⚠️ DANGER: DISINFORMATION ⚠️

Fake News.
Certainly these are the two most used words in recent months, after Coronavirus, Covid-19 and all its forms.

Not that they didn't exist before, but certainly, the myriad of assumptions, suspects, improvised experts and conspiracy theorists have multiplied the uncontrolled voices that have the common characteristic of having no scientific basis.

Then there is a category of false and misleading news, dictated above all by ignorance and the presumption of knowledge. For example, if we look at the institutions, the case of Trump is striking and, in recent days, he advised to inject the disinfectant to defeat the virus. Result: dozens of intoxicated Americans and anti-poison centers stormed by phone calls.
Or that of Boris Johnson, who spoke of herd immunity without the slightest logic and knowledge of the subject. You all know how it turned out: the reckless Boris got a not so mild form of Coronavirus and the UK went into lockdown like almost all other European countries.

The third stage of the news, then, is the most dangerous one. And that's what we'll talk about in this post.
These are the great "discoveries" made by journalists that are beaten on the front page and that are usually supported by innovative studies or research.
Scientific publications which, often, are also reliable and well founded, but require to be correctly read and interpreted.

This is our case.

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On April 24, 2020, Libero newspaper went to press with this title (I translate, because it's in Italian):

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Nicotine reduces the risk by 80%

Those who smoke do not take Covid

Study of an important Parisian hospital: of 343 hospitalized patients, just 4.4% are smokers

The substance contained in cigarettes blocks the disease. Experimental patches on medical personnel

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Let's start with an assumption: Libero is not new to the circulation of inaccurate news, sensationalistic headlines and cockeyed opinions.
To give you an idea, in a previous edition, the editorial staff had even questioned the existence of global warming because in that period it was particularly cold. And put the title on the front page about it, alongside a photo of Greta Thunberg, mocked for her ideas.
On another occasion, that of the activist's visit to the Pope, the girl was called "La rompiballe" (nuisance) and "Gretina" (ironically on the assonance with the word "cretina", which in Italian means idiot).
Regardless of how you think about Greta Thunberg, it doesn't really seem like the jargon that suits a press service.

The editor in chief of this magazine, Vittorio Feltri, continually releases provocative, offensive and disparaging statements. He railed against immigrants, homosexuals and southerners, which he naturally described as inferior in a live TV broadcast last week.
A petition has been called to withdraw his journalist's card and remove him from the order.

This is the due presentation of the subjects with whom we are dealing, now we come to the point.

How big are the damages that such a title can cause?

I would say a lot, considering that the smoker who will read only the title without delving into the news will feel legitimized and encouraged to smoke. There is also a scientific study to support...

We are well aware, however, that smokers are a category very exposed to the most serious evolutions of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The thesis behind this delirious statement by Libero concerns the hypotesis that the interaction between nicotine and the nicotinic acetylcloline receptor gives a sort of shield against the virus contagion.

But, even if it were true...do you think in a cigarette, is there only nicotine? Clearly not!

_{Source Pixabay}
Tobacco smoke contains a total of about 4800 substances, which develop mostly only during combustion. In addition to the substances naturally contained in tobacco, many substances are added to the cigarette during production. Furthermore, nicotine is an alkaloid (toxic substance) which is not harmless to human health and is addictive.

Here is a list of the substances contained in tobacco smoke:

• tar
• carbon monoxide
• nicotine
• irritating gases
• free radicals
• nitrogen
• nitrosamine
• polonium 210
• benzo (a) pyrene
• benz (o) anthracene
• cadmium
• cyanide
• nickel
• zinc
• formaldehyde
• nitrogen oxides
• ammonia
• acetone
• acrolein
• benzene
• hydrazine
  
  

These are the most common additives:

• mixture of aromas, spices, sugar, honey, plant extracts
• glycerin, propylene glycol, o-phosphoric acid
• alum, aluminum hydroxide and silicates, aluminum and magnesium oxide, talc, silicic acid, acids, ammonium salts
• benzoic acid, formic acid, propionic acid
• collodion, cellulose, shellac

To be truthful, there are more than 600 commonly used substances and some are not legally regulated.

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But what specifically does this research prove?

Dr. Jean-Pierre Changeux and his collaborators who signed the research are based on the assumption that the nicotinic receptor (nAChR) can perform a barrier function in some diseases, such as some neurodegenerative diseases.

_{Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (nAChR) Image CC by-SA 3.0}

In addition, numerous studies have shown that some molecules, with biological activities similar to those of nicotine, currently in clinical trials, have important anti-inflammatory activities that would be extremely useful for counteracting the cytokine storm observed in many COVID-19 positive patients.

The target of ongoing physio-pharmacological research is to validate drugs with the protective activity of nicotine but without the negative effects of this molecule.

Be careful though (and here we come to the crucial point) not to confuse the action of nicotine with the effects of cigarette smoking.

In this regard, LILT (Italian League for the fight against cancer) has released a statement with some declarations to make this distinction clear.

“The airways and lungs are the main target of the virus and it is therefore a fact that smokers have a better chance of developing more acute forms of Covid-19. We therefore distinguish nicotine as an alkaloid substance from the act of smoking "

The representatives of the association, then, specified that they reserve the right to analyze the aforementioned study, which appears to be substantially based, at present, on the cause-effect observation.

In fact, the datum indicating that only 4.3% of Covid-19 inpatients are smokers should not be deceived, since the registry most affected by the virus is that of those over 65.
This is in itself already less affected by smoking addiction which, as is known, records the maximum incidence peak between 25 and 44 years.

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As you can see, a simple research or a request for clarification from a doctor would have been enough for the Libero journalist to avoid writing a clearly inaccurate title.

All the media are required to have a great sense of responsibility, because spreading false news jeopardizes the health or life of the most superficial and inattentive people or of those who want to find a justification for their wrong actions.

Even more such behavior should be avoided in a delicate moment like the present one.

Remember: always deepen what you read or what is reported to you and use official media, in which reliable and certified sources are reported.

Thank you very much for reading this post

If you liked it, share it on your blog and write me a comment with your impressions.

See you soon and take care of you!

GM

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Sources

<sub>-http://www.farmacia-consulenza-fumatori.ch/it/pagina-iniziale/dati-sul-fumo/composizione-e-additivi/composizione-e-additivi-nel-tabacco-per-sigarette.html
- https://www.qeios.com/read/FXGQSB.2
- https://www.modenatoday.it/attualita/ricerca-recettori-nicotina-coronavirus-unimore-2020.html
- https://www.ok-salute.it/salute/il-fumo-protegge-da-covid-la-ricerca-francese-lira-dei-medici/</sub>