# Interview
– Please tell us about your research in more detail . Why did you decide to research vaping ?
– I am a Professor of Medicine and an expert in the sphere of internal and emergency medicine at the University of Catania , and I research respiratory diseases . Besides , I am a founder and chairman of the Center for Tobacco Research at this university . As I have specialized in respiratory diseases , I have certainly been interested in the issue of smoking . When I was a young doctor , I was always distressed by the fact that I could save a person at a particular moment , but several weeks later this person died of other diseases related to smoking . I began to think about prevention , and I became concerned about the issues related to giving up smoking . In 2009 I met a representative of one of the first companies in Italy whose business was related to e-cigarettes . He told me that e-cigarettes can save lives . At that time this issue was not studied thoroughly , and I got interested in the impact of vaping devices on smokers ’ health : this was the first controlled study in this sphere . My patients were another reason why I got seriously interested in the study of vaping . I saw that their lives really changed , they tried to give up smoking and did it successfully . They told me : « You have really changed my life , because I did not even think that I could give up smoking . I have managed to do this due to these vape pens .» Thus , I saw that this was really effective . I would like to emphasize that I was initially skeptical about that , but then I changed my opinion .
– How long have you researched vaping ?
– The Center for Tobacco Research was founded in 2001 , and the study of vape pens began in late 2009 . In fact , we are pioneers in clinical trials of vape pens .
– Let us speak about your research . Please tell us when it was conducted , who took part in it , and what the sample was .
– We have conducted various types of research . For instance , in 2013 we studied vapers who had never smoked before vaping . This was important because we could assess the long-term impact of vaping on health . If we study those who have smoked for a long time , it will be difficult to find out whether the harm is caused by traditional cigarettes or by vaping . This project was implemented for four years , we monitored the condition of participants , carried out clinical trials and analyses . As a result , we saw no negative changes in the respiratory system of patients . Another interesting project was related to researching into the impact of switching from smoking to vaping on the health of smokers with asthma or COPD . We found out that objectively and subjectively , there was an improvement in the respiratory system functions . Besides , these patients did not suffer from any negative effects and attacks related to their chronic diseases .
– How many people took part in the research and what was their age ?
– Overall , over 1,000 persons took part in the research : one piece of research could involve 300 vapers , while the number of those who participated in other pieces of research could be about 200 . Clinical trials usually do not involve groups of people who are at the advanced age , but we did not have to do this , as vapers are aged mainly between 20 and 50 , and there are no vapers among persons who are older than 70 .
WE CURRENTLY CONTINUE THE STUDIES RELATED TO REDUCING THE HARM , AND WE ARE STANDARDIZING PROTOCOLS IN THIS SPHERE
ELECTRONIC VAPING DEVICES ARE INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS WHICH ARE CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOPED AND IMPROVED
– It is currently believed that vaping is 95 % less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes . Do you agree with this ? What about the remaining 5 %?
– Electronic vaping devices are innovative products which are continuously developed and improved . In the course of time these 5 % will become 1 %, and then this 1 % will become 0.1 %. We can already see this . For instance , if we compare the beginning of 2010 with 2013 , e-liquids for vaping devices contained a great number of various products and chemical substances , and in a mere three years , the composition was improved considerably .
– What about nicotine ? E-liquids for vaping devices contain it . Doesn ’ t it influence human health ?
– I would like to note that even my colleagues have wrong attitude towards nicotine , and many of them have a strong misconception , as nicotine itself causes neither cancer nor respiratory and circulatory diseases . These are caused by resins produced when tobacco is burnt . Nicotine is demonized as something dangerous , but this is not true . This is a psychoactive stimulant which is absolutely safe in the amounts which cigarettes contain . For instance , it even helps get a person in a better mood , makes him or her stay awake and attentive , and makes a person calm .
– Do you intend to continue your research ?
– Yes , we will certainly continue to research vaping . We currently continue the studies related to reducing the harm , and we are standardizing protocols in this sphere . Besides , I came to Moscow to start cooperating with Russian universities . Thus , we are already conducting negotiations with the Kazan Federal University .
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