A short, confidential questionnaire can detect adolescent experimental smoking and identify those at high risk of nicotine addiction. The survey correctly identified 92% of smokers and found that smoking frequency increases with grade level, social influences play a role in initiation.
Children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke are at increased risk for asthma and wheezing, with effects strongest among youngest children. Exposure also associated with school absences and low lung function in older kids, highlighting the importance of preventing smoking exposure through home and public restrictions.
A Duke University study reveals that long-term genetic instability in cancer cells can be induced by stresses beyond DNA damage, including nutrient starvation and heat. This persistent genetic instability may play a key role in carcinogenesis and could help explain the large number of mutations seen in cancer cells.
Columbia University researchers found that synchronizing light therapy with a person's biological clock doubles its effectiveness as a treatment for winter depression. The most effective time was 8.5 hours after melatonin onset, which can be estimated by examining the patient's sleeping pattern.