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ASH Daily news for 03 November 2011

HEADLINES

  • David Cameron hails smoking ban

    David Cameron has admitted to a change of heart about the smoking ban, saying he now considered it a success.

    Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, he said: "As a former smoker and someone who believes strongly in liberties and someone who did not support it at the time, it has worked."

    He was responding to a Labour backbencher's question about a smoking ban in cars when children were present.

    On that issue, the prime minister said, he would have a "serious think".

    Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham, who asked the question, claimed the vast majority of people backed such a ban, and asked the government to support his Bill criminalising it.

    Mr Cameron told the Commons, "I'm much more nervous about going into what people do inside a vehicle. I will look carefully at what you say, but we have to have a serious think before we take that step."

    Source: BBC News, 02 November 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/sensLy

  • Smoking 'leaves you vulnerable to effects of cocaine'

    Scientists say smoking may increase the chances of someone abusing cocaine later in life by priming the brain to be more receptive to the Class A drug.

    The landmark study, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland, is the first to show how nicotine can change the brain in a way that enhances the behavioural effects of cocaine.

    It could help explain why so many drug-using teenagers tend to start with cigarettes and alcohol before moving on to more illegal substances.

    In the current study, scientists from Columbia University in New York, found mice exposed to nicotine through their drinking water for one week showed an increased response to cocaine.

    This priming effect depended on the previously unrecognised impact that nicotine made on gene expression. It was found to reprogram specific genes linked to addiction ultimately making the brain more responsive to harder drugs.

    Senior author, Dr Eric Kandel, said: 'Now that we have a mouse model of the actions of nicotine as a gateway drug this will allow us to explore the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol and marijuana might act as gateway drugs. In particular, we would be interested in knowing if there is a single, common mechanism for all gateway drugs or if each drug utilises a distinct mechanism.'

    Source: Daily Mail, 03 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/w4JhcE

  • Scotland: Fire warning as cigarettes blamed for fatal blazes

    A safety warning has been issued after it was revealed that seven out of eight fatal house fires in the last year were suspected to have been caused by cigarettes.

    Two Lothians smokers died in separate blazes within 48 hours –taking to ten the total number of fire deaths recorded this year.

    Of the eight people killed in home fires since January, seven are suspected to have died as a result of careless disposal of smoking products.

    A 66-year-old woman was killed in a fire at her Mid Calder flat on Saturday, which is thought to have been sparked by a discarded cigarette.

    That followed the death on Friday morning of Grant Sutherland, 41, who died in similar circumstances following a fire at his flat in Niddrie Mill Drive in Edinburgh.

    David Lockhart, community safety manager at Lothian and Borders Police, said: “Two fatal fires within less than 48 hours of each other are very concerning. Investigations have not yet been concluded into these incidents, but it is very likely that both of these fires were caused by discarded cigarettes."

    “I’m asking people to be more aware of the increased risk of a fire within their home when smoking. In many incidents where cigarettes start a fire, it is entirely preventable. A few simple safety measures when smoking can prevent fires.”

    Source: Edinburgh Evening News, 01 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/sLdAS2

  • Study: Women smokers may have higher colon risk

    Researchers found that women are still at an elevated risk for colorectal cancer even after quitting smoking.

    Dr. Joseph C. Anderson of the White River Junction VA Medical Center in Vermont and colleagues at the University of Connecticut examined the risk of advanced neoplasia -- advanced pre-cancerous tissue changes -- in 2,428 male and female patients age 45 and older who quit smoking.

    Anderson told the American College of Gastroenterology's 76th annual scientific meeting in Washington that, "The risk of advanced neoplasia was significantly elevated for women and men whether they were current smokers and/or former smokers who quit within five years of screening. The risk was elevated for female smokers who quit six to 10 years prior to screening but not for male smokers."

    The data suggest the impact of smoking has a longer-term effect in women than in men, and could have an impact on colorectal cancer screening in male vs. female smokers. If smoking is used as a factor for determining when to begin screening, for example, there might be different parameters for men than for women, Anderson said.

    Source: UPI, 31 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/v3LOD9

  • New study says Chantix raises suicide risks

    Researchers say that Pfizer's smoking cessation drug Chantix carries too many risks and should only be tried when other treatments fail.

    Chantix was eight times more likely to be linked with a reported case of suicidal behaviour or depression than other nicotine replacement products, such as the nicotine patch, they said.

    The findings contradict two studies released last month by the Food and Drug Administration that showed Chantix (sold as Champix outside the United States) did not increase the risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric problems such as depression.

    The agency at the time acknowledged that those studies were flawed because they were too small to identify rare events and they only captured cases that were severe enough to land people in the hospital.

    The new study relies on adverse events from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System from 1998 through September 2010. They analyzed 3,249 reports of serious self-injury or depression linked to Chantix (varenicline) and GlaxoSmithKline's Zyban (bupropion) antidepressant that was approved for smoking cessation and nicotine replacement products.

    They found that 2,925 cases, or 90 percent, of suicidal behaviour or depression reported to the FDA were related to Chantix. By comparison, there were 229 cases of suicidal behaviour or depression related to bupropion and 95 cases related to nicotine replacement products.

    "We found that Chantix is associated with more suicidal behaviour reports than any other smoking-cessation drug on the U.S. market. The risks simply outweigh the benefits," Furberg said.

    Pfizer defended its drug, saying in a statement the analysis relies on reports of serious events to the FDA. These reports come from a range of sources and often lack important medical information, making them unsuitable for studies such as this, the company said.

    Source: Reuters News, 02 November 2011
    Link: http://reut.rs/sCOTDJ

  • India: Grand row over Grand Prix

    A senior official of the Indian Health Ministry has said that the ministry will write to the Uttar Pradesh State government about its failure to prevent cigarette companies from promoting their brands at the inaugural Formula One Grand Prix held at Noida on October 28-31.

    The official alleged that what had happened during the event had violated the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003.

    Source: Tobacco Reporter, 02 November 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/rpkgSd