Publications by authors named "Walter Schlage"

The prevalence of electronically vaporized cannabidiol (CBD) use is rising in many countries. However, few regulatory frameworks exist for inhaled CBD, and this lack of oversight may not protect consumers from adverse consequences. We generated a representative map of several global consumer vaporized CBD markets by collating data concerning cannabinoid levels, including CBD and Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol, from the scientific literature.

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Background: Anxiety disorders (ADs) are a complex group of mental disorders and majorly contribute to the global health-related burden. Symptoms and clinical management differ widely depending on the specific diagnosis. There is a need for new, more effective pharmacological treatments for these patients as many patients do not respond to treatment and treatment is not available for several types of AD.

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The resurgence of cannabis ( L.) has been propelled by changes in the legal framework governing its cultivation and use, increased demand for hemp-derived products, and studies recognizing the industrial and health benefits of hemp. This has led to the creation of novel high-cannabidiol, low-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol varieties, enabling hemp crop expansion worldwide.

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In this overview, we seek to appraise recent experimental and observational studies investigating THC and its potential role as adjunctive therapy in various medical illnesses. Recent clinical trials are suggestive of the diverse pharmacologic potentials for THC but suffer from small sample sizes, short study duration, failure to address tolerance, little dose variation, ill-defined outcome measures, and failure to identify and/or evaluate confounds, all of which may constitute significant threats to the validity of most trials. However, the existing work underscores the potential therapeutic value of THC and, at the same time, calls attention to the critical need for better-designed protocols to fully explore and demonstrate safety and efficacy.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the growing market for cannabis products, focusing on phytocannabinoids like THC and cannabidiol, highlighting the need for reliable THC measurement methods.
  • A systematic review of literature from 2017 to 2023 was conducted to explore portable technologies for detecting THC in biofluids, utilizing databases such as PubMed and Scopus.
  • Eighty-nine studies were analyzed, revealing a mix of conventional laboratory techniques and emerging portable sensors, including optical and electrochemical methods, alongside commercially available devices for THC detection.
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There is an increasingly urgent call to shift industrial processes from fossil fuel feedstock to sustainable bio-based resources. This change becomes of high importance considering new budget requirements for a carbon-neutral economy. Such a transformation can be driven by traditionally used plants that are able to produce large amounts of valuable biologically relevant secondary metabolites.

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Absorption of inhaled compounds can occur from multiple sites based on upper and lower respiratory tract deposition, and clearance mechanisms leading to differential local and systemic pharmacokinetics. Deriving inhaled aerosol dosimetry and local tissue concentrations for nose-only exposure in rodents and inhaled products in humans is challenging. In this study we use inhaled nicotine as an example to identify regional respiratory tract deposition, absorption fractions, and their contribution toward systemic pharmacokinetics in rodents and humans.

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Iota-carrageenan (IC) nasal spray, a medical device approved for treating respiratory viral infections, has previously been shown to inhibit the ability of a variety of respiratory viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), to enter and replicate in the cell by interfering with the virus binding to the cell surface. The aim of this study was to further investigate the efficacy and safety of IC in SARS-CoV-2 infection in advanced models of the human respiratory epithelium, the primary target and entry port for SARS-CoV-2. We extended the safety assessment of nebulized IC in a 3-dimensional model of reconstituted human bronchial epithelium, and we demonstrated the efficacy of IC in protecting reconstituted nasal epithelium against viral infection and replication of a patient-derived SARS-CoV-2 strain.

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Aging and smoking are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Our in vitro study compared, in the context of aging, the effects of the aerosol of Tobacco Heating System 2.2 (THS; an electrically heated tobacco product) and 3R4F reference cigarette smoke (CS) on processes that contribute to vascular pathomechanisms leading to CVD.

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Cigarette smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Considerable attention has been paid to the reduced harm potential of nicotine-containing inhalable products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). We investigated the effects of mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) and e-vapor aerosols (containing nicotine and flavor) generated by a capillary aerosol generator on emphysematous changes, lung function, and molecular alterations in the respiratory system of female Apoe mice.

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Cigarette smoking is one major modifiable risk factor in the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease. To characterize and compare cigarette smoke (CS)-induced disease endpoints after exposure in either whole-body (WB) or nose-only (NO) exposure systems, we exposed apolipoprotein E-deficient mice to filtered air (Sham) or to the same total particulate matter (TPM) concentration of mainstream smoke from 3R4F reference cigarettes in NO or WB exposure chambers (EC) for 2 months. At matching TPM concentrations, we observed similar concentrations of carbon monoxide, acetaldehyde, and acrolein, but higher concentrations of nicotine and formaldehyde in NOEC than in WBEC.

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Cigarette smoking causes major preventable diseases, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. Smoking cessation and prevention of smoking initiation are the preferred means for reducing these risks. Less harmful tobacco products, termed modified-risk tobacco products (MRTP), are being developed as a potential alternative for current adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking.

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Article Synopsis
  • Tobacco smoking leads to tooth discoloration due to pigmented compounds in cigarette smoke, while heated tobacco products (like THS 2.2) cause less discoloration.
  • A study examined how exposure to total particulate matter (TPM) from both cigarette smoke and THS 2.2 impacted pigmented compound deposits on tooth enamel.
  • Results showed that exposure to cigarette smoke caused noticeable enamel discoloration, while THS 2.2 had minimal impact, revealing lower deposition of color-related compounds on enamel surfaces.
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Smoking cigarettes is harmful to the cardiovascular system. Considerable attention has been paid to the reduced harm potential of alternative nicotine-containing inhalable products such as e-cigarettes. We investigated the effects of E-vapor aerosols or cigarette smoke (CS) on atherosclerosis progression, cardiovascular function, and molecular changes in the heart and aorta of female apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The adverse effects of cigarette smoking have led to prevention efforts and smoking cessation strategies, as well as the emerging concept of tobacco harm reduction through modified risk tobacco products (pMRTPs) like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
  • - pMRTPs aim to deliver nicotine while significantly reducing toxicants compared to traditional cigarettes, potentially lowering the risk of smoking-related diseases for users who switch entirely to these products.
  • - Research indicates that while nicotine is a key factor in smoking addiction, other elements also contribute, and a study found that certain pMRTPs do not inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, contrasting with traditional cigarette smoke that has significant MAO-inhibitory effects.
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Aim: To investigate the molecular, structural, and functional impact of aerosols from candidate modified risk tobacco products (cMRTP), the Carbon Heated Tobacco Product (CHTP) 1.2 and Tobacco Heating System (THS) 2.2, compared with that of mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) on the cardiovascular system of ApoE mice.

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Offering safer alternatives to cigarettes, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, to smokers who are not willing to quit could reduce the harm caused by smoking. Extensive and rigorous scientific studies are conducted to assess the relative risk of such potentially modified risk tobacco products compared with that of smoking cigarettes. In addition to the peer review of publications reporting individual studies, we aimed to gauge the plausibility of the evidence to the scientific community and appreciate likely necessary additions prior to regulatory submission.

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Smoking is one of the major modifiable risk factors in the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Modified-risk tobacco products (MRTP) are being developed to provide substitute products for smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit, to lessen the smoking-related health risks. In this study, the ApoE mouse model was used to investigate the impact of cigarette smoke (CS) from the reference cigarette 3R4F, or aerosol from two potential MRTPs based on the heat-not-burn principle, carbon heated tobacco product 1.

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Swedish snus is a smokeless tobacco product that contains reduced levels of harmful compounds compared with cigarette smoke. In Sweden, where snus use exceeds smoking among men, relatively low rates of major smoking-related diseases have been recorded. To better understand how snus use could align with current tobacco harm reduction strategies, its potential mechanisms of toxicity must be investigated.

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Using an human small airway epithelium model, we assessed the biological impact of an aerosol from a candidate modified-risk tobacco product, the tobacco heating system (THS) 2.2, to investigate the potential reduced risk of THS2.2 aerosol exposure compared with cigarette smoke.

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Cigarette smoking causes cardiovascular diseases. Heating tobacco instead of burning it reduces the amount of toxic compounds in the aerosol and may exert a reduced impact on health compared with cigarette smoke. Aqueous extract from the aerosol of a potential modified risk tobacco product, the Carbon Heated Tobacco Product (CHTP) 1.

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Direct physicochemical interactions between the major components of electronic cigarette liquids (e-liquids): glycerol (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), and lung surfactant (LS) were studied by determining the dynamic surface tension under a simulated breathing cycle using drop shape method. The studies were performed for a wide range of concentrations based on estimated doses of e-liquid aerosols (up to 2500 × the expected nominal concentrations) and for various VG/PG ratios. The results are discussed as relationships among mean surface tension, surface tension amplitude, and surface rheological properties (dilatational elasticity and viscosity) versus concentration and composition of e-liquid.

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Within the framework of a systems toxicology approach, the inhalation toxicity of aerosol from a novel tobacco-heating potentially modified risk tobacco product (MRTP), the carbon-heated tobacco product (CHTP) 1.2, was characterized and compared with that of mainstream smoke (CS) from the 3R4F reference cigarette in a 90-day nose-only rat inhalation study in general accordance with OECD TG 413. CHTP1.

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Cigarette smoke (CS) is affecting considerably the oral mucosa. Heating, instead of burning, tobacco reduces consistently the amount of toxic compounds and may exert a lower impact on oral health than combusted cigarettes. The carbon-heated tobacco product 1.

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