Targeting the chromatin structural changes of antitumor immunity.

Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes, promoting the onset and progression of cancer. Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks, tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes, which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy, cancer immunotherapy, and their combinations. Herein, we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes, DNA methylation, histone post-translational modification, and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity, and introduce these epigenetic research methods. We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.

Immunopeptidome mining reveals a novel ERS-induced target in T1D.

Autoreactive CD8+ T cells play a key role in type 1 diabetes (T1D), but the antigen spectrum that activates autoreactive CD8+ T cells remains unclear. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has been implicated in ß-cell autoantigen generation. Here, we analyzed the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I)-associated immunopeptidome (MIP) of islet ß-cells under steady and ERS conditions and found that ERS reshaped the MIP of ß-cells and promoted the MHC-I presentation of a panel of conventional self-peptides. Among them, OTUB258-66 showed immunodominance, and the corresponding autoreactive CD8+ T cells were diabetogenic in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. High glucose intake upregulated pancreatic OTUB2 expression and amplified the OTUB258-66-specific CD8+ T-cell response in NOD mice. Repeated OTUB258-66 administration significantly reduced the incidence of T1D in NOD mice. Interestingly, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with T1D, but not from healthy controls, showed a positive IFN-γ response to human OTUB2 peptides. This study provides not only a new explanation for the role of ERS in promoting ß-cell-targeted autoimmunity but also a potential target for the prevention and treatment of T1D. The data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD041227.

Delafossite CuGaO2-Based Chemiresistive Sensor for Sensitive and Selective Detection of Dimethyl Disulfide.

Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is a common odor pollutant with an extremely low olfactory threshold. Highly sensitive and selective detection of DMDS in ambient humid air background, by metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors, is highly desirable to address the increased public concern for health risk. However, it has still been a critical challenge up to now. Herein, p-type delafossite CuGaO2 has been proposed as a promising DMDS sensing material owing to its striking hydrophobicity (revealed by water contact angle measurement) and excellent partial catalytic oxidation properties (indicated by mass spectroscopy). The present CuGaO2 sensor shows a selective DMDS response, with satisfied humidity resistance performance and long-term stability at a relatively low operation temperature of 140 °C. An ultrahigh response of 100 to 10 ppm DMDS and a low limit of detection of 3.3 ppb could be achieved via a pulsed temperature modulation strategy. A smart sensing system based on a CuGaO2 sensor has been developed, which could precisely monitor DMDS vapor in ambient humid air, even with the presence of multiple interfering gases, demonstrating the practical application capability of MOS sensors for environmental odor monitoring.

Hepatitis B virus-mediated sodium influx contributes to hepatic inflammation via synergism with intrahepatic danger signals.

The NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been involved in the pathogenesis of various chronic liver diseases. However, its role in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatitis remains unknown. Here we demonstrate the synergistic effect of HBV with potential intrahepatic danger signals on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. HBV exposure at the appropriate temporal points enhances potassium efflux-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages and also increases NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation in HBV-transgenic mouse model. HBV-mediated synergism with intrahepatic signals represented by ATP molecules on NLRP3 activation was observed via relevance analysis, confocal microscopy, and co-immunoprecipitation, and its effector cytokines exhibit positive associations with hepatic inflammation in patients with severe hepatitis B. Furthermore, the synergism of HBV on NLRP3 inflammasome activation owes to increased sodium influx into macrophages. Our data demonstrate that HBV contributes to hepatic inflammation via sodium influx-dependent synergistic activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, which provides a deeper understanding of immune pathogenesis in HBV-associated hepatitis.

Illicit cigarette purchasing after implementation of menthol cigarette bans in Canada: findings from the 2016-2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of menthol cigarette bans on use and purchasing of illicit cigarettes among menthol and non-menthol smokers in seven Canadian provinces. METHODS: Data from 1098 non-menthol smokers and 138 menthol smokers in Canada who completed the ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Survey in 2016 (pre-ban) and 2018 (post-ban). Brand validation analysis was conducted to (1) compare self-reported use of menthols versus actual use of menthols as regular brand, and verify self-reported purchasing of menthols among pre-ban menthol smokers at post-ban; and (2) assess pre-post ban changes in purchasing of illicit cigarettes from First Nations reserves among non-menthol smokers and menthol smokers. RESULTS: Among the subset of 138 pre-ban menthol smokers, 36 (19.5%) reported smoking menthols at post-ban. Brand validation analyses showed that 19 (9.0%) were actually using a non-menthol brand; of the 17 (10.5%) who were actually using a menthol brand, 13 (7.9%) bought a menthol brand at last purchase, and 4 (2.6%) bought a non-menthol brand. Among the full sample of smokers who purchased cigarettes from First Nations reserves at both pre-ban and post-ban, there was no change in purchasing of menthols (n=9 menthol smokers; 51.2% vs 51.2%, p=1.00), non-menthols (n=1024 non-menthol smokers; 9.1% vs 8.7%, p=0.69) or all cigarettes (menthol+non-menthol) (n=1086 smokers; 9.7% vs 9.2%, p=0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Actual rates of brand-verified menthol smoking were substantially lower than self-reported rates at post-ban. After Canada's menthol ban, there was no increase in illicit purchasing of menthol or non-menthol cigarettes from First Nations reserves.

Prompt Electronic Discrimination of Gas Molecules by Self-Heating Temperature Modulation.

Though considerable progress has been achieved on gas molecule recognition by electronic nose (e-nose) comprised of nonselective (metal oxide) semiconductor chemiresistors, extracting adequate molecular features within short time (<1 s) remains a big obstacle, which hinders the emerging e-nose applications in lethal or explosive gas warning. Herein, by virtue of the ultrafast (∼20 µs) thermal relaxation time of self-heated WO3-based chemiresistors fabricated via oblique angle deposition, instead of external heating, self-heating temperature modulation has been proposed to generate sufficient electrical response features. Accurate discrimination of 12 gases (including 3 xylene isomers with the same function group and molecular weight) has been readily achieved within 0.5-1 s, which is one order faster than the state-of-the-art e-noses. A smart wireless e-nose, capable of instantaneously discriminating target gas in ambient air background, has been developed, paving the way for the practical applications of e-nose in the area of homeland security and public health.

Direct quantification of optic nerve blood flow by 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling.

BACKGROUND: Blood perfusion of the optic nerve (ON) plays a key role in many optic neuropathies. Microvascular changes precede or accompany neuronal changes, and detecting these changes at an early stage may facilitate early treatment to avoid blindness. However, the quantification of ON blood perfusion remains a challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the viability of three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labelling (3D-pCASL) MRI for the quantification of ON blood flow (BF). NEW METHOD: The ON segmentation was performed using nnFormer on a cohort of ten participants (4 males, 6 females, 25-59 years old). Subsequently, the mean BF of each ON segment was calculated using whole brain 3D-pCASL image data. RESULTS: The average ON-BF values of the left and right intraorbital segments, left and right intracanalicular segments, left and right intracranial segments, optic chiasma, and left and right optic tract were 41.308 mL/100 g/min, 43.281 mL/100 g/min, 53.188 mL/100 g/min, 57.202 mL/100 g/min, 45.089 mL/100 g/min, 49.554 mL/100 g/min, 42. 326 mL/100 g/min, 43.831 mL/100 g/min and 45.176 mL/100 g/min, respectively. The ON-BF correlated with cerebral BF (r = 0.503, p = 0.024). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): The 3D-pCASL can measure tissue microvascular blood perfusion in absolute quantitative units with good test-retest repeatability over a wide field of view and without restrictions on depth. The use of the nnFormer makes the measurement easy, objective and reproducible. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that, 3D-pCASL may be a promising tool for detecting abnormal ON-BF. In particular, 3D-pCASL coupled with the nnFormer provides an objective, reproducible, and reliable method to quantify BF in ON.

Perceptions of harmfulness of heated tobacco and nicotine vaping products compared to cigarettes, and the association of advertising exposure on harm perceptions among adults who smoke in South Korea: Cross-sectional findings from the 2020 ITC Korea Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine vaping products (NVPs) both are legal consumer products in the Republic of Korea. Little is known about perceptions of harmfulness of HTPs and NVPs relative to cigarettes in South Korea among adults who smoke, and how exposure to marketing may be associated with harmfulness perceptions. METHODS: This study used data from the 2020 International Tobacco Control (ITC) Korea Survey, and included 3713 adult (aged 19 years) cigarette smokers who were: 1) exclusive smokers (n=1845); 2) dual HTP + cigarette consumers (n=1130); 3) dual NVP + cigarette consumers (n=224); and 4) triple consumers (all three products, n=514). Weighted multinomial regression models were conducted to estimate smokers' perceptions of harmfulness of HTPs and NVPs compared to cigarettes, NVPs to HTPs, and self-reported exposure to HTP/NVP advertising. Analyses compared the perceptions of harmfulness between the four different consumer groups, and tested whether exposure to HTP/NVP advertising was associated with perceptions of lower relative harm. RESULTS: Among all respondents, 27.5% believe that HTPs are less harmful than cigarettes and 23.4% believe that NVPs are less harmful than cigarettes. Exclusive cigarettes smokers were significantly less likely to perceive that HTPs and NVPs are less harmful than cigarettes compared to dual HTP + cigarette consumers, dual NVP + cigarette consumers, and triple consumers (all p<0.001). Half of respondents perceive NVPs as equally harmful as HTPs (14.1% perceive NVPs as more harmful than HTPs). Exposure to HTP/NVP advertising was associated with perceiving these products as less harmful than cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: About one-quarter of Korean cigarette smokers perceive HTPs and NVPs as less harmful than cigarettes. Further investigation is required to understand how harm perceptions and HTP/NVP advertising are related to changes in product use, such as switching between products, using multiple products, or discontinuing all product use.

Retraction notice to "The heterogeneity of PD-L1 protein in gastric cancer: Expression and distribution characteristics" [Heliyon 8, (2022) e12456].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12456.].

Expression and characterization of α-L-arabinofuranosidase derived from Aspergillus awamori and its enzymatic degradation of corn byproducts with xylanase.

In this study, α-L-arabinofuranosidase (AF) from Aspergillus awamori was heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris X33, with a 1-fold increase in AF activity after codon and vector optimization. AF remained stable at 60-65 °C and displayed a broad pH stability range of 2.5-8.0. It also demonstrated considerable resistance to pepsin and trypsin. Furthermore, compared with xylanase alone, AF with xylanase exhibited a marked synergistic effect in the degradation of expanded corn bran, corn bran, and corn distillers' dried grains with solubles, reducing sugars by 3.6-fold, 1.4-fold, and 6.5-fold, respectively, with the degree of synergy increasing to 4.61, 2.44, and 5.4, respectively, while in vitro dry matter digestibility values were 17.6%, 5.2%, and 8.8%, respectively. After enzymatic saccharification, corn byproducts were converted to prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides and arabinoses, thereby demonstrating the favorable properties of AF in the degradation of corn biomass and its byproducts.

Support for pictorial health warning labels on cigarette packages in the United States among adults who currently smoke or quit smoking: Findings from the ITC US Smoking and Vaping Surveys.

INTRODUCTION: In March 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized new pictorial health warnings (PHWs), covering 50% of the front and back of the pack; however, legal challenges from cigarette manufacturers have prevented the new warnings from being implemented. About 70% of adults in the general US population support PHWs. This study assessed support for PHWs in 2016, 2018 and 2020 among US adults (aged ≥18 years) who currently smoke or formerly smoked cigarettes. We also assessed factors related to support. METHODS: Respondents included adults who currently or formerly smoked cigarettes and participated in at least one wave of the US ITC Smoking and Vaping Surveys: Wave 1 (2016, n=2557); Wave 2 (2018, n=2685); and Wave 3 (2020, n=1112). We assessed changes in support for PHWs between 2016 and 2020, and assessed factors related to support (support vs oppose/don't know). Analyses were conducted on weighted data. RESULTS: Overall, 38.0% of respondents supported PHWs in 2016, with a significant increase to 44.7% in 2018 (p<0.001), and leveling off to 45.0% in 2020 (2018 vs 2020, p=0.91). Support was highest among former smokers and lowest among daily smokers in all three survey years. Support for PHWs at all survey years was significantly higher among those who formerly smoked, were younger (aged 18-39 vs ≥40 years), those who identified as Black (vs White), and planned to quit smoking (vs not planning to quit). There were no differences by income level, education level, or sex. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of US adults who smoke cigarettes or quit smoking supported PHWs in 2020, with support being higher among younger adults, ethnic minorities, and those who formerly smoked. Support increased between 2016 and 2018, but not between 2018 and 2020. Similar to other studies, fewer current and former smokers supported PHWs compared to the US adult general population.

Decoupling the Conflicting Roles of Photoactivation and Boosting Chemiresistor Response by Pulsed UV Light Modulation.

UV photoactivation has been widely employed to trigger the response of semiconductor chemiresistors at room temperature (RT). Generally, continuous UV (CU) irradiation is applied, and an apparent maximal response could be obtained via optimizing UV intensity. However, owing to the conflicting roles of (UV) photoactivation in the gas response process, we do not think the potential of photoactivation has been fully explored. Herein, a pulsed UV light modulation (PULM) photoactivation protocol has been proposed. Pulsed UV-on facilitates the generation of surface reactive oxygen species and refreshes the surface of chemiresistors, while pulsed UV-off avoids the side effects of UV-induced desorption of the target gas and the decline of base resistance. PULM enables decoupling those conflicting roles of CU photoactivation, resulting in a drastic boost of response to trace (20 ppb) NO2 from 1.9 (CU) to 131.1 (PULM UV-off), and a decline of limit of detection from 2.6 ppb (CU) to 0.8 ppb (PULM) for a ZnO chemiresistor. This work highlights that PULM allows full exploitation of the potential of nanomaterials for sensitively detecting trace (ppb-level) toxic gas molecules and opens a new opportunity for designing highly sensitive, low-power consumed RT chemiresistors for ambient air quality monitoring.

Cross-domain Nuclei Detection in Histopathology Images using Graph-based Nuclei Feature Alignment.

As powerful tools deep neural networks have been successfully adopted for nuclei detection in histopathology images, whereas require the same probability distribution between training and testing data. However, domain shift among histopathology images widely exists in real-world applications and severely deteriorates the detection performance of deep neural networks. Despite encouraging results of existing domain adaptation methods, there remain challenges for cross-domain nuclei detection task. First, in view of the tiny size of nuclei, it is actually very difficult to obtain sufficient nuclei features, thus leading to a negative influence for feature alignment. Second, due to unavailable annotations in target domain, some extracted features contain background pixels and are thereby indiscriminative, which can largely confuse the alignment procedure. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose an end-to-end graph-based nuclei feature alignment (GNFA) method for boosting cross-domain nuclei detection. Concretely, sufficient nuclei features are generated from nuclei graph convolutional network (NGCN) by aggregating information of adjacent nuclei upon construction of nuclei graph for successful alignment. In addition, importance learning module (ILM) is designed to further select discriminative nuclei features for mitigating negative influence of background pixels in target domain during alignment. By utilizing sufficient and discriminative node features generated from GNFA, our method can successfully perform feature alignment and effectively alleviate domain shift problem for nuclei detection. Extensive experiments of multiple adaptation scenarios reveal that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance in cross-domain nuclei detection compared with existing domain adaptation methods.

Topological insulator Bi2Se3 for highly sensitive, selective and anti-humidity gas sensors.

Chemiresistive gas sensors generally surfer from low selectivity, inferior anti-humidity, low response signal or signal-to-noise ratio, severely limiting the precise detection of chemical agents. Herein, we exploit high-performance gas sensors based on topological insulator Bi2Se3 that is distinguished from conventional materials by robust metallic surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. In the presence of Se vacancies, Bi2Se3 nanosheets exhibit excellent gas sensing capability toward NO2, with a high response of 93% for 50 ppm and an ultralow theoretical limit of detection concentration about 0.06 ppb at room temperature. Remarkably, Bi2Se3 demonstrates ultrahigh anti-humidity interference characteristics, as the response with standard deviation of only 3.63% can be achieved in relative humidity range of 0-80%. These findings are supported by first-principles calculations, with analyses on adsorption energy and charge transfer directly revealing the anti-humidity and selectivity. This work may pave the way for implementation of exotic quantum states for intelligent applications.

Voltage driven chemiresistor with ultralow power consumption based on self-heating bridged WO3 nanowires.

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)-based chemiresistors have been widely used for detecting harmful gases in many industrial and indoor/outdoor applications, which possess the advantages of small size, low cost, integratability, and ease of use. However, power consumption has become a critical parameter for practical applications. Several methods have been explored to reduce power consumption including reducing the operation temperature, use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and self-heating working mode. Among them, the self-heating working mode has attracted significant attention. Herein, a facile approach of modulating bridged NW chemiresistor by Joule heating effect is proposed to combine both the superiority of single crystal nanowire (NW) carrier channels and power consumption optimization of the self-heating mode. The WO3-bridged NW chemiresistors and WO3 film NW chemiresistors are both constructed to investigate gas responses and power consumption. Substantially magnified electrical responses (Rg/Ra) of WO3 NW chemiresistor toward NO2 is demonstrated by constructing a bridged structure. Under the optimal external heating condition, the responses of chemiresistors toward 5 ppm NO2 can be boosted from 369.7 (film NW) to 1089.7 (bridged NW). The responses to 5 ppm NO2 under the self-heating mode also can be boosted from 13.6 (film NW) to 24.6 (bridged NW) with a drastically declined power consumption. Self-heating bridged NWs allows for localizing the Joule heat within the nanojunction, and thus substantially lowers the power consumption to 0.13 µW (300 °C). This provides an additional opportunity for reducing power consumption of oxide chemiresistors for air quality monitoring in future.

Bifunctional role of PDMS membrane in designing humidity-tolerant H2S chemiresistors with high selectivity.

A thermally evaporated hydrophobic PDMS membrane could significantly mitigate humidity interference/poisoning (without a decline in response at 50% RH for nearly 3 months) and enhance the selectivity of a CuCrO2 chemiresistor toward erosive H2S, offering an avenue for the practical applications of (H2S) chemiresistors in an ambient humid air atmosphere.

Neurocognitive and psychiatric symptoms following infection with COVID-19: Evidence from laboratory and population studies.

Objective: The objective of the current investigation was to examine associations between symptomatic COVID-19 history, neurocognitive function, and psychiatric symptoms using cognitive task performance, functional brain imaging, and a prospective population survey. Methods: Study 1 was a laboratory study conducted between 3 May 2022 and 16 Nov 2022 involving 120 fully vaccinated community dwelling adults between 18 and 84 years of age (Mage = 31.96 (SD = 20.71), 63.3% female). In this cross-sectional study we examined the association between symptomatic COVID-19 infection history and performance on three computer tasks assessing cognitive function (Flanker interference, delay discounting and simple reaction time) and measured oxygen saturation within the prefrontal cortex using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Study 2 was a 2-wave population survey undertaken between 28 September 2021 and 21 March 2022, examining the prospective relationship between symptomatic COVID-19 and self-reported symptoms of cognitive dysfunction, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and agitation at 6-month follow up. The sample (N = 2,002, M age = 37.0, SD = 10.4; 60.8% female) was collected using a quota process to ensure equal numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Structural equation modelling with latent variables was performed on the population-level data, evaluating the fit of the proposed mediational model of symptomatic COVID-19 to psychiatric symptoms through cognitive dysfunction. Results: Findings from Study 1 revealed significant effects of symptomatic COVID-19 history on Flanker interference and delay discounting. Effects on flanker performance were significantly stronger among older adult women (effect: 9.603, SE = 4.452, t = 2.157, p = .033), and were accompanied by task-related changes cerebral oxygenation at the right superior frontal gyrus (F (1, 143.1) = 4.729, p = .031). Additionally, those with a symptomatic COVID-19 infection history showed evidence of amplified delay discounting (coefficient = 0.4554, SE = 0.2208, t = 2.0629, p = .041). In Study 2, baseline symptomatic COVID-19 history was associated with self-reported cognitive dysfunction and a latent variable reflecting psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression and agitation at follow-up. Mediational analyses revealed evidence of cognitive mediation of clinically significant psychiatric outcomes: depression (indirect effect = 0.077, SE = 0.026, p = .003) and generalized anxiety (indirect effect = 0.060, SE = 0.021, p = .004). Conclusions: Converging findings from laboratory and population survey data support the conclusion that symptomatic COVID-19 infection is associated with task-related, functional imaging and self-reported indices of cognitive dysfunction as well as psychiatric symptoms. In some cases, these findings appear to be more amplified among women than men, and among older women than younger.

Social cognitive predictors of vaccination status, uptake and mitigation behaviors in the Canadian COVID-19 Experiences survey.

Emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 will remain a concern for the foreseeable future, and determinants of vaccination and other mitigation behaviors are therefore critical to understand. Using data from the first two waves of the Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Survey (CCES; N = 1,958; 66.56 % female), we examined social cognitive predictors of vaccination status, transition to acceptance and mitigation behaviors in a population-representative sample. Findings indicated that all social cognitive variables were strong predictors of mitigation behavior performance at each wave, particularly among unvaccinated individuals. Among those who were vaccine hesitant at baseline, most social cognitive variables predicted transition to fully vaccinated status at follow-up. After controlling for demographic factors and geographic region, greater odds of transitioning from unvaccinated at CCES Wave 1 to fully vaccinated at CCES Wave 2 was predicted most strongly by a perception that one's valued peers were taking up the vaccine (e.g., dynamic norms (OR = 2.13 (CI: 1.54,2.93)), perceived effectiveness of the vaccine (OR = 3.71 (CI: 2.43,5.66)), favorable attitudes toward the vaccine (OR = 2.80 (CI: 1.99,3.95)), greater perceived severity of COVID-19 (OR = 2.02 (CI: 1.42,2.86)), and stronger behavioral intention to become vaccinated (OR = 2.99 (CI: 2.16,4.14)). As a group, social cognitive variables improved prediction of COVID-19 mitigation behaviors (masking, distancing, hand hygiene) by a factor of 5 compared to demographic factors, and improved prediction of vaccination status by a factor of nearly 20. Social cognitive processes appear to be important leverage points for health communications to encourage COVID-19 vaccination and other mitigation behaviors, particularly among initially hesitant members of the general population.

Cigarette Gifting Among Nonsmokers in China: Findings From the International Tobacco Control China Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette gifting is commonly practiced in China and has contributed to the social acceptability and high prevalence of cigarette smoking in the country. As a result, nonsmokers in China are particularly susceptible to smoking. While previous studies have examined cigarette gifting behaviors among smokers, little is known about cigarette gifting among nonsmokers. AIMS AND METHODS: This study aimed to examine the percentage and correlates of giving and receiving cigarettes as gifts among adult nonsmokers in China. We analyzed nonsmokers (N = 1813) aged ≥18 years using data from the International Tobacco Control China Wave 5 Survey. Descriptive statistics summarized the characteristics of those who gave and received cigarettes as gifts. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with the two behaviors. RESULTS: Among nonsmokers, 9.9% reported giving cigarettes as gifts to family or friends in the last 6 months. A higher level of knowledge about smoking harms was associated with lower adjusted odds of gifting cigarettes. Nonsmokers aged 25-39 years, with middle income, positive attitude toward cigarette gifts, exposure to anti-smoking information, and exposure to smoking promotion, and those who reported receiving cigarettes as gifts from family or friends were more likely to give cigarettes as gifts. A total of 6.6% of nonsmokers reported receiving cigarettes as gifts in the last 6 months. High education, neutral or positive attitude toward cigarette gifts, exposure to anti-smoking information, exposure to smoking promotion, and having smoking friends were associated with receiving cigarettes as gifts. CONCLUSIONS: It is concerning that Chinese cultural norms that support cigarette gifting have extended to giving nonsmokers cigarettes as gifts. Effective anti-smoking messages are needed. Changing the norms around cigarette gifting and increasing knowledge about smoking harms should help reduce cigarette gifting among nonsmokers. IMPLICATIONS: Easy access to cigarettes received as gifts, along with the wide acceptance of smoking in China, places Chinese nonsmokers in a risky position. More educational campaigns targeting nonsmokers to proactively prevent them from smoking are called for. The ineffectiveness of existing anti-smoking information highlights the need for more effective anti-smoking messages. That attitude toward cigarette gifts is the strongest predictor of giving cigarettes as gifts suggests the need for interventions to reverse the positive attitude about cigarette gifting to decrease the popularity of this activity.