Browsing by Subject "smokers"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Beyond Traditional Newspaper Advertisement: Leveraging Facebook-Targeted Advertisement to Recruit Long-Term Smokers for Research
    (JMIR Publications, 2016) Carter-Harris, Lisa; Bartlett Ellis, Rebecca J.; Warrick, Adam; Rawl, Susan; IU School of Nursing
    BACKGROUND: Smokers are a stigmatized population, but an important population to reach for the purpose of research. Therefore, innovative recruitment methods are needed that are both cost-effective and efficacious in recruiting this population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present article was to evaluate the feasibility of Facebook-targeted advertisement to recruit long-term smokers eligible for lung cancer screening for a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A social media recruitment campaign was launched using Facebook-targeted advertisement to target age and keywords related to tobacco smoking in the Facebook users profile, interests, and likes. A 3-day newspaper advertisement recruitment campaign was used as a comparison. The study that used both recruitment methods aimed to test the psychometric properties of 4 newly developed lung cancer screening health belief scales. Data were collected via cross-sectional survey methodology using an Web-based survey platform. RESULTS: The Facebook-targeted advertisements were viewed 56,621 times over an 18-day campaign in 2015 in the United States. The advertisement campaign yielded 1121 unique clicks to the Web-based survey platform at a cost of $1.51 per completed survey. Of those who clicked through to the study survey platform, 423 (37.7%) consented to participate; 92 (8.2%) dropped out during completion of the survey yielding a final study pool of 331 completed surveys. Recruitment by newspaper advertisement yielded a total of 30 participants in response to a 3-day advertisement campaign; recruitment efficacy resulted in 10 participants/day at $40.80 per completed survey. Participants represented current (n=182; 51%) and former smokers (n=178; 49%) with a mean age of 63.4 years (SD 6.0). Cost of the advertisement campaign was $500 total for the 18-day campaign. CONCLUSIONS: Recruitment by Facebook was more efficacious and cost-effective compared with newspaper advertisement. Facebook offers a new venue for recruitment into research studies that offer the potential for wider reach at a lower cost while providing privacy and flexibility for potential study participants. The study's findings extend recent work of other researchers who have demonstrated Facebook's utility with younger smokers, and Facebook is an effective tool to recruit older smokers. Furthermore, Facebook is a cost-effective alternative to traditional newspaper advertisement offering a new, affordable venue to recruit large numbers of older smokers efficiently.
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    Effect of Green Tea on Streptococcus mutans Metabolic Activity, Planktonic Growth, and Biofilm Activity in the Presence of Nicotine
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Gardner, R.; Foltz, J.; Li, Mingyun; Huang, Ruijie; Gregory, Richard L.
    Streptococcus mutans is the main bacterial cause of dental caries, and it has been proven by previous research that its growth is affected by various concentrations of nicotine and other agents. The amount of S. mutans in the mouth is directly proportional to the number of dental cavities. Studies have shown that smokers have an increased amount of caries, much of which is due to the low concentrations of nicotine the mouth is exposed to. It is known that S. mutans thrives in low-moderate concentrations of nicotine, and that nicotine is a promoting agent for S. mutans. S. mutans has also been proven as a contributor to atherosclerosis, resulting from dental plaque entering the bloodstream. Green Tea is a commonly consumed beverage, which has been known to reduce the number of dental cavities. Previous research has concluded that green tea contains polyphenols, which have antimicrobial effects, including an inhibitory effect on S. mutans. The objective of this research is to observe how green tea affects S. mutans metabolic activity, as well as biofilm and planktonic growth, in the presence of nicotine. The experiments compared S. mutans treated with nicotine concentrations (0-8 mg/ml), and S. mutans treated with a 2.5 g/200 mL concentration of Sencha Jade Reserve Japanese green tea in conjunction with the various nicotine concentrations. The assays were performed in a microtiter plate; the XTT and biofilm assays measured absorbance, and the planktonic assay measured kinetic growth. The experiments conclude that green tea has an inhibitory effect on nicotine-treated S. mutans metabolic activity and planktonic growth, with higher concentrations of green tea inhibiting more effectively. It was also concluded that green tea increases biofilm formation. These conclusions provide evidence of the inhibitory effect green tea has on nicotine-treated S. mutans, and may indicate a way to reduce the incidence of caries and atherosclerosis.
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    Effects of Caffeine on Fusobacterium nucleatum biofilm treated with Nicotine
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Dhami, Amarjeet; Kaur, Mandeep; Gregory, Richard L.
    Abstract: Fusobacterium nucleatum is a subgingival bacteria that is associated with periodontal disease. In general, smokers tend to have a higher risk of periodontal disease and increased cavities along with greater chance of atherosclerosis, which can cause blockage leading to a heart attack or stroke. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of caffeine on F. nucleatum biofilm formation treated with various concentrations of nicotine (0-32 mg/ml). Nicotine is found in cigarettes and this experiment examined if caffeine will inhibit the growth of biofilm with nicotine. Various concentrations of nicotine were used ranging from 0-32 mg/ml. Total absorbance was measured using a spectrophotometer and revealed that caffeine at a concentration of 8 mg/ml significantly inhibited the formation of biofilm at nicotine concentrations of 0.25-8 mg/ml. Biofilm formation was significantly higher when caffeine was not present. Biofilm is commonly found in the mouth and is responsible for biofilm production on teeth leading to dental plaque deposits which become tarter. Simply brushing will not remove tarter and if left untreated it can cause periodontal gum disease. Caffeine-containing beverages may be beneficial in preventing F. nucleatum biofilm formation in smokers.
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    Lung cancer screening: what do long-term smokers know and believe?
    (Wiley, 2015) Carter-Harris, Lisa; Ceppa, DuyKhanh Pham; Hanna, Nasser; Rawl, Susan M.; Department of Surgery, IU School of Medicine
    Objective To explore knowledge and beliefs of long-term smokers about lung cancer, associated risk factors and lung cancer screening. Design Qualitative study theoretically framed by the expanded Health Belief Model based on four focus group discussions. Content analysis was performed to identify themes of knowledge and beliefs about lung cancer, associated risk factors and lung cancer screening among long-term smokers' who had and had not been screened for lung cancer. Methods Twenty-six long-term smokers were recruited; two groups (n = 9; n = 3) had recently been screened and two groups (n = 7; n = 7) had never been screened. Results While most agreed lung cancer is deadly, confusion or inaccurate information exists regarding the causes and associated risk factors. Knowledge related to lung cancer screening and how it is performed was low; awareness of long-term smoking's association with lung cancer risk remains suboptimal. Perceived benefits of screening identified include: (i) finding lung cancer early; (ii) giving peace of mind; and (iii) motivation to quit smoking. Perceived barriers to screening identified include: (i) inconvenience; (ii) distrust; and (iii) stigma. Conclusions Perceived barriers to lung cancer screening, such as distrust and stigma, must be addressed as lung cancer screening becomes more widely implemented. Heightened levels of health-care system distrust may impact successful implementation of screening programmes. Perceived smoking-related stigma may lead to low levels of patient engagement with medical care and decreased cancer screening participation. It is also important to determine modifiable targets for intervention to enhance the shared decision-making process between health-care providers and their high-risk patients.
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    Nicotine Effects Surface Bound Enolase on Streptococcus mutans and Its Binding to Human Plasminogen
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Walters, Kamilah; Gregory, Richard L.
    Streptococcus mutans is the major bacterial agent responsible for dental caries. Previous research has shown that smokers have increased caries and that nicotine increases biofilm formation of S. mutans. S. mutans is also associated with atherosclerosis, another disease commonly found in smokers. However, little research has been done to investigate the direct effect of nicotine on the ability of S. mutans to bind to endothelial cells and lead to atherosclerosis. The two objectives of this study were to determine how nicotine affects the level of enolase, a glycolytic enzyme, on the surface of S. mutans, and next to determine its effect on binding of treated bacteria to human plasminogen, a protein present in the bloodstream. S. mutans strain UA159 was grown overnight in tryptic soy broth treated with 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL nicotine at 37◦C in 5% CO2. These cells were used to coat a microtiter plate, and various levels of surface bound enolase and binding to plasminogen were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). A preliminary trial showed increase in both surface bound enolase and binding to plasminogen with increasing nicotine concentration. Similar results are to be expected with repetition of this procedure, indicating that nicotine up-regulates the bacterial expression of enolase and its binding to plasminogen, probably through plasminogen binding receptors, contributing to the virulence of S. mutans. Knowledge of the attachment mechanisms of S. mutans in the presence of tobacco may aid in prevention of tobacco-related atherosclerosis.
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    Puffing Topography and Interpersonal Bonding Behavior Observed Among Recovering Drug Addicts Versus General Smokers
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Kunkel, Patrick O.; Hoffman, Rachel A.; Romito, Laura M.; Christen, Arden G.
    Smokers can inherently manipulate nicotine doses on a puff-by-puff basis. The character of smoking behavior may be determined by using complex forms of smoking topography in laboratory settings or by unobtrusively observing the time spent smoking a single cigarette, the number of puffs taken, interpuff intervals and smokers’ behaviors. The purpose of this study was to observe and compare smoking topography and interpersonal bonding behaviors of recovering drug addicts to that of general smokers in a natural setting (introduction). Following a variable chemical substance detox/treatment period, Fairbanks addiction treatment patients spend 3-12 weeks in follow-up treatment in two groups: Partial Hospitalized Patients (PHP) and Intensive Outpatients (IOP). PHP and IOP form tight interpersonal bonds and friendships with each other. Patients are periodically released and they meet and smoke together at an approved outdoor smoking area. From a distance, PHP and IOP (20 men and 20 women) cigarette puffing behaviors were unobtrusively observed and recorded. Two calibrated investigators, using a stop watch monitored the exact time of lighting and the extinguishing of each cigarette. For each subject, the number of puffs taken was recorded and the interpuff interval was calculated. The same protocol was followed for a population of general smokers observed on the campus of IUPUI (methods). The mean interpuff intervals were IUPUI men: 25.2 seconds (SD 11.93); IUPUI women: 30.9 seconds (SD 16.0); Fairbanks men: 16.2 seconds (SD 6.21); and Fairbanks women: 21.1 seconds (SD 6.51). There was a statistically significant difference in interpuff intervals between the general smokers and the recovering addicts (p<0.001) and this effect was not dependent upon gender. Behavioral observations between general smokers versus recovering addicts will be presented (results). Smokers who were recovering from chemical drug addiction smoked more intensely than the general smoking population and their smoking behaviors were often quite different (conclusions).
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    Streptococcus mutans Binding to Collagen and Fibrinogen in Nicotine
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Kristoff, Sylvie N.; Gomez, Grace; Gregory, Richard L.
    Introduction: Our overall goal is to find the mechanism for atherosclerosis. Smokers have increased incidence of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when there is a build up of plaque in the arteries. There is evidence that Streptococcus mutans help cause this blockage. We have already proven that S. mutans produces more biofilm in certain concentrations of nicotine. Also, we have found that nicotine upregulates S. mutans binding to proteins in certain concentrations; other labs have also demonstrated this. The intent of this study was to evaluate the binding of S. mutans to both collagen type I and fibrinogen, which are both proteins that are already present on the surface of endothelial cells lining arteries. Methods: S. mutans UA159 was cultured in 0.00-4.00 mg/mL nicotine. The cells were killed in formaldehyde and then coated with biotin. The proteins studied were plated (1 ug/ml) on 96-well microtiter plates. In order to block the empty spaces that the protein did not bind to, 1% BSA in sodium bicarbonate buffer was added to the plate. Each nicotine dilution of S. mutans was added to the plate and the amount of binding was assessed. Extra-avidin HRP and OPD were added to the plate and the intensity was measured at an absorbance of 490 nm using a spectrophotometer. Results: The intensity was directly related to the number of cells bound to the proteins. There was a significant increase in S. mutans binding when compared to the baseline for both collagen type I and fibrinogen. The binding was highest when S. mutans were cultured in 2 and 4 mg/mL nicotine. Conclusions: The data collected suggests that collagen type I and fibrinogen contribute to the mechanism of atherosclerosis. When S. mutans are cultured in moderately high concentrations of nicotine, more binding of the bacteria to these proteins occurs.