Quitting Smoking: Starting Chantix Earlier May Make It Easier to Quit

ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2012) — Smokers planning to kick the habit may have more success if they begin using a cessation medication several weeks before they actually try to quit. Those are the results of a clinical trial conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and other institutions published recently in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The study focused on 35 women and 25 men, all smokers from Western New York who were on average 48 years old and smoked a pack of cigarettes per day. Participants who were randomized to take the smoking cessation medication varenicline (marketed as Chantix) for four weeks prior to trying to quit smoking were more likely to successfully quit smoking than those who took varenicline for just one week before quitting, which is the current standard therapy for the drug. Everyone took the medication for an additional 11 weeks after the quit day.

“Varenicline was designed to make smoking less rewarding, and our data suggests that it does that better when people take it for a few extra weeks before quitting,” says Larry W. Hawk Jr., PhD, lead author and associate professor of psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences “If this finding holds up in larger studies, it could have a major impact on public health.”

“We saw nearly full compliance, which suggests that this is not only a well-tolerated therapy, but one people can realistically stick with,” says co-author Martin C. Mahoney, MD, PhD, associate professor of oncology in RPCI’s Departments of Medicine and Health Behavior and clinical associate professor in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

While many participants reported mild nausea, Mahoney says, the researchers found that the symptoms typically dissipated after a couple of weeks and may have helped reduce their desire to smoke.

“Whether through changes in taste or nausea, it seems this extra varenicline reduces smoking rates before people try to quit,” Hawk says. “These changes should make it easier to quit smoking, but we also know that it takes some period of time for this new learning to occur. That’s why we decided to see if a longer period of treatment with varenicline before smokers tried to quit would result in better outcomes, and it did in this small study.”

Of special interest was the fact that women who took varenicline for four weeks were especially likely to reduce their smoking, possibly because they reported more nausea in the pre-quit period. After three weeks of treatments with varenicline, women reduced their smoking by more than 50 percent, on average. The men who took the varenicline for four weeks reduced their smoking by 26 percent. The researchers say that much larger studies are needed to tell whether the gender differences are real.

“This study suggests we may be able to take the most effective smoking-cessation treatment we have and make it work 50 percent better, just by giving the medication for a few weeks before smokers attempt to quit,” concludes Hawk.

In addition to Hawk and Mahoney, co-authors are Rebecca L. Ashare, PhD, Nicolas J. Schlienz, Stephen T. Tiffany, PhD, Julie C. Gass, Jessica D. Rhodes, all of UB’s Department of Psychology; Shaun Fickling Lohnes of Roswell Park, and K. Michael Cummings, PhD, former chair of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park, now at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The study was funded in part by a 2008 Global Research Award for Nicotine Dependence (GRAND), an independent, investigator-initiated research program sponsored by Pfizer, which manufactures varenicline, and by the National Institute for Drug Abuse.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB’s more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105142451.htm

Government plan aims to butt out smoking in 15 years

Despite health campaigns that warn smoking kills, about one in five or 20 per cent of all Australians still smoke. Picture: Kym Smith

LICENCES to puff, foul-tasting cigarettes, and financial incentives to stop smoking are next in a bid to help the nation quit a $5 billion addiction to tobacco revenue before the end of the next decade.

Smokeless nicotine, a rising age limit and mandatory limits similar to that proposed for problem gamblers on pokies are detailed in a plan before the Federal Government and health authorities.

Big tobacco warns the looming multimillion-dollar legal fight in the High Court against drab olive-brown packaging of cigarette packets is just one battlefront in a bid to extinguish smoking in Australia.

Anti-smoking lobbyists have submitted a 10-point plan to the Federal Health department, obtained by The Courier-Mail, in an audacious bid to stub out the unhealthy habit within 15 years.

“Plain packaging will still have large gruesome images on the  front and the name of the brand but in drab colour,” said World Health Organisation adviser Professor Simon Chapman. “It’ll be a step to de-glamourise smoking.”

Smoking has been banned and made a fineable offence in public bars, restaurants, beaches, stadiums, street malls, in cars with children, and even some suburban sporting ovals.

Despite graphic health campaigns that warn smoking kills, about one in five or 20 per cent of all Australians still smoke.

This figure is down by 40 per cent since 1980.

Australia is set to be the first country to mandate plain packaging under a new law with drab packets due on shelves from December.

In April, British American Tobacco Australia, Philip Morris Asia and Imperial Tobacco will go to the High Court to argue the Government’s new plain packaging laws are unconstitutional. It is a challenge they claim will cost taxpayers in a multibillion-dollar compensation payout.

Prof Chapman, who was on the committee that recommended plain packaging, said many people were cynical about the Government’s addiction to the $5 billion-a-year smoking excise revenue.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/all-out-war-on-smoking/story-e6frfkvr-1226249928381#ixzz1kTBRnNrE

link:http://www.news.com.au/national/all-out-war-on-smoking/story-e6frfkvr-1226249928381

Breast Cancer Newsletter

As we begin 2012 we are pleased to announce that over 10,000 cancer patients have now participated in the CancerConnect platform to exchange information and support. This winter we launched the Chat with The Expert series featuring experts from Yale, Johns Hopkins, and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on topics such as complementary and integrative medicine as well as advances in treatment decision making that impact personalized medicine. The Chat with The Expert series will continue this year with our first Web Chat occurring in February on treatment decision making in ductal carcinoma in situ. Register Now! We appreciate all of you for sharing your experiences with cancer and supporting one another on CancerConnect. This site is for all of you touched by cancer- to educate, empower and support you through this journey.
Have you joined our breast cancer community on CancerConnect yet? If you’re looking for a place to connect and exchange ideas and support, this thriving community is awaiting your voice. Check out these recent forum topics and join the conversation: Prescribed Reading: Information is power. Community members share books that helped them navigate cancer. What are you reading? Chemo Brain: Are you battling brain fog? You’re not alone. Connect with others who have found ways to cope with chemo brain. Prevention of Recurrence with Bisphosphonates or Rank Ligand Inhibitor: What’s your experience with bisphosphonates? Complementary/Integrative Medicine- what has your doctor suggested?: What has your doctor suggested?: Complementary versus traditional medicine is no longer an either-or proposition. How has your doctor helped you integrate complementary strategies into your treatment?
I love you, I love you not Understanding our fickle relationship with food read more Restoring Your Body after Breast Cancer In my movement, fitness, and yoga classes, I often meet students who have heard the fateful words, “You have breast cancer.” read more
Combined HER2 Treatment Improves Outcome of Advanced Breast Cancer Among women with metastatic, HER2-positive breast cancer, treatment with a combination of HER2-targeted therapies may produce better outcomes than treatment with only a single HER2-targeted therapy. read more Afinitor Delays Breast Cancer Progression Among postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that had become resistant to hormonal therapy, the combination of Afinitor® (everolimus) and Aromasin® (exemestane) delayed cancer progression to… read more Many Women Not Getting Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy Less than one-quarter of women who have a mastectomy undergo immediate breast reconstruction. read more Longer Follow-Up Continues to Suggest That Zometa May Provide Breast Cancer Benefit Longer-term follow-of of the ABCSG-12 study continues to suggest that the bisphosphonate drug Zometa® (zoledronic acid) may improve outcomes among women with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast… read more Diabetes and Obesity Increase Breast Cancer Risk Having diabetes or being obese after the age of 60 increases a woman’s risk of getting breast cancer. read more
Web Chat with Dr. Cassileth Live Web Chat with Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, Chief, Integrative Medicine Service; Laurance S. Rockefeller Chair Integrative Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), click here for Dr. Cassileth’s bio.
What is Genomics? You’ve probably heard of genetic testing for cancer susceptibility, but the more recent and broader field of genomics is also having a wide-reaching impact on patient care. read more Ask the doctor Breast Cancer Screening and Early Detection 10 Tips for Breast Cancer Screening and Early Detection 1. Get screened regularly. Early detection… read more Set the Date… for Cancer Screenings Screening guidelines should initiate conversations with your healthcare team. read more
When Does Survivor Status Start? The latest data available from the National Cancer Institute tells us that there are almost 12 million cancer survivors in the United States. read more Managing Change In preparing to write about managing change, a favorite John Lennon quote comes to mind: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” read more Lessons in Life and Love Lisa Niemi Swayze reflects on her journey as a caregiver and shares her hopes as an advocate. read more
Winter Issue: Pancreatic cancer advocate Lisa Niemi Swayze graces the cover of our winter issue, which also features articles devoted to colon cancer, melanoma research and treatment, and chronic pain. In addition, wellness content in this issue includes articles on trail running, swimming, nutrition, and spiritual topics. Upcoming (Spring) Issue: The spring issue of Women will feature cancer advocate and actress Fran Drescher, who describes the evolution of the Cancer Schmancer organization and her own cancer journey. In addition, the issue will include a special section devoted to lung cancer topics, several articles related to breast cancer topics, an in-depth look at chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, and many other health and wellness features. link: https://mail.google.com/mail/h/rv932s722vbb/?&v=c&th=134d8f4c8c934613

Sulfonylurea Drugs Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease

Sulfonylurea Drugs Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease.

New check in shows that older masses with species 2 diabetes who perceive drugs known as sulfonylureas to demean their blood sugar levels may puss a higher risk for heart problems than their counterparts who experience metformin. Of the more than 8500 individuals aged 65 or older with font 2 diabetes who were enrolled in the trial, 12,4 percent of those given a sulfonylurea knock out experienced a focus attack or other cardiovascular event, compared with 10,4 percent of those who were started on metformin trevi pm how to spot. In addition, these insensitivity problems occurred earlier in the progression of curing among those people taking the sulfonylurea drugs, the over showed.

The head-to-head contrast trial is slated to be presented Saturday at the American Diabetes Association annual session in San Diego. Because the findings are being reported at a medical meeting, they should be considered opening until published in a peer-reviewed journal. With variety 2 diabetes, the body either does not yield enough of the hormone insulin or doesn’t use the insulin it does mould properly.

In either case, the insulin can’t do its job, which is to declare glucose (blood sugar) to the body’s cells. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood and can effect rack on the body. Metformin and sulfonylurea drugs — the latter a caste of diabetes drugs including glyburide, glipizide, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide and tolazamide — are often mid the earliest medications prescribed to humiliate blood sugar levels in kin with sort 2 diabetes.

The findings are important, the researchers noted, partly because sulfonylurea drugs are commonly prescribed in the midst the old to decrease blood glucose levels. In addition, cardiovascular blight is the primary cause of death among settle with type 2 diabetes. For several reasons, however, the further study on these medications is far from the concluding word on the issue, experts said.

For one, public who are started on the sulfonylureas instead of metformin are often sicker to begin with, said Dr Spyros G Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Metformin cannot be prescribed to consumers with inescapable kidney and goodness problems, he said. Both medications reduce blood glucose levels, but go about it in in every respect multifarious ways, he explained.

And « The sulfonylureas moderate blood sugar by making the body reveal more insulin, and this may cause inadequate blood sugar or hypoglycemia, » he said. In contrast, metformin enhances the interest of the insulin that the body produces. Previous investigating has shown that metformin is not linked with as squiffy a risk of low blood sugar as the sulfonylureas.

Hypoglycemia robs the muscles — including those in the spunk — of the glucose they emergency for energy, so they don’t be employed as well. This is why these drugs may discuss a higher risk for mettle attack, Mezitis said. The unique study, however, is based only on observations and does not back any cause-and-effect relationship between these drugs and heart problems.

Dr Jerome V Tolbert, medical manager of the outreach line-up at the Friedman Diabetes Institute in New York City, urged admonishment in reacting to the rejuvenated findings. « I wouldn’t punt on this study and say, ‘Everyone hold back taking sulfonylureas,’ » he said. But, « we are using less and less of these drugs because there are now newer and better drugs out there, » he added.

Some of the newer drugs are more costly, he noted. « If you are anxious about your risks, give to your medical practitioner for reassurance, » he said, adding that subjects should never stop alluring any prescribed medication without first talking to their doctor.

Dr Joel Zonszein, big cheese of Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, agreed that the most recent findings are far from definitive. But, « we are using sulfonylureas less and less now, » he said powered by phpbb herbal medicine. « And we are only using them in very spelt patients and often for instantly periods of times to handle leading blood sugar, and then we scourge to another drug ».

Mots-clefs : blood, diabetes, drugs, glucose, insulin, metformin, problems, sugar, sulfonylurea, sulfonylureas

link: http://alanadumais.unblog.fr/2012/01/12/sulfonylurea-drugs-increase-the-risk-of-heart-disease-2/

Breakthrough may help heal smokers’ lungs

08:01 AEDT Thu Jan 12 2012

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Australian and American researchers have made a breakthrough in their study of smoking-related lung diseases, discovering that a certain protein inhibits the ability of the lung to repair itself.

The discovery by researchers at the University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School in the US, could dramatically improve treatments and slow the progression of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which includes emphysema.

Melbourne University’s Professor Gary Anderson says the team identified that the protein SAA plays a key role in chronic inflammation and lung damage in COPD.

He said steroid treatments which work in conditions like asthma fail to block the production of SAA and consequently do not reduce inflammation in the lung.

“We believe SAA plays a critical role in why steroids are much less effective than they should be in treating COPD,” he said.

The discovery could lead to the development of a dual treatment, by firstly targeting SAA to switch off its function in the lung and secondly adding a synthetic form of the natural healing agent to boost lung healing.

He said 20 per cent of Australians smoked and about half of them suffered from some form of COPD.

But he stressed that the work being done by the researchers, with an outcome still years away, was not a golden ticket to continue smoking.

“We are hopeful the combined treatment will assist patients of all stages of COPD, particularly those in stage four with constant hospital visits, to improve their quality of life, but it would not cure disease,” he said.

He said he would treat patients even though they continued to smoke.

“Many people have a moralistic antipathy towards smokers but my feeling is they are just exploited people,” Prof Anderson told AAP.

“If they continue to smoke they will still receive help.”

The findings have been published in the prestigious scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

link: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8401756/breakthrough-may-help-heal-smokers-lungs

71% of Washington Voters Oppose Special Rule to Allow Cigar Smoking in Bars and Restaurants

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/11/4180261/71-of-washington-voters-oppose.html#storylink=cpy

link: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/11/4180261/71-of-washington-voters-oppose.html

Talk to teens about prescription drug use, pharmacy

College pharmacy students were urged Monday to educate middle and high school teens about prescription drug abuse.

In a news conference at Pittsford Sutherland High School, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., urged St. John Fisher College’s Wegmans School of Pharmacy to consider sending students to schools and teen organizations in the Rochester area.

“Educating today’s youth about substance abuse and the dangers of misusing prescription drugs is an initiative that the Wegmans School of Pharmacy fully supports,” said Scott Swigart, of the pharmacy school, in an emailed statement. “Our faculty spends a lot of time working with current students on this topic through specific coursework. We look forward to being involved in Senator Schumer’s new program.”

In a 2009 self-survey of students at 18 Monroe County schools, 10.4 percent of students reported they had used a prescription drug and 9.1 percent had used over-the-counter drugs to get high at some point during their lifetimes, according to a Schumer spokesman.

“We love the idea of pharmacy students taking the message and going into the schools,” Michele Caliva, director of the Upstate New York Poison Control Center, which serves all 54 counties outside New York City and Long Island, said by phone. The center has a “train the trainer” program to teach people to speak to others about various issues such as this. Caliva said that she examined 10 years of statistics of teenage prescription drug abuse cases that ended up in hospital emergency rooms and saw a marked increase throughout the state. She called the numbers in Monroe County “staggering” but said the problem is also great in rural areas.

She added that because the center hears only about the worst cases, the problem is many times greater.

Schumer said in a news release preceding the news conference that 55 percent of teenagers do not see a great risk in using prescription drugs and that more than 70 percent of students who abuse prescription drugs get them from family or friends.

Teens often do not understand the risk, Caliva agreed. Because stealing drugs from a family member’s medicine cabinet is not as scary as buying illegal drugs, they don’t understand that prescription drugs can cause dependency, physical problems and even death, she said.

Caliva said teens who abuse prescription drugs are usually indiscriminate about what they take, often using whatever is available. The problem extends to abuse of over-the-counter drugs and herbals, she said.

Schumer was joined at his news conference by Pittsford Central School District’s prevention coordinator, Ann Bayer; the Rochester YMCA CEO, George Romell; and Pittsford Sutherland high school students who participate in the YMCA’s Teen Leaders program.

The Pittsford district and seven other suburban districts in Monroe County have distributed pamphlets to parents about the issue.

Caliva said she would prefer face-to-face conversations with parents, but no group has invited her to speak about the issue.

link: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20111213/NEWS01/112130332

Number entering drug treatment up 52 per cent in six years: report

NEW RESEARCH into drug use in Ireland has found that the number of cases entering treatment each year for problem drug use increased by 52 per cent from 2005 to 2010.

The number of cases rose up from 5,176 to 7,878 across the six-year period.

A new report by the Health Research Board (HRB) Trends in treated problem drug use in Ireland 2005 to 2010 also found that while heroin and opiates were the most common problem drugs over each year studied, the number of cases reporting cannabis as their main problem substance increased “significantly” over the period (from 1,039 in 2005 to 1,893 in 2010).

The number of cases which reported cocaine as their main problem substance peaked in 2007 and decreased slightly in the following years, while head shop substances were reported as a main problem for the first time in 2009. This increased from 17 cases in 2009 to 213 cases in 2010, when it exceeded the numbers reporting amphetamines, ecstasy and volatile inhalants, according to the HRB report.

Meanwhile, the number of cases – both previously treated and new cases – injecting drugs decreased over the period.

Half of all new cases entering treatment over the years of the study had begun using drugs at or before 15 years of age.

The report found that the majority (68 per cent) of cases presenting for treatment over this period reported problem use of more than one substance. The drugs most often reported as additional substances were identified as cannabis, alcohol, cocaine and benzodiazepines.

The overall increase in numbers seeking drug treatment is a indication of the challenge facing those services, according to the HRB report:

The significant increase in the total number of people requiring drug treatment services is a strong indication that problem drug use remains a pressing issue throughout the country, and presents complex and multiple challenges to those providing treatment.

The report recommended further prevention measures and initiatives particularly aimed at young teenagers in an effort to delay their initiation into drug use.

It also said that an increase in harm reduction services was likely to have influenced the drop in cases injecting drugs.

link:http://www.thejournal.ie/number-entering-drug-treatment-up-52-per-cent-in-six-years-report-303297-Dec2011/

Smoking ban violators owe state $1.8M in fines

By Mark McGregor, Staff WriterUpdated 5:21 PM Sunday, December 11, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Five years after a controversial indoor smoking ban went into effect, nearly $2 million remains in unpaid fines from businesses statewide that have violated the law.

Despite enforcement efforts of the Smoke-Free Workplace Act — currently being challenged in the Ohio Supreme Court by a Columbus bar that says it’s unconstitutional — less than half of fines have been collected from businesses that continued to allow smoking in their establishments after the ban went into place on Dec. 7, 2006.

Businesses statewide have been fined more than $2.74 million since enforcement began five months after the ban started, but more than $1.82 million is still owed as of Dec. 5, according to figures from the Ohio Department of Health.

A major reason is there are a number of businesses that just aren’t paying, said Mandy Burkett, chief of the Indoor Environment section of the Ohio Department of Health.

But she said, the health department and the Ohio Attorney General’s office is trying to improve compliance on a number of different fronts. The health department certifies some fines over for collection to the attorney general’s office after 75 days, when a fee for collection service by the attorney general is added to the fine.

And the collection rate is not significantly different than any other collection program, she said. “Collection programs typically don’t yield a very high return,” Burkett said.

“I think one thing that’s important to know is that the majority of businesses are complying with the law,” she said. “Now we’re dealing with people who refuse to follow the law.”

Additionally, some delays on uncollected fines are due to businesses that are paying their fines, but doing so on a payment plan agreed upon with the state, said Clark County Health Commissioner Charles Patterson.

Locally, the Clark County Combined Health District has sent 56 fines to 21 local businesses as of Oct. 26, totaling more than $32,600. Of that, just more than $11,500 have been paid, with another $21,000 owed, according the health district.

To date, the state has reimbursed $19,500 in enforcement collections to the health district through a 90 percent reimbursement of what it collected. The state health department uses the other 10 percent for upkeep of its Web-based tracking of complaints and other costs related to enforcement.

In Champaign County, the state has conducted nearly 45 investigations totalling $4,300 in charges. The Champaign County Combined Health District turned responsibility for investigations there over to the state in June 2008.

The state health department keeps 100 percent of collections in jurisdictions where they conduct investigations. The state maintains one investigator for 40 jurisdictions statewide and adds a second when complaints increase, typically during colder months, Burkett said.

Enforcement begins with a warning, followed by tiered fines up to $2,500 with the option to double the fine if it is deemed the violation was intentional, Burkett said. All fines collected are, by law, used for further enforcement efforts.

The ban has had little ill effect on businesses and has seen some positive health impacts, according to an analysis of the ban conducted by the state.

“We’re feeling pretty positive about it,” Burkett said.

Patterson said state offices that handle the collections are understaffed.

“They’re trying to catch up and they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have available,” Patterson said.

Economic impact

The analysis released Sept. 1 said that the policy didn’t have a significant economic effect on restaurants and bars as a whole and is consistent with other states. It indicates fairly steady taxable sales for restaurants, averaging about $475 million, and a near steady increase at bars during from June 2003 to May 2010.

But Springfield pub owners Joe and Tina Ramsey had feared the ban would have dire consequences for the business they opened about a year after enforcement began.

So, the O’Conner’s Irish Pub proprietors invested $65,000 in building a year-round patio at the Northmoor Drive establishment to serve smokers and nonsmokers alike.

The covered patio has open sides in the summer, and vinyl siding and heat in the winter. Going one step further, the Ramseys installed multiple ventilation and ceiling fans.

“I truly believe if you don’t have a patio, it can hurt your business, smokers or nonsmokers,” Tina Ramsey said.

While O’Conner’s doesn’t have pre- and post-ban sales figures to compare — it wasn’t open before the ban — Tina Ramsey remembers her tip income as a bartender at an area restaurant fell about 60 percent when the ban took effect. The reason, she said, was clients patronized establishments that continued to allow smoking. “(The lack of) enforcement was the key,” she said.

Health impact

Smoking cessation classes offered by the Community Mercy REACH Department in Springfield and Urbana saw an increase after the ban took effect, said Marcy Ivory, a tobacco education coordinator for the program, part of the Springfield Regional Medical Center.

There were smokers who thought, “Maybe this is my opportunity to quit,” she said.

Part of that was some smokers questioning why they should continue smoking when they couldn’t do it inside and that others didn’t like being more visible smoking outside at a time when it became less socially acceptable, she said.

Other factors for the increase were REACH’s ability to offer free classes through grant funding, tobacco price increases and employers offering wellness programs, discounts on insurance premiums and going to tobacco-free campuses, as well as hiring based on a potential employee’s use of tobacco products, Ivory said.

Unfortunately, she said, there are fewer programs in Clark and Champaign counties offering smoking cessation classes due to funding cuts.

Statewide, the state analysis said, the ban reduced the health effects of secondhand smoke exposure.

One such indicator it pointed to was heart attacks.

The number of emergency room visits related to heart attacks in males and females decreased, with a sharp drop among males after May 2007 — the month enforcement began.

Smoking attitudes

A 2009 adult tobacco survey cited in the analysis said an estimated 4.8 percent of smokers thought smoking should be allowed in all areas, compared to 1 percent of non-smokers; about 53 percent though it should be allowed in some areas, compared to about 17 percent of non-smokers; and about 42 percent thought it should not be allowed in any areas, compared to nearly 82 percent of nonsmokers.

About half of all smokers surveyed think smoking should not be allowed in any areas of a restaurant. The other half think it should be allowed in some areas.

Time will tell what the Ohio Supreme Court will ultimately decide. One thing is clear: The law remains controversial five years later.

“I still think it should be my right as a business owner to decide (whether to allow smoking in my establishment),” Joe Ramsey said.

link: http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/springfield-news/smoking-ban-violators-owe-state-1-8m-in-fines-1297383.html?showComments=true&page=2&more_comments=false

The Justice Story: Army Capt. Peter Hains Jr. kills publisher William Annis in broad daylight at Bayside Yacht Club

Library of Congress

Capt. Peter Hains Jr.and Thornton Hains descend courthouse steps in New York City.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/justice-story-army-capt-peter-hains-jr-kills-publisher-william-annis-broad-daylight-bayside-yacht-club-article-1.976736#ixzz1dbdWTg5n

link:http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/justice-story-army-capt-peter-hains-jr-kills-publisher-william-annis-broad-daylight-bayside-yacht-club-article-1.976736?localLinksEnabled=false

Philippine capital to step up smoking ban enforcement

Philippine capital to step up smoking ban enforcement MANILA – AUTHORITIES in the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday announced a drive to strictly enforce a smoking ban in public places across the sprawling metropolis. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said that from Monday it would deploy policemen and specially trained enforcers across the city of 12 million people to round up violators. The Philippines has a law banning smoking in public places dating from 2003, but it has largely been ignored in a country where according to surveys 28 per cent of Filipinos aged 15 years and over, or 17.3 million people, are smokers. ‘We must be very strict in implementing our anti-smoking regulation,’ agency chairman Francis Tolentino said in a statement. ‘We should transform Metro Manila into a smoke-free community.’ Those caught are to be fined 500 pesos (S$14), which is more than the daily minimum wage in the impoverished country, and those who cannot pay the fine will be made to do community service. — AFP

link:http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_673909.html

Warning: this coffee is, erm, hot Nick Cooper

| Aug 15, 2011 | Comments 0 Ramsey Naja is chief creative officer at JWT MENA For many political commentators, US policies post-9/11 have been mostly built on fear. It is only normal, in the aftermath of one of the most shocking events of our time, that people would develop an extra level of wariness and that politicians would latch onto it. One blog recently put it that “fearocracy is replacing democracy”; it is a term that makes you sit up and take notice because fearocracy doesn’t stop at politics but has carved itself a pretty comfortable pad in marketing and advertising. You see it everywhere in the West these days: “Smoking kills!” screams a huge sticker on cigarette packets. “Caution: flammable!” says another on the accompanying lighter. Then there is the crisp packet that suggests you’re already fat enough as it is, the absurdist vodka ad which somehow manages to ask you to drink responsibly, the TVC for snacks that advises you with delightful hypocrisy not to eat between meals, the coffee cup that waives all responsibility if the coffee is, erm, hot, and, best of all, the peanuts pack that informs you with great fanfare, that the product contains nuts. Fear. Not just the kind of little niggle that you create to sell a product, but the greatest fear of them all in our corporate world: fear of litigation. For many of us in the Middle East, used as we are to that terrifying temple of officialdom that is the Censor’s Office, a little disclaimer here and a bit of unreadable small print is just luxury, compared to the tsunami an irritable censor can cause. And yet as we watch the West increasingly nanny-ing consumers with the most inane and infuriatingly condescending advice, perfumed with Eau De Corporate Responsibility that hardly manages to camouflage the pungent smell of legal sweat, we should thank our lucky stars for what we don’t have: we don’t have a need for armies of legal advisors, nor do we have overprotective ombudsmen – yet. Ask anyone working in the US and they will tell you: cherish the freedom this gives you – and make full use of it – while it lasts. Filed Under: 3.Blogs & Comment

link: http://campaignme.com/2011/08/15/12351/warning-this-coffee-is-erm-hot/

SGA continues to look into possibility of smoking ban

By Ariel von Quintus

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Emily BlasdellStudents often gather outside to smoke cigarettes between classes

The enterprise opportunity of Big Data: Closing the “clue gap”

By Dion Hinchcliffe | August 15, 2011, 12:56pm PDT

Summary: As accumulated information has become a top-line asset in large companies, the ability to tap into it and release value from it is not growing to match in most traditional firms. Yet this information is currently growing exponentially and becoming a challenge in its own right. Enter Big Data, one of the year’s most interesting technology stories. Big Data offers the promise of reaching the value that’s increasingly moving outside the scope of traditional IT approaches to deal with in using innovative new technologies. Smart organizations can apply Big Data methods to solve existing business problems, implement new business models, and drive growth in innovative new ways. That is, if they can find a way to move beyond their parochial ways.

New York City Adult Smoking Rate Falls to All-Time Low of 14%, Mayor Says

Ventana Research Announces New Benchmark Research and Education in Predictive Analytics

September 15, 2011

New research will provide best practices and education on analytics for predicting future business outcomes.

SAN RAMON, CA, September 15, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ — The uncertainty of customer behavior and variability in availability and cost of goods and services along with the massive amount of under-utilized business data has peaked the business world’s interest in the use of predictive analytics. Organizations are looking to harness the use of volumes of data from transactions and the Internet to provide statistics, better forecasting and optimization to stay ahead of the curve and competition. Ventana Research is launching new benchmark research to help better understand the use and maturity of predictive analytics and to provide more clarity in educating and guiding new investments.

The adoption and deployment of predictive analytics is not without challenges. One is the inherent complexity of the analytics themselves. They employ sophisticated algorithms and computational models that often require knowledge of sampling techniques to avoid bias in the analyses. Developing such analytics requires a specific process including creating models, deploying and managing them. The technological advancements in simplifying predictive analytics has made it easier to use among business analysts and within business processes but measured adoption and success is not known. This new research from the leading business technology research and advisory services firm will examine the current state of predictive analytics and patterns in the adoption of new methods and technologies to better identify best practices and areas for improvement. The research will explore how companies are using predictive analytics to streamline and improve processes, reduce risk and uncertainty, and create or enhance sources of revenue.

“Our business analytics research found 80 percent of organizations felt that that applying predictive analytics is important or very important,” said Dave Menninger, VP and Research Director of Ventana Research. “This benchmark research will examine the extent in which organizations are utilizing these types of analytics to make improvements and provide a set of core best practices for education that can shorten the time and risk of investing into predictive analytics.”

Ventana Research provides qualified research participants with a complimentary report of the research findings as well as access to a free educational webinar on key findings from the Predictive Analytics benchmark research. To learn more about Predictive Analytics and take the benchmark, please visit http://www.ventanaresearch.com/pat.

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana OnDemand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Business Week’s Business Exchange.

link:http://www.einnews.com/247pr/234937

of a school’s quality

Student loan defaults: A measure

Susana Holloway of Le Cordon Bleu’s culinary school in Portland, Ore., where a 15- or 21-month program costs $41,000. Photo: Leah Nash for The New York Times

Education is a big business. And it’s not just because tuition at some private universities costs more than several cars. It’s actually a real big business, with for-profit colleges developing into a major force of their own in the educational world.

The degree to which a number of very large high-profile for-profit universities are actually effective institutes of education has been covered quite a bit – by both the New York Timesand ProPublica – but the industry isn’t just composed of large Internet universities or predatory schools that exist only on paper.

There are hundreds of smaller schools all over the country – some quite good and some that do seem rather predatory or fraudulent. Many of them are trade schools – some teaching a specific skill, or certifying workers in a trade  and many advertising training and job-placement for a career as a hair-dresser, chef or mechanic.

One key figure to help determine how quality a school is (and this is true whether it’s for-profit or not) is the rate at which students default on their student loans.

The theory is that defaults happen when students are not getting what they were promised when they enrolled (and signed onto student loans) and haven’t completed their education, or when graduates struggle to find a job, a sign that the education wasn’t that useful or, at least, the school’s career assistance isn’t.

To get a sense of how well the schools in your area are doing, check out the Department of Education’s statistics on student loan default rates.

On Monday, the Department of Education released its latest data – and found nationally there is an increase in default rates. If a school has unnaturally high default rates it can get kicked out of the federal student loan program. That’s a relative rarity, but it’s worth noting that four of the five schools facing sanctions from the Department of Education for having too many students in default are small, for-profit trade schools with local draw for students.

(It should be noted that default rates for non-profit schools are also up – though they are significantly lower than for-profit schools where as many as 15 percent of students are defaulting on their loans.)

Of course, less-than-honest recruitment techniques or failing to prepare students for post-graduation world is not the only reason students are struggling to repay loans. A changing economy hits different industries harder than others – and that may well be reflected in the rates of students at a certain type of trade school defaulting on their loans. Are graduates of the local beauty school struggling to land work? It could be the canary in the coal mine for your area or for certain parts of the community on your beat – nationally, hair salons are booming as consumers seem reluctant  to give up getting their hair done.

The flip side is that a beauty school with unusually low rates of loan defaults could be a genuine good news story.

And discussing the student loans taken out by students in your area to attend a trade school should be part of any article about how the unemployed – whether laid off or new to the workforce – are trying to make it in tough economic times.

link: http://businessjournalism.org/2011/09/15/student-loan-defaults-measure-school-quality/

Dechert scandal shows Canadians missed the warnings of Chinese espionage Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/Dechert+scandal+shows+Canadians+missed+warnings+Chinese+espionage/5403566/story.html#ixzz1Y5MNVhqV

OTTAWA — China’s astonishing industrial engine — the best hope of the world’s economy in this recession — requires a lot of fuel.

So the Chinese work diligently to ensure a steady supply of oil, coal, ore and agricultural products. They are beating the West in grim imperial struggles in Africa, for instance, and take a healthy interest in all resource-rich countries.

For years, our spymasters have warned that the Chinese are aggressively targeting Canada, sometimes stealing military and economic secrets, but also using softer techniques to seek political intelligence and influence.

The guys running the Canadian Security Intelligence Service seem frustrated that their message isn’t heeded.

In 2007, then-CSIS director Jim Judd told a Senate committee that half of our spy agency’s resources were devoted to countering Chinese espionage.

“It’s surprising, sometimes, the number of hyperactive tourists we get here and where they come from,” he joked.

American diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks show that U.S. officials believe the Chinese government has been co-ordinating ‘spear-phishing’ cyberattacks on the United States since 2002, pillaging secrets from government computers and attacking sites they dislike, such as Google.

Earlier this year, similar attacks defeated the poor security on Canadian computers, divulging secrets and forcing officials at the Finance Department and Treasury Board to go off-line. Officials still must go to special rooms to access some sites.

Last year, CSIS director Richard Fadden told CBC that Chinese agents are engaged in a subtler business, seeking to exert influence over our politicians.

“All of a sudden, decisions aren’t taken on the basis of the public good but on the basis of another country’s preoccupations,” he said.

Fadden said Canadians aren’t taking it seriously.

“I’m making this comment because I think it’s a real danger that people be totally oblivious to this kind of issue.”

Fadden could have been referring to Bob Dechert, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs and minister of state for being totally oblivious.

Last summer, Dechert, the Ontario MP for Mississauga-Erindale, exchanged some romantic emails with Shi Rong, a Toronto correspondent for Xinhua News Agency, an organization that, spies say, routinely acts as an arm of Chinese intelligence.

Last week, those gushy messages were forwarded to all of the contacts in Shi’s email, apparently by her heartbroken husband back in China, who was said to be raising their child on his own. In the email, he accused his wife of planning to leave him for Dechert.

“To continue her love affair with this member of parliament, Shi Rong pitilessly asked to end her marriage while stationed overseas,” he wrote.

Dechert, who is married, has denied any funny business: “These emails are flirtatious, but the friendship remained innocent and simply that — a friendship.”

When asked about the story, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird dismissed it, repeatedly, as “ridiculous.”

The Prime Minister’s Office says: “Mr. Dechert has denied any inappropriate behaviour. We have no information to suggest otherwise.”

The story is anything but ridiculous, and you can be sure the Prime Minister’s Office is taking steps — likely involving CSIS — to learn whether Dechert indulged in inappropriate behaviour.

He need not have passed on secret government plans in order for security officials to be concerned. Shi may have sought gossip about Harper that might be useful to Chinese trade negotiators.

The prime minister has an opportunity to make this into a parable about threats to the national interest, and could fire Dechert.

Certainly, he can’t have much faith in his judgment. The man used his parliamentary email account to send love notes to a possible spy many years his junior. Even if she isn’t a spy, how would he know that?

On the other hand, we sell the Chinese a lot of oil, ore and canola, and we would all be better off if we sold them more.

In opposition, Stephen Harper complained about Chinese espionage, and in 2006, when he was a new prime minister, he said Canadians value human rights too highly to “sell out to the almighty dollar.”

He has changed his view, and in 2009, he made his first visit (with Dechert) to China. Premier Wen Jiabao publicly scolded him for not visiting sooner, a reprimand Harper had to take.

He’s planning to go back in November for an important round of trade talks. China is our second most important trading partner, with a bullet, and diversifying export markets is a top priority for Canada.

The Chinese, who deny spying, and are sensitive about their image, might not like it if Harper fired Dechert.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy, like Baird, criticized the media coverage: “It must be pointed out that it is irresponsible to use this to defame the Chinese government.”

In China, of course, reporters have to follow those kinds of directions.

smaher@postmedia.com

link: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/fp/yourmoney/CHINESE+ESPIONAGE+CANADA/5403566/story.html

Pharmacists should guide patients

HYDERABAD: The role of a pharmacist in advising patients on responsible and right usage of drugs has been underlined at the 71st International Congress of Federation Internationale Pharmacetique (FIP) on Tuesday, the third day of the conference being held in the city.Involving pharmacists in primary health care system would ensure responsible use of medicines, said Dr Michel Buchmann, president of FIP. “Close to twothirds of patients first approach pharmacists for treatment and only a third consult a doctor directly. The role of a pharmacist is that of a gatekeeper in the health care profession and he should refer patients to qualified practitioners,” Buchmann said.

Providing an effective dosage of medicines and responsible use of antibiotics plays a critical role in delivering the benefits of the drug, said Ton Hoek, CEO of FIP. “The number of multiple drug resistant (MDR) strains has increased due to indiscriminate use of the existing compounds. The role of a pharmacist is to discourage selfmedication and prescribe the correct dosage,” said Hoek. “There has been an urgent need for new molecules to treat diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis and the lag in development of innovative drug molecules due to increasing costs are all the more reason to use the variants already in the market responsibly,” he added.

Favouring brand name drugs over generic pharma products is a common practice among pharmacists and patients. “The patient has to be the decision maker and pharmacist should make them aware of lower cost alternatives with a dosage and quality similar to that of branded drugs,” said Dr B Suresh, chairman of host committee for congress.

link:http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pharmacists-should-guide-patients/182024-60-121.html

The meet lamented critical shortage of health professionals worldwide and unavailability of qualified professionals, especially pharmacists, in rural areas in India. It exhorted the need to employ more professionals in rural areas and to set global standards for educating pharmacists on a needbased curriculum. The education initiative is being developed by FIP in association with World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNESCO.

Ibuprofen linked to double risk of miscarriage Women who take painkillers such as ibuprofen are at more than double the risk of suffering a miscarriage, research suggests.