Smoking Cessation News and Research

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Smoking cessation after liver transplantation reduces incidence of malignancy

Spanish researchers have found that liver transplant recipients who quit smoking have a lower incidence of smoking-related malignancies (SRM) than patients who keep smoking. In fact, SRMs were identified in 13.5% of deceased patients and smoking was associated with a higher risk of malignancy in this study. Full findings are published in the April issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

29 Mar 2011

Diabetic smokers beware - Nicotine raises blood sugar: Study

U.S. researchers have found that nicotine in cigarettes may be responsible for serious complications in smokers with diabetes. They have shown that nicotine is strongly linked to persistently raised blood sugar levels among diabetics and scientists say they should make every effort to quit. There may also be implications for diabetics attempting to give up the habit who use nicotine-replacement therapy for extended periods.

27 Mar 2011

Anti-smoking ads targeting the indigenous population launched

In a bid to reduce the smoking rates in Australia’s indigenous population the Federal Government is launching the first anti-smoking campaign this Monday (today) aimed specifically at indigenous Australians. Figures have shown that nearly 50% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoke, and one in five die from smoking-related diseases. According to Government spokesmen the new campaign is part of its plan to halve the number of indigenous smokers by 2018. The radio, television and print campaign will cost $4 million and is part of the Government's wider aim to significantly reduce the number of Australians who smoke.

27 Mar 2011

Aradigm fourth quarter revenue is $144,000 for 2010

Aradigm Corporation today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2010.

24 Mar 2011

Obesity during pregnancy endangers both mother and unborn child, but little being done to address the issue

Being seriously overweight during pregnancy increases dangers for both mother and unborn child, but little is being done to help obese mums-to-be, says a leading researcher in the field.

24 Mar 2011

Enrollment complete in Aradigm's inhaled ciprofloxacin Phase 2b study in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

Aradigm Corporation announced the last patient was enrolled in a Phase 2b study designed to evaluate the Company's inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin (CFI, ARD-3100) in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE), a severe progressive respiratory disease for which there is currently no approved treatment in the U.S.

23 Mar 2011

Physical ill-health reduces life expectancy of people with severe mental illness

Physical ill-health is rife among the severely mentally ill in Britain, according to new research published today by the University of East Anglia (UEA).

21 Mar 2011

Research roundup: Successful medical homes; shortage of HIV doctors; boosting use of $4 generic drugs

Every Friday, Jennifer Evans compiles this selection of recently-released health policy studies and briefs.

19 Mar 2011

Removal of menthol cigarettes from marketplace would benefit public health in US: FDA

Finding that the availability of menthol cigarettes increases the number of children and African Americans who smoke, the Food and Drug Administration's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee today concluded, "Removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States."

19 Mar 2011

New drug can aid in smoking reduction therapy

Researchers working in a research project within the Academy of Finland's Research Programme on Substance Use and Addictions have been developing a targeted drug that could aid in smoking reduction therapy. The new drug slows down the metabolism of nicotine, which would help smokers to cut down their smoking.

18 Mar 2011

Heavy smoking dropped drastically over last four decades: Study

A new study has shown that the rate of “pack-a-day” or more smokers in the United States has fallen sharply since 1965, particularly in California. There is evidence from earlier literature that a smaller percentage of Americans smoke now than in previous decades. This new study was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It shows that high-intensity smoking is also less common.

15 Mar 2011

Smoking cessation prior surgery not linked to increased risk of postoperative complications

A meta-analysis of nine previous studies found that quitting smoking shortly before surgery was not associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, according to a report published online today that will appear in the July 11 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Mar 2011

EMP levels may help clinicians diagnose early emphysema

Monitoring blood for tiny particles released by cells lining the lungs may help clinicians diagnose emphysema in its earliest stages, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College. The particles, called endothelial microparticles, are shed during the disease process as tiny blood vessels in the lungs, called pulmonary capillaries, are injured and die.

14 Mar 2011

Study finds passive smoking increases risk of still birth by 23%

Pregnant non-smokers who breathe in the second-hand smoke of other people are at an increased risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects, a study led by researchers at The University of Nottingham has found.

9 Mar 2011

Text messaging effectively intervenes during smoking urges

A pair of related studies on smoking cessation by researchers at the University of Oregon and other institutions have isolated the brain regions most active in controlling urges to smoke and demonstrated the effectiveness of text-messaging to measure and intervene in those urges.

9 Mar 2011

Women smokers over 50 at increased risk of breast cancer

Compared to women who had never smoked, breast cancer risk increased by nine percent among former smokers and by 16 percent among current smokers according to research by Karen Margolis, MD, a senior clinical investigator with the HealthPartners Research Foundation and her collaborators in a study that was published today in the British Medical Journal.

3 Mar 2011

State news: Ariz. may cut fewer from Medicaid; Pa. adultbasic closes

In a meeting with the Obama administration Monday, Gov. Jan Brewer proposed some Medicaid changes that she hopes will allow Arizona to drop fewer people than previously proposed from the state's Medicaid rolls. Brewer's office already has received permission to cut coverage for 250,000 members, mostly childless adults, as the state tries to close an ongoing budget shortfall.

2 Mar 2011

AHRQ: High levels of disparities prevail, despite improvements in health care quality

Improvements in health care quality continue to progress at a slow rate - about 2.3 percent a year; however, disparities based on race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other factors persist at unacceptably high levels, according to the 2010 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report issued today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

1 Mar 2011

Sudden cessation of smoking may be symptom of lung cancer

Many longtime smokers quit spontaneously with little effort shortly before their lung cancer is diagnosed, leading some researchers to speculate that sudden cessation may be a symptom of lung cancer.