Lorillard finds that ecigs a little bit less bad for cardiovascular system than Marlboros

Two Lorillard scientists, S. Sherwin Yan and Carl D'Ruiz, published a paper, "Effects of using electronic cigarettes on nicotine delivery and cardiovascular function in comparison with regular cigarettes," in the industry-friendly journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology in which they compared several models of Lorillard's blu e-cigarettes with Philip Morris' Marlboro.
 
They found that
 

• Marlboro increased plasma nicotine more than blu ecigs.
• Only Marlboros increased exhaled carbon monoxide
• All products increased heart rate and blood pressure, but the e-cigarettes generally had less of an effect than Marlboros.

 
The first two findings are not new and what would be expected.  Indeed, on of the criticisms e-cigarette enthusiasts have of the cigarette-like e-cigarettes is that they don't deliver enough nicotine.  The CO result is also well known (and expected) since e-cigs don't burn the tobacco
 
While some of the differences between Marlboros and the various blu models were statistically significant, they were very small and unlikely to be of much practical importance.  My read of these data is that the effects on e-cigarettes on these cardiovascular parameters were not all that different from the effects of the conventional cigarette.  For example (from their Table 5), diastolic blood pressure increased by means of 6.83, 6.78, 3.17, 6.78, and 4.39 mmHg for the different blu e-cigarettes and 6.78 for the Marlboro, with a lot of variability in the individual responses.
 
The more important point to consider when assessing studies of the effects of e-cigarettes (or cigarettes, for that matter), on cardiovascular disease is that it is not the effects of smoking on carbon monoxide, heart rate, and blood pressure that account for the big increases in heart disease risk, as was once thought, by rather effects on bood vessels (endothelial function) and blood platelets.  (For a good explanation of this, watch Peter Ganz presentation at out "Billion Lives" symposium from 2014; it is available here beginning at 2h:27m:34s). 
 
These effects are likely due to the ultrafine particles in the aerosol, as well as the nicotine and some of the oxidizing agents, many of which are in e-cigarette aerosol.  These effects are also highly nonlinear, which means that low levels of exposure can produce big effects.  These are the endpoints that we should all be evaluating.
 
It is also entertaining to note that the comparison cigarette was Marlboro, not one of Lorillard's brands.  I think Marlboro is a reasonable comparison since it is the dominant brand, but Lorillard should also have studied their own cigarettes.  Did they not do this obvious comparison because it would have led to the immediate question of why Lorillard wasn't stopping sales of its combusted cigarettes in favor of the "safer" e-cigarettes?