How many deaths will it take? : a death from asthma associated with work-related environmental tobacco smoke

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Case report of an acute asthma death of a young waitress in a bar. Evaluation of the circumstances of her death and her medical history concluded that her death was from acute asthma due to secondhand smoke at work. Effective measures to protect hospitality industry workers from ETS are necessary from a public health point of view.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20538

Comment: Yet another waitress suffers Heather Crowe's fate.

Smoke-Free Housing Canada [home page]

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

National website dedicated to providing information on secondhand smoke in multi-unit dwellings (MUDs) and advocating for increased smoke-free housing options across Canada.

http://www.smokefreehousing.ca/

Comment: This informative Canadian resource is helpful for individuals living in apartments or those who are concerned with secondhand smoke in homes. Will there be a push to ban smoking in private residences? We will have to wait and see...

Nicotine interventions with comorbid populations

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Reviews and comments on studies of treatment and prevention of cigarette smoking in individuals with comorbid psychiatric and non-nicotine substance abuse disorders. Identifies the importance and efficacy of specialized assessment and tailored interventions for these populations.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.09.004

Comment: There is an urgent need to expand and advance smoking cessation treatments specifically tailored to individuals with comorbidities.

Use of nicotine replacement therapy to reduce or delay smoking but not to quit : prevalence and association with subsequent cessation efforts

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Non-standard nicotine replacement therapy (NSNRT) use occurs when someone uses NRT for reasons other than quitting (e.g. reducing consumption; delaying smoking). The authors found that NSNRT use was more common than previously thought, and they found little evidence that NSNRT use is harmful or helpful for future quit attempts.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tc.2007.021485

Comment: NSNRT use is becoming more common. Hopefully this use can translate into successful cessation attempts in the future.

Ethical implications of physician involvement in lawsuits on behalf of the tobacco industry

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Highlights the ethical dilemma faced by physicians who serve as expert witnesses for the tobacco industry. Medical associations can and should strongly enforce professional standards that do not tolerate tobacco industry influence on physician expert witnesses.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00191.x

Comment: Physicians have a moral and professional responsibility to assist in the administration of justice.

Philip Morris's website and television commercials use new language to mislead the public into believing it has changed its stance on smoking and...

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Evaluates the statements made on Philip Morris’s website on their belief about smoking against those claims made during court cases. Despite statements made on Philip Morris’s website that discuss how smoking can be addictive and can cause disease; there have been no such claims made during trials.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tc.2007.024026

Comment: Demonstrates how the internet is a new and powerful tool for the tobacco industry to use to mislead the public.

Effects of cigarette smoking and family history of alcoholism on sweet taste perception and food cravings in women

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

This study found that women who smoked required higher concentrations of a sweet solution in order to detect sweet taste, and the more years a woman smoked cigarettes, the less sensitive she was to sweet taste. Also, women with a family history of alcoholism preferred higher levels of sweetness and craved sweet-tasting foods more often.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00519.x

Comment: The more cigarettes you crave, the more high fat and high starchy foods you crave. Yet another reason to quit smoking!

The irreversible health effects of cigarette smoking

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)
This report examines the permanent health effects of smoking cigarettes (even if a smoker quits after smoking five years or more) on the: lungs; heart; eyes; throat; urinary tract; digestive organs; bones and joints; and the skin. Their hope is to discourage young people from taking up this habit.

http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.377/pub_detail.asp

Comment: Even today, this document from 1998 may have the power to encourage youth to think twice before lighting up. But, I must admit that reading this information can be a little depressing for all of us ex-smokers.

The impact of school smoking policies and student perceptions of enforcement on school smoking prevalence and location of smoking

(Disponible en anglais seulement.)

Evaluates the impact of school tobacco policy on location of tobacco use and smoking rates during the school day in Canadian high schools. Results demonstrate that written policy intention and implementation need to be considered, and policies that are viewed by students as strongly enforced influence school smoking prevalence.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/her/cyl102

Comment: A school tobacco policy is only as strong as its enforcement.