Prue Talbot

Q&A: E-cigarettes doubling as gaming devices put youth at risk for addiction

tomwt — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:56:17 +0000

Q&A: E-cigarettes doubling as gaming devices put youth at risk for addiction tomwt Thu, 08/29/2024 - 11:56 More CNAS in the Media Isabella Hornick | Healio August 16, 2024

HEALIO - Vaping devices with games are creating an even bigger challenge when it comes to convincing adolescents not to vape, posing dangers of nicotine addiction and gaming disorder, according to a press release.

In a paper published in Tobacco Control, Man (Jon) Wong, lab assistant at University of California - Riverside, and Prue Talbot, PhD, professor of the graduate division at University of California, Riverside, highlight three e-cigarettes with screen displays and digital games available to purchase online as of May 2024.

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Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology

Prue Talbot

New ‘smart vapes’ have built-in video games to attract teens, critics warn

tomwt — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 15:04:01 +0000

New ‘smart vapes’ have built-in video games to attract teens, critics warn tomwt Thu, 08/15/2024 - 08:04 More CNAS in the Media Rich Calder | New York Post August 10, 2024

NEW YORK POST - A new e-cigarette with built-in video games is being illegally sold in New York and other parts of the United States, critics warn.

The disposable “smart vapes” are available in catchy-named flavors like “merry berry” and “cherry pop,” and have built-in, high-definition screens preloaded with multiple games, including ripped-off versions of classics like Tetris and Pac-Man.

They also offer digital prizes as incentives depending on how much a person vapes, and critics caution they’re being used to illegally lure America’s youth into nicotine addiction.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, sounded the alarm about the next-gen vapes last month in a report warning that “coupling nicotine to existing youth behaviors, such as video gaming and screen time use, could broaden the smart electronic cigarette market to include youth with no prior interest in nicotine products, while also reinforcing nicotine addiction among current users.”

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Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology

Prue Talbot

'Smart vapes' featuring video games could lure youths to nicotine addiction, UC Riverside experts say

tomwt — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 17:10:58 +0000

'Smart vapes' featuring video games could lure youths to nicotine addiction, UC Riverside experts say tomwt Wed, 07/24/2024 - 10:10 More CNAS in the Media Karen Garcia | LA Times July 23, 2024

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Introduced as battery-powered sticks that emit nicotine-infused vapor, vape pens have transformed into increasingly sophisticated entertainment devices.

And that, researchers say, is a potentially huge problem.

Disposable vapes gained small illuminated displays last year, typically to show how much battery life remained. In about six months, though, the displays grew to the size of a flip phone screen and came equipped with retro games similar to Pac-Man and Tetris — on a product that costs less than $20.

The speed at which vapes advanced to include an interactive display, as well as the devices’ potential appeal to young people, is raising concerns about nicotine addiction among teenagers, say UC Riverside researchers Man Wong and Prue Talbot.

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Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology

Prue Talbot

Cell biologist to study coronavirus-related infection of respiratory cells

ilseu — Tue, 19 May 2020 21:22:14 +0000

Cell biologist to study coronavirus-related infection of respiratory cells ilseu Tue, 05/19/2020 - 14:22 More College News IQBAL PITTALWALA | Inside UCR May 19, 2020

Prue Talbot, a professor of cell biology at UC Riverside, has received a seed grant to study the COVID-19-related infection of respiratory cells.

Prue Talbot

She and her team will use the funds to test the hypothesis that electronic cigarettes and nicotine increase the ACE2 receptor on respiratory epithelium, providing more binding sites for the virus and increasing the possibility of infection.

“We expect our work will help clarify if the use of tobacco products makes it more likely for an infection to occur,” Talbot said.

Angiotensin converting enzyme-2, or ACE2, is a special receptor on some cells that has attracted the attention of drug companies as a potential target for addressing the novel coronavirus.

The $25,000, six-month grant from the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California will support the research of three graduate students.

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Harmful levels of metal linked to DNA damage found in the urine of e-cigarette users

ilseu — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 02:59:20 +0000

Harmful levels of metal linked to DNA damage found in the urine of e-cigarette users ilseu Sat, 02/22/2020 - 18:59 More CNAS in the Media Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor) | News-Medical February 20, 2020

NEWS-MEDICAL - Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have completed a cross-sectional human study that compares biomarkers and metal concentrations in the urine of e-cigarette users, nonsmokers, and cigarette smokers.

They found that the biomarkers, which reflect exposure, effect, and potential harm, are both elevated in e-cigarette users compared to the other groups and linked to metal exposure and oxidative DNA damage.

"Our study found e-cigarette users are exposed to increased concentrations of potentially harmful levels of metals -- especially zinc -- that are correlated to elevated oxidative DNA damage."

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Prue Talbot

Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology