Are Australian smokers interested in using low-nitrosamine smokeless tobacco for harm reduction?

AIMS: To determine (1) whether Australian smokers are aware of low-nitrosamine smokeless tobacco (LNSLT) products and (2) whether they would be interested in using LNSLT either as a long-term substitute for smoking or as an aid to quitting, if these products were to become legally available. METHODS: 401 daily smokers were recruited by a market research company to complete an internet questionnaire about their smoking history, knowledge of smokeless tobacco and intentions to purchase LNSLT under different scenarios. FINDINGS: Just under half (48%) indicated they were willing to buy an LNSLT product. Predictors of an interest in purchasing LNSLT were low income, poorer health, prior SLT use, belief that SLT is less harmful than cigarettes, switching to a lower tar cigarette in the past year, ever using nicotine replacement therapy products for quitting or other reasons, having made a failed cessation attempt in the previous year and not planning to quit smoking. Analysis of quitting and LNSLT purchasing intentions under different scenarios suggest that making LNSLT available at a much lower cost than smoked cigarettes while increasing taxes on cigarettes could provide a greater reduction in the number of smokers than the same tax increase alone. These results support further examination of the potential for LNSLT to reduce smoking-related harm in Australia.

Predicting the future prevalence of cigarette smoking in Australia: how low can we go and by when?

BACKGROUND: In Australia, smoking prevalence has declined in men since the 1950s and in women since the 1980s. Future smoking prevalence in Australia is predicted from estimates of previous and current age-specific and sex-specific cessation rates and smoking uptake in young people derived from national survey data on the prevalence of smoking between 1980 and 2007. METHODS: A dynamic forecasting model was used to estimate future smoking prevalence in the Australian population based on a continuation of these current trends in smoking uptake and cessation. RESULTS: The results suggest that Australia's smoking prevalence will continue to fall while current rates of initiation and cessation are maintained. But a continuation of current smoking cessation and initiation patterns will see around 14% of adults still smoking in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation rates will need to double for Australian smoking prevalence to reach a policy target of 10% by 2020.

Allowing the medical use of cannabis.

Cannabis has been advocated as a treatment for nausea, vomiting, wasting, pain and muscle spasm in cancer, HIV/AIDS, and neurological disorders. Such uses are prohibited by law; cannabinoid drugs are not registered for medical use in Australia and a smoked plant product is unlikely to be registered. A New South Wales Working Party has recommended granting exemption from prosecution to patients who are medically certified to have specified medical conditions. This proposal deserves to be considered by other State and Territory governments.

Risk factors for kidney stones in older women in the southern United States.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of kidney stones is disproportionate in the southern region of the United States. Risk factors for the occurrence of kidney stones in this geographic area have not been reported previously. METHODS: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is an ongoing multicenter clinical investigation of strategies for the prevention of common causes of morbidity and mortality among postmenopausal women. A case-control ancillary study was conducted on 27,410 (white or black) women enrolled in the 9 southern WHI clinical centers. There were 1,179 cases (4.3%) of kidney stones at the baseline evaluation. Risk factors for stone formation were assessed in cases versus age- and race-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Risk factors (univariate) included low dietary potassium (2,404 versus 2,500 mg/day, P = 0.006), magnesium (243 versus 253 mg/day, P = 0.003) and oxalate (330 versus 345 mg/day, P = 0.02) intake, as well as increased body mass index (28.5 versus 27.7 kg/m2, P = 0.001) and a history of hypertension (42% versus 34%, P = 0.001). A slightly lower dietary calcium intake (683 versus 711 mg/day, P = 0.04) was noted in case subjects versus control subjects, but interpretation was confounded by the study of prevalent rather than incident cases. Supplemental calcium intake >500 mg/day was inversely associated with stone occurrence. CONCLUSION: Multivariate risk factors for the occurrence of kidney stones in postmenopausal women include a history of hypertension, a low dietary intake of magnesium, and low use of calcium supplements.

Coronary heart disease in African Americans.

African Americans have the highest overall mortality rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) of any ethnic group in the United States, particularly out-of-hospital deaths, and especially at younger ages. Although all of the reasons for the excess CHD mortality among African Americans have not been elucidated, it is clear that there is a high prevalence of certain coronary risk factors, delay in the recognition and treatment of high-risk individuals, and limited access to cardiovascular care. The clinical spectrum of acute and chronic CHD in African Americans is similar to that in whites. However, African Americans have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death and present more often with unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction than whites. African Americans have less obstructive coronary artery disease on angiography, but may have a similar or greater total burden of coronary atherosclerosis. Ethnic differences in the clinical manifestations of CHD may be explained largely by the inherent heterogeneity of the coronary syndromes, and the disproportionately high prevalence and severity of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in African Americans. Identification of high-risk individuals for vigorous risk factor modification-especially control of hypertension, regression of left ventricular hypertrophy, control of diabetes, treatment of dyslipidemia, and smoking cessation--is key for successful risk reduction.

How many dependent heroin users are there in Australia?

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of dependent or daily heroin users in Australia, and to compare the prevalence in Australia with that in other developed countries. DESIGN: We applied three different methods of estimation (back-projection, capture-recapture, and multiplier) to data on national opioid overdose deaths in Australia, first-time entrants to methadone maintenance treatment, and heroin-related arrests in New South Wales. We compared our estimates with estimates derived by similar methods in countries of the European Union. DATA SOURCES: Data on national opioid overdose deaths were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Data on methadone entrants in NSW were extracted from a database maintained by the NSW Department of Health. Data on arrests for heroin-related offences were supplied by the NSW Police Service. RESULTS: The best estimates of the number of dependent heroin users in Australia in 1997-1998 from the three methods of estimation were between 67 000 and 92 000 and the median estimate was 74 000. The population prevalence was 6.9 per 1000 adults aged 15-54 years. The prevalence of heroin dependence in Australia is the same as that in Britain (7 per 1000) and within the range of recently derived estimates in the European Union (3-8 per 1000 adults aged 15-54 years). CONCLUSIONS: Although the exact figures need to be interpreted with caution, our estimates suggest that Australia has a substantial public health problem with dependent heroin use that is of a magnitude similar to that in comparable European societies.

Abnormalities of kidney function as a cause and a consequence of cardiovascular disease.

Hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), hypercreatininemia, and microalbuminuria (MA) are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypertension increases the risk of CVD by two- to three-fold and LVH (especially concentric) is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. In people with hypertension, a serum creatinine level of 1.7 mg/dL or more may be an even stronger CVD risk factor than diabetes, smoking, LVH, or systolic blood pressure. Similarly, MA is a strong and independent predictor of CVD morbidity and mortality in people with and without diabetes and/or hypertension. Impaired renal sodium handling and sodium retention are physiological hallmarks of the very early stages of heart failure. Heart failure is a physiologically delicate condition that can decompensate with excess dietary salt intake or over diuresis, or compensate with cautious therapy designed to block the sodium retention and simultaneously interrupt excessively activated neurohumoral mechanisms.

Fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal artery and adrenal adenoma in a 36-year-old woman with hypertension.

A 36-year-old woman had fibrous dysplasia of the left renal artery and an aldosterone-producing adenoma of the right adrenal gland. The patient was evaluated first for secondary hypertension using a renal angiogram that showed fibrous dysplasia with stenosis of the left renal artery; angioplasty was successful. However, 1 month after angioplasty, hypertension recurred. Initially, it was thought that it had restenosed but after a negative angiography, adrenal computed tomography showed a 0.8-cm x 1-cm tumor of the right adrenal gland. The tumor was removed surgically, markedly improving her hypertension.

ACE inhibitors. Differential use in elderly patients with hypertension.

High blood pressure (BP) in the elderly must not be ignored as a normal consequence of aging. The criteria for the diagnosis of hypertension and the necessity to treat it are the same in elderly and younger patients. The aim of treatment of elderly hypertensive patients is to decrease BP safely and to reduce risk factors associated with cerebrovascular, cardiovascular and renal morbidity and mortality. The treatment of elderly hypertensive patients should be adjusted according to the needs of the individual, based upon age, race, severity of hypertension, co-existing medical problems, other cardiovascular risk factors, target-organ damage, risk-benefit considerations and costs. In addition to the elevated BP, other cardiovascular risk factors include smoking, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia, hypercreatininaemia, peripheral vascular disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, and microalbuminuria (or albuminuria). Thus, the choice of initial antihypertensive therapy in elderly hypertensive patients should be based not only on the expected response, but also on the effects of therapy on lipid, potassium, glucose and uric acid levels, and left ventricular anatomy and function. Co-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, renal failure, gout, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidaemia and peripheral vascular disease) are major determinants for the selection of antihypertensive medications. With previous therapies (diuretics, beta-blockers, etc.), good BP control in the elderly was associated with clear and statistically significant reductions in stroke-related morbidity and mortality, but the overall effects on cardiovascular and renal complications of hypertension was either more variable or less obvious. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are not only efficacious antihypertensive agents in the elderly, but also appear promising in counteracting some of the cardiovascular and renal consequences of hypertension. They are well tolerated and have a relatively low incidence of adverse effects. ACE inhibitors possess ancillary characteristics that are potentially beneficial for many elderly patients, including reduction of left ventricular mass, lack of metabolic and lipid disturbances, no adverse CNS effects, no risk of induction of heart failure, and a low risk of orthostatic hypotension. Since ACE inhibitors may improve perfusion to the heart, kidney and brain, they are well worth considering for the treatment of elderly patients with hypertensive target organ damage, especially in patients with heart failure, and diabetic patients with early nephropathy.

The AUDIT questionnaire: choosing a cut-off score. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a 10-item questionnaire designed by the World Health Organization to screen for hazardous alcohol intake in primary health care settings. In this longitudinal study we examined its performance in predicting alcohol-related harm over the full range of its scores using receiver operating characteristic analyses. Three hundred and thirty ambulatory care patients were interviewed using a detailed assessment schedule which included the AUDIT questions. After 2-3 years, subjects were reviewed and their experience of alcohol-related medical and social harm assessed by interview and perusal of medical records. AUDIT was a good predictor of both alcohol-related social and medical problems. Cut-off points of 7-8 maximized discrimination in the prediction of trauma and hypertension. Higher cut-offs (12 and 22) provided better discrimination in the prediction of alcohol-related social problems and of liver disease or gastrointestinal bleeding, but high specificity was offset by reduced sensitivity. We conclude that the recommended cut-off score of eight is a reasonable approximation to the optimal for a variety of endpoints.

Benzodiazepine use among injecting heroin users.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent and patterns of benzodiazepine use among heroin users, and whether preferences for different benzodiazepines exist among this group. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 210 heroin users who were current users of benzodiazepines volunteered for the study and completed a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Heroin users had used a median of five different benzodiazepines, most commonly diazepam. Almost half the subjects (48%; 95% CI, 41-55) had injected benzodiazepines, 17% (95% CI, 12-22) within the preceding six months. Diazepam and temazepam were the most widely injected benzodiazepines. CONCLUSIONS: Flunitrazepam, diazepam and temazepam should be prescribed to heroin users with caution. A less popular and rarely injected benzodiazepine, nitrazepam, may be a better option for this group.

The characteristics of cocaine users among young adults in Sydney.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence and pattern of cocaine use among young Sydney adults interviewed during a study of the "market position" of cocaine. DESIGN: A telephone survey of young Sydney adults. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 499 young Sydney men and women aged between 14 and 35 were selected to ensure a sample of 300 persons who used alcohol and tobacco at least weekly, and who had been offered or had tried at least one illicit drug. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: These were the prevalence of having ever used cocaine, the frequency of cocaine use, the prevalence of daily alcohol and tobacco use, and of ever having tried marijuana, sedatives, designer drugs, amphetamines and heroin. RESULTS: Thirteen per cent of the sample (95% confidence interval [CI], 10%-16%) had ever tried cocaine, of whom only 20% (CI, 15%-25%) were current users. Cocaine users were distinguished from non-users by being more likely to be daily users of tobacco (odds ratio, 2.1; CI, 1.3-3.6) and alcohol (odds ratio, 3.0; CI, 1.7-5.6), and to have tried marijuana (odds ratio, 7.1; CI, 3.2-15.9), sedatives (odds ratio, 11.4; CI, 6.4-20.7), designer drugs (odds ratio, 17.2; CI, 9.2-32.2), amphetamines (odds ratio, 27.1; CI, 14.3-51.3), and heroin (odds ratio, 36.5; CI, 14.0-94.9). The odds of having tried cocaine increased with the number of different types of illicit drugs that the person had tried. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ever having tried cocaine was low among a sample of young adults selected to ensure an over-representation of illicit drug users. Cocaine users were more likely to have experimented with a variety of different types of illicit drugs. Only a minority of those who had ever tried cocaine were current users.

Presence of the "Beaumont" protein in serum of oral contraceptive users.

The level of the "Beaumont" protein present in serum was measured by a population of 223 black and 76 Caucasian women with different exposures to oral contraceptives (OCs). No differences were found in the values in nonusers, past users, current users, or new users of OCs. The values were higher in black nonusers and users than in comparable Caucasian groups, suggesting a racial difference. A group of 55 thrombotic women were subclassified by type of thrombosis and exposure to OC therapy. No significant difference was seen between the values in thrombotic women exposed or not exposed to OCs. A similar result was obtained when the types of thrombosis (arterial or venous) were compared. These results do not confirm Beaumont's hypothesis that antibodies are induced by contraceptive steroids in a subgroup of women on OC therapy.

Blood pressure changes and oral contraceptive use: a study of 2676 black women in the southeastern United States.

Blood pressure (BP) and weight were measured on 2676 black women attending a large southeastern family planning clinic. Repeat measurements were made after a minimum of six and upt to 24 months on 673 women who continuously used nonhormonal contraceptive (OC) therapy, and 1390 women who continuously used OCs. The mean change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) adjusted for initial BP and change in per cent ideal body weight is +1.44 mmHg in the new users of OC. This slight increase in SBP is statistically significant (p = 0.04) relative to the +0.41 mmHg increase observed in the control group. However, the adjusted diastolic blood pressure (DBP) change (+0.46 mmHg in new OC users and +1.54 mmHg in the control group) fails to support the hypothesis of a greater increase in DBP in new OC users. The adjusted mean rise in mean arterial BP does not differ significantly between new OC users and the control group. The proportion of women developing a DBP greater than or equal to 90 mmHg during the average follow-up interval of one year is 2.4% in the control group, 1.0% in the new OC users and 0.2% in the continued OC users. These results provide evidence that OC use has no significant effect on the level of mean arterial BP in black women followed for 6-24 months; and fail to support the hypothesis of a causal relationship between OC use and elevated BP in black women.

PIP: (BP) Blood pressure and weight were measured in 2676 black women attending a large southeastern family planning clinic. Repeat measurements were made after a minimum of 6 and up to 24 months on 673 women who continuously used nonhormonal contraceptive methods (control group), 613 women who initiated (OC) oral contraceptive therapy, and 1390 who continuously used OCs. The mean change in (SBP) systolic blood pressure adjusted for initial BP and change in % ideal body weight is +1.44 mmHg in the new users of OCs. This slight increase in SBP is statistically significant (p=0.04) relative to the +0.41 mmHg increase observed in the control group. However, the adjusted (DBP) diastolic blood pressure change (+0.46 mmHg in new OC users and +1.54 mmHg in the control group) fails to support the hypothesis of a greater increase in DBP in new OC users. The adjust mean rise in mean arterial BP does not differ significantly between new Oc users and the controls. The proportion of women developing a DBP or = 90 mmHg during the average follow-up interval of 1 year is 2.4%. In the control group, 1.0% in the new OC users and 0.2% in the continued OC users. These results provide evidence that OC use has no significant effect on the level of mean arterial BP in black women followed for 6-24 months; they also fail to support the hypothesis of a causal relationship between OC use and elevated BP in black women.

Variation of ethinylestradiol blood levels among healthy women using oral contraceptives.

Data concerning ethinylestradiol (EE) blood levels among 93 healthy women using oral contraceptives are presented. Seventy-two per cent of the observed variation in EE blood levels was unexplainable on the basis of time since ingestion of the last oral contraceptive, day of menstrual cycle, race, age, weight, height, blood pressure, cigarette consumption, alcohol consumption, diurnal variation, or lifetime use of oral contraceptives.

PIP: This 2-fold investigation studied 1) the extent to which women vary in blood levels of ethinylestradiol (EE) after ingesting oral contraceptives (OCs) containing similar amounts of EE or mestranol (ME), which is metabolized to EE; and 2) whatever variations might be accountable on the basis of physical, behavioral, or other characteristics. 93 healthy OC users were given either OCs with 50 mcg of ME (84 subjects) of 50 mcg of EE (9 subjects). Linear regression was used to determine relevance of variation in EE blood levels based on hours since pill ingestion, day of menstrual cycle, or any other variables. Hours since OC showed the strongest relationship to log EE, accounting for 25% of the variation. Another 3% could be accounted for by day of menstrual cycle. The remaining 72% of observed variation in EE levels could not be explained in terms of time since ingestion of last OC, day of menstrual cycle, race, age, weight, height, or use-duration of OCs.