menthol (Nopika / menthol, Vinas)

Identifying key beliefs for anti-disinformation messaging for Black adults about proposed US bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Ganz Ollie O, Sterling Kymberle L KL, Ntansah Charity C, Tomaino Marisa M et al.

The goal of this study was to identify knowledge and beliefs held by Black adults that are associated with strongly favoring proposed menthol cigarette and flavored cigar bans in the United States. Eight hundred twenty-three US non-Hispanic Black adults (aged 18+) were surveyed in June 2024 through a nationally representative panel, oversampling people who currently smoke cigarettes. Participants completed items related to beliefs about and support for menthol cigarette and flavored cigar bans. Weighted bivariate analyses followed Hornik's approach to message planning strategies, assessing the proportion of participants holding each belief, the relationship between each belief and policy support, and "percentage to gain" (ie, intention to support the bans if a perfectly effective campaign moved everyone to strongly agree with a belief). Approximately 40% of respondents strongly favored menthol cigarette and flavored cigar bans. Seven beliefs had the largest potential percentage to gain (>30%) for building policy support, pertaining to: focus of the proposed policies on tobacco companies and retailers versus individuals, positive impacts of the proposed bans, addressing concerns that bans would do more harm than good in Black communities, and adult choice. Findings support the opportunity to develop messages for Black adults on potential positive impacts of menthol cigarette and flavored cigar bans, which in turn may impact policy support. Findings also highlight the need to address disinformation regarding the impact of these policies on Black individuals rather than on the manufacture, distribution, and sales of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. This study identified several beliefs that have the potential to influence policy support for bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Findings from this study support the opportunity to message to Black adults on potential positive impacts of menthol cigarette and flavored cigar bans and to correct misperceptions about the bans, and that changing these beliefs may impact support for these policies.

Erratum: "Menthol inhalation relieves dyspnoea through the brain" Lucas Vanden Bossche, Samantha Piers, Michele R. Schaeffer, Valentina Jelinčić, Kristin Verbeke, Clara Batsleer, Lotte Albert, Dennis Jensen, Wim Janssens, Thierry Troosters, Daniel Langer and Andreas von Leupoldt. ERJ Open Res 2026; 12: 01164-2025.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1183/23120541.01164-2025.].

Elucidating the release and permeation mechanisms of emulsion-type cataplasms from a structural perspective.

Yan Peng P, Li Yuxiao Y, Zhou Ying Y, Hou Zhiyuan Z et al.

Drug release and permeation play crucial roles in the therapeutic efficacy of cataplasms. However, due to the lack of research on the mechanisms underlying drug release and permeation, achieving optimal release and permeation characteristics through trial-and-error methods is inefficient. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms of drug release and permeation in emulsion-type cataplasms from a structural perspective.Cataplasms with varied crosslinking densities, drug loadings, and drug types were prepared; drug release and permeation studies were performed using Franz diffusion cells, while the microstructural evolution of both the cataplasms and the skin was characterized via scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and histology.It was revealed that drug release essentially occurred as the drug escaped from structural constraints through the swelling of the crosslinked network. Drug permeation was demonstrated to be governed by four synergistic mechanisms: (1) the physical contact established by the intimate adhesion between cataplasms and the skin; (2) the influence of drug release amount on drug permeation behavior; (3) stratum corneum hydration induced by water-mediated keratin swelling; (4) disruption of the stratum corneum lipid structure resulting from L-menthol. In addition, this study revealed that the acidity and basicity of the drug itself constituted a key determinant of drug permeation. Overall, the present work is expected to provide a scientific basis for the rational design of cataplasms, improve research and development efficiency, and further promote advances in this field.

Estimating the effect of very low nicotine content cigarettes on abstinence by menthol status using novel statistical methods: A reanalysis of a randomized trial in an experimental marketplace with alternative nicotine systems.

Wolf Jack M JM, Denlinger-Apte Rachel L RL, Donny Eric C EC, Hatsukami Dorothy K DK et al.

Very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes have been proposed to reduce cigarette consumption. However, previous studies were not adequately powered to analyze the effects of VLNC cigarettes on abstinence, especially within subpopulations (e.g., people who smoke (PWS) menthol cigarettes). Here, we developed and applied two statistical approaches to address these power limitations in analyses stratified by menthol status. Using data from a recent randomized trial of VLNC cigarettes available within an experimental marketplace with alternative nicotine delivery systems (ANDS), we estimated the treatment effect on abstinence stratified by menthol status. Two novel methods leveraged secondary endpoints (total nicotine equivalents, NNAL) to improve efficiency: the multiple endpoint multisource exchangeability model (ME-MEM) and the super learner structural equation model (SL-SEM). Among 206 PWS menthol cigarettes, VLNC cigarettes were estimated to increase the probability of abstinence by 11.3 percentage points (95% credible interval: 4.7-19.6) using the ME-MEM and 18.4 percentage points using the SL-SEM (95% confidence interval: 7.7-27.0), increasing precision by 46% and 12%, respectively. For 232 PWS non-menthol cigarettes, the ME-MEM estimated an increase of 10.2 percentage points (95% credible interval: 2.3-17.3) and the SL-SEM estimated an increase of 8.1 percentage points (95% confidence interval: -1.0-13.2), increasing precision by 35% and 99%, respectively. In the presence of ANDS, randomization to VLNC cigarettes increases the probability of abstinence for PWS menthol cigarettes and may increase the probability of abstinence for PWS non-menthol cigarettes. Methods that leverage secondary endpoints may improve precision when conventional methods are underpowered.