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Smoking
in pregnancy increases allergy risk in infants
A Swedish research study found that children born to women who smoke during or
after pregnancy face an increased risk of developing asthma like
symptoms and allergies. Dr Eva Lannerö, from the Karolinska Institute in Solna,
studied data on the incidence of wheezing and allergic sensitisation among 3619
children who were monitored from birth until the age of 4 years. The children's
parents completed questionnaires on various lifestyle factors, including smoking
habits during pregnancy and in the first 2 months after delivery. Information on
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was also collected when the children
were aged 1, 2, and 4 years. Dr Lannerö found that children born to women who
smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to suffer from recurrent
wheezing and 1.8 times more likely to suffer from transient wheezing by the age
of 4 years than those with mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy. Analysis
also revealed that children who were exposed to environment tobacco smoke in
early life were 1.3 times more likely to become sensitised to allergens than
those without such exposure.More....
Source: MedWire News, 01 August 2008
Illegal cigarettes
seized by customs
More than half a million illegal cigarettes have been seized from a home in
Harlow. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers visited the house on the edge of
the town on Friday July 4 and found the counterfeit cigarettes. The stockpile,
thought to be worth £87,350, originated from China and was meant to be sold in
Essex. A man was arrested and charged and has been released on bail pending
further enquiries. Maddy Ratnett from HMRC said: "Anyone who may think they
are getting a bargain might not realise this illegal trade damages honest
businesses in the area, costs billions in lost revenue and lines the pockets of
criminals instead of funding public services.So if you are tempted to buy cheap
smuggled cigarettes remember that you are funding crime."
If you know of anyone selling cheap or duty free cigarettes and tobacco from
their house or work or seen large quantities of cigarettes being unloaded
contact the HMRC's new information line, in confidence, on 0800 59 5000.
More....
Source: The Harlow Herald 10 July 2008
Secondhand
smoke seen to raise spouse's stroke risk
Non-smokers married to smokers have a greatly increased chance of having
strokes, according to a U.S. study published on Tuesday showing yet
another hazard from secondhand smoke. Being married to a smoker raised the
stroke risk by 42 percent in people who have never smoked compared to those
married to someone who never smoked, the researchers said. This jumped to 72 per
cent for former smokers married to a current smoker,according to the study
published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Former smokers who
were married to smokers had a stroke risk similar to people who themselves were
smokers. "Quitting smoking helps your own health and also the health of the
people living with you,"
Maria Glymour of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and Columbia
University in New York, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. More...
Source: The Mirror, 29 July 2008
Twenty per cent of
British adult survivors of childhood cancer still
smoke despite hazards
According to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute,twenty
percent of British adult survivors of childhood cancers are current smokers, and
nearly a third have been regular smokers at some point in their lives. Adult
survivors of childhood cancer are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular
disease, lung problems, and second malignancies, relative to the general public.
These increased risks are due to long-term effects of the original cancer and
its treatment, as well as to genetic conditions that predispose the
survivors to multiple cancers. More....
Source: News-Medical.Net, 29 July 2008
Smokeless
tobacco use by south asian youth
The problem of the easy availability and increasing use of smokeless tobacco
products by young people of south Asian origin in the UK needs to be urgently
addressed. Legislation exists, but is often flouted with the consequence that
these products, which are associated with significantly increased risk of
oropharyngeal cancers in young people,1 are available for as little as £0·20.
Cancer of the oropharynx constitutes one of the ten commonest cancers in the
world. Important causal agents include: the alkaloid content of the
habit-forming betel nut, commonly known as supari among south Asians—
and tobacco, whether smoked in cigarettes, bidis, or through a hookah or chewed
as gutka or paan. Gutka is made up of tobacco, betel-nut fragments, fennel, and
other spices, and is marketed in attractive colourful sachets that are appealing
to children. The recent addition of chocolate-flavoured ingredients may further
enhance this appeal. Gutka can be bought by young people from "corner
shops" in many UK inner cities for only a few pence.More....
Source: The Lancet 12 July 2008
Smoking: how to kick the habit
Since Britain went smokefree in enclosed public places 12 months ago, 400,000
people have given up. For quitters, life is likely to get better. Even if you
have been a smoker for 30 years, your risk of heart disease halves within a year
of quitting. Ten years on, the risk of lung cancer is cut in two.
Those who have tried and failed to stop smoking should take heart from the fact
that on average it takes 12 or more attempts to kick the habit. Here are some
ideas: More....
Source: The Telegraph, 12 July 2008
Genetic
variations influence nicotine addiction for young smokers
Research has shown that a particular set of genes can turn a teenager who
experiments with tobacco into a life-long addicted smoker. Around 40 per cent of
people with European origins have "high risk" versions of the genes,
which affect the brain's sensitivity to nicotine. Scientists found that they are
in danger of becoming addicted if they start smoking before the age of 17. Other
variations of the same genes work the opposite way and help prevent addiction.
Scientists in the US studied 2,827 European American smokers, recording their
level of nicotine dependence and smoking history Participants were asked what
age they were when they started smoking, the number of years they had smoked,
and the average number of cigarettes they got through per day. DNA samples were
also taken. The researchers looked for single-letter changes in the genetic
code, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), linked to nicotine
addiction. Individuals were placed into one of four groups or "haplotypes"
according to what gene variations they had. More....
Source: The Telegraph, 11 July 2008
Smoking linked to
decrease in uterine cancer risk
Cigarette smoking appears to be associated with a decreased risk of cancer of
the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus, research from China suggests.
"The benefit of smoking was observed almost exclusively in postmenopausal
women and not in premenopausal women," principal investigator Dr. Bin Wang
of Nanjing Medical University told Reuters Health. However, in spite of this
link, "cigarette smoking could dramatically increase the incidence of many
other chronic diseases," Wang pointed out. Endometrial cancer is commonly
thought to be linked with exposure to estrogen. It has also been suggested that
cigarette smoking exerts an anti-estrogen effect. But previous studies have
provided inconsistent findings regarding the link between cigarette smoking and
endometrial cancer risk. Wang and colleagues therefore investigated these
relationships by combining data from 34 studies published through June 2007.More....
Source: Reuters UK, 15 July 2008
Smoking
among school children at 25-year low
Smoking among school children has fallen to its lowest level for 25 years,
according to an NHS Information Centre survey. Six per cent of pupils mostly
aged 11 to 15 smoked regularly in 2007, the lowest figure recorded since the
survey began in 1982. Drug and alcohol use among the same age group is also
falling, according to the survey Drug use, smoking and drinking among young
people in England in 2007. It is estimated that of pupils aged 11 to 15, 6% are
likely to smoke regularly, compared to 10% in 2001. A total of 29% reported
either drinking, smoking or taking drugs recently, while 4% reported doing all
three. Tim Straughan, NHS Information Centre Chief Executive, said: "These
figures show schoolchildren are turning their back on tobacco. The survey also
shows drugs and alcohol appear to have a decreasing hold on 11 to 15-year-olds,
which can only be a good thing for future generations."....More.....
Source: Nursing in Practice, 17 July 2008
Most teen smokers
struggle to quit smoking
According to a new study by Universite de Montreal, teenage smokers often try to
quit and seriously believe they can, only realising they're addicted when it's
too late. The study charted the course of nicotine addiction in teens over five
years, establishing several common milestones. Adolescents make their first
serious attempt to give up smoking after only 2 1/2 months, yet frequently they
continue to smoke. It's usually not until nearly two years passes that their
addiction dawns on them, and by that point their confidence to quit is
shattered. Jennifer O'Loughlin, lead author of the study published in the
American Journal of Public Health said, 'Teenagers are experiencing symptoms of
dependence with really low exposures to cigarettes, and beginning to experience
this difficulty of quitting very, very early on.'.. More..
Source: The Canadian Press, 17 July 2008
Customs
officers in running battle with cigarette smugglers
The true extent of smuggling has been revealed as customs officers say they are
still being forced to play cat and mouse with cigarette smugglers on the
Lincolnshire coast. HM Revenue & Customs officers recently raided a shop,
believed to be in the lower part of Lincoln High Street, and seized more than
14,000 cigarettes. The modern twist to smuggling is that ships from the former
Eastern Bloc countries laden with illicit cigarettes drop anchor in
international waters 12 miles off the Lincolnshire coast, beyond the
jurisdiction of sea patrols. Smaller vessels meet the boats in the North Sea and
return with their booty and it is these that officials raid, or lie in wait as
the smuggling network is revealed. Counterfeit cigarettes are landed in isolated
locations along the Lincolnshire coast, the south bank of the River Humber and
the Wash, or along inland rivers including the Trent and the Witham. From there,
they are loaded into vans and driven to depots before being sold on the black
market. More.....Source:
thisislincolnshire,17 July 2008
Early exposure to
tobacco smoke causes asthma and allergy
According to a new study from the Swedish Medical University Karolinska
Institute, babies exposed to cigarette smoke before birth or during their first
months run a greater risk of developing asthma and allergy. It is a well known
fact that babies are harmed by tobacco smoke in numerous ways, but it has always
been difficult to separate the effects of the mother smoking during pregnancy
and passive smoking after birth. Dr Eva Lannerö's research now provides new
detailed knowledge on how exposure to tobacco smoke early in life influences the
risk of developing allergy and asthma respectively. The research shows that
smoking during pregnancy increases the chances of the child developing asthma.
They also found that children of mothers who had smoked while pregnant ran
double the risk of developing asthma before the age of four. There was also a
clear correlation between the number of cigarettes smoked and the risk of
developing asthma. It also shows that passive smoking in early childhood
increases the risk of allergy. ......More
.Source: News-Medical.Net, 19 July 2008
Cigarette
smoking leads to bladder cancer
Even
though cigarette smoking accounts for up to half of all bladder cancer cases,
few people are aware of the connection - including more than three-quarters of
patients who have bladder cancer, according to a new study from the University
of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. This knowledge vacuum suggests that
urologists and other physicians need to do a much better job of telling patients
about the risk of smoking and encourage them to quit, the study authors say.
"The general public understands that cigarette smoking can lead to lung
cancer, but very few people understand that it also can lead to bladder
cancer," says senior author James E. Montie, M.D., Valassis Professor of
Urologic Oncology at the U-M Health System. Montie notes that in the first four
years after a smoker quits, the risk of developing bladder cancer decreases by
40 percent. ."
Source: News-Medical.net, 08 July 2008.... More
Smoke-free
policies are working
Smoke-free policies are reducing heart disease related to smoke exposure, the
prevalence of smoking in adults and the exposure of both adults and
children
to second-hand smoke. These and other findings are published in a special report
of this month's the Lancet Oncology. The report, by the International Agency for
Cancer Research (IARC), also showed that smoke-free policies do not decrease the
business activity of the restaurant and bar industry.
Source: IOL, 02 July 2008. More....
Doctors
fume at glamorisation of smoking in films
Film
stars who smoke on screen should attract the attention of the censor in the same
way as they would if they were engaged in extreme sex or violence, doctors
say. Films that show smoking in a way that "condones, encourages or
glamorises" the activity should be considered for reclassification -
restricting them to an older audience, the British Medical Association said. The
association called yesterday for new curbs on the promotion of smoking in the
media and said the Government should set a target to make England smoke-free by
2035. More than one in five adults smokes and most start before they are 18 when
they are most vulnerable to images that "increase the allure of the
habit", the BMA said in a report from its board of science. The portrayal
of smoking in films declined from 1950 to 1990, but has since increased. The
poster for the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction, showing a sultry Uma Thurman smoking,
was a gift to the tobacco industry and an example of the sort of image the BMA
wants to outlaw. In the US, smoking has increased in films targeted at teenagers
since 2002, the report says.
Source: The Independent, 07 July 2008 More....
Harsh
school atmosphere may foster student smoking
Students
at high schools that value caring and inclusiveness are significantly less
likely to be smokers than their peers at schools placing a heavier emphasis on
academics, Scottish researchers report. Students'attitudes toward a school and
the quality of student-teacher relationships also appeared to play a role in
whether or not students chose to smoke cigarettes, especially for boys.
"Schools can make a difference," Dr.
Marion
Henderson of the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences in
Glasgow, who led the study, told Reuters Health. "It's worth schools trying
to think about the social environments they're creating."
Source: Reuters UK, 04 July 2008. More....
Stubborn
smokers costing the boss
Employees
who smoke in vehicles could be putting buyers off when cars and vans go for
resale, warns an automotive auction house. British Car Auctions
(BCA)
is making the announcement one year on from the introduction of the smoking ban
in public places, including company vehicles. Tim Naylor, PR Manager at BCA,
commented "Presentation is one of the strongest price factors in the used
car market and becomes even more important when used vehicle values are under
pressure, as they are now. "Buyers have their pick of a huge range of used
cars and vans and any vehicle that is below par in terms of its condition may
well be passed over". Naylor added, "Presentation is not just about
how it looks, but how it smells! As well as the potential fine if caught smoking
in a work vehicle - which is classed as a public place - the loss of value
should be another good reason for businesses to make sure employees avoid
lighting up in company vans. This will avoid the lingering smell of cigarettes
hanging in the interior as well as eliminate the risk of discolouring and
leaving scorch marks on the interior trim or upholstery. All of these things put
buyers off, even if they smoke themselves."
Source:
New Car Net, 07 July 2008. More......
COPD
susceptibility genes identified
Scientists
in the
USA
believe they have identified the genes that make smokers susceptible to chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ronald Crystal (
Cornell University
,
New York
) and co-workers comment: "Despite the overwhelming evidence of cigarette
smoking as the major risk factor for the development of COPD, the majority of
long-term smokers remain healthy, strongly suggesting that genetic factors
modify disease susceptibility to this environmental stress." Crystal and
colleagues used a variety of genetic analysis techniques to study epithelial
tissues taken from the small airways of 18 healthy non-smokers, 18 normal
smokers, and 18 smokers with COPD. Initial analysis revealed a group of
smoking-dependent genes that had significantly different levels of expression in
smokers compared with non-smokers.
Source: medwirenews, 02 July 2008 View Abstract. More.....
Public
open to stronger tobacco control measures
Public
support for smoke-free measures is still on the rise a year after the
introduction of
England
's ban on smoking in public places, new research shows. Recent figures from the
Office for National Statistics found that 80 per cent of people are in favour of
the smoking ban and a new poll from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has now
revealed that many people want even stronger measures. More than three quarters
of English adults support a ban on smoking in cars carrying children while 85
per cent want shops to be banned from selling tobacco products if they are
caught selling cigarettes to children. In addition, 65 per cent are in favour of
a ban on tobacco vending machines while 59 per cent want shop displays of
tobacco products to be prohibited.
Source: netdoctor.co.uk, 01 July 2008.More......
Smoking
ban has saved 40,000 lives
A
report says the smoking ban has triggered the biggest fall in smoking ever
seen in England. More than two billion fewer cigarettes were smoked and 400,000
people quit the habit since the ban was introduced a year ago, which researchers
say will prevent 40,000 deaths over the next 10 years. After a prolonged
political battle that split the Government and inflamed critics of Britain as a
nanny state, longer term opposition to the ban never materialised with more than
three out of four people supporting the law, and compliance has been virtually
100 per cent. Doctors said they were astonished by the numbers quitting.
Source:
The Independent, 30 June 2008... More
Kids
in cigarettes sales shame
An
investigation has found that sales of cigarettes to underage children have
increased by 50 per cent in a year. Trading standards officers across England
got more than 2,300 16-year-olds to try to buy smokes from supermarket chains,
off licences, petrol stations and newsagents. Youngsters were rarely challenged
when using a cigarette vending machine in a pub or club. A fifth of 16-year-olds
were sold packs over the counter at independent newsagents without being asked
any questions or to provide ID. One in 10 petrol stations, off licences and
corner shops also broke the law. The research was carried out for local
government law enforcement body Lacors, which is now calling for a ban on
vending machines. Chairman Geoffrey Theobald said: "This worrying increase
shows that retailers aren't doing enough to make sure they do not sell
cigarettes to children. This isn't rocket science. If they suspect someone is
under age who cannot prove otherwise, then they must refuse to serve them or
face the consequences."
Source:
The Mirror, 30 June 2008. More.....
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