The unassuming C. elegans nematode worm, a 1-millimeter workhorse of the genetics lab, is quite similar to human beings in its genetic susceptibility to nicotine dependence, according to University of Michigan researchers.
An important new study released finds that the tobacco companies’ youth prevention campaigns do nothing to reduce youth smoking rates and the industry?s parent-focused ads may actually increase intention to smoke among older teens. The findings, published in the latest edition of the American Journal of Public Health, are further evidence that Big Tobacco cannot be the source for kids when it comes to learning about the dangers associated with tobacco use.
Smokers will soon be confronted with a new set of graphic warnings on their cigarette packets, with seven gruesome pictures to be added to those already on display. From today, tobacco manufacturers can introduce a second set of seven images on cigarette packs, and all cigarette packs must be printed with this second set by 1 March 2007.
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has awarded its highest honor, for the promotion of high public health standards among vulnerable populations, to William H. Foege, former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and a founder of the Task Force for Child Survival and Development, and Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The two recipients have dedicated their lives to protecting people in this country and throughout the world from infectious diseases.
Describing AIIMS Director P Venugopal as “one of the best doctors”, his bete noire Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said that not all doctors make good administrators. “Venugopal is one of the best doctors in this country. We all respect him. But he is also one of the worst administrators in this country,” Ramadoss said in an interview to a private news channel.
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: NABI) today announced it has completed enrollment for its Phase IIB “proof-of-concept” study for NicVAX(R) (Nicotine Conjugate Vaccine), the company’s novel, innovative and proprietary investigational vaccine being developed to treat nicotine addiction and prevent smoking relapse. Enrollment for the trial was completed three months earlier than anticipated, paving the way for the release of trial results early in the second quarter of 2007.
Adding the opiate blocker naltrexone to the combination of behavioral therapy and nicotine patches boosted smoking cessation rates for women by almost 50 percent when assessed after eight weeks of treatment, but made no difference for men, report researchers from the University of Chicago in the October 2006 issue of the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
Pfizer Inc said today that the European Commission has approved Champix(R) (varenicline), a novel pill for smoking cessation in adults. In addition, because smokers often need considerable support to quit successfully, Champix will be available with a patient support plan which smokers can customize to address their individual behavioral triggers as they try to quit smoking.
New research supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, shows that prevention programs conducted in middle school can reduce methamphetamine abuse among rural adolescents years later. Because methamphetamine addiction leads to problems with social interactions and a wide range of medical conditions, research into early interventions such as this is critical to protecting the nation?s youth. The paper is published in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Film, TV execs urged to refuse advertisements glorifying smoking. Even though tobacco advertising on television has been banned in the United States since 1971, many American children still see images of smoking in televised ads for movies, a new study finds.