Tobacco News and Research

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Chromosome link found between alcohol addiction and smoking

Scientists have found in a study of tobacco users that their drinking behavior is linked to some of the same chromosome regions associated with alcohol addiction.

22 Dec 2005

No smoking message fails with teens

According to a recently released survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, unless more aggressive action is taken on a federal level, to prevent kids from smoking and curb tobacco marketing, little progress will be made in reducing youth smoking rates.

21 Dec 2005

Germany must take action against secondhand smoke

Tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces is not simply a nuisance: it is a threat to health with fatal consequences. This is the conclusion reached by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in its latest publication.

12 Dec 2005

Risedronate prevents bone loss and periodontal disease

Drugs that reverse and prevent bone loss due to osteoporosis also significantly ward off periodontal disease, according to a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine who reports in the current Menopause journal article, "Periodontal Assessments of Postmenopausal Women Receiving Risedronate."

7 Dec 2005

Genetics play a part in the inability to stop caffeine use

A study led by Johns Hopkins investigators has shown that women with a serious caffeine habit and a family history of alcohol abuse are more likely to ignore advice to stop using caffeine during pregnancy.

5 Dec 2005

Overproduction of food in rich countries is fuelling health problems worldwide

The dairy sector in the European Union is an example of how agriculture subsidies can lead to negative health effects in Europe as well as in developing countries.

2 Dec 2005

One-half of cancer patients continue to smoke after diagnosis

A pair of articles from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center makes the case that patients would receive better care if physicians and researchers would address the issue of tobacco use after a cancer diagnosis and monitor tobacco use during clinical trials that test new agents.

28 Nov 2005

Smoking a hookah can damage teeth

Smoking a hookah also known as a water pipe is becoming an increasingly trendy menu item in Mediterranean restaurants, cafes and bars. People should be warned to "skip this course" according to a study that appeared in the November issue of the Journal of Periodontology.

7 Nov 2005

Campaigners say "safe cigarettes" will kill thousands

One of the world's largest tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT), is apparently about to launch a so-called "safer" cigarette.

7 Nov 2005

Smokeless tobacco products are not necessarily a safe alternative to smoking

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-fourth of Americans are smokers. That's more than 60 million people who are at increased for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths nationwide.

3 Nov 2005

Largest study to date on risk factors associated with primary biliary cirrhosis

A case-control study of more than 2000 people has identified a number of factors that may induce primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in genetically susceptible individuals. These include a history of urinary tract infections, hormone replacement therapy, tobacco use, and nail polish use.

3 Nov 2005

Vaccine that targets nicotine rather than the brain's reaction to it

Since smoking became popular in America in the 1930s, lung cancer rates have continued to climb. Today, it is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with totals more than the other five leading cancers combined.

3 Nov 2005

Capecitabine and Gemcitabine help battle pancreatic cancer

The prognosis of pancreatic cancer is poor but new therapies such as gemcitabine have contributed to improving the outcome for patients. Data presented at the 13th European Conference (ECCO) revealed that using the combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine increased overall survival in some patients.

3 Nov 2005

Women who smoke are more concerned about their habit and their ability to quit than men

In a new study presented at CHEST 2005, the 71st annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the majority of smokers mistakenly believed nicotine causes cancer, leading many to smoke "light" cigarettes because they believed them to be less harmful.

3 Nov 2005

Women more at risk for colorectal cancer

A new study of gender and risk factors for colorectal cancer reveals that while both tobacco and alcohol increase risk for colorectal cancer, women who smoke are at higher risk.

1 Nov 2005

Diabetics are significantly more likely to have colon cancer

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina reported results from a large cross-sectional analysis assessing the risk of colon cancer among patients with diabetes at the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

1 Nov 2005

China has become the 89th country to ratify the global tobacco treaty

...the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Countries that ratify the treaty commit themselves to stringent tobacco control measures, including advertising restrictions, clean indoor air laws, higher tobacco taxes, and bigger warning labels on tobacco packaging.

26 Oct 2005

No evidence of a "safe" threshold with environmental toxins

Four of the most widespread environmental toxins - lead, trihalomethanes (found in drinking water), ionizing radiation from indoor radon gas, and tobacco smoke - can cause serious damage to health even at very low levels, say researchers in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

18 Oct 2005

Cannabis smoke less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke

According to a leading U.S. expert, cannabis smoke is less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke.

18 Oct 2005

Men who smoke cigarettes may experience a significant decline in their capacity to father a child

Sperm from nearly two-thirds of the chronic smokers in the study failed a special test that measures the ability of sperm to fertilize an egg. On average, those men showed a 75 percent decline in fertilizing capacity when compared to nonsmokers. Lead researcher Loni Burkman, Ph.D., presented the results today (Oct. 17, 2005) at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in Montreal, Quebec.

17 Oct 2005