Finally! Be free from smoking

Archive for the ‘Kabuki’ Category

CiglessBot wrote an interesting post today on
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Findings could point towards more successful smoking cessation efforts.  The study was published in an online Early Edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the week of November 24. Scripps Florida is a division of The Scripps Research Institute.
The neuropeptide, hypocretin-1 (Orexin A), may initiate a key signaling cascade, a series […]

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CiglessBot wrote an interesting post today on
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American researchers have recently discovered a connection between two proteins in the brain, linking nicotine addiction and autism.
According to a study presented at a Society for Neuroscience meeting, there is a physical and functional association between these two conditions.
The study showed that the neurexin-1 beta proteins, which are a part of the brain’s chemical […]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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If you have the less common rs16969968 form of the CHRNA5 gene and you smoke a cigarette you are more likely to get hooked. Yet another reduction in the possible scope for free will.
In a paper published in the September issue of the journal Addiction, , a multi-university collaborative team of researchers specializing in statistical genetics, gene analysis, and trait analysis reports an association between a variant in the CHRNA5 nicotine receptor gene, initial smoking experiences, and current smoking patterns.
The genetic and smoking data come from 435 volunteers. Those who never smoked had tried at least one cigarette but no more than 100 cigarettes in their lives, and never formed a smoking habit. The regular smokers had smoked at least five cigarettes a day for at least the past five years.
The regular smokers in the study were far more likely than the never-smokers to have the less common rs16969968 form [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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Addicted to smoking from your first puff?  Blame it on a chemical pathway in your brain.
Researchers at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry have discovered differences in brains that explain why some individuals become addicted to tobacco with their first cigarette while others are initially sickened by the experience.
It comes down to one brain pathway that uses dopamine, a neurotransmitter, to transmit signals related to the rewarding properties of nicotine.
Working with animals, the University of Western Ontario scientists found they were able to manipulate specific dopamine receptors in the brain to control whether nicotine was rewarding or aversive.
The work was published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Lead researcher Steven Laviolette of the department of anatomy and cell biology at Schulich said the finding may open the door to drugs to prevent smoking and reverse addiction.
“If we can develop pharmacological agents that target those receptors in these specific areas, we [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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One of the most dangerous diseases we should worry about is cancer. However, many people do not believe they could suffer from a cancerous disease, hinging their argument on the fact that certainly, one thing or the other would definitely be responsible for a man’s death.
However, the truth is that several diseases, like cancer, are precipitated by men’s behaviour, their attitude to health issues, the type of food they eat and certain things or habit they are addicted to.
For instance, millions of people all over the world are heavy smokers and alcoholics, despite the billions of naira being spent on public advertisement to warn people of the inherent or potential danger of smoking tobacco? Are you also aware that despite the increasing prevalence of skin cancers among men, some still prefer to spend their last kobo on a stick of cigarette even if they lack enough cash to buy food [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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Nearly half of America’s non smokers are sucking in fumes from tobacco products. And that’s the good news!
A new study from the Centers for Disease Control showed that 46 percent of nonsmokers had signs of nicotine in their bodies during blood tests conducted between 1999 and 2004. That is down significantly from 84 percent when similar tests were conducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
But CDC researchers emphasize that this is no reason for celebration — not with statistics showing that exposure to secondhand smoke increases nonsmoking adults’ risk of lung cancer by at least 20 percent and their odds of heart disease by at least 25 percent.
“It’s still too high,” research Cynthia Marano told The Associated Press. “There is no safe level of exposure.”
Moreover, there was little change regarding the exposure of children ages 4 to 11 to secondhand smoke. That percentage stands at 60 percent, and CDC [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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The cosmetics sector undoubtedly cashes in on our desire to look good. We spend large amounts of money on creams and different products to enhance or maintain our appearance.
However we often fail to remember how much what we consume affects us. Cigarettes, which are universally acknowledged to take a toll on our lungs, are an item that can hinder our appearance as well. Whether we are simply social smokers or chain smokers, we may be doing damage to more than our lungs.
Recent research carried out by dermatologists has shown that people addicted to smoking cigarettes have around five times as many wrinkles as those who do not indulge in the habit. Experts, noting that some studies have even proven that cigarettes yield a stronger effect than sunrays, say: “If you don’t want to experience early aging, quit smoking!”
Dull, wrinkled, dirty-gray skin, recognized by many as being “smokers’ skin,” is a [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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Banning  smoking in bars and restaurants has saved the lives of more than 75,000 Kiwis, the Health Ministry says.  Since the introduction of the legislation in December 2004, there are now 150,000 fewer smokers – bringing the total smoking population down to less than 20 per cent.
Ministry national director of tobacco control Ashley Bloomfield said half of the smokers who had quit in the past three-and-a-half years would have died as a result of their smoking.
“Those smokers who die from a smoking-related illness lose of average 15 years of life compared to non-smokers,” said Dr Bloomfield.
But Hospitality Association chief executive Bruce Robertson is disputing that where there is smoke there is fire – saying most New Zealanders would look at the statistics and think: “Really?”
Mr Robertson, whose organisation represents the bar industry, said the 75,000 figure had “little credibility” and it was hard to establish such outcomes from “very small [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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AS A practicing hypochondriac it was of particular interest to me to learn about a research company in, of all places, Iceland, which is making what could be historic advances in medicine through the study of human genetics.
This company, deCODE genetics, is exploiting a most unusual data base: that of the total population of Iceland where excellent records have been kept since Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) settlers arrived there about ten centuries ago. Today there are only slightly more than 300 000 Icelanders, of whom 94 percent are descended from the original settlers. For gene searchers this is, apparently, like a gift from heaven.
It is akin to having a vast private laboratory, enabling research on thousands of volunteers uniquely related in a manner which renders the search for genetic clues to future health problems. For example, more than 50 000 Icelanders, that is one-sixth of the population, participated [...]

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admin wrote an interesting post today on
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It was the Iranian’s who started the first democratic revolution of the twentieth century. Democracy is not a commodity you can place on top of a tank and send to a nation. This culture should be established by the people themselves and we should allow the people to make their country democratic on their own. –Shirin Ebadi

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