Background While cigarette consumption in the USA continues to decline, promotion for and consumption of smokeless tobacco (SLT) is growing. However, little research has explored what product features are driving SLT growth, despite awareness that product-level factors may be important in SLT use. This study analyses national sales data to better understand the impact of product features on SLT sales. Methods Data on sales of SLT in US convenience stores from 2005 to 2011 were obtained from Nielsen Research Company. Each listed product was coded for attributes such as type, brand, flavouring and form to calculate their respective total sales, market share and contribution to overall SLT growth. Results Sales of moist snuff products (including snus) increased by 65.6% between 2005 and 2011. Sales of pouched and flavoured forms of moist snuff increased by 333.8% and 72.1%, respectively, and contributed to 28% and 59.4% of the total growth in the moist snuff category, respectively. Value/discount brands accounted for 42% of moist snuff sales in 2011 among the top 10 selling brands, largely driven by Grizzly. After 2 years on the national market, Camel Snus was also one of the top 10 selling moist snuff brands. Conclusions Sales of moist snuff, both overall and for particular styles, are increasing. Growing pouch use may be attributed to new SLT users, which may include cigarette smokers using them as starter SLT products. Increased sales of flavoured and discounted snuff raise concerns about use and appeal to youth. Continued surveillance of SLT sales trends is warranted.

Background. Young adulthood provides an enormous opportunity to alter trajectories of smoking behaviour for a large public health impact. Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine correlates of perceived barriers to quitting smoking and reasons to quit in a sample of young adult current and former smokers. Methods. This study used data from the 2011 National Young Adult Health Survey, a random-digit-dial cellphone survey. Participants were US young adult current smokers aged 18–34 (n = 699) and young adults who were either current smokers who had made a quit attempt in the past-year (n = 402) or former smokers (n = 289). Correlates of barriers to quitting smoking and reasons for quitting smoking were assessed using bivariate and multivariable analyses. Results. More than half of current smokers identified ‘loss of a way to handle stress’ (59%) and ‘cravings or withdrawal’ (52%) as barriers to quitting. Female gender, daily smoking and intention to quit remained significantly associated with endorsing ‘loss of a way to handle stress’ as a barrier to quitting in multivariable analyses. The two most popular reasons for quitting smoking were physical fitness (64%) and the cost of tobacco (64%). Conclusion. These findings highlight barriers to cessation and the reasons that young smokers give for quitting. This information may be helpful to physicians as they counsel their young adult patients to quit smoking.

Smokers with medical illnesses are at particular risk for complications caused by tobacco. Clinical trial data on the effectiveness of triple-combination pharmacotherapy for tobacco dependence treatment in these high-risk smokers are not available. To evaluate extended duration of a triple-medication combination versus standard-duration therapy with the nicotine patch alone and 6-month abstinence rates in smokers with medical illnesses. Randomized clinical trial from 2005 to 2007. Single primary care setting. 127 smokers 18 years or older with predefined medical illnesses were recruited from the local community. Participants were allocated by blocked randomization to receive either the nicotine patch alone for a standard 10-week, tapering course (n = 64) or the combination of nicotine patch, nicotine oral inhaler, and bupropion ad libitum (n = 63). Nonstudy staff, who used computer-generated tables, assigned participants by telephone. No study staff had access to the randomization tables before randomization, thus maintaining concealment. Participants and study personnel were not blinded to treatment assignment. The primary outcome was 7-day, exhaled carbon monoxide-confirmed point abstinence at 26 weeks after target quit date. Secondary outcomes were the time to first relapse, duration of medication use, and adverse effects of medications. Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis with participants who were lost to follow-up (patch alone [n = 13] and combination therapy [n = 18]) classified as still smoking. Both treatment groups had similar baseline characteristics. Abstinence rates at 26 weeks were 35% (22 of 63 patients) for the combination group versus 19% (12 of 64 patients) for the patch-alone group (relapse benefit, 16% [95% CI, 1% to 31%]; P = 0.040). The adjusted odds ratio for abstinence in the combination group was 2.57 (CI, 1.05 to 6.32; P = 0.041). The median time to relapse was significantly longer in the combination group than in the patch-alone group (65 days vs. 23 days; P = 0.005). Some side effects occurred more frequently in the combination group (for example, insomnia [25% vs. 9%] and anxiety [22% vs. 3%]), but the proportion of participants who discontinued study medications because of adverse events was similar in both groups (6%). Approximately 25% of participants were lost to follow-up (proportions were similar between treatment groups). Treatment personnel and participants were unblinded. Flexibly dosed triple-combination pharmacotherapy for up to 6 months was more effective than standard-duration nicotine patch therapy for outpatient smokers with medical illnesses. Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This study aimed to describe the characteristics of treatment-seeking patients who wake at night to smoke (night-smoking), identify factors that may be associated with night-smoking, and assess the association between night-smoking and treatment outcome. A total of 2312 consecutive eligible cigarette smokers who sought treatment at a specialist tobacco-dependence clinic declared a Target Quit Date, provided baseline information at assessment, and were then followed-up 4 and 26 weeks after their target quit date. Of the total sample, 51.1% were identified as night-smokers and 25.1% reported smoking abstinence at 26-week follow-up. Night-smoking was associated with a number of other patient characteristics, including African-American race or Hispanic ethnicity, having smoking-related medical symptoms, having been treated for a behavioural health problem, smoking mentholated cigarettes, smoking within 30 min of waking in the morning, increased cigarettes smoked per day, and not having private health insurance. In multivariate analyses, night-smoking at assessment remained a significant predictor of smoking at 26-week follow-up when controlling for other factors associated with treatment outcome (adjusted odds ratio: 0.77, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-0.96). Night-smokers also experienced a shorter average time to relapse (38.5 vs. 56 days, p<0.0001). Several socioeconomic and tobacco use characteristics are shared among patients who wake at night to smoke. This behaviour can be assessed by a simple question and used as a marker for tobacco dependence and as an indicator that more intensive and sustained treatment may be required.

While fever may be a presenting symptom of COVID-19, fever at hospital admission has not been identified as a predictor of mortality. However, hyperthermia during critical illness among ventilated COVID-19 patients in the ICU has not yet been studied. We sought to determine mortality predictors among ventilated COVID-19 ICU patients and we hypothesized that fever in the ICU is predictive of mortality. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 103 ventilated COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU between March 14 and May 27, 2020. Final follow-up was June 5, 2020. Patients discharged from the ICU or who died were included. Patients still admitted to the ICU at final follow-up were excluded. 103 patients were included, 40 survived and 63(61.1%) died. Deceased patients were older {66 years[IQR18] vs 62.5[IQR10], (p = 0.0237)}, more often male {48(68%) vs 22(55%), (p = 0.0247)}, had lower initial oxygen saturation {86.0%[IQR18] vs 91.5%[IQR11.5], (p = 0.0060)}, and had lower pH nadir than survivors {7.10[IQR0.2] vs 7.30[IQR0.2] (p < 0.0001)}. Patients had higher peak temperatures during ICU stay as compared to hospital presentation {103.3°F[IQR1.7] vs 100.0°F[IQR3.5], (p < 0.0001)}. Deceased patients had higher peak ICU temperatures than survivors {103.6°F[IQR2.0] vs 102.9°F[IQR1.4], (p = 0.0008)}. Increasing peak temperatures were linearly associated with mortality. Febrile patients who underwent targeted temperature management to achieve normothermia did not have different outcomes than those not actively cooled. Multivariable analysis revealed 60% and 75% higher risk of mortality with peak temperature greater than 103°F and 104°F respectively; it also confirmed hyperthermia, age, male sex, and acidosis to be predictors of mortality. This is one of the first studies to identify ICU hyperthermia as predictive of mortality in ventilated COVID-19 patients. Additional predictors included male sex, age, and acidosis. With COVID-19 cases increasing, identification of ICU mortality predictors is crucial to improve risk stratification, resource management, and patient outcomes.