Smoking Cessation News and Research

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Coordinated care by physician anesthesiologists can benefit knee replacement patients

Knee replacement patients go home sooner, are highly satisfied and incur less cost when a physician anesthesiologist coordinates care, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting.

16 Oct 2014

Cardiometabolic health intervention urged for schizophrenia patients

Research shows high cardiometabolic risk, particularly increased dyslipidaemia and smoking, but little related medical treatment in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

15 Oct 2014

Combination of behavioral support and medication helps people stop smoking

Numerous randomized clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of the two major forms of smoking cessation treatment - behavioral support and medication - in helping smokers quit. Researchers have now demonstrated that this approach can successfully translate to the "real world" and that a combination of the two treatments offers almost a threefold chance of success over attempts to quit without using a cessation aid.

8 Oct 2014

E-cigarettes fail to help cancer patients give up smoking

In a new study of cancer patients who smoke, those using e-cigarettes (in addition to traditional cigarettes) were more nicotine dependent and equally or less likely to have quit smoking traditional cigarettes than non-users.

24 Sep 2014

Current smokers at increased risk of developing SPLC

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survivors who never smoked or who are former smokers at the time of diagnosis have a lower risk of developing secondary primary lung cancers (SPLC) compared to those who are current smokers, suggesting that increased tobacco exposure is associated with a higher risk of SPLC, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's 56th Annual Meeting.

17 Sep 2014

The Miriam Hospital receives Primary Stroke Center certification for fifth consecutive year

The Miriam Hospital has for the fifth time been designated by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center.

16 Sep 2014

Benefits of blood pressure lowering drugs for low risk patients 'still open to question'

Dr Stephen Martin and colleagues argue that this strategy is failing patients and wasting healthcare resources. They call for a re-examination of the threshold and urge clinicians to be cautious about treating low risk patients with blood pressure lowering drugs.

16 Sep 2014

Scientists measure responses to rewards during nicotine withdrawal across species

Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide and is associated with approximately 440,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population continues to smoke cigarettes.

15 Sep 2014

FDA approves Contrave extended-release tablets for chronic weight management

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. jointly announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Contrave® extended-release tablets as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.

11 Sep 2014

Weekly text message reminder can help many people to make healthy food choices

Many people are unaware that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's mandated nutrition labels are based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, but a simple weekly text message reminder can greatly improve that awareness, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

10 Sep 2014

Miriam Hospital receives grant from NIH to prevent spread of sexually transmitted HIV in women

The Miriam Hospital is part of a research collaboration that has received a $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop an intravaginal ring (IVR) that can deliver powerful antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted HIV in women.

9 Sep 2014

Triple-S Salud collaborates with Voxiva and TracFone Wireless to improve health, satisfaction

Triple-S Salud has partnered with TracFone Wireless, Inc. and Voxiva, Inc. to improve the health and satisfaction of their members by providing access to free cell phones and health messaging programs.

8 Sep 2014

Gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women in Australia is closing

The gap in stillbirth rates between indigenous and non-indigenous women in Queensland, Australia, is closing, however indigenous women are still at risk of stillbirth due to preventable causes, find researchers in a new study published today (3 September) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG).

4 Sep 2014

American Heart Association issues new policy recommendations on use of e-cigarettes

The American Heart Association issued new policy recommendations today on the use of e-cigarettes and their impact on tobacco-control efforts. The guidance was published in the association's journal, Circulation.

25 Aug 2014

Postdischarge intervention helps smokers quit smoking

Among hospitalized adult smokers who wanted to quit, a postdischarge intervention that included automated telephone calls and free medication resulted in higher sustained smoking cessation rates at six months than standard postdischarge advice to use smoking cessation medication and counseling, according to a study in the August 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Aug 2014

Research roundup: Benefits of smaller practices; Rx price growth; fixing Medicare claims reviews

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services has taken steps to prevent its contractors from conducting certain duplicative postpayment claims reviews-;reviews of the same claims that are not permitted by the agency-;but CMS neither has reliable data nor provides sufficient oversight and guidance to measure and fully prevent duplication.

16 Aug 2014

American Journal of Public Health special issue to highlight health disparities among Veterans Affairs

In an online-only, open access special issue of the American Journal of Public Health, researchers investigate issues of health equity, quality and disparities within the Veterans Affairs health care system.

7 Aug 2014

Study to measure attitudes toward e-cigarettes among physicians treating adult smokers

Physicians are increasingly discussing and recommending electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as cessation devices for their patients, but more research needs to be done on their efficacy and safety, according to a new survey of North Carolina physicians published in PLOS ONE.

31 Jul 2014

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease flare-ups: an interview with Dr. MeiLan Han, University of Michigan and Scott Cerreta, Director of Education, COPD Foundation

During a flare-up, symptoms of a patient’s COPD worsen significantly, and breathing becomes more difficult. A persistent increase in shortness of breath, cough and sputum production are typical symptoms.

30 Jul 2014

RI Defeats Hepatitis C project aims to eliminate HCV in Rhode Island

Lynn E. Taylor, M.D., director of The Miriam Hospital's HIV/Viral Hepatitis Coinfection program, states in the July, 2014 Rhode Island Medical Journal special edition, "RI Defeats Hep C" that eliminating hepatitis c virus infection (hep c or HCV) is feasible, can provide economic benefits, enhance capacity to address other health challenges, and improve health care disparities.

26 Jul 2014