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The authors introduce the construct of terroir branding—distinct from country-of-origin effects and place branding—to explain how, in regions such as Champagne, France (wines), Biella, Italy (wool), and Vuelta Abajo, Cuba (cigars), competing local firms develop global brands while being engaged in responsible actions that influence the brand perceptions in the global marketplace. Terroir brands have three critical features: placial distinctiveness, craftsmanship specificity, and processing traditionalism. Terroir branding integrates firm-owned host brands with a collective regional brand. Drawing on the resource-based view, coopetition theory, and the concept of moral engagement, the authors identify a virtuous circle of local collective efficacy that supports the location and enables a terroir brand to be seen by global markets as being responsibly sustained. The authors also identify a vicious circle through moral disengagement that can lead global markets to perceive terroir brands as irresponsibly sustained. They identify hazards such as host-brand strength variability, rival set stability, locational ownership, and competitor concentration. Finally, they highlight the importance of local terroir branding using a broad spectrum of place-based characteristics and identify conditions under which terroir branding benefits an individual brand and the wider collective of brands, while sustaining the location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine use and frequency patterns across e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and little cigars, cigars, and cigarillos (LCCs) over time and determine whether patterns differ by race and ethnicity. Methods: Data was obtained from the Truth Longitudinal Cohort of youth and young adults between September 2020 and June 2022. Latent class and transition analyses were used to classify participants (N = 4448) into subgroups, based on frequency of tobacco product use in the past 30 days, and to estimate the probability of use pattern transitions by race and ethnicity, adjusted for the effects of gender, financial situation, parental education, household tobacco use, and sensation seeking. Results: Four latent classes were identified: former/noncurrent users, predominantly frequent to daily (FTD) e-cigarette users, predominantly FTD e-cigarette and LCC users, and predominantly FTD cigarette with polytobacco users. Use trajectories differed by race and ethnicity. A lower proportion of those who identified as non-Hispanic Black (60.0%) remained e-cigarette and LCC users, relative to those who identified as non-Hispanic White (86.0%), Hispanic or Latino (86.0%), and another race and ethnicity (79.0%). A lower proportion of those who identified as Hispanic or Latino (54.0%) and another race and ethnicity (59.9%) remained cigarette with polytobacco users, relative to those who identified as non-Hispanic White (76.0%) and non-Hispanic Black (72.0%). A greater proportion of non-Hispanic Black respondents transitioned from e-cigarette and LCC user to former/noncurrent user (40.0%) and polytobacco user to e-cigarette and LCC user (11.0%), relative to other racial/ethnic groups. Conclusion: More research is needed to determine why tobacco use trajectories differ by race and ethnicity. Such research will be important in informing comprehensive approaches that promote evidence-based prevention policies and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of tobacco leaves is the basis of cigar production. In order to win the favor of consumers and improve the competitiveness of cigar brands, all producing areas are committed to providing uniform quality tobacco leaves. In order to achieve the goal of homogenizing production of fresh cigar tobacco leaves, this thesis collected and summarized the research and application of homogenizing production of cigar tobacco leaves in agriculture in recent years. It includes the feasible methods to achieve the homogenization production of fresh cigar tobacco leaves from planting stage to harvest stage, drying stage and subsequent tobacco field management, and compares the evaluation methods of cigar tobacco leaf homogenization production, it provides reference for homogenizing production of cigar industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feasibility study on the compensation of 3D mispositioning errors of the probe occurring in the characterization of a long antenna, via a non-redundant (NR) near to far-field (NTFF) transformation with helicoidal scan, is conducted in this article. Such types of errors can result from imperfections in the rail driving the linear motion of the probe and from an imprecise synchronization of the linear and rotational movements of the probe and the antenna when drawing the scan helix. To correct them, an approach, which proceeds through two steps, is proposed. The former step uses a technique called cylindo rical wave (CW) correction for compensating the phase of the near-field (NF) samples, which, owing to the rail imperfections, result in not being acquired over the measurement cylinder surface. The latter exploits an iterative scheme to restore the samples at the sampling points required by the adopted NR representation along the scan helix from those obtained by applying the CW correction technique and impaired by 2D mispositioning errors. The so compensated NF samples are then effectively recovered via a 2D optimal sampling interpolation (OSI) scheme to accurately obtain the input data required to carry out the standard cylindrical NTFF transformation. The OSI representation is determined here by assuming a long antenna under test as enclosed in a prolate ellipsoid or cylinder ending into two hemispheres (cigar) in order to make, depending on the particular geometry of the considered antenna, the representation effectively non-redundant. The reported numerical simulation results show the capability of the proposed approach to compensate even severe 3D mispositioning errors, thus enabling its usage in a real measurement scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roasted-rice leachate fermentation, a distinctive local tobacco fermentation method in Sichuan, imparts a mellow flavor and glossy texture to tobacco leaves, along with a roasted rice aroma. In order to find out the impact of roasted-rice leachate on cigar tobacco leaves, the physicochemical properties, volatile flavor profile, and microbial community were investigated. The content of protein significantly decreased after fermentation. The volatile flavor compounds increased following roasted-rice leachate fermentation, including aldehydes, alcohols, acids, and esters. High-throughput sequencing identified Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Oceanobacillus, Delftia, Corynebacterium, Sphingomonas, Aspergillus, Weissella, and Debaryomyces as the primary genera. Network and correlation analysis showed Debaryomyces played a crucial role in roasted-rice leachate fermentation, due to its numerous connections with other microbes and positive relationships with linoelaidic acid, aromandendrene, and benzaldehyde. This study is useful for gaining insight into the relationship between flavor compounds and microorganisms and provides references regarding the effect of extra nutrients on traditional fermentation products. Key points: • Volatile flavor compounds increased following roasted-rice leachate fermentation • Staphylococcus was the primary genera in fermented cigar • Debaryomyces may improve the quality of tobacco leaves [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new indole alkaloid, cigarindole A (1), together with five known indole alkaloids (2–6) were isolated from cigar tobacco. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Interestingly, compound 1 exhibited high antibacterial activity with bacteriostatic diameter within the range 20.6–26.7 mm against five pathogenic strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, and Proteus spp). Compounds 2–6 exhibited obvious antibacterial activity with bacteriostatic diameter within the range 11.9–21.8 mm. In addition, compound 1 also the potential value for use as an antiseptic agent for cigarette tipping paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further explore powdery mildew (caused by Golovinomyces cichoracearum) natural products, an extract from the fermentation of endophytic Aspergillus fumigatus was investigated. As a result, six isoindole alkaloid derivatives (1–6) were isolated. Among them, two compounds (1 and 2) were newly discovered and the activity evaluation of the purified compounds 1–6 against G. cichoracearum was studied. The results revealed that compounds 1–6 demonstrated obvious anti-G. cichoracearum activities for cigar tobacco in the range of 40.6% ± 5.4 to 66.5% ± 4.9 at a concentration of 250 μg/mL, respectively. However, these rates are lower than that of positive control. By isolating and structurally identifying the above isoindole alkaloids, new materials conducive to improving the utilization of N. tabacum-derived fungi could be developed for screening anti-powdery mildew drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Structural variants (SVs) play an important role in genetic research and precision medicine. As existing SV detection methods usually contain a substantial number of false positive calls, approaches to filter the detection results are needed. Results We developed a novel deep learning-based SV filtering tool, CSV-Filter, for both short and long reads. CSV-Filter uses a novel multi-level grayscale image encoding method based on CIGAR strings of the alignment results and employs image augmentation techniques to improve SV feature extraction. CSV-Filter also utilizes self-supervised learning networks for transfer as classification models, and employs mixed-precision operations to accelerate training. The experiments showed that the integration of CSV-Filter with popular SV detection tools could considerably reduce false positive SVs for short and long reads, while maintaining true positive SVs almost unchanged. Compared with DeepSVFilter, a SV filtering tool for short reads, CSV-Filter could recognize more false positive calls and support long reads as an additional feature. Availability and implementation https://github.com/xzyschumacher/CSV-Filter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Cigar use among adults in the United States has remained relatively stable in the past decade and occupies a growing part of the tobacco marketplace as cigarette use has declined. While studies have established the detrimental respiratory health effects of cigarette use, the effects of cigar use need further characterization. In this study, we evaluate the prospective association between cigar use, with or without cigarettes, and asthma exacerbation. Methods We used data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study to run generalized estimating equation models examining the association between time-varying, one-wave-lagged cigarette and cigar use and self-reported asthma exacerbation among US adults (18+). We defined our exposure as non-established (reference), former, exclusive cigarette, exclusive cigar, and dual use. We defined an asthma exacerbation event as a reported asthma attack in the past 12 months necessitating oral or injected steroid medication or asthma symptoms disrupting sleep at least once a week in the past 30 days. We adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, household income, health insurance, established electronic nicotine delivery systems use, cigarette pack-years, secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, and baseline asthma exacerbation. Results Exclusive cigarette use (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.54) and dual use (IRR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.08–1.85) were associated with a higher rate of asthma exacerbation compared to non-established use, while former use (IRR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.80–1.28) and exclusive cigar use (IRR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.42–1.17) were not. Conclusion We found no association between exclusive cigar use and self-reported asthma exacerbation. However, exclusive cigarette use and dual cigarette and cigar use were associated with higher incidence rates of self-reported asthma exacerbation compared to non-established use. Studies should evaluate strategies to improve cigarette and cigar smoking cessation among adults with asthma who continue to smoke.

Cigars and cigarillos are emerging as popular tobacco alternatives to cigarettes. However, these products may be equally harmful to human health than cigarettes and are associated with similar adverse health effects. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to extensively characterize the microbial diversity and investigate differences in microbial composition across 23 different products representing three different cigar product categories: filtered cigar, cigarillo, and large cigar. High throughput sequencing of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16 s rRNA gene revealed 2124 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Our findings showed that the three categories of cigars differed significantly in observed richness and Shannon diversity, with filtered cigars exhibiting lower diversity compared to large cigars and cigarillos. We also found a shared and unique microbiota among different product types. Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum in all product categories, followed by Actinobacteria. Among the 16 genera shared across all product types were Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Pantoea. Nine genera were exclusively shared by large cigars and cigarillos and an additional thirteen genera were exclusive to filtered cigars. Analysis of individual cigar products showed consistent microbial composition across replicates for most large cigars and cigarillos while filtered cigars showed more inter-product variability. These findings provide important insights into the microbial diversity of the different cigar product types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cigar use among adults in the United States has remained relatively stable in the past decade and occupies a growing part of the tobacco marketplace as cigarette use has declined. While studies have established the detrimental respiratory health effects of cigarette use, the effects of cigar use need further characterization. In this study, we evaluate the prospective association between cigar use, with or without cigarettes, and asthma exacerbation. Methods: We used data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study to run generalized estimating equation models examining the association between time-varying, one-wave-lagged cigarette and cigar use and self-reported asthma exacerbation among US adults (18+). We defined our exposure as non-established (reference), former, exclusive cigarette, exclusive cigar, and dual use. We defined an asthma exacerbation event as a reported asthma attack in the past 12 months necessitating oral or injected steroid medication or asthma symptoms disrupting sleep at least once a week in the past 30 days. We adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, household income, health insurance, established electronic nicotine delivery systems use, cigarette pack-years, secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, and baseline asthma exacerbation. Results: Exclusive cigarette use (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–1.54) and dual use (IRR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.08–1.85) were associated with a higher rate of asthma exacerbation compared to non-established use, while former use (IRR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.80–1.28) and exclusive cigar use (IRR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.42–1.17) were not. Conclusion: We found no association between exclusive cigar use and self-reported asthma exacerbation. However, exclusive cigarette use and dual cigarette and cigar use were associated with higher incidence rates of self-reported asthma exacerbation compared to non-established use. Studies should evaluate strategies to improve cigarette and cigar smoking cessation among adults with asthma who continue to smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accurately describe the quality differences between different cigar tobacco raw materials, a sensory quality evaluation method for domestic cigar tobacco raw materials was developed. The evaluation content of this method included four parts: style characteristics, impurities, quality characteristics and overall evaluation. The Analytic Hierarchy Process and expert consultation method were mainly used to calculate and refine the weights of the four dimensions of quality characteristics of different types of cigar tobacco raw materials (aroma characteristics, smoke characteristics, aftertaste characteristics and combustion characteristics), the weighted quality characteristic comprehensive score were calculated and six types of cigar tobacco raw materials were evaluated. The results showed that for eggplant core (eggplant cover) tobacco leaves, the weights of aroma characteristics, smoke characteristics, aftertaste characteristics and combustion characteristics were 0.50, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.15, respectively. For eggplant tobacco leaves, the weights of aroma characteristics, smoke characteristics, aftertaste characteristic, and combustion characteristics were 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.55, respectively. The quality characteristic score was consistent with the expert comprehensive evaluation results. All six cigar tobacco leaf samples exhibited distinct style, with Chuxue 26 having a stronger concentration, while the rest having a moderate concentration. Hainan No. 1 and Haiyan 103 had sweet honey aromas in their main aroma, Chuxue 14 and Chuxue 26 had nutty aromas, and Dexue 4 and Chuanxue 2 had coffee aromas. Among the selected samples, there were 3 samples with slight protein impurities. Among the eggplant core varieties, Chuxue 14 had the best quality characteristics, while the eggplant coat variety Chuxue 26 had the best quality characteristics. This method could comprehensively and accurately describe the sensory quality differences of different varieties of cigar tobacco raw materials, providing reference for the development and application of cigar tobacco raw materials, cigar formula design and maintenance, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the quality differences of cigar tobacco leaves from Yunnan production areas, microbial community structure, free amino acids and volatile flavor compounds of cigar tobacco leaves produced in Yunnan province were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing and metabolomics. O2PLS analysis and correlation analysis were used to systematically reveal the relationship between microorganisms of origin and tobacco flavor quality, and to identify functional microorganisms and synergistic taxa in tobacco. The results showed that there were differences in the microbial community structure of cigar tobacco leaves produced in Yunnan province, in which the dominant bacteria were mainly Aerococcus, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium, and the dominant fungi were mainly Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Alternaria. 17 free amino acids were detected, and the overall amino acid content showed that Asp was the highest and Met was the lowest, with higher TAV Asp and Glu contributed more to its flavor presentation. The free amino acid flavor profiles of Lincang Yunxue No. 2 and Pu'er Yunxue No. 2 cigar tobacco leaves was more prominent. A total of 65 volatile flavor compounds were detected, mainly ketones, among which 16 different flavor compounds, including 6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one, ß-Damascone, Phenylethyl alcohol, Decanal, and Dihydroactinidiolide, played an important role in the formation of its flavor. The overall flavor characteristics of Pu'er No. 2 were more prominent. Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Oceanobacillus acted synergistically to contribute to cigar tobacco leaves flavor formation, while the relative abundance of Penicillium was negatively correlated with tobacco quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's reaction to the FDA's ban on flavored cigarettes and cigars may be modified by a concurrent ban on flavored e-cigarettes. We aim to estimate the prevalence of smoking and e-cigarette use among U.S. adults under various ban scenarios. We collected the reactions of people who used cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes reactions to three hypothetical ban scenarios, (1) restricting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars only, or (2) further restricting e-cigarettes with any flavors except menthol or tobacco, or (3) further restricting e-cigarettes with all flavors. The above data were analyzed to identify determinants of reactions and to estimate and calibrate the probabilities of quitting and switching to non-flavored cigarettes and cigars. Afterward, the probabilities were applied to 2018–2019 TUS-CPS respondents to estimate the prevalence of smoking and e-cigarette use. Compared with the baseline, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 12.6% to 10.5%, and e-cigarette use increased from 2.6% to 3.8% in Scenario No.1. In Scenario No.2 and No.3, the prevalence of smoking was 10.5% and 10.7%, and the prevalence of e-cigarette use were 3.1% and 2.4%, respectively. For black people, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 14.2% in baseline to 8.1%-8.8% in three scenarios. The result indicated that for a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, a concurrent ban on flavored e-cigarettes with an exemption of menthol flavor could be more effective in encouraging people to quit smoking. Black people may see a disproportionate benefit from all ban scenarios compared with other race/ethics groups. What is already known on this topic: ban menthol in cigarettes and flavored cigars increases quitting among people who currently smoke. What this study adds: For a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, a concurrent ban on flavored e-cigarettes could be complementary if menthol flavor was exempted. How this study might affect research, practice or policy: For flavor bans, inventions to mitigate the increasing use of e-cigarettes and alternative tobacco products are needed, also the interventions should be tailored to various population segments. In a study that examined how flavor bans may affect smoking and the use of e-cigarettes, we found for a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, a concurrent ban on flavored e-cigarettes with an exemption of menthol flavor could be more effective in encouraging people to quit smoking. We wanted to see how people would react if the government banned certain types of flavored cigarettes and cigars, and also e-cigarettes with flavors. We surveyed people who used cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes and found that if they banned menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, more people might quit smoking, but some might switch to non-flavored products. This effect was even more noticeable when menthol e-cigarettes were also banned. Our study suggested that if menthol flavor is exempted, banning flavored e-cigarettes alongside menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars could work together. Interestingly, the benefits of these bans might be more significant for Black people compared to other racial groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Cigarette and little cigar/cigarillo (LCC) dual use is popular among young people and poses a substantial health risk. What remains unclear is the abuse liability of LCCs vs. cigarettes, LCCs' substitutability for cigarettes, and the influence of flavors on the abuse liability and substitutability of LCCs. Methods Sixty-five young adults (18–34 years) who dual use completed hypothetical purchase tasks to measure consumption of usual brand cigarettes and LCCs in 24 hours at increasing prices (demand), and LCC consumption at increasing cigarette prices (substitution). Three demand indices were calculated from raw data: breakpoint (price after which consumption reaches 0), O max (maximum daily expenditure), and P max (price at maximum expenditure). Two indices were estimated using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling: intensity (consumption when free) and price-sensitivity (rate of decline in consumption as price increases). Substitution, and associations of flavored use with demand and substitution, were estimated using linear mixed models. Results Results indicated similar abuse liability for LCCs and cigarettes. Intensity was greater for cigarettes, but price-sensitivity was similar. Flavored LCC use was associated with lower price-sensitivity and greater intensity than unflavored. LCCs were significant substitutes for cigarettes, but the effect was small. Flavored use was not associated with substitution. Conclusions Among young adults who dual use, LCCs and cigarettes had similar abuse liability, and those who used flavored had higher demand for their LCCs. A flavored cigar ban, as well as targeted prevention and cessation services for those who smoke flavored LCCs, may be important for reducing dual use in young adults. Implications Cigarette and LCC dual use remains high among young adults. Using hypothetical purchase tasks with young adults who dual use, LCCs had abuse liability similar to cigarettes, but were only modest substitutes for cigarettes. Participants who used flavored LCCs reported greater abuse liability than those who used unflavored, but not greater substitution for cigarettes. Prevention and cessation services are needed to target LCCs in young people, particularly those smoking flavored products. A flavored cigar ban may help to reduce their demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation is an important link in the process of cigar production, which directly determines the quality of tobacco leaves. "Humi" fermentation is a traditional method of manually adding materials, which can highlight the aroma characteristics and improve industrial availability of tobacco leaves. However, the mechanism of "Humi" fermentation is still unclear. This study was aimed to explore the effect of the "Humi" characteristic fermentation on the quality of cigar leaves, and the potential mechanisms. Cigar variety Dexue 1 was used. Three degrees of "Humi" water were prepared and water was used as control. 16 S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics analyses were carried out to determine the changes in microbes and metabolites during fermentation. "Humi" fermentation significantly improved the evaluation quality of cigar tobacco. The microbial richness and community diversity in "Humi" fermentation group were higher than that in natural fermentation group. Total 214 genera were detected, with Staphylococcus , Corynebacterium_1 , and Oceanobacillus as the dominant genera in the "Humi" fermentation group. With the extension of fermentation time, the relative abundance of Corynebacterium_1 increased, and of Oceanobacillus and Staphylococcus first increased and then decreased. Moreover, Corynebacterium_1 were significantly negatively correlated with total nitrogen, protein and alkaloid content, and significantly positively correlated with amino acids, starch, reducing sugars and total sugars. Metabolome analysis revealed 2759 known metabolites in 36 samples and "Humi" fermentation increased the nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds, sugars, alkaloids and organic acids in tobacco leaves. These metabolites were closely related to the bacterial community. Our study provides a theoretical basis for inheriting and optimizing the "Humi" characteristic fermentation technology. [Display omitted] • "Humi" fermentation significantly improved cigar tobacco evaluation quality. • "Humi" fermentation increased the nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds. • The microbial richess and community diversity in "Humi" fermentation were higher than that in natural fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shading or low light conditions are essential cultivation techniques for cigar wrapper tobacco leaves production, yet their impact on protein and metabolic regulatory networks is not well understood. In this study, we integrated proteomic and metabolomic analyses to uncover the potential molecular mechanisms affecting cigar tobacco leaves under shading treatment. Our findings include: (1) Identification of 780 significantly differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the cigar wrapper tobacco leaves, comprising 560 upregulated and 220 down-regulated proteins, predominantly located in the chloroplast, cytoplasm, and nucleus, collectively accounting for 50.01%. (2) Discovery of 254 significantly differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs), including 148 up-regulated and 106 down-regulated metabolites. (3) KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the mevalonate (MVA) pathway within 'Terpenoid backbone biosynthesis' was inhibited, leading to a downregulation of 'Sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis'. Conversely, the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway was enhanced, resulting in an up-regulation of 'Monoterpenoid biosynthesis', 'Diterpenoid biosynthesis', and 'Carotenoid biosynthesis', thereby promoting the synthesis of terpenoids such as carotenoids and chlorophylls. Simultaneously, the Calvin cycle in 'Carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms' was amplified, increasing photosynthetic efficiency. These results suggest that under low light conditions, cigar tobacco optimizes photosynthetic efficiency by reconfiguring its energy metabolism and terpenoid biosynthesis. This study contributes valuable insights into protein and metabolic analyses, paving the way for future functional studies on plant responses to low light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine the association between Big Five personality traits and cigar or cigarette smoking in a sample of 9,918 older adults across 11 European countries derived from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) dataset. We find significant associations between several traits and smoking groups. Smoking was associated with lower scores on Conscientiousness and Agreeableness and higher Extraversion scores. In addition, cigar smokers exhibit lower Neuroticism and higher Openness compared to both cigarette smokers and non-smokers. These findings suggest that both personality traits are antecedents of smoking behavior, offering implications for targeted public health interventions and social policies aimed at combating the global tobacco epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Flavorings in cigars increase their appeal, mask the harsh taste of tobacco, and may hinder successful cigar smoking cessation; however, limited evidence has examined whether flavors are associated with short- or long-term cigar smoking cessation. Aims and Methods Using restricted data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study Waves 1–5, we examined whether flavored cigar use was associated with 30-day-plus and 1-year-plus cigar smoking cessation among US adults. Multivariable discrete-time survival models were fit to a nationally representative sample of US adult (18+) respondents who had a current, established cigar use, smoked five or more days in the past 30 days, and did not exclusively smoke traditional premium cigars at baseline. Models adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, cigar and cigarette smoking intensity, and blunt use. Results At baseline, 44.6% of respondents (n = 674) were 18–34 years old, 75.0% were male, 56.7% were non-Hispanic White, 78.9% had household incomes of <$50,000, and 56.2% smoked flavored cigars. In fully adjusted models, flavored cigar use was associated with a lower risk of 30-day-plus (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.60, 0.97) but not 1-year-plus cigar smoking cessation (HR = 0.81, 95% = 0.62, 1.05). Conclusions We found that flavored cigar use was associated with a lower risk of short-term but not long-term cigar smoking cessation. More work is needed to understand the dynamics of cigar smoking transitions, including initiation, cessation, and relapse, particularly in larger cohorts and among those who exclusively use cigars or dual-use cigars and cigarettes. Implications As local and some state jurisdictions continue to adopt partial or complete bans of flavored cigar products and the United States Food and Drug Administration considers a national ban of all characterizing flavors in cigars, there is a need for more longitudinal work examining the associations between flavorings in cigars and short and long-term cigar-smoking behaviors, including but not limited to initiation, cessation, intensity of use, and relapse, particularly in diverse cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the hypothetical impact of flavored cigar sales restrictions on cigar smoking among Black young adult cigar smokers (ages 21-29). Forty in-depth interviews were conducted in 2020. Interviews were independently coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. When asked how they would smoke cigars given a flavor sales restriction, half of participants reported they would smoke in the same way, a third would stop or reduce smoking, and a few were unsure of what they would do. Cigar smoking outcome expectancies, preference for flavors, and perceived addictiveness of cigar products may predict cigar smoking change given flavor sales restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The improved combination weighting method and VIKOR method were discussed, in order to enrich cigar quality evaluation methods. [Method] The chemical composition of Yunnan cigar filler was taken as research object, coefficient of variation and coefficient of multiple correlation were introduced to improve the traditional CRITIC method and e0/4~e8/4 scale was used to replace the 1-9 scale in AHP, while combined weights were calculated based on game theory. VIKOR method by non-weight individual regret was used to evaluate chemical quality of cigar filler. [Result] Compared with the weights of chemical components determined by the traditional CRITIC method, potassium weight in the improved CRITIC method was increased by 1.09 times, and reducing sugar weight was decreased by 45. 26%. Compared with e0/4~e8/4 scale AHP and 1-9 scale AHP, the weight orders were consistent, and the differences between weights of different chemical components were reduced. The improved VIKOR method and the traditional method had a high consistency in the ranking results of the chemical quality of cigar filler, but there were also significant differences, indicating that it was necessary to consider the influence of weights in the individual regret. [Conclusion] Improved CRITIC method can solve the problem that the determination of the weight in traditional method is affected by the unit of measurement and the positive or negative of indexes; The improved AHP method significantly improves the consistency of the judgment matrix through the new scale; The improved VIKOR evaluation method comprehensively considers the overall performance of chemical quality, while highlights the role of the poorly performing chemical components. The evaluation results are relatively reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: The air-curing process of cigar tobacco, as a key step in enhancing the quality of cigars, is often susceptible to contamination by mold spores, which severely constrains the quality of cigar tobacco. Methods: This study employed high-throughput Illumina sequencing technology and a continuous flow analysis system to analyze the differences between the microbial communities and physicochemical components of moldy and healthy cigar tobacco leaves. Furthermore, correlation analysis was performed to reveal the impact of mold on the quality of cigar tobacco. Results: The differences between the microbial flora and physicochemical compositions of moldy (MC) and healthy (HC) tobacco leaves were analyzed, revealing significant disparities between the two groups. Aspergillus spp. represented the dominant mold in MC, with nine out of twelve isolated molds showing higher quantities on MC than on HC. Mold contamination notably decreased the total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total alkaloids (TA), starch, protein, and flavor constituents while increasing the total fatty acid esters (TFAA), which was accompanied by a shift towards weakly acidic pH in the leaves. Fungal community analysis indicated a significant reduction in the fungal operational taxonomic unit (OUT) numbers and diversity indices in MC, contrasting with the bacterial trends. Aspergillus exhibited significantly higher relative abundance in MC, with LEfSe analysis pinpointing it as the primary driver of differentiation. Furthermore, significant negative correlations were observed between Aspergillus and TP, starch, TA, and protein, while a significant positive association was evident with TFAA. Network analysis underscored the pivotal role of Aspergillus as the species influencing disparities between HC and MC, with its abundance serving as a critical determinant during the air-curing process. Discussion: This study elucidated substantial quality distinctions between MC and HC during air-curing, with Aspergillus emerging as the key species contributing to leaf mold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the relationship between the chemical composition of tobacco leaves of non-flue-cured tobacco varieties and the sensory quality of heated cigarettes made from them, the conventional chemical composition of four types of non-flue-cured tobacco leaf samples such as oriental tobacco, air/sun-cured tobacco, burley tobacco and cigar tobacco samples were detected. Volatile metabolite profiles were analyzed by metabolomic technique, the differential volatile metabolites in different tobacco leaves were screened by orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis, and the correlation between them and sensory quality of heated tobacco leaves was analyzed. The results showed that the contents of total sugar and reducing sugar were higher in oriental tobacco leaves, and the contents of alkaloid and nitrogen were higher in burley tobacco, air/sun-cured tobacco and cigar tobacco leaves. The characteristics of volatile metabolites of burley tobacco, air/sun-cured tobacco and cigar tobacco were similar, but different from those of oriental tobacco. A total of 130 differential volatile metabolites were obtained from different tobacco types, mainly esters, ketones, heterocycles and terpenoids. The differential volatile metabolites were positively correlated with the attributes of the smoothness of smoke, irritancy, dry sensation and cleanliness, and negatively correlated with the attributes of unpleasant odor and strength. The results provide a reference for the formulation of heated cigarette products from non-flue-cured tobacco leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Smoking is a major global health problem with serious systemic and oral consequences. This study aims at assessing the influence of smoking cigarettes and other types of smoked tobacco on oral conditions (OCs) using a representative sample of US adults. Methods: Pre‐pandemic data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–2020 were utilized, and 7840 adults aged ≥30 years were included in our analyses. Descriptive statistics, logistic, and negative binomial regression models were performed to assess the relationship between tobacco products and OCs including, tooth loss (TL), coronal (CC) and root caries (RC). Results: Overall, 16.29% of our sample were current cigarette smokers (CCS). TL (17.25%) and untreated RC (28.26%) were more evident among CCS. In the adjusted regression models, smoking cigarettes was associated with RC (AOR: 3.20, 95% CI; 2.02, 5.09), untreated CC (IRR: 3.08, 95% CI: 1.50, 6.31), and TL (IRR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.88). Regarding the type of used tobacco product in the past 5 days, cigarettes were the most common type (15.03%). The adjusted model indicated that e‐cigarette smokers had the highest odds of untreated RC (AOR: 5.17, 95% CI: 2.19, 12.23) and the highest rate of TL (IRR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.45, 3.35). Further, cigar smokers had the highest rate of teeth with untreated CC (IRR: 3.25, 95% CI: 1.46, 7.25). Conclusions: Using tobacco products is associated with poor OCs. Dentists, being the primary oral health care providers, can play a crucial role in counseling and supporting smokers to quit as part of their routine dental examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blunts (i.e., cannabis rolled in cigar paper with or without tobacco) are a popular way of consuming cannabis. Little survey research has examined knowledge and beliefs about blunts, especially among youth who use cigars or are susceptible to cigar use. Methods: Participants were a convenience sample of N = 506 youth (ages 15–20) from the United States (US) recruited April-June 2023 who reported ever using little cigars or cigarillos (LCCs), past 30-day use of LCCs, or susceptibility to using LCCs. We used adjusted logistic and ordinal regression models to examine correlates of knowledge that blunts contain nicotine and, separately, relative addiction/harm perceptions for blunts vs. unmodified cigars containing only tobacco. Results: One-third of youth (32.1 %) thought that blunts do not contain nicotine. Around half of youth thought that blunts were “much less” or “slightly less” addictive (45.0 %) and “much less” or “slightly less” harmful (51.5 %) than unmodified cigars. Youth who identified as Black/African American (vs. white) had lower odds of knowledge that blunts contain nicotine (aOR = 0.51, 95 % CI: 0.30, 0.87). Youth who frequently used blunts were less likely to report that blunts were more addictive (aOR = 0.39; 95 % CI: 0.24, 0.63) and harmful (aOR = 0.31; 95 % CI: 0.19, 0.50 (vs. unmodified cigars) compared with youth who never used blunts. Conclusions: Our study with a sample of US youth—who have used or are susceptible to using LCCs—found that about 1 in 3 participants thought that blunts do not contain nicotine, and many believed blunts were less harmful and addictive than unmodified cigars.

Background: Economic benefits for tobacco growers are closely linked to the quality of fermented cigar tobacco leaves (CTLs). This research focused on an in-depth examination of the microbial community and flavor compounds within CTLs, specifically analyzing the wrapper, binder, and filler components of a cigar. The primary objective was to unravel the complex relationship between the microbial composition and the resultant flavor profiles, thereby providing insights that could enhance the economic value of CTLs. Results: The study revealed distinct variations in flavor chemicals and microbiota across different sections of CTLs. Prominent species identified in the fermented CTLs included Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium. Bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS) analysis pinpointed five bacterial and four fungal species as key contributors to flavor compound formation. Additionally, an analysis considering Within-module and Among-module connectivity highlighted two bacterial and thirteen fungal genera as keystone species. The insights from Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) further underscored the influential role of fungal microorganisms in defining CTLs' flavor profile. Conclusions: The research findings illuminate the intricate interplay between flavor chemicals and microbes in the traditional fermentation process of CTLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new isochromenes, 1-(8-methoxy-3-methyl-1H-isochromen-6-yl)propan-1-one (1) and 3-hydroxy-1-(8- methoxy-3-methyl-1H-isochromen-7-yl)propan-1-one (2), along with five known ones, (3–7) were isolated from the fermentation products of a cigar tobacco-derived endophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas syringae (the main pathogenic sources of tobacco angular spot disease). Compounds 1 and 2 showed activity with MIC50 values of 6.8 and 8.4 μg/mL, respectively, whereas the MIC50 value of the positive control (agricultural streptomycin) is 2.2 μg/mL. The efficiencies of 1 and 2 are lower than that of the positive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanisms by which cigarette smoking increases the risk of respiratory disease have been studied. However, less is known about risks of respiratory symptoms and outcomes associated with smoking cigars, and risks by cigar types have not been previously explored. The aim of this study was to examine associations between cigar use, including traditional cigars, cigarillos, filtered cigars, and dual cigar and cigarette use, and functionally important respiratory symptoms (FIRS), lifetime asthma diagnosis, uncontrolled asthma, and new cases of FIRS. Methods: Data from Waves 2–5 (2014–19) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study, were analyzed in two ways. For cross-sectional analysis, the analytic sample included adults 18 and older at each wave, resulting in 44,040 observations. Separately, longitudinal analyses were assessed among adults 18 and older at Wave 2, resulting in 7,930 individuals. Both analyses excluded adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or non-asthma respiratory disease. Results: Current established cigarillo smokers had higher odds of having FIRS (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.72; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.74) compared to never smokers of cigarillos and cigarettes, after adjusting for covariates. Current established filtered cigar smokers had higher odds of asthma diagnosis (AOR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.66) while current established dual smokers of filtered cigars and cigarettes had higher odds of uncontrolled asthma (AOR: 5.13; 95% CI: 1.75, 15.02) compared to never smokers of filtered cigars or cigarettes. Both current established cigar smokers and current established dual smokers of cigarettes and cigars had higher odds of new FIRS compared to never cigar or cigarette smokers (AORs: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.60 for exclusive cigars and 2.55; 95% CI 1.57, 4.14 for dual smokers). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that cigar smokers or dual smokers of cigars and cigarettes have greater odds of FIRS, asthma, and uncontrolled asthma and that new incidence of FIRS is higher among any cigar smokers compared to never cigar or cigarette smokers. Understanding health impacts associated with cigar use provides information for supporting policy development, as well as for designing clinical interventions focused on smoking cessation for cigars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the resource utilization of steel slag and improve the production process of steel slag in steelmaking plants, this research studied the characteristics of three different processed steel slags from four steelmaking plants. The physical and mechanical characteristics and volume stability of steel slags were analyzed through density, water absorption, and expansion tests. The main mineral phases, morphological characteristics, and thermal stability of the original steel slag and the steel slag after the expansion test are analyzed with X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG) tests. The results show that the composition of steel slag produced by different processes is similar. The main active substances of other processed steel slags are dicalcium silicate (C2S), tricalcium silicate (C3S), CaO, and MgO. After the expansion test, the main chemical products of steel slag are CaCO3, MgCO3, and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). Noticeable mineral crystals appeared on the surface of the steel slag after the expansion test, presenting tetrahedral or cigar-like protrusions. The drum slag had the highest density and water stability. The drum slag had the lowest porosity and the densest microstructure surface, compared with steel slags that other methods produce. The thermal stability of steel slag treated by the hot splashing method was relatively higher than that of steel slag treated by the other two methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon the genre of the testimonio, this article bears witness to the historical evolution of the New York Puerto Rican community. It highlights the connections between my personal journey into graduate studies, where I discovered Andreu Iglesias' manuscript of Memorias de Bernardo Vega, and subsequently, the influence of Vega's testimony in my own research. An eyewitness to more than forty years of Puerto Rican life in the New York metropolis, the cigar maker arrived in New York in 1916, became an activist, and wrote a major source on a century of Puerto Rican life in New York. My initial encounter with Vega's unpublished manuscript was in 1975. The Spanish version, Memorias de Bernardo Vega, appeared in print in 1977, followed by the English translation, Memoirs of Bernardo Vega in 1984. Nonetheless, the recovery of Vega's original manuscript in 2011 raised issues about the author's original intent, voice, and genre. This generationally focused article explores the course of events leading to the publication of these key sources, and the possible effect the original manuscript might have on Vega's published work and on my monograph, From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Air curing (AC) plays a crucial role in cigar tobacco leaf production. The AC environment is relatively mild, contributing to a diverse microbiome. Fungi are important components of the tobacco and environmental microbiota. However, our understanding of the composition and function of fungal communities in AC remains limited. Methods: In this study, changes in the chemical constituents and fungal community composition of cigar tobacco leaves during AC were evaluated using flow analysis and high-throughput sequencing. Results: The moisture, water-soluble sugar, starch, total nitrogen, and protein contents of tobacco leaves exhibited decreasing trends, whereas nicotine showed an initial increase, followed by a decline. As determined by highthroughput sequencing, fungal taxa differed among all stages of AC. Functional prediction showed that saprophytic fungi were the most prevalent type during the AC process and that the chemical composition of tobacco leaves is significantly correlated with saprophytic fungi. Conclusion: This study provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic changes in fungal communities during the AC process in cigar tobacco leaves and offers theoretical guidance for the application of microorganisms during the AC process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider dimensional reduction of cigar geometries which are obtained by a Wick rotation of black hole solutions. Originally the cigar geometry is smooth around the tip, but after the dimensional reduction along the Euclidean time direction, there appears an end-of-the-world brane (ETW brane). We derive the tension of the brane by two methods: bulk equations of motion and boundary equations of motion. In particular, for AdS7-soliton ×S4 and AdS4-soliton ×S7 backgrounds in M-theory, we find that the tension of the emerging ETW branes behaves as t(Φ) ~ e−3Φ in the string frame. This indicates the existence of such ETW branes in the strongly coupled regime of type 0A string theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background While regular cigar smoking is believed to carry similar health risks as regular cigarette smoking, the impact of cigar use, alone or in combination with cigarettes, on obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been well characterized. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association between exclusive and dual cigar and cigarette use and incident self-reported diagnosed COPD. Methods This study used data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. Longitudinal data from adults aged 40 to 79 at Wave 1, without a pre-existing COPD diagnosis who participated at follow-up interview were analyzed. A time-varying current tobacco exposure, lagged by one wave and categorized as: (a) never/non-current use; (b) exclusive cigar use; (c) exclusive cigarette use; and (d) dual cigar/cigarette use. Multivariable models adjusted for demographics (age, sex, race or ethnicity, education), clinical risk factors (asthma, obesity), and smoking-related confounders (second-hand smoke exposure, other combustible tobacco product use, e-cigarette use, time since quitting, cigarette pack-years). The incidence of self-reported diagnosed COPD was estimated using discrete-time survival models, using a general linear modeling (GLM) approach with a binomial distribution and a complementary log-log link function. Results The analytic sample consisted of 9,556 adults with a mean (SD) age of 56 (10.4), who were predominately female (52.8%) and Non-Hispanic White (70.8%). A total of 906 respondents reported a diagnosis of COPD at follow-up. In the fully adjusted model, exclusive cigar use (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.57, 95% CI: 0.77, 3.21) was not associated with increased COPD risk compared to non-use, while exclusive cigarette use (aHR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.93) and dual cigar/cigarette use (aHR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.85) were. Conclusions Exclusive cigarette use and dual cigar/cigarette use were associated with diagnosed incident COPD. These results suggest that cigars, when used in combination with cigarettes, may be associated with poorer COPD health outcomes. Dual use may promote a higher likelihood of inhaling cigar smoke, and future research would benefit from examining whether inhalation of cigar smoke increases COPD risk.

Variations in industrial fermentation techniques have a significant impact on the fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves (CTLs), consequently influencing the aromatic attributes of the resulting cigars. The entire fermentation process of CTLs can be categorized into three distinct phases: phase 1 (CTLs prior to moisture regain), phase 2 (CTLs post-moisture regain and pile fermentation), and phase 3 (CTLs after fermentation and drying). These phases were determined based on the dynamic changes in microbial community diversity. During phase 2, there was a rapid increase in moisture and total acid content, which facilitated the proliferation of Aerococcus, a bacterial genus capable of utilizing reducing sugars, malic acid, and citric acid present in tobacco leaves. In contrast, fungal microorganisms exhibited a relatively stable response to changes in moisture and total acid, with Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Cladosporium being the dominant fungal groups throughout the fermentation stages. Bacterial genera were found to be more closely associated with variations in volatile compounds during fermentation compared to fungal microorganisms. This association ultimately resulted in higher levels of aroma components in CTLs, thereby improving the overall quality of the cigars. These findings reinforce the significance of industrial fermentation in shaping CTL quality and provide valuable insights for future efforts in the artificial regulation of secondary fermentation in CTLs. Key points: • Industrial fermentation processes impact CTLs microbial communities. • Moisture and total acid content influence microbial community succession in fermentation. • Bacterial microorganisms strongly influence CTLs' aldehyde and ketone flavors over fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the significant influence of microorganisms on geographically dependent flavor formation by analyzing microbial communities and volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) in cigar tobacco leaves (CTLs) obtained from China, Dominica, and Indonesia. Microbiome analysis revealed that the predominant bacteria in CTLs were Staphylococcus, Aerococcus, Pseudomonas, and Lactobacillus, while the predominant fungi were Aspergillus, Wallemia, and Sampaiozyma. The microbial communities of CTLs from different origins differed to some extent, and the diversity and abundance of bacteria were greater than fungi. Metabolomic analysis revealed that 64 VFCs were identified, mainly ketones, of which 23 VFCs could be utilized to identify the geographical origins of CTLs. Sixteen VFCs with OAV greater than 1, including cedrol, phenylacetaldehyde, damascone, beta-damascone, and beta-ionone, play important roles in shaping the flavor profile of CTLs from different origins. Combined with the correlation analysis, bacterial microorganisms were more closely related to key VFCs and favored a positive correlation. Bacillus, Vibrio, and Sphingomonas were the main flavor-related bacteria. The study demonstrated that the predominant microorganisms were essential for the formation of key flavor qualities in CTLs, which provided a theoretical reference for flavor control of CTLs by microbial technology. Key points: • It is the high OAV VFCs that determine the flavor profile of CTLs. • The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway and the carotenoid synthesis pathway are key metabolic pathways for the formation of VFCs in CTLs. • Microbial interactions influence tobacco flavor, with bacterial microorganisms contributing more to the flavor formation of CTLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While regular cigar smoking is believed to carry similar health risks as regular cigarette smoking, the impact of cigar use, alone or in combination with cigarettes, on obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has not been well characterized. The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association between exclusive and dual cigar and cigarette use and incident self-reported diagnosed COPD. Methods: This study used data from Waves 1–5 (2013–2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. Longitudinal data from adults aged 40 to 79 at Wave 1, without a pre-existing COPD diagnosis who participated at follow-up interview were analyzed. A time-varying current tobacco exposure, lagged by one wave and categorized as: (a) never/non-current use; (b) exclusive cigar use; (c) exclusive cigarette use; and (d) dual cigar/cigarette use. Multivariable models adjusted for demographics (age, sex, race or ethnicity, education), clinical risk factors (asthma, obesity), and smoking-related confounders (second-hand smoke exposure, other combustible tobacco product use, e-cigarette use, time since quitting, cigarette pack-years). The incidence of self-reported diagnosed COPD was estimated using discrete-time survival models, using a general linear modeling (GLM) approach with a binomial distribution and a complementary log-log link function. Results: The analytic sample consisted of 9,556 adults with a mean (SD) age of 56 (10.4), who were predominately female (52.8%) and Non-Hispanic White (70.8%). A total of 906 respondents reported a diagnosis of COPD at follow-up. In the fully adjusted model, exclusive cigar use (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.57, 95% CI: 0.77, 3.21) was not associated with increased COPD risk compared to non-use, while exclusive cigarette use (aHR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.93) and dual cigar/cigarette use (aHR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.85) were. Conclusions: Exclusive cigarette use and dual cigar/cigarette use were associated with diagnosed incident COPD. These results suggest that cigars, when used in combination with cigarettes, may be associated with poorer COPD health outcomes. Dual use may promote a higher likelihood of inhaling cigar smoke, and future research would benefit from examining whether inhalation of cigar smoke increases COPD risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the differences of aroma components and aroma profiles in segmented smoke of cigars, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to detect the aroma compounds of Great Wall No. 2 and Montecristo No. 4 cigars, supplemented by sensory evaluation and odor contribution weight to investigate the aroma characteristics of cigars, and the key aroma components in cigars were screened based on partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results showed that the cigar was shorter, the interception effect was weakened, and the quantity and release of aroma components in cigar smoke were increased during smoking. In the odor contribution weight of segmented smoke of cigars, the bean and woody aromas of Great Wall No. 2 weakened and the coffee aroma increased as smoking proceeded, while the bean aroma of Montecristo No. 4 weakened and the spicy aroma increased. These changes in odor contribution weight were consistent with the results of the sensory evaluation. 12 key differential aroma components such as γ-hexalactone, 2-furoic acid, acetophenone, phenylacetic acid, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine were obtained during the smoking process of Great Wall No. 2, and 11 key differential aroma components such as cedrol, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, guaiacol, γ-nonanolactone were obtained during the smoking process of Montecristo No. 4. The results of this study reflected the change rules of smoke composition in the smoking process of cigar and explained the reasons for the flavor changes in the smoking process of cigar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the changes in fungal community structure with mold occurrence during the industrial fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves, Dexue No. 1 cigar tobacco leaf was chosen as the test material, and counting methods in microbiology and Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology were used to analyze the changes in mold content and fungal community structure of normal and moldy cigar tobacco leaf samples during the industrial fermentation. The results indicated that compared to norml tobacco leaves, on the 30th day of fermentation, the mold content in moldy cigar tobacco leaves was the highest (8.3x104 CFU/ g), the richness and diversity of species were the lowest, and the number of OTUs was the least. At the level of the phylum, Ascomycota was an absolute advantageous phylum on day 30 of fermentation, with an average relative abundance of 99.82%. At the level of the genus, Aspergillus was the main genus in the entire fermentation process, and the average relative abundance on day 30 of fermentation was the largest (92.32%). The 30 d mildewy cigar tobacco leaf and other samples had a significant difference in species composition compared to normal tobacco leaves. Among them, Aspergillus was both an advantageous genus and a differential genus, and the average relative abundance of various samples was the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the research status and main problems in the types of cigar microorganisms and their application in field production, air-drying, fermentation and other links of domestic cigar tobacco leaves. It is believed that the microbial community of cigars could be divided into rhizosphere microorganisms, foliar microorganisms, and endophytic bacteria. The rhizosphere and leaf microorganisms of cigars could promote the growth and development of cigar plants, reduce plant diseases, and improve the sensory quality of tobacco leaves. However, there was a lack of research on beneficial endophytic bacteria. Microbial fertilizers and pesticides played an important role in the field growth of cigar tobacco leaves, but microbial fertilizers and pesticides for cigar tobacco plants had not been widely promoted and applied. During the process of cigar tobacco air-drying, there were abundant microbial resources and complex metabolic functions, but there was relatively little research on the mechanism of microbial action. During the fermentation process of cigar tobacco leaves, the microbial community structure gradually diversified. The addition of medium microorganisms could improve the quality of tobacco leaves and prevent the occurrence of mold. However, most studies focus on the screening of medium microorganisms, and there was still a lack of in-depth research on the mechanism of microbial improvement and aroma enhancement. In the future, in-depth research could be carried out on the screening and utilization of endophytes in cigar tobacco leaves, microbial changes in the air-drying process, and in-depth data mining by using omics technology, in order to further improve the beneficial role of microorganisms in the production process of domestic cigar tobacco raw materials, improve the production and the quality of tobacco leaves, and further reduce the dependence on imported cigar tobacco raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little cigars or cigarillos (LCCs) are frequently modified to smoke cannabis ("blunts") by youth and young adults. This study investigated whether young blunt users who are otherwise nicotine-naïve are more likely to initiate other tobacco products compared to never blunt users. Data were from four waves of the Truth Longitudinal Cohort (TLC), a national probability-based sample of youth and young adults (aged 15-24 years) in the United States (Wave 1: January—April 2017; Wave 2: February—May 2018; Wave 3: February—May 2019; Wave 4: September—December 2019). The sample was restricted to nicotine naïve respondents at Wave 1 with possible ever use of blunts (N = 5,284). Logistic regression analyses tested whether ever blunt use at Wave 1 predicted initiation of nicotine products by Wave 4, controlling for established risk factors. Compared to never-blunt users, ever users of blunts at Wave 1 had significantly higher odds of ever using cigars (OR: 4.74; 95% CI: 1.80-12.47; p = 0.002), e-cigarettes (OR: 4.66; 95% CI: 2.42-8.95; p < 0.001), cigarettes (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.17-7.84, p = 0.023), or hookah (OR: 3.47; 95% CI: 1.07-11.29, p = 0.039) by Wave 4. Cannabis (never blunt) use by Wave 1 predicted ever use of e-cigarettes (OR: 3.45, 95% CI: 2.38-5.02, p < 0.001), cigarettes (OR: 3.81; 95% CI: 2.26-6.43, p < 0.001), or hookah (OR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.12-4.05, p = 0.021) by Wave 4. Blunts are a point of nicotine initiation that places users at increased risk of progression to cigars, while the same relationship was not found for cannabis alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act prohibited flavored cigarettes but allowed for flavored cigars. Since, there has been a 34% increase in youth cigar use and widened racial disparities. State and local jurisdictions have increasingly enacted flavored tobacco product sales restrictions. As more jurisdictions consider implementing flavor restrictions, it is important to understand their effect on tobacco markets that have high flavor proliferation, including the cigar market. Aims and Methods This study uses data from Truth Initiative's flavor policy database and NielsenIQ retailer scanners for California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. We use a three-way fixed-effect model to assess the impact of the percentage of the population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction on per capita unit sales of cigars. Results We find that population coverage by cigar sales restrictions was significantly associated with decreases in per capita cigar sales. More specifically, a 25% increase in the percentage of the population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction was associated with a decrease in per capita all cigar sales of 15%–19%, 4%–10% for large cigars, 17%–21% for cigarillos, and 2%–41% for little cigars. Conclusion Flavored cigar sales restrictions are an effective policy to reduce per capita cigar sales. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s proposed product standards would increase population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction to 100%, leading to potential significant reductions in cigar sales, especially little cigar, and cigarillo sales. This may also substantially reduce youth cigar use and racial disparities in cigar use. Implications In April 2022, the U.S. FDA published a proposed rule to prohibit characterizing flavors in all cigars and menthol cigarettes. Besides this proposed rule, there has been little federal action to date to reduce sales of flavored cigars. However, as of March 31, 2022, Massachusetts and 333 localities across 10 states have enacted policies that restrict the sale of flavored cigars and other tobacco products. We find that population coverage by cigar sales restrictions is significantly associated with decreases in per capita cigar sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The important role of microbial associations in mediating plant protection and responses to abiotic stresses has been widely recognized. However, there have been limited studies on the functional profile of the phyllosphere microbiota from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), hindering our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stress resilience in this representative and easy-to-cultivate model species from the solanaceous family. To address this knowledge gap, our study employed shotgun metagenomic sequencing for the first time to analyze the genetic catalog and identify putative plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) candidates that confer abiotic stress resilience throughout the growth period of cigar tobacco in the phyllosphere. We identified abundant genes from specific bacterial lineages, particularly Pseudomonas, within the cigar tobacco phyllospheric microbiome. These genes were found to confer resilience against a wide range of stressors, including osmotic and drought stress, heavy metal toxicity, temperature perturbation, organic pollutants, oxidative stress, and UV light damage. In addition, we conducted a virome mining analysis on the metagenome to explore the potential roles of viruses in driving microbial adaptation to environmental stresses. Our results identified a total of 3,320 scaffolds predicted to be viral from the cigar tobacco phyllosphere metagenome, with various phages infecting Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Enterobacteria, Ralstonia, and related viruses. Within the virome, we also annotated genes associated with abiotic stress resilience, such as alkaline phosphatase D (phoD) for nutrient solubilization and glutamate-5-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (proA) for osmolyte synthesis. These findings shed light on the unexplored roles of viruses in facilitating and transferring abiotic stress resilience in the phyllospheric microbiome through beneficial interactions with their hosts. The findings from this study have important implications for agricultural practices, as they offer potential strategies for harnessing the capabilities of the phyllosphere microbiome to enhance stress tolerance in crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed rulemaking to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products to non-addictive levels. This qualitative study documents reactions to messages communicating this policy among people who use little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs). Aims and Methods We conducted eight focus groups with participants from four populations with the highest prevalence of cigar use (African American males and females, white males and females). Participants described their reactions to eight messages about the policy: Three messages about the equal risk of LCCs with regular and low nicotine levels; three quit efficacy messages about low nicotine LCCs being easier to quit; one "compensation" message to correct misperceptions about the policy causing people to smoke more to get desired nicotine; and one message about using alternative nicotine sources (eg, e-cigarettes). Results Participants perceived risk messages as the most motivating to quit, whereas efficacy messages made some participants feel that the policy would cause former users of LCCs to relapse. Many participants expressed favorable responses to the compensation message. The message about using alternative nicotine sources sparked intense responses, with many participants expressing outrage and mistrust of the message. Participants' beliefs that they were not addicted to LCCs dampened their perceptions of the effectiveness of the policy. Conclusions Perceptions of the addictiveness and relative harms of LCCS influenced responses to policy messages. The FDA should consider using different messages to communicate with people who use LCCs because they perceive LCCs as different from cigarettes. Implications This is the first study to document affective and cognitive responses to the FDA's reduced nicotine policy among people who use LCCs. The false belief that cigar products are less harmful than cigarettes may be influencing people's lack of support for the reduced nicotine policy and difficulty in understanding its potential positive impact. To maximize the public health benefit of the reduced nicotine policy, the FDA should include LCC products in the policy; however, it is crucial that they use educational messaging to clarify misperceptions regarding nicotine and harm as it applies to LCCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]