MADISON — Researchers may have pinpointed a reason many smokers struggle to quit. According to new research published in the journal Addiction, smokers with a history of anxiety disorders are less likely to quit smoking. The study, conducted by th…
A team of neuroscientists has discovered important new information in the search for an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the debilitating neurological disorder that afflicts more than 5.3 million Americans and is the sixth-leading cause …
Fertility researchers have shown that nicotine and cotinine, a substance produced by nicotine’s breakdown, cause sperm to change in ways that could reduce fertility potential. In results presented at the 2002 annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, lead researcher Lani Burkman, Ph.D., reported that in laboratory experiments these chemicals, singly and in combination, decreased the capacity of sperm to perform functions necessary to fertilize a human egg.
Nearly 20 percent of smokers using an over-the-counter nicotine patch in a new study were able to quit smoking entirely after six weeks, compared to only 7 percent of smokers using a dummy patch. Each group reported only mild side effects from patch use, like rashes or insomnia. None of the smokers received any direct instruction on how to use the patch or got behavioral counseling to help them quit smoking, which suggests that nicotine patches used in an over-the-counter manner can be safe and effective, say the study authors. The study was supported by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, which markets the NicoDerm CQ patch.
Smokers with a specific genetic variant may be more vulnerable to cigarette cravings and relapse when trying to quit smoking, a study has found. This study also shows that the anti-depressant drug bupropion may lessen these effects, especially among females.