2, SO2, and PM10, and different land uses and land covers across a major city, by constructing a yearly average model combining these variables. Additionally, relationships between different vegetation types and air pollutant concentrations were investigated to determine whether different types of vegetation are associated with different air pollutants. Parklands, water bodies, and more specifically, broadleaf evergreen forest and mangrove vegetation were associated with lower pollutant concentrations. These findings support urban forestry’s capabilities to mitigate air pollution across a city-wide scale.

Implications: The electronic cigarette (ECIG) research community faces several challenges when it comes to regulatory science; not only is the ECIG market changing at a rapid pace, but the terms used by researchers, health organizations, ECIG users, and ECIG manufacturers/distributors to describe devices are inconsistent. These discrepancies make it difficult to advance science and develop regulations. Although researchers have used “generations” to categorize ECIG device types based on various characteristics, with the constantly evolving ECIG market, it is unclear where one “generation” of devices ends and the next begins.

INTRODUCTION: Electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) vary greatly in their ability to deliver nicotine, which suggests they may also vary in their ability to produce dependence. This study examined individual and combined ECIG device features, and also user behaviors, as predictors of dependence in never-smoking ECIG users. METHODS: Data were collected from 711 current ECIG users who had smoked

Traditional tobacco product (cigarettes and smokeless tobacco) and polytobacco use rates are significantly higher among rural adolescents and adults compared to their nonrural counterparts. Such disparities are due to several factors that promote tobacco use initiation and continuation, including individual-level psychopharmacological factors and structural-level factors such as fewer tobacco control efforts (e.g., fewer smoke-free policies and lower tobacco excise taxes), targeted tobacco marketing, less access to health-relevant resources, and more positive cultural norms surrounding tobacco use in rural communities. In this review, we use cumulative disadvantage theory as a framework for understanding how psychopharmacological and structural-level factors serve as drivers of tobacco use in rural areas. We start by describing how structural-level differences between rural-nonrural communities impact psychopharmacological influences and, when available, how these factors influence tobacco use. We conclude by discussing the interplay between factors, providing suggestions for ways to assess our application of cumulative disadvantage theory empirically and making recommendations for research and policy implementation in rural areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to evaluate associations between geographic rurality and tobacco use patterns among adolescents. Methods High school students (N = 566) from north-central Appalachia reported on their lifetime and/or current use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (ECIGs), cigars, and smokeless tobacco. Geographic rurality was measured via the Isolation scale, whereby residential ZIP Codes determined the degree to which respondents have access to health-related resources. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify discrete classes of adolescent tobacco users based on their use of tobacco products. Then, associations between participants' geographic rurality and class membership were evaluated using a series of multinomial logistic regressions. Findings LCA classified participants as Nonusers, Current ECIG Users, Cigarette/ECIG Experimenters, and Polytobacco Users. Individuals with higher Isolation scores were more likely to be Polytobacco Users and Cigarette/ECIG Experimenters than Nonusers, and were more likely to be Polytobacco Users than Current ECIG Users. Conclusions The continuous Isolation scale used in the present study predicted polytobacco use patterns among adolescents in a manner that is consistent with, while simultaneously expanding upon, prior work. Tobacco control practices and policies should be viewed through a lens that considers the unique needs of geographically isolated areas.

In England, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) will shortly be available through the NHS-funded PrEP trial which hopes to address the number of men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) who will take up PrEP.1 56 Dean Street, and several other sexual health services, are already monitoring those sourcing generic tenofovir/emtricitabine as PrEP. In March 2017, we introduced an additional question in the sexual history for all MSM attending Dean Street Express …

Impaired glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) secretion or response may contribute to ineffective insulin release in type 2 diabetes. The conditionally-essential amino acid glutamine stimulates GLP-1 secretion in vitro and in vivo. In a randomized, cross-over study, we evaluated the effect of oral glutamine, with or without sitagliptin, on postprandial glycemia and GLP-1 concentration in 15 type 2 diabetes patients (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] 6.5±0.6%). Participants ingested a low-fat meal (5% fat) after receiving either water (control), 30 g L-glutamine (Gln-30), 15 g L-glutamine (Gln-15), 100 mg sitagliptin (SIT), or 100 mg sitagliptin and 15 g L-glutamine (SIT+Gln-15). Studies were conducted 1-2 wk apart. Blood was collected at baseline and postprandially for 180 min for measurement of circulating glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, and total and active GLP-1. Gln-30 and SIT+Gln-15 reduced the early (t=0-60 min) postprandial glycemic response compared to control. All Gln treatments enhanced the postprandial insulin response from t=60-180 min, but had no effect on the C-peptide response compared to control. The postprandial glucagon concentration was increased by Gln-30 and Gln-15 compared to control, but the insulin:glucagon ratio was not affected by any treatment. In contrast to Gln-30 which tended to increase the total GLP-1 AUC, SIT tended to decrease the total GLP-1 AUC relative to control (both P=0.03). Gln-30 and SIT increased the active GLP-1 AUC compared to control (P=0.008 and P=0.01, respectively). In summary, Gln-30 decreased the early postprandial glucose response, enhanced late postprandial insulinemia, and augmented postprandial active GLP-1 responses compared to control. These findings suggest that glutamine may be a novel agent for stimulating GLP-1 concentration and limiting postprandial glycemia in type 2 diabetes.