Faculty Bibliography

Gastroparesis is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by delayed gastric emptying, often presenting with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, early satiety, and abdominal pain. Moreover, studies demonstrate higher rates of psychological distress among individuals with gastroparesis, compared with the general population; increasing evidence suggests that anxiety and depression contribute to symptom severity, reduced quality of life, and poorer treatment outcomes. Potential mechanisms underlying this seeming association include dysregulation of the gut-brain axis and the psychosocial burden of living with a chronic illness. Thus, this contemporary, mini review aims to integrate some current literature on the prevalence, pathophysiology, and clinical implications of anxiety and depression in patients with gastroparesis.

OBJECTIVE/UNASSIGNED:The aim of this laboratory study was to characterize the effects of sub-chronic electronic cigarette (E-cig) aerosol exposures on genome-wide DNA methylation in mice to begin to elucidate the pathophysiology of E-cig-related pulmonary diseases and cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Male C57BL/6 and FVBN mice were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (n = 6 per group) and exposed daily to either filtered air or a 50:50 mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol containing 24 mg/mL nicotine (+Nic). Whole-body inhalation exposures were conducted for 3 h/d, 5 d/week, for a total of 1-month. Sequences for ∼285 000 CpG probes were aligned to the mouse genome, and mixed linear models were used to model DNA methylation levels (β values). These evaluations were followed by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION/UNASSIGNED:E-cig inhalation exposure induced significant DNA methylation changes in adult male mice, with a notable impact on cancer-related pathways. A total of 2300 genes in C57BL/6 mice and 6732 genes in FVBN mice were hypomethylated, while 1673 and 5529 genes were hypermethylated, respectively. KEGG and GO analyses highlighted key pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin signaling and proteoglycans in cancer, suggesting that E-cig aerosol exposure could disrupt critical genomic regulation and potentially promote carcinogenesis. These in vivo findings underscore the potential cancer-promoting effects of E-cig aerosols through epigenetic modifications. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Findings from this study provide compelling evidence that sub-chronic E-cig exposure induces genomic DNA methylation changes linked to cancer pathways in two strains of adult male mice, highlighting the serious adverse consequences of E-cig use and strain-specific response differences.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) arrived on the U.S. market in 2007 and rapidly grew in popularity as a harm reduction tool for traditional cigarette users. While initially marketed as a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes, the unique mixture of chemical constituents in ENDS products and their emissions have led to rising concern about their safety and the long-term health implications. Given the lack of long-term, epidemiological research on the health effects of these products, recent research has sought to understand the impacts on cellular components and gain understanding of acute effects to inform potential chronic health implications. Studies have demonstrated the deleterious effects the use of ENDS has on the oral cavity, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems. ENDS use has been linked to gingival inflammation and alterations in the oral microbiome contributing to periodontal disease. Further, the presence of heavy metals and other constituents in ENDS emissions contribute to aberrant oxidative stress and inflammation within the lung, contributing to alterations in functional lung capacity and respiratory symptoms in ENDS users. In addition, harmful components of ENDS emissions make their way to the circulatory system, leading to detrimental impacts in cardiovascular functioning such as a rise in blood pressure, impaired vascular functioning, and increased heart rate, all of which are known to underscore long-term cardiovascular ailments. This review will provide an in-depth discussion of the current literature available on the consequences of ENDS use on the oral cavity, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems as well as provide insight into long-term implications that may result.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes, are battery-operated devices that produce aerosols by vaporizing e-liquids, which typically contain propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Since their launch in the U.S. in 2007, ENDS have evolved significantly to meet consumer demands, prompting federal regulation in 2016 under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The first ENDS resembled conventional tobacco cigarettes and were initially marketed as smoking cessation tools. While their smoking cessation efficacy under advantageous conditions has been supported by randomized clinical trials, observational cohort studies have raised doubt about their utility for smoking cessation under more typical real-world use conditions. In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General declared youth vaping a national epidemic as prevalence of current ENDS use rose to 27.5% among high school. The youth vaping trend alongside injury reports and deaths related to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) raised public health alarms in 2019. Although youth vaping has since declined, over 1.6 million high school students and 410, 000 middle school students reported ENDS usage in 2024. Thus, the ongoing challenges surrounding vaping including adolescent usage and smoking cessation efficacy continue to attract public health concern and debate. Within this section of the Special Issue "Science Education and Research on Vaping and Interventions for Community Engagement", an overview of the history of the vaping epidemic, current formats and ENDS generations, usage statistics across various demographics along with market trends and regulatory guidelines will be discussed.

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential mutagenic effects of the exposure of mice to aerosols produced from the component liquids of an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS). The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) and ENDSs has increased tremendously over the past two decades. From what we know to date, ENDSs contain much lower levels of known carcinogens than tobacco smoke. While conventional tobacco smoke is a well-established mutagen, little is known about the mutagenicity of ENDS aerosols. Here, we report the mutagenic effects of a 3-month whole body exposure of C57 lacI mice (BigBlue^TM) to filtered air (AIR) or ENDS aerosols in several tissues. Aerosols were generated from a 50/50 vegetable glycerin (VG)/propylene glycol (PG) mixture with and without nicotine. The results revealed that in the lung, bladder urothelial tissue, and tongue, mutagenesis was significantly greater in the VG/PG/nicotine group than in the AIR group. In all organs except the bladder, mutagenesis in the VG/PG only group was similar to those exposed to AIR. In the bladder, mutagenesis in the VG/PG group was elevated compared to that in the AIR group. In the liver, mutagenesis was modestly elevated in the VG/PG/nicotine group, but the elevation failed to reach statistical significance. Overall, there were no consistent differences in mutagenesis between the sexes. The results of this study suggest that exposure to e-cig aerosols containing nicotine represents a risk factor for carcinogenesis in several organ systems, and exposure to VG/PG alone may be a risk factor for bladder cancer.