Nicotine Addiction: Up in Smoke

Elbert D. Glover (on the right) is conducting several smoking cessation clinical trials that could result in a faster-acting nicotine gum and a vaccine. He determines the level of carbon monoxide in a smoker’s breath using a CO monitor.

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS—the number of adult Americans who smoke tobacco declined over an eight-year period until 2004. The bad news is the smoking cessation rate among the 45 million adult smokers in the United States halted at 21 percent in the last two years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Although 70 percent of adult smokers set out to overcome nicotine addiction each year, fewer than three percent manage to quit. Elbert D. Glover, director of the Center for Health Behavior Research (CHBR) and chair of the Department of Public and Community Health in the College of Health and Human Performance wants to help smokers “kick the habit.”

CHBR, one of a handful of research centers conducting smoking cessation trials in the United States, has spearheaded four trials over the past six months. A recently concluded nicotine gum study included 251 participants who were not interested in quitting. After receiving the nicotine gum or a placebo, they had the wrenching task of watching a lit cigarette, but were not allowed to smoke it. CHBR researchers are analyzing the data and hoping the study will result in a faster acting gum that will diminish cravings better than other nicotine gums like, Nicorette®.

In another clinical trial for smokers who want to quit, Glover’s research team is testing a vaccine that binds to nicotine molecules and prevents them from plugging into nicotine receptor sites in the brain. Glover explains, the “high” experienced by smokers comes from a surge of dopamine—a neurohormone or the “feel good” chemical produced by the brain. Large amounts of dopamine are the “basis of all drug addictions,” he says. Considering this, participants must be highly motivated given their yearlong commitment to participate in the trials.

Limiting the surge of dopamine is also an effect of a third smoking-cessation trial. Essentially, the drug being tested blocks the nicotine receptor and prevents the participant from getting a big buzz, explains Glover. “So small is good; however, a lot of dopamine creates problems.” A fourth trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is still in the works.

The success of the trials could have an enormous impact on preventing smoking-related illnesses like cancer and heart disease. Over the course of 30 years, Glover has played a role in testing every product on the market to help people quit smoking—from nicotine patches and gum to the oral inhaler and Zyban tablets. “It is rare that an individual gets the opportunity to work on research that literally can save millions, if not hundreds of millions of lives around the world,” he says. “It’s really gratifying.” If the trials are successful, Glover says, “the treatment methodology could be mirrored in other kinds of addictions.” -DJ
 

The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, Elusive No More

Led by University of Maryland geographers Michelle Hofton and Ralph Dubayah, the researchers conducted flights this past summer over delta regions of the lower Mississippi River onboard an aircraft carrying NASA's Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor. The sensor has a unique ability to peer into dense forests and reveal the vertical structure of the trees and the terrain underneath them. The data from the flights was analyzed and translated into maps of forest canopy height—cover and biomass that indicate where ivory-billed woodpeckers are most likely to be found.

“The three-dimensional maps of canopy structure obtained through these flights will aid greatly in the continued search for the ivory bill,” says Hofton. “These lidar [light detection and ranging] maps reveal the uniqueness of the forests and verify the importance of continuing to preserve such areas as habitat for the ivory-billed woodpecker and other bird and animal species.”

Lasers in the lidar sensor send pulses of light to the Earth's surface that reflect from leaves, branches and the ground back to the instrument. By analyzing the returned signals, scientists can measure the height of the forest, the terrain below and all the vegetation in between.

“Through numerous studies, we have shown the effectiveness of the data generated by lidar for many scientific uses, including carbon sequestration, fire modeling and prediction, and wildlife habitat characterization,” says Dubayah. “We know that for habitat characterization and suitability, the vertical structure of the canopy is of paramount importance to many species, including the ivory bill.” —LT

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