Sunday 7 September 2008

Younger Smokers On Fast Track To Behavior Problems Later

�Adolescents world Health Organization have tried cigarettes by seventh grade are often more likely to suit regular smokers and have got behavior problems as teens, a new study finds.


"We were stricken by the degree to which early smoking appeared to indicate that kids were on the fast track toward a troubled adolescence," aforesaid Phyllis Ellickson, Ph.D., world Health Organization led the team of researchers at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif. "We wanted to find out what factors in early and after adolescence mightiness help these high-risk kids avoid negative consequences."


The report appears in the October issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.


The researchers collected data at seventh, 10th and 12th ground level from 2,000 students in California and Oregon who were early smokers in middle school. They tested the students' saliva samples for tobacco and marijuana to ensure accuracy.


At the beginning of middle school, 30 percent of the early smokers had recently used cigarettes, 14 percent were smoking regularly and 21 percent had multiple school problems, the authors wrote.


Ellickson and her colleagues ground that having peers world Health Organization smoke was a strong risk factor for becoming a regular smoker. At-risk teens were two or more times likely than low-risk teens those world Health Organization hadn't tested smoking by seventh grade to have peers wHO smoke and five times more likely to have had deuce or more problems in school.


"At grade seven, problems in school included being sent out of the classroom more than than once, skipping school multiple times and absenteeism," Ellickson said.


By the end of high school, 36 percent of early smokers were smoking regularly and 58 per centum had engaged in two or more problem behaviors, including tear drinking, abusing and marketing drugs and dropping extinct of schooling, according to the study.


The researchers constitute that teens who had not tried smoking by seventh level were 1.5 times more likely to be those wHO had ripe grades and lived in an integral family. In other words, good grades B or higher and living in an intact nuclear syndicate helped protect early smokers against these negative outcomes.


The RAND researchers complete that teens whose parents disapproved of smoking and drug exercise had depress risks of problem behavior. They suggested that universal prevention programs that target peer resistance and parental involvement could help turnabout the trends found in the study.


Jeanie Alter, platform manager and lead evaluator of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University's School or Health, Physical Education and Recreation, agreed that prevention programs can benefit teens at risk and stressed that the parents' role is key.


"Clearly, peers are an influential factor in the lives of young the great unwashed, particularly as they progress through adolescence," she aforesaid. "However, it is critical to acknowledge the significant and free burning influence of parents. Though difficult to implement, programme planners plainly must imply parents and increase their disapproval of drug use."


Ellickson PL, Tucker JS, Klein DJ. Reducing early smokers' risk for future smoke and other problem doings: insights from a five-year longitudinal work. J Adolesc Health 43(2), 2008.


Health Behavior News Service

Center for the Advancement of Health, 2000 Florida Ave. NW, Ste. 210

Washington

DC 20009
http://www.hbns.org



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Friday 29 August 2008

Anthera Pharmaceuticals Advances Global Development Strategy For Varespladib In Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

�Anthera Pharmaceuticals
Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing
anti-inflammatory drug drugs, announced the installation of the FRANCIS
(Fewer Recurrent Acute coronary events with Near-term Cardiovascular
Inflammation Suppression) clinical trial designed to analyse the encroachment of
varespladib when administered to patients within 96 hours of an Acute
Coronary Syndrome (ACS) event.



The FRANCIS trial is designed to assess the impact of oral varespladib
on known biological markers of cardiovascular risk. It will enroll up to
500 patients that volition be treated for a minimum of six months. The survey
will be conducted at sites in North America and Europe. FRANCIS testament
provide insight into the prevention of secondary Major Adverse
Cardiovascular Events (MACE) over the duration of the test. In this study,
MACE is defined as a composite termination consisting of cardiovascular expiry,
non-fatal cam stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and a
subset of revascularization following the initial upshot. During the course
of the study, patients volition receive therapeutic standard of care in
addition to high dosage Lipitor(R) (atorvastatin). In previous clinical
trials, varespladib, a potent and highly selective inhibitor of secretory
phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), has demonstrated marked improvements in
sovereign markers of cardiovascular risk including, a near complete
suppression of the target enzyme sPLA2, a clinically meaningful and
statistically meaning reduction in "bad" LDL cholesterol, and a
reduction in C-reactive protein, a known mark of inflammation.



"We are pleased with the continued progress of our varespladib
cardiovascular platform targeting secretory phospholipase A2," said Paul
Truex, President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthera Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. "The FRANCIS trial was designed with input from global regulative
agencies and industry experts and represents the following key constituent of our
international cardiovascular development programme. The multiple therapeutic
impact of varespladib's mechanism of action provides us with a unique
opportunity to develop a first-in-class merchandise targeting a
life-threatening coronary thrombosis event for which thither are limited therapeutic
options."



"Based upon the success of varespladib in two previous Phase II
clinical trials in patients with cardiovascular disease in which it
demonstrated lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory benefits, we look forward
to further evaluating the impact of varespladib on the hyper-inflammatory
state presented by ACS patients," said Dr. James Pennington, Executive Vice
President and Chief Medical Officer of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

About Acute Coronary Syndrome



Acute coronary thrombosis syndrome is a spunk condition characterized by pectus
pain occurring at lie or upon minimal effort. This condition is likewise
referred to as mentally ill angina. If the chest pain is associated with heart
muscleman damage and heart trace abnormalities, it is typically classified
as a heart attack or myocardial infarction.

About Anthera Pharmaceuticals



Anthera Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held party committed to
developing and commercializing clinical pharmaceutical products that
address unmet medical needs of patients with life-threatening, inveterate and
acute inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders.


Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc.
http://www.anthera.com



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Tuesday 19 August 2008

Mystery Jets to play intimate London show

Despite Mystery Jets being forced to cancel iI live dates this workweek (beginning August 11) due to sickness, the banding are scheduled to play a warm up show at the London Camden Barfly venue on August 21 - as first revealed on NME Radio.

Lightyears will support the band for the establish, which is set to be the band's comeback gig after having to cancel a slew of live dates due to band member Blaine Harrison falling ill and having to have treatment in hospital.


The band are define to play on the NME/Radio 1 stage at the Reading Festival on August 23, so on the Leeds situation on August 24.


To check the handiness of Mystery Jets tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or send for 0871 230 1094.



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Saturday 9 August 2008

Pamela Anderson on promotions spree


Pamela Anderson at the Late Show With David Letterman at Ed Sullivan theater in New York City, July 30. Photo Credit: PR Photos

July 31, 2008 () - Pamela Anderson flaunted her assets dressed to kill in an asymmetrical patrick White sheath prune paired with light pink heels during her confabulate to David Letterman on The Late Show at Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Wednesday, July 30.


The Baywatch star has been doing the media rounds to promote her new Reality TV series Pam: Girl on the Loose which premieres Sunday, August 3, on E!.




Pamela Anderson at the Late Show With David Letterman at Ed Sullivan theater in New York City, July 30. Photo Credit: PR Photos

Each of the eight episode series has a name such as "The Uncensored Confessions of a Trailer Camp Tramp" and "Crazy Bitch."


An E! press release says Anderson wants the show to have a "'60s-esque aesthetic flare of a feature article documentary." There will be fleeting glances of seminude shots with the narration line.




Pamela Anderson at the Late Show With David Letterman at Ed Sullivan theater in New York City, July 30. Photo Credit: PR Photos

Unlike Denise Richards, Anderson is not loss to expose her deuce boys on the show. The premiere of the show will have Anderson's older brother, mother, driver, photographer and architect talking about Anderson's finer qualities that the world has not seen.


Anderson, world Health Organization is now a US citizen, proclaimed on the Letterman depict that she is going to vote for the first metre and for Barack Obama.








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Tuesday 1 July 2008

Kids Buy Violent Games Through Online Auction Sites


Children are able to buy violent video games illegally by using internet auction sites such as eBay, a new study has found.

An investigation by the Welsh Heads of Trading Standards (WHOTS) discovered significant numbers of internet traders are selling X-rated games to youngster through online auctions.

And with violent games such as Grand Theft Auto IV increasingly linked with rising crime among Britain's youth, the study will come as worrying reading to parents and police alike.

The Trading Standards Services at six local authorities across Wales found that almost 90 per cent of internet traders sold 18-rated games to underage children.

A volunteer aged between 12 and 16 attempted to buy 18-rated video games on the internet using postal orders during the trial.

Of the 44 test purchases attempted, 38 traders sold the games to the children assisting the authorities. This represents a failure rate of 86 per cent.

Lee Jones, acting head of Trading Standards, Bridgend County borough council, said the survey showed the ease with which children can buy videogames for which they are too young.

"Traders who use auction sites and accept postal orders as payment have no method of determining whether the person they are selling to is aged 18 or over," he added.

And Brandon Cook, Trading Standards Institute (TSI) lead officer for age-restricted sales, said online sellers had "a responsibility to make sure they have methods in place to avoid breaking the law by making underage sales".

"If traders cannot be sure the person they are selling to is over 18, then they should not be selling," he went on.

"There are a number of companies out there that will run age checks on customers for internet traders. These services are very quick and relatively cheap."

According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), games and DVDs classified at 15 and 18 "will focus on "strong violence with realistic injury detail, strong horror, language, sex references and depictions of sexual activity".


24/06/2008 00:03:01





See Also

Monday 16 June 2008

Ham Sandwich - Carry the Meek

While some sound the death-knell for the album ever louder, there are still plenty whose records drown it out. Like this one.
Freed from the constraints of cool moniker syndrome and worrying whether it fits the sound, Kells quintet Ham Sandwich turn in as assured and alluring a debut as you'll get between now and the turkey.
Two singers, the right mix of poignancy and darkness in its break-up narrative and some well-timed instrument punishment give 'Carry the Meek' a primitive power which few can summon well - the line "I think I got my hearing back" is very apt, but there's a lot done to your heart too.
And, like the most dysfunctional of couplings, you'll keep coming back. Some will find the name unforgivable, but some of the music is unforgettable.
Harry Guerin