Tobacco News

Researchers have found that patients with head and neck cancer who have never smoked have much better survival rates after radiation therapy than patients with a history of smoking. The study by Allen M. Chen and colleagues in the UC Davis radiation oncology and otolaryngology departments is among the first of its kind to examine prognosis differences based on smoking history in patients with head and neck cancer who are treated with radiation therapy. Ream more »

Heavy smoking in middle age is linked to more than double the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia two decades later, according to a new study. Current estimates suggest smoking is responsible for several million deaths per year from causes such as heart disease and cancer, according to background information in the article.
Minna Rusanen, M.D., of University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland, and colleagues analyzed data from 21,123 members of one health care system who participated in a survey between 1978 and 1985, when they were 50 to 60 years old. Ream more »

A chemical in cigarette smoke has been found to cause a reaction which can lead to ectopic pregnancies, according to Edinburgh scientists.
Research from experts at Edinburgh University said Cotinine triggered a reaction which increased a protein in the Fallopian tubes. Ream more »

Bans against smoking in public places have benefited people who work in bars, restaurants, or other places where exposure is high. Some have worried that the laws could shift smoking from the workplace into the home, harming children, so researchers from Scotland looked at hospital admissions for children with asthma to see whether they changed after smoking restrictions started in 2006. Ream more »

Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes which causes addiction and has now been linked to the development of breast cancer. Previously smoking was not thought to be a major cause of breast cancer although it is known to increase the risk of several other forms of the disease. Ream more »

In a new development a 12-member US panel is debating over the issue of menthol cigarettes being more addictive. If the results go against the cigarettes Australia too will have to ban the sale of such cigarettes. This would mean a significant loss to Alpine cigarettes and imported brands such as Kool, Virginia Slims and Salem.

Campaigners have been harping on the fact that menthol coats the throat with a “mild anesthetic” or has numbing effect and encourages young people, especially women, to take up smoking. Ream more »

Party animal Kate Moss has decided to clean herself up by stopping smoking and drinking alcohol so she can have a baby with her partner Jamie Hince.
Kate has been a part of the Jet Set party scene on a global level for many years and changing her lifestyle is not going to be easy. Read more

A drug that aims to keep smokers from developing an addiction to nicotine by eliminating the good feeling they get from cigarettes is being tested in Annapolis. Read more

A new fad is threatening to undercut the hard-fought gains of laws that have placed strict limits on smoking in public, experts say.
The smoking of hookahs — waterpipes evocative of Cairo’s Kasbah or a Saharan oasis — is surging in popularity among young adults, research suggests. Read more

Prenatal nicotine exposure may increase the risk of sleep problems in children through adolescence, whereas prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may increase the risk of behavior problems at the age of 3 years, although the risk may be moderated by the serotonin transporter promoter gene, SLC6A4. Read more