E-cigarettes may be more dangerous than previously thought
Despite notions that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to smoking, new research suggests they may have harmful effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration currently classifies the e-cigarette flavorings as “generally safe for consumption,” but this classification is meant for oral consumption, not inhalation.
Ilona Jaspers researches potential effects of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products as part of the School of Medicine’s Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science and Lung Health.
Jaspers’ data demonstrates e-cigarette inhalation may have an impact on the immune system. Certain flavors may be more prone to side effects. Jaspers and her team have found cinnamon-flavored e-cigarettes in particular negatively impact the immune system.
Jaspers’ lab plans to continue researching the safety of e-cigarettes.
Treatment can lower risk of HIV transmission
Researchers at the University, including J. Victor Garcia and Angela Wahl, who work in the division of infectious diseases at the School of Medicine, published a study that could potentially have long-term ramifications for the way we treat AIDS and HIV.
Their clinical trial found antiretroviral therapy decreased transmission of HIV significantly — when infected partners received early antiretroviral therapy, their uninfected partners were 93 percent protected.
Even after antiretroviral therapy, parts of the virus remain inside the female reproductive system. But these are not enough to transmit infection — meaning that this discovery could potentially be used for cure research.
