Effects of e-Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents’ Perceptions of Cigarettes

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effect of exposure to “cigalike” (products resembling cigarettes) e-cigarette advertisements on adolescents’ perceptions of cigarettes. A nationally representative sample of 802 adolescents (13–17 years old) was randomly assigned to watch three e-cigarette or three control advertisements. Never-smokers who saw the e-cigarette advertisements (n = 352) reported significantly lower perceived risks of smoking than those in the control condition (n = 320). Ever-smokers (n = 130) did not show significant differences across the conditions. In subgroup analyses, current smokers (reported smoking in the past 30 days, n = 31) in the e-cigarette condition reported significantly lower perceived benefits of smoking than those in the control condition. E-cigarette advertisements can affect adolescents’ perceptions of cigarettes. Many advertisements, especially the ones promoting “cigalikes,” depict e-cigarettes as being similar to cigarettes (e.g., look, flavor) but also as a solution for cigarettes’ shortcomings (e.g., bad smell). While the advertisements include messages about problems posed by cigarettes, proposing e-cigarettes as a solution may decrease the perceived risks of smoking among never-smokers. It may also not be clear to adolescents whether advertisements are for cigarettes or e-cigarettes. Regulating e-cigarette advertisements to minimize adolescents’ exposure may prevent potential harmful effects on never-smokers’ perception of smoking.     

Clinical Observation on Treatment of Status Asthmaticus

Status asthmaticus is a form of bronchial asthma attack. The severe one can cause failure of respiratory function. To alleviate the symptoms quickly, routine therapy could combined with compound salvia miltrorrhiza injection and vitamin K3. Compared the 36 patients in two groups and found the effects were obvious. Intravenous drip with compound salvia mihiorrhiza injection can dilate the vessel, improve the microcirculation and pulmonary circulation, correct oxygen deficit and quickely dispel sputum, thus it‘s conductive to the elimination of convulsion of airway. Vitamin K3 can promote the synthesis and conversion of cyclic AMP and alleviate the inflammatory exudation, thus improve and strengthen the function of ventiliation.     

Classification of alcoholics on the basis of plasma β-endorphin concentration

Recent findings suggest that a genetic deficit in opioids may be a biological marker of alcoholism. In other words, decreased plasma concentrations of opioids may be a predisposing factor, rather than a consequence, of alcohol consumption. We attempted to classify 88 randomly chosen individuals as alcoholics or nonalcoholics on the basis of plasma concentration of β-endorphins. This criterion had a sensitivity of 73.30% and a specificity of 79.45%. Its positive predictive value was 42.30%, and its negative predictive value was 93.55%.     

Effects of in utero administration of phenobarbital on γ-glutamyl transpeptidase

The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of the in utero administration of phenobarbital (Pb) on gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) in rats. Female Wistar rats were bred to healthy adult males. On day 1 of gestation (evidenced by spermatozoa from vaginal smear) the pregnant rats were given 100 mg/kg phenobarbital (as the sodium salt) daily via the BioServ Liquid diet throughout gestation. Pair-fed controls were given the same volume of food as consumed by the experimental group. The offspring were sacrificed at birth and body, brain and liver weights determined. The pups born to the Pb treated mothers weighed significantly less than those born to the control mothers (4.77 and 6.60 g respectively). The brains and livers were homogenized in Tris buffered saline and assayed for γ-GTP activity. Brain γ-GTP activity was found to be 0.00807 u in the Pb group and 0.00670 u in the control group. We also examined the effects of chronic administration of Pb in adult rats and found no apparent effect on liver or brain γ-GTP activity.     

Influence of the porosity on the ²²²Rn exhalation rate of concrete

The composition of 23 concrete mixtures was varied in five separate series to evaluate the influence of porosity on the 222Rn exhalation rate. In each series, a range in porosities is obtained by varying (1) the amount of cement, (2) type of cement (Portland or blast furnace slag cement), (3) the amount of water at a fixed cement level, (4) addition of an air entraining agent, or (5) the amount of recycled aggregates. The porosities ranged from 1% to 16%. The 222Rn exhalation rate is normalized to the 22?Ra activity concentration and expressed as the 222Rn release factor to eliminate the effect of differences in 22?Ra activity concentrations among the various concrete mixtures. Since most 222Rn originates from the cement, a 222Rn release factor based on the amount of 22?Ra introduced by the cements appeared to be more adequate. Although the methods to attain the porosities in the concrete mixtures differ widely, this cement-related factor corresponds well with the capillary porosity of the mixtures. Since the water-to-cement ratio of the fresh paste is a good indicator of the capillary porosity, this is the guiding factor in the fabrication of concretes low in 222Rn exhalation. The lower the water-to-cement ratio, the less capillary pore area will be available from which 222Rn can emanate from the mineral matrix into the pore system. The good correlation between the cement-based 222Rn release factor and literature data on the internal capillary pore area support the results of this study.     

The Influence of Moxibustion on “Housanli” on GAS, MTL and Weight in Ganji Models of Rat

To explore the action mechanism of moxibustion on Zusanli (ST36) in treating malnutrition. Methods Infantile SD rats were divided into normal group, model group, comparison group and treatment group. Ganji models of rat were made by feeding high fat and high calorie food. Then they were treated with moxibustion on “Housali”. Results After the models being made, the appetite,weight, GAS and MTL were decreased. After two periods of treatment, they were all increased and were nearly turned to be normal level. Conclusion Moxibustion on Zusanli (ST36) can improve the appetite,weight, GAS and MTL in Ganji models of rat and regulate their digestive function.     

Effects of Peer-Review Groups on Physicians’ Practice

Background: Peer-review groups are often considered to be an effective means of improving routine practice at the primary health care level. In contrast, little evidence has been published proving the efficacy of peer-review groups in controlled studies.

Objectives: This study evaluates the effects of peer-review groups of primary-care physicians on process quality of diabetes care, especially the screening of retinopathy, nephropathy and peripheral neuropathy.

Methods: Prospective controlled study, assessment of office-based documentation of diabetes-related data in a random sample of 25 patients per practice initially and after one year in the intervention and the control group.

Intervention: Primary-care physicians from ten practices participated in five sessions of a structured peer-review group on the subject of diabetes. Control: Seven primary-care physicians met once to discuss the results of the first assessment of office-based documentation of diabetes-related data.

Results: Records of 239 patients in the intervention group and 164 patients in the control group could be evaluated. Initially, in the patients’ charts results of screening for diabetic foot complications could hardly be detected: In the intervention group a result of pallaesthesia screening with a tuning fork was documented in 0.4% of diabetic patients and in 4.9% in the control group. Results of screening for retinopathy were documented in 8.4 resp. 5.5%, results of screening for microalbuminuria in 1.2 vs. 8.5% per year. After intervention, relevant improvements were observed in the intervention group: Documentation of screening for pallaesthesia increased up to 35.1% (+34.7% absolute), documentation of screening for retinopathy up to 32.2% (+23.8% absolute), whereas the results in the control group remained unchanged.

Conclusion: Structured peer-review groups following the described methodology are a means of changing physicians’ behaviour concerning the quality of office-based documentation. Further relevant improvements in process quality would be desirable. Other means (e.g. remuneration combined with control of process quality) should be evaluated.     

Effects of suspended clay on bioconcentration of Kelthane® in fathead minnows

The experiment was designed to determine the effect of suspended clay sediments on the bioconcentration of the chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide Kelthane^® (dicofol, 4-chloro-α-(4-chlorophenyl)-α-(trichloromethyl) benzene methanol) in fathead minnowsPimephales promelas). The test was carried out under continuous-flow conditions with a modified Mount-Brungs toxicant dilution apparatus and an exposure period of 28 days. Two known safe Kelthane^® treatment levels were tested in both filtered lake water and lake water containing approximately 65 mg/L of clay particles. The clay sediments decreased bioconcentration in fathead minnows by 35%, indicating that the 30 + % of total Kelthane^® sorbed onto clay was biologically unavailable to the fish. Bioconcentration factors at the two Kelthane^® concentrations were not significantly different. Steady-state concentrations were estimated to occur in 39 to 60 days of exposure at 9,500 to 18,900 times water levels.     

The effect of intralipid® on polymorphonuclear leucocytes

Total parenteral nutrition is associated with a relatively high frequency of infections. Infusion of intravenous fat emulsions have been demonstrated to cause impairment of some functions of the white cells. We evaluated the effect of intravenous infusion of at emulsions (Intralipid^® 20%) on the function of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Motility, phagocytic activity, fungicidic activity, oxygen consumption, superoxide generation, ATP-consumption during phagocytosis, and chemotaxis were used as parameters for leucocyte function. Opsonization time was used as parameter for serum dependent activity of the leucocytes.Twenty-four normal persons were at random allocated to two groups of 12 persons receiving either 400 ml 20% Intralipid or 400 ml isotonic saline. There was a significant increase in serum concentration of triglyceride in the group receiving Intralipid^®. The motility of the leucocytes was slightly improved in this group after discontinuation of the infusions, but this change was not significant (0.05<p<0.10). All other parameters were completely unaffected by both the Intralipid^® and the saline infusions. All p- values were above 0.20.The function of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes is the refore not impaired by intravenous fat infusions. Thus, other factors than impairment of neutrophil function, because of infusion of fat emulsions, must be sought to explain the high frequency of infections in patients receiving parenteral nutrition.     

Effect of Processing on Reduction of λ-Cyhalothrin Residues in Tomato Fruits

Persistence behaviour of λ-cyhalothrin in tomato fruits was studied following application with recommended (15 g a.i. ha⁻¹) and double the recommended (30 g a.i. ha⁻¹) dosage of λ-cyhalothrin at fruiting stage under two different temperature conditions. Samples were collected on 0 (1 h after spray), 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 days after application. Effects of processing like washing, washing followed by boiling were studied to dislodge the residues of λ-cyhalothrin on tomato fruits. Residues were estimated by GC–ECD capillary system. Residues of λ-cyhalothrin persisted up to 7 days in tomato fruits. The half-life (t _1/2) periods were observed to be 2.07 and 1.88 days at room temperature and 2.35 and 2.02 days under refrigerated condition for single and double dose, respectively. The process of washing followed by boiling reduced the residues effectively (74–84%) whereas by washing only, residues could be reduced in the range of 37–40%. In samples under refrigerated condition, residues decreased slightly less than the samples stored under room temperature. Washing followed by boiling reduced the residues from 72 to 80% whereas only washing reduced the residues from 35 to 36% In soil samples, residues of λ-cyhalothrin reached below detectable level of 0.005 mg kg⁻¹ on 3rd and 7th day at single and double dose, respectively.     

The effect of self-explanation of pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases on medical students’ diagnostic performance

Self-explanation while diagnosing clinical cases fosters medical students’ diagnostic performance. In previous studies on self-explanation, students were free to self-explain any aspect of the case, and mostly clinical knowledge was used. Elaboration on knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases has been largely unexplored in studies of strategies for teaching clinical reasoning. The purpose of this two-phase experiment was to investigate the effect of self-explanation of pathophysiology during practice with clinical cases on students’ diagnostic performance. In the training phase, 39 4th-year medical students were randomly assigned to solve 6 criterion cases (3 of jaundice; 3 of chest pain), either self-explaining the pathophysiological mechanisms of the findings (n = 20) or without self-explaining (n = 19). One-week later, in the assessment phase, all students solved 6 new cases of the same syndromes. A repeated-measures analysis of variance on the mean diagnostic accuracy scores showed no significant main effects of study phase (p = 0.34) and experimental condition (p = 0.10) and no interaction effect (p = 0.42). A post hoc analysis found a significant interaction (p = 0.022) between study phase and syndrome type. Despite equal familiarity with jaundice and chest pain, the performance of the self-explanation group (but not of the non-self-explanation group) on jaundice cases significantly improved between training and assessment phases (p = 0.035) whereas no differences between phases emerged on chest pain cases. Self-explanation of pathophysiology did not improve students’ diagnostic performance for all diseases. Apparently, the positive effect of this form of self-explanation on performance depends on the studied diseases sharing similar pathophysiological mechanisms, such as in the jaundice cases.     

The impact of firms’ adjustments on the indirect cost of illness

Illness-related absenteeism reduces firms’ output, an effect referred to as indirect cost (IC) and often included in cost-of-illness or cost-effectiveness (of health technologies) studies. The companies may foresee this effect and modify hiring or contracting policies. We present a model allowing the estimation of IC with such adjustments. We show that the risk of illness does not change the general shape and properties of the (expected) marginal productivity function. We apply our model to several illustrative examples and show that firm’s adjustments impact IC in an ambiguous way, depending on detailed company/market characteristics: in some cases the company reduces the employment (further increasing IC), in another—the opposite happens. Contrary to previous findings, teamwork and shortfall penalties may reduce IC in some settings. Our analysis highlights that IC should be split into the result of companies preparing for and actually experiencing sick leaves.     

The Impact of Decision Makers’ Constraints on the Outcome of Value of Information Analysis

Background

When proven effective, decision making regarding reimbursement of new health technology typically involves ethical, social, legal, and health economic aspects and constraints. Nevertheless, when applying standard value of information (VOI) analysis, the value of collecting additional evidence is typically estimated assuming that only cost-effectiveness outcomes guide such decisions.

Initial impact of SARS-Cov-2 vaccination on healthcare workers in Italy– Update on the 28th of March 2021

In Italy, the COVID-19 vaccination campaign started in December 2020 with the vaccination of healthcare workers (HCW). To analyse the real-life impact that vaccination is having on this population group, we measured the association between week of diagnosis and HCW status using log-binomial regression. By the week 22–28 March, we observed a 74% reduction (PPR 0.26; 95% CI 0.22–0.29) in the proportion of cases reported as HCW and 81% reduction in the proportion of symptomatic cases reported as HCW, compared with the week with the lowest proportion of cases among HCWs prior to the vaccination campaign (31 August-7 September). The reduction, both in relative and absolute terms, of COVID-19 cases in HCWs that started around 30 days after the start of the vaccination campaign suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are being effective in preventing infection in this group.