HEADLINES

• Ministers back call to quiz patients on lifestyles
• US Study questions the value of NRT, long term
• Could a nicotine patch slow dementia?
• Freshcig stars with Britain's Got Talent
• Online assistance for the Twitter Qwitters
• Cigarette fires cause one death and damage three homes

• Ministers back call to quiz patients on lifestyles

  An independent panel of government advisers, the NHS Future Forum, says health professionals should take every opportunity to discuss diet, exercise, smoking and drinking habits with patients.
  
  The proposals are backed by ministers but the Royal College of GPs is worried this could put some patients off.

  Source: BBC News - 10 January 2012
  Link: http://bbc.in/AqtiPj

• US Study questions the value of NRT, long term

  A US study suggests people who use nicotine gum or patches to quit smoking are just as likely to have relapsed a few years later as those who do not use NRT to quit smoking.

  Randomised-controlled trials have previously shown that NRTs double the likelihood that people who give up cigarettes will remain off them six months later. In the latest study, however, which looked at outcomes in the general population after a few years, the NRTs were less impressive.

  Between 2001 and 2006, scientists periodically questioned a group of people who had recently quit smoking and found that around third relapsed every few years. The group using NRTs such as patches and gum were no less likely to relapse than those who had relied on willpower or other methods.

  John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Nottingham, said: "This study shows that danger is equally real for those who used NRT and those who did not, just as the likelihood of falling from a tightrope is unrelated to whether the walker was helped to the start."

  Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, said there was good evidence that the provision of medication and counselling to help smokers quit, as provided by the Stop Smoking Services in the UK, was effective and cost-effective. "Ash agrees, however, that it is essential that such support is provided as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, which includes mass media campaigns to encourage smokers to quit."

  Source: The Guardian - 09 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/yx46yN

• Could a nicotine patch slow dementia?

  A small study, published in the journal Neurology, has found that using a nicotine patch may help symptoms of mild cognitive impairment, a condition characterized by a noticeable memory problem.

  Source: CNN - 09 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/wE6kbs

• Freshcig stars with Britain's Got Talent

  A young entrepreneur who set up an online business selling electronic cigarettes has won a deal to supply production staff at Britain's Got Talent.

  Source: MEN Media - 09 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/A4L1LE

• Online assistance for the Twitter Qwitters

  Five smokers have been chosen by NHS Bristol to take part in a new smoking cessation campaign, making them "Twitter Qwitters". 
  
  Each has been given an iPhone and will receive tweets and emails giving them advice and encouragement over the coming weeks as they try to quit.

  They will be tweeting about their progress and their efforts will be followed by the Bristol Evening Post and its readers.

  Source: This is Bristol - 09 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/wtpqLw

• Cigarette fires cause one death and damage three homes

  Elderly woman dies after house fire: Police have confirmed that a 69 year-old woman from Hope in Derbyshire, who was rescued from a house fire by two officers has since died. Derbyshire fire service said the blaze is believed to have been caused by smoking materials.

  Three homes damaged in blaze started by discarded cigarette: A fire caused by a cigarette has damaged three terraced houses in Macclesfield. Smoke travelled through the attic, causing damage to two more homes.

  Source: Macclesfield Express - 09 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/xa1QJR