In the News

Tobacco Killed 50 Million People in Last Decade Worldwide

Globe-with-cigarette Fifty million people worldwide have died from tobacco-related causes over the past decade, according to a new report by the World Lung Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

The groups estimate that if current trends continue, a billion people will die from tobacco use and exposure in this century.

The Tobacco Atlas notes smoking rates in the developed world are on the decline, while rates are climbing in poorer areas of the world. Last year, tobacco use resulted in the deaths of almost 6 million people worldwide, with almost 80 percent occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

In China, tobacco is the number one killer, responsible for 1.2 million deaths per year, according to the atlas. That number is expected to grow to 3.5 million by 2030, Reuters reports.

College Drinking Consequences

The recent trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player in the death of his girlfriend brought into focus the consequences of college drinking and the shared responsibility to keep it under control.

Testimony at the trial of George Huguely V, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 26 years in prison, described a college drinking culture and the inability of friends, for various reasons, to intervene in his heavy drinking.

College students "drink more on average than their same-age peers who are not enrolled in college," said Susan Bruce, director of the Gordie Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, a national center at the University of Virginia.

Fruit Fly Study May Provide Clues to Human Alcohol Dependence

Fruitfly Male fruit flies spurned by females are more likely to turn to food soaked in alcohol than their male counterparts who successfully mate, according to a study that may provide clues about human alcohol dependence.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, let one group of male fruit flies mate with available females, while another group of males mingled with females who had already mated, and were not interested in the males’ advances. After four days, the flies in both groups were able to feed from glass tubes that contained either yeast and sugar, or yeast, sugar and alcohol. The male flies that could not mate drank the alcohol mixture about 70 percent of the time, compared with about 50 percent of males who had mated, The New York Times reports.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption Cost U.S. $224B in 2006

Excessive College Drinking Report findings: most of the costs were due to binge drinking

The cost of excessive alcohol consumption in the United States in 2006 reached $223.5 billion or about $1.90 per drink, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost three–quarters of these costs were due to binge drinking, consuming four or more alcoholic beverages per occasion for women or five or more drinks per occasion for men, the report said.

Excessive alcohol consumption, or heavy drinking, is defined as consuming an average of more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women, and an average of more than two alcoholic beverages per day for men, and any drinking by pregnant women or underage youth.

Physicians Not Familiar With Synthetic Marijuana Symptoms

Many emergency room physicians are not familiar with symptoms caused by synthetic marijuana such as "K2" and "Spice," which are sending a growing number of teenagers to the hospital, according to USA Today.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published a report for physicians about the side effects of the drugs, to help them be on the lookout for the symptoms, according to lead author Joanna Cohen, MD, of Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Signs of synthetic marijuana abuse include agitation, excessive sweating, inability to speak, restlessness and aggression, according to the report. The drugs also cause "euphoric and psychoactive effects" similar to those caused by marijuana. These symptoms require immediate medical attention, Cohen said.

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