Self-titration by experienced e-cigarette users: blood nicotine delivery and subjective effects

Rationale Self-titration is well documented in the tobacco literature. The extent to which ecigarette users (vapers) self-titrate is unknown. Objective This study explored the effects of high and low nicotine strength liquid on puffing topography, nicotine delivery and subjective effects in experienced vapers. Methods Eleven experienced male vapers completed 60 minutes of ad libitum vaping under low (6 mg/mL) and high (24 mg/mL) nicotine liquid conditions in two separate sessions. Measurements included: puffing topography (puff number, puff duration, volume of liquid consumed); and changes in: plasma nicotine levels, craving, withdrawal symptoms, selfreported hit, satisfaction and adverse effects. Results Liquid consumption and puff number were higher, and puff duration longer, in the low nicotine strength condition (all ps < 0.01). The mean difference in nicotine boost from baseline in the low condition was 8.59 (7.52) ng/mL, 16.99 (11.72) ng/mL and 22.03 (16.19) ng/mL at 10, 30 and 60 minutes respectively. Corresponding values for the high condition were 33.77 (34.88) ng/mL, 35.48 (28.31) ng/mL and 43.57 (34.78) ng/mL (ps < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between conditions in self-reported craving, withdrawal symptoms, satisfaction, hit or adverse effects. Conclusions Vapers engaged in compensatory puffing with lower nicotine strength liquid, doubling their consumption. Whilst compensatory puffing was sufficient to reduce craving and withdrawal discomfort, self-titration was incomplete with significantly higher plasma nicotine levels in the high condition.

E-cigarette puffing patterns associated with high and low nicotine e-liquid strength: effects on toxicant and carcinogen exposure

Contrary to intuition, use of lower strength nicotine e-liquids might not offer reduced health risk if compensatory puffing behaviour occurs. Compensatory puffing (e.g. more frequent, longer puffs) or user behaviour (increasing the wattage) can lead to higher temperatures at which glycerine and propylene glycol (solvents used in e-liquids) undergo decomposition to carbonyl compounds, including the carcinogens formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. This study aims to document puffing patterns and user behaviour associated with using high and low strength nicotine e-liquid and associated toxicant/carcinogen exposure in experienced e-cigarette users (known as vapers herein).

CSR Communication - An Employee Perspective : Tailoring Internal Communication using Employee Preferences for Content, Style and Channel.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) represents a theory and practice that is well-known and communicating its content has shown to play an important role in order to exploit its advantages and engage stakeholders on CSR issues. Even though, CSR communication has shown to be a real challenge, since corporations are encouraged to engage in CSR, but not to communicate too loud about this engagement. This study was inspired by Jenny Dawkins (2005) and her initial idea that tailoring CSR messages by exploring stakeholder preferences for content, style and channel, would solve the communication challenge. One stakeholder group that corporations are highly dependent on is employees and exploring their preferences for CSR communication became the purpose of this thesis: to understand employee preferences for style and channel within the content of CSR. This was of specific interest, since existing research on CSR communication has mainly been centered around financial and external issues on the expense of internal. In addition, the idea of a tailored approach has not gained any interest in research so far, and a possible explanation might be its diffuse meaning, a problem this thesis has addressed. In order to understand employee preferences for internal CSR communication, a qualitative case study research was conducted with in-depth interviews, observations and exercises at site. A total of 20 interviews were arranged in order to collect primary data during a one week prolong engagement at the case. The empirical findings from the respondents’ answers were then transcribed and analyzed using both inductive and theoretical thematic analysis. Based on the findings, the authors of this thesis contribute with two models that help practitioners to understand how to best communicate about various CSR content to employees. The first model developed suggests an implementation of the tailored approach for content, style and channel, and demonstrates a relationship between nature of content and constraint recognition. Also, the model explains how practitioners can provide CSR explanation in order to reduce skepticism and enable endorsement processes where employees communicate CSR to third parties. To show a more dependent relationship between how changes in nature of content and constraint recognition affect employee preferences, the authors created the "CSR Communication Grid". The authors made a theoretical contribution by clarifying and providing a framework for the tailoring approach as initially developed by Dawkins (2005). Additionally, the authors managed to draw a relation between Public Relations (PR) and CSR by referring models of PR to communication styles, which filled this gap in previous research.

Registro de pacientes con distrofinopatías en Colombia

INTRODUCCIÓN. La distrofia muscular de Duchenne es una enfermedad neuromuscular con una herencia recesiva ligada al X que afecta a 1 de cada 3500 niños nacidos vivos. Se produce por mutaciones en el gen DMD que codifica para la distrofina. Se caracteriza por manifestaciones clínicas variables típicas de una distrofia muscular proximal progresiva. OBJETIVO. Realizar el primer registro en Colombia de los pacientes identificados con distrofinopatías, teniendo en cuenta características clínicas y paraclínicas, así como las mutaciones causales de esta patología. METODOLOGÍA Es un estudio descriptivo, transversal, de la revisión de historias clínicas de los pacientes con diagnóstico de DMD atendidos en la consulta de Genética de la Universidad del Rosario durante los años 2006 a 2015. RESULTADOS Se identificaron 99 pacientes, de los cuales 56 (56,56%) corresponden al fenotipo Duchenne y 12 (12,12%) al Becker. No fue posible clasificar a 31 pacientes (31,3%) por falta de datos clínicos. La edad de inicio de los síntomas fue en promedio de 4,41 años. Las mutaciones más frecuentes fueron las deleciones (69%), seguidas por las mutaciones puntuales(14%), las duplicaciones (11%) y por otras mutaciones (4%). CONCLUSIONES Este registro de distrofinopatías es el primero reportado en Colombia y el punto de partida para conocer la incidencia de la enfermedad, caracterización clínica y molecular de los pacientes, garantizando así el acceso oportuno a los nuevos tratamientos de medicina de precisión que permitan mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes y sus familias.