OKLAHOMA CITY – Cigarillos, a small type of cigar, have dramatically risen in popularity, particularly those that come in flavors, such as cherry or chocolate. Some state and local laws have banned all flavored cigars, and the Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention for a federal ban. In response, the tobacco industry has introduced “concept” flavors – products with ambiguous names like “Ocean Breeze” or “Jazz” with no explicit flavor name, thereby evading any bans and subverting regulations. Sales of concept cigarillos have increased in areas where bans on flavored cigarillos exist, suggesting consumers may be switching to these products.

New research among World Trade Center (WTC) responders with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has uncovered measurable physical changes in their brain structure, consistent with changes in the balance of myelinated to unmyelinated neurons (fast- and slow-conducting nerve cells) across both hemispheres of the brain. These changes were most strongly associated with re-experiencing symptoms in individuals with PTSD. The cortical differences found in this sophisticated imaging study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, may serve as surrogate biomarkers for compromised brain health in people suffering from chronic PTSD, as well as potentially informing early screening strategies.