Opposition to banning cigarette filters and the belief that removing filters makes cigarettes much more harmful among adults who smoke: Findings from the 2022 International Tobacco Control Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey.

Introduction: In line with historical tobacco industry marketing claims, many consumers perceive cigarettes with filters as less harmful than cigarette without filters. However, scientific evidence indicates that cigarette filters do not reduce the risks associated with smoking. We examined opposition to banning the sale of cigarettes with filters, beliefs about whether removing filters makes cigarettes much more harmful, and whether this belief is associated with opposition to banning filters among adults who smoke cigarettes from four high-income countries.

Evaluation of a microfluidic-based point-of-care prototype with customized chip for detection of bacterial clusters.

Unlabelled: Bacterial infection clusters cause high mortality rates and healthcare costs due to excessive therapy and hygiene measures. The aim of this study was to develop an automated real-time PCR-based point-of-care (POC) system with a customized microfluidic chip that facilitates fast detection of bacterial cluster isolates by targeting cluster-specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). For cluster detection of , , and , nine TaqMan real-time PCR assays targeting cluster-specific SNPs were designed.

A content analysis of illicit tobacco-related crimes reported in Australian media.

Introduction: Australian survey and seizure data suggest a growing illicit tobacco market. As an illicit product, accurately tracking trends in illicit tobacco growing, manufacture and sales is challenging. We examined trends in Australian illicit tobacco-related crimes using a content analysis of news articles.

ALK1 Signaling in Human Cardiac Progenitor Cells Promotes a Pro-angiogenic Secretome.

Pro-angiogenic paracrine/autocrine signaling impacts myocardial repair in cell-based therapies. Activin A receptor-like type 1 (, ALK1) signaling plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular development and maintenance, but its importance in human-derived therapeutic cardiac cells is not well understood. Here, we isolated a subpopulation of human highly proliferative cells (hHiPCs) from adult epicardial tissue and found that they express ALK1, a high affinity receptor for bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP9), which signals via SMAD1/5 to regulate paracrine/autocrine signaling and angiogenesis.