Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Smoking / Quit Smoking News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/smoking/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170152.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170152.php As the debate heats up concerning the use of electronic cigarettes, Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA) President Matt Salmon today encouraged those involved in this discussion to carefully and honestly study how these devices work and recognize that the more than one million adult committed smokers, who use electronic cigarettes, are seeking an alternative to combustible cigarettes that contain a multitude of toxic, harmful chemicals. Smoking / Quit Smoking Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169982.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169982.php New study results showed that 42.3 percent of smokers with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who took CHANTIX/CHAMPIX® (varenicline) were able to quit smoking and remain abstinent during the last four weeks of treatment (weeks 9-12) compared with 8.8 percent of those given placebo (p Smoking / Quit Smoking Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169944.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169944.php New Formula Calculates More Accurate 'Lung Age' in Smokers (#7896 ) A new formula more accurately calculates a smoker's "lung age," which researchers hope will help persuade patients to quit the habit. A research team from Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, developed and evaluated a new lung age formula based on %FEV1/FEV6 rather than the current lung age formulas based on height and FEV1 or FVC. Smoking / Quit Smoking Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php Air Pollution Major Factor in Fresno Health (#8164) Air pollution is a major health risk for patients in Fresno, CA, who suffer from chronic lung diseases. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno compared the weekly rates of those admitted to the ER with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with air pollution indices for corresponding weeks. Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169832.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169832.php Six years after the ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship in the UK, a London-based sports body stands accused of breaching the law by promoting a cigarette brand on its website.[1] The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) which represents the world's top male tennis players, is responsible for the sponsorship contracts for the various international tournaments. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169714.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169714.php Smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of having a child with behavioural problems, which manifest as young as three years of age, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169718.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169718.php In a comparison of five different smoking cessation medications, a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge appears most effective at helping smokers quit, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169696.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169696.php As if there weren't enough reasons to stop smoking, a team of researchers at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) have just found another. A study led by Dr. Christian A Pineau, Co-Director of the Lupus and Vasculitis clinic at the MUHC, has clearly linked skin damage and rashes to smoking in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. Lupus Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169716.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169716.php Smokers who switched to a low tar, "lite" or "mild" brand of cigarette have about a 50% lower chance of giving up smoking altogether, suggests research published ahead of print in Tobacco Control. So-called low tar cigarettes now make up around 84% of US market share, but when smoked, these cigarettes deliver amounts of tar, nicotine, and other substances that are comparable with "regular" cigarettes. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169739.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169739.php Research published ahead of print in Tobacco Control reports that smokers who switched to a low tar, "lite" or "mild" brand of cigarette have about a 50 percent lower chance of giving up smoking in general. Around 84 percent of US market share is now made up of these so-called low tar cigarettes. However, when smoked, these cigarettes deliver amounts of tar, nicotine, and other substances that are similar to "regular" cigarettes. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169651.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169651.php Awareness of COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - continues to grow in the United States, according to national survey results released by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Sixty-eight percent of adults are now aware of COPD, a disease that affects 1 in 5 people over age 45, compared with 64 percent last year, and 49 percent in a 2004 survey. COPD Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169539.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169539.php Research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports that smoking during pregnancy considerably increases the risk of having a child with behavioral problems. This is noticeable in children as young as three years of age. More than 14,000 mother and child pairs took part in the Millennium Cohort Study. This is a large population based study of UK children born between 2000 and 2001 from families receiving child benefit. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169221.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169221.php Self-reported smoking during pregnancy underestimates the true number of pregnant smokers in Scotland by 17%, and results in a failure to detect 2400 pregnant smokers each year, finds new research published on bmj.com today. This results in thousands of smokers not being identified or offered smoking cessation services, say the authors. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169152.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169152.php Inflammation still ravages the lungs of some smokers years after they quit the habit. What sparks that smoldering destruction remained a mystery until a consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine found that certain dendritic cells in the lung - the cells that "present" a foreign antigen or protein to the immune system - provoke production of destructive T-cells that attack a key protein called elastin, leading to death of lung tissue and emphysema. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169017.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169017.php 22nd Century Limited, LLC ("22nd Century") is pleased to announce that it is continuing development of a very low nicotine cigarette for use in smoking cessation. Clinical trial results demonstrate that these cigarettes, also referred to as 'nicotine-free' and 'denicotinized,' may be more effective for quitting than FDA-approved therapies. 22nd Century's vice-president of research and development, Michael R. Moynihan, Ph.D. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168999.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168999.php Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a study described in the current issue of CyberPsychology and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168914.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168914.php A new study from Canada suggests that even light smoking in otherwise healthy young people damages the arteries, reducing their bodies' ability to deal with physical stress such as exercise, running to catch a bus or climbing stairs. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168849.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168849.php Exercise can help smokers quit because it makes cigarettes less attractive. A new study from the University of Exeter shows for the first time that exercise can lessen the power of cigarettes and smoking-related images to grab the attention of smokers. The study is published in the journal Addiction. The study involved 20 moderately heavy smokers, who had abstained from cigarettes for 15 hours before the trial. Smoking / Quit Smoking Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168691.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168691.php Lee Richardson, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre, today announced on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, funding for a smoking cessation project that will help reduce tobacco use among students and staff at Mount Royal University. "The Government of Canada is proud to be working with Mount Royal University and its partners to help reduce cigarette smoking among students and employees," said Mr. Richardson. Smoking / Quit Smoking Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168656.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168656.php Genes May Determine Susceptibility to H5N1 Avian Influenza A Virus Infection A new study found genetic variations in mice affect their susceptibility to and severity of H5N1 avian influenza A virus infection suggesting that humans who contract the virus may be genetically predisposed. The researchers from St. Bird Flu / Avian Flu Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168264.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168264.php A new research study being published in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that maternal smoking may increase the level of distress of newborns. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168166.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168166.php More than a quarter of cancer survivors who still smoke have not been advised to quit smoking by their health care providers in the last year, according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The findings suggest that health care providers - from doctors to dentists to nurses - are missing an opportunity to make a dramatic difference in the quality of life of their patients. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167999.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167999.php ASH praised politicians for voting in favour of ending the display of tobacco and banning the sale of tobacco from vending machines, legislation that will put tobacco out of sight and out of reach. Chief Executive of ASH Deborah Arnott said: "This is the most significant step forward in public health since smokefree legislation. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167985.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167985.php Children deserve to live tobacco-free lives. A new policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises pediatricians and families to work together to make this happen. A life free of tobacco means smoke-free homes and apartment buildings, cars, schools, restaurants, parks, beaches, sidewalks and sporting events - everywhere children live, study and play. It means freedom from the harmful effects of tobacco use on family health, income and safety. Smoking / Quit Smoking Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167805.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167805.php The European Society of Cardiology wishes to comment on media reports this week that France is preparing to authorise the sale of cigarettes on the internet, to conform to European rights. Although Budget Minister Eric Woerth denies that this is the intention, the news is disappointing given the drop in heart attack rates following last year's smoking ban. ESC spokesperson Professeur Ph. Smoking / Quit Smoking