International Quit and Win 1996: comparative evaluation study in China and Finland

OBJECTIVES: To compare background and process variables, as well as follow up status, of the participants in the International Quit and Win '96 contests of China and Finland, and analyse factors contributing to sustained maintenance. DESIGN: A standardised 12 month follow up was conducted in both countries with random samples of participants. The sample sizes were 3119 in China and 1448 in Finland, with response rates of 91.2% and 65.2%, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: The International Quit and Win '96 contest was the second coordinated, multinational smoking cessation campaign targeted at adult daily smokers. Altogether 25 countries participated, including China with 15 000 and Finland with 6000 smokers registered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Conservative (considering all non-respondents relapsed) and non-conservative (based on respondents only) estimates were calculated for one month abstinence, 12 month continuous abstinence, and point abstinence at the time point of follow up. RESULTS: Great differences were found in the background and process variables, as well as in the outcome measures. At one year follow up, the conservative continuous abstinence rates show that the Chinese participants maintained their abstinence better (38%) compared to the Finnish ones (12%). In China women reached higher abstinence rate (50%) than men (36%), whereas in Finland men achieved a better result (14%) than women (9%). CONCLUSIONS: The Quit and Win contest is a mass smoking cessation method feasible in countries showing great variance in smoking habits and rates. However, in countries with different stages of anti-smoking development, such as China and Finland, different practical implementation strategies may be needed.     

Training pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in the stage-of-change model of smoking cessation: a randomised controlled trial in Scotland

OBJECTIVE—To evaluate a training workshop for community pharmacy personnel to improve their counselling in smoking cessation based on the stage-of-change model.
DESIGN—A randomised controlled trial of community pharmacies and pharmacy customers.
SETTING—All 76 non-city community pharmacies registered in Grampian, Scotland, were invited to participate. Sixty-two pharmacies (82%) were recruited.
SUBJECTS—All the intervention pharmacy personnel were invited to attend the training; 40 pharmacists and 54 assistants attended. A total of 492 customers who smoked (224 intervention, 268 controls) were recruited during the 12-month recruitment period (overall recruitment rate 63%).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—The perceptions of customers and pharmacy personnel of the pharmacy support and self-reported smoking cessation rates for the two groups of customers at one, four, and nine months.
RESULTS—The intervention customer respondents were significantly more likely to have discussed stopping smoking with pharmacy personnel, 85% (113) compared with 62% (99) of the controls (p<0.001). The former also rated their discussion more highly; 34% (45) of the intervention customers compared with 16% (25) of the controls rated it as "very useful" (p = 0.048). Assuming non-responders had lapsed, one-month point prevalence of abstinence was claimed by 30% of intervention customers and 24% of controls (p = 0.12); four months' continuous abstinence was claimed by 16% of intervention customers and 11% of controls (p = 0.094); and nine months' continuous abstinence was claimed by 12% of intervention customers and 7% of controls (p = 0.089). These trends in outcome were not affected by potential confounders (sex, age, socioeconomic status, nicotine dependence, and type of nicotine replacement product used) or adjustment for clustering.
CONCLUSIONS—The intervention was associated with increased and more highly rated counselling, and a trend toward higher smoking cessation rates, indicating that community pharmacy personnel have the potential to make a significant contribution to national smoking cessation targets.


Keywords: community pharmacy; health education; smoking cessation     

Nicotine replacement therapy, professional therapy, snuff use and tobacco smoking: a study of smoking cessation strategies in southern Sweden

Objectives

The strategies used to support smoking cessation among quitters were investigated according to year of smoking cessation and sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods

The 2004 public health survey in Skåne, Sweden, is a cross‐sectional study. A total of 27 757 people aged 18–80 answered a postal questionnaire. The participation rate was 59%. Different strategies to support smoking cessation—that is, no therapy, nicotine replacement (NRT), professional therapy and snus (snuff) use, were investigated among quitters according to year of smoking cessation, and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Results

14.9% of the men and 18.1% of the women were daily smokers. The prevalence of daily snus use was 19.5% among men but only 2.3% among women. Stratifying the data according to year of smoking cessation (1938–2004) revealed a significant increase in active smoking cessation strategies such as NRT, professional therapy and snus use. NRT was more common among women (23.6%) than men (14.8%) among smokers who quit in 2000–4, but snus use was more common among men (30.4% versus 8.7%). No replacement or other therapy at all was significantly more common among women (63.6%) than men (52.1%). People aged 35–80 years used more nicotine replacement than people aged 18–34, while men aged 18–34 used snus to quit smoking significantly more than men aged 55–80.

Conclusions

Snus is used commonly among men as a support for smoking cessation in Sweden. Women use pharmacological NRT to a greater extent, but this can probably not compensate for the much higher extent of snuff use as a cessation strategy among men.     

Effects of preoperative smoking cessation on the incidence and risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications in adult smokers: a systematic review

Objectives

To establish the effect of preoperative smoking cessation on the risk of postoperative complications, and to identify the effect of the timing of preoperative cessation.

Data sources

The Cochrane Library Database, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Medline, and CINAHL databases were searched, using the terms: “smoking”, “smoking‐cessation”, “tobacco‐use”, “tobacco‐abstinence”, “cigarett$”, “complication$”, “postoperative‐complication$”, “preoperative”, “perioperative” and “surg$”. Further articles were obtained from reference lists. The search was limited to articles on adults, written in English and published up to November 2005.

Study selection

Prospective cohort designs exploring the effects of preoperative smoking cessation on postoperative complications were included. Two reviewers independently scanned abstracts of relevant articles to determine eligibility. Lack of agreement was resolved through discussion and consensus. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria.

Data extraction

Methodological quality was assessed by both reviewers, exploring validation of smoking status, clear definition of the period of smoking cessation, control for confounding variables and length of follow‐up.

Data synthesis

Only four of the studies specified the exact period of smoking cessation, with six studies specifying the length of the follow‐up period. Five studies revealed a lower risk or incidence of postoperative complications in past smokers than current smokers or reported that there was no significant difference between past smokers and non‐smokers.

Conclusions

Longer periods of smoking cessation appear to be more effective in reducing the incidence/risk of postoperative complications; there was no increased risk in postoperative complications from short term cessation. An optimal period of preoperative smoking cessation could not be identified from the available evidence.     

A longitudinal study of smoking in year 7 and 8 students speaking English or a language other than English at home in Sydney, Australia

OBJECTIVE—To compare the rates and predictors of smoking uptake between adolescents speaking English and those speaking a language other than English (LOTE) at home.
DESIGN—A cross-sectional survey of year 7 and 8 students (aged 12 and 13 years) was conducted in 1994 and repeated 12 months later. A cohort of students was identified with respondents at baseline matched at follow up. χ² and logistic regression were used for analysis.
SETTING—38 schools in southern, east, and northern Sydney, Australia.
SUBJECTS—Year 7 and 8 students in the schools were included and examined on two occasions, with complete data for 5947 (80%) students at baseline and 6177 (98%) students at a 12-month follow up. Records were able to be matched perfectly for 3513 respondents (59%).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Smoking rates and predictors of smoking uptake among students speaking English or a LOTE at home.
RESULTS—At baseline, 6.1% of students surveyed were smokers. Twelve months later, 15.8% of student surveyed were smokers. There were significantly lower smoking rates among students speaking a LOTE at home compared with those speaking English at home at baseline and at 12 months. Using matched data, for students speaking English at home, five variables were significant predictors of smoking uptake: thinking it acceptable to smoke, perceived benefits of smoking, and having a brother, sister, or close friend who smokes. For students speaking a LOTE, the only predictor was the smoking status of close friends.
CONCLUSIONS—Despite the higher smoking prevalence among men with a non-English-speaking background, and the reported strong association between fathers' smoking status and smoking onset of their children, adolescents speaking a LOTE at home were significantly less likely to be smokers than their English-speaking counterparts. Thus, there would seem to be a delay of smoking onset among students speaking a LOTE at home. The smoking rates among respondents speaking a LOTE at home in this study are lower than those obtained from the studies conducted in Europe and the United States. Effective smoking prevention interventions need to be implemented at an early stage of adolescence.


Keywords: cigarette smoking; adolescents; ethnicity     

Tea brewed in traditional metallic teapots as a significant source of lead,nickel and other chemical elements

An environmental inquiry conducted by the Brussels Inter-communal Laboratory of Chemistry and Bacteriology (BILCB) has revealed that in 2000?a traditional metallic teapot caused in Brussels lead intoxication among a family of Morocco origin. Following this case study of lead poisoning and subsequent preliminary results carried out by the BILCB, which confirmed the dangerousness of this kind of item, samples of traditional metallic teapots were collected from North African groceries in Brussels by the Institute of Public Health (IPH) in collaboration with the BILCB and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC). Aluminium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc were analysed to identify metals with a potential to migrate into tea solutions. Simulants (natural tea, tea acidified with citric acid and citric acid) were brewed in those teapots in order to identify the leaching potential of migration at boiling point temperature for different contact periods. Multi-elementary analysis was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). It was concluded that the concentrations of those leached metals depend on the nature of the migration liquids, the type of teapots and the contact periods. Most teapots showed a high level of toxic metals in leachates for lead and to a less extent for nickel, which can contribute significantly to the risk of serious poisoning. A comparison of the results with the toxicological reference values was done. The teapots were withdrawn from the market by the FASFC.     

Diffusivity of sulphur dioxide in green banana as a function of temperature and concentration

Effective diffusivity of sulphur dioxide uptake in green banana was measured as a function of temperature (20‐30°C) and concentration (6,000‐10,000 ppm) of dipping solutions. The effective diffusivity varied from 2.40×10^?10 to 19.05×10^?10 m²/s. Diffusivity increased with the increase of concentration and temperature of sodium metabisulfite solution. The estimated values can be used to design a sulfiting pretreatment process of green banana before drying.     

乳酸钠对肉及肉制品防腐保鲜作用的研究进展

乳酸钠是一种天然、无毒、无甜度、低热量的食品防腐剂。由于我国冷藏运输各环节比较薄弱,在很大程度上限制了肉及肉制品的流通,因此添加无害添加剂处理以延长其货架期具有重要的现实意义。本文对乳酸钠的抑菌机理、乳酸钠和其他防腐措施联用对防腐保鲜效果的影响进行了详细综述,并指出未来的重点研究方向是将乳酸钠与物理作用联用以延长食品货架期,将乳酸钠整合在预测模型中预测腐败菌的生长或失活,进而对肉及肉制品腐败程度进行实时监控。     

新疆哈萨克族传统发酵酸马奶中酵母菌的分离鉴定

从新疆南山、水西沟、伊犁昭苏采集的哈萨克族传统发酵酸马奶中共分离得到酵母菌34株。采用传统形态学、生理生化特性方法对酵母菌进行鉴定,鉴定结果为Schizosaccharomyces 1株、Sehizoblastosporion 1株、Torulopsis 1株、Saccharomycodes 1株、Kloechera 9株、Kluveromyces 5株、Dekker 8株、Trichosporon 3株、Hansenula 2株、Brettanomyces 3株。利用5.8S rDNA序列同源性分析和系统发育树对菌株12号进行分子生物学鉴定,鉴定结果为:菌株12与标准菌株HQ396523.1同源性达到96%,为Kluveromyces的Kluveromyces marxianus,与传统鉴定结果一致,表明5.8S rDNA序列分析在酵母菌鉴定上的准确性。     

Road transport of cattle, swine and poultry in North America and its impact on animal welfare, carcass and meat quality: a review

This paper reviews the effects of road transport on the welfare, carcass and meat quality of cattle, swine and poultry in North America (NA). The main effects of loading density, trailer microclimate, transport duration, animal size and condition, management factors including bedding, ventilation, handling, facilities, and vehicle design are summarized by species. The main effects listed above all have impacts on welfare (stress, health, injury, fatigue, dehydration, core body temperature, mortality and morbidity) and carcass and meat quality (shrink, bruising, pH, color defects and water losses) to varying degrees. It is clear that the effect of road transport is a multi-factorial problem where a combination of stressors rather than a single factor is responsible for the animal's well-being and meat quality post transport. Animals least fit for transport suffer the greatest losses in terms of welfare and meat quality while market ready animals (in particular cattle and pigs) in good condition appear to have fewer issues. More research is needed to identify the factors or combination of factors with the greatest negative impacts on welfare and meat quality relative to the species, and their size, age and condition under extreme environmental conditions. Future research needs to focus on controlled scientific assessments, under NA conditions, of varying loading densities, trailer design, microclimate, and handling quality during the transport process. Achieving optimal animal well-being, carcass and meat quality will entirely depend on the quality of the animal transport process.     

Use of odd and branched-chain fatty acids in rumen contents and milk as a potential microbial marker

The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine if a correlation exists between rumen odd and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFA, i.e., C(15:0), iso C(15:0), anteiso C(15:0), C(17:0), iso C(17:0), anteiso C(17:0), and C(17:1)), uracil, and purine bases (PB), 2) to evaluate the potential of milk OBCFA secretion to predict duodenal flow of microbial protein in lactating cows, 3) to evaluate the accuracy of the latter prediction equations using an independent data set, and 4) to determine whether these predictions were more accurate than predictions based on dry matter intake (DMI) and dietary characteristics. In the first experiment, 4 lactating dairy cows arranged in a 4 x 4 Latin square were offered diets based on grass silages of different botanical composition and a standard concentrate. The relationship between rumen pool size of OBCFA and microbial matter was investigated. Rumen pool size of microbial matter (g), determined 4, 12, and 17 h after feeding, using uracil and PB as microbial markers, was closely related to OBCFA (g) [r(2) = 0.716, root mean square error (RMSE) = 4.45]. To correct for differences in marker concentrations among strains of rumen microbes, C(17:0) was included in the regression equations, resulting in an increased predictive power (r(2) = 0.780, RMSE = 3.92). The relationship between microbial flow to the duodenum and milk OBCFA yield was evaluated in a second experiment with lactating dairy cows offered diets based on grass silage and concentrates differing in starch source. Similar to observations in the rumen, milk OBCFA yield was closely related to microbial flow to the duodenum (RMSE = 4.28), but predictive power of equations did not increase when straight-chain C(17)-fatty acids were included in the regression equations (RMSE = 4.92). Evaluation of the current prediction equations with 3 independent datasets resulted in a root mean square prediction error of 20.5 and 13.4% of the observed mean for equations based on milk secretion of total OBCFA and straight-chain C(17)-fatty acids, respectively. Comparison of the accuracy of the latter equations with 2 previously published equations based on DMI and dietary characteristics suggest the former to be more accurate. This first evaluation suggests that milk OBCFA could be used as a marker for duodenal flow of microbial matter, especially when accurate measurements of DMI are not available.     

The Use of Information and Communication Technologies as a Critical Success Factor for Marketing in Turkish Agri-Food Companies

Abstract

In the mid to late 1980s, the rapid growth in computer networks and online services directed companies, including those in the agri-food industry, to use information and communication technologies (ICT). As a result of this progress, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) need to change to remain competitive in the rapidly changing business environment of the twenty-first century through the use of Internet and Web sites. The use of ICT as communication and marketing platforms provides agri-food SMEs considerable advantage. The main aim of this article is to examine the impact of the Internet and Web sites on the marketing of Turkish agri-food SMEs and to obtain information about the uses of ICT by these firms. This is reported by a two-stage survey undertaken by the Turkish agri-food directorate (KOBI).     

The Use of Information and Communication Technologies as a Critical Success Factor for Marketing in Turkish Agri-Food Companies

In the mid to late 1980s, the rapid growth in computer networks and online services directed companies, including those in the agri-food industry, to use information and communication technologies (ICT). As a result of this progress, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) need to change to remain competitive in the rapidly changing business environment of the twenty-first century through the use of Internet and Web sites. The use of ICT as communication and marketing platforms provides agri-food SMEs considerable advantage. The main aim of this article is to examine the impact of the Internet and Web sites on the marketing of Turkish agri-food SMEs and to obtain information about the uses of ICT by these firms. This is reported by a two-stage survey undertaken by the Turkish agri-food directorate (KOBI).     

发酵果蔬的功能及应用现状

随着消费者对健康饮食的日益重视,具有保健作用的发酵果蔬汁相关产品引起了研究者的广泛关注。果蔬是微生物生长的理想基质,果蔬汁发酵后会产生丰富的营养物质和多种功能活性,因此实现了果蔬高值化利用,使得未来发酵果蔬汁系列产品有着广阔的应用市场。本文综述了果蔬汁的常见发酵方式,发酵后的生物活性成分、功能活性以及发酵对果蔬汁的品质改善作用,对发酵果蔬汁行业的发展具有一定的指导意义。     

Application of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method as a complementary tool to microscopic analysis for the detection of bones and other animal tissues in home‐made animal meals

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was compared with a variation of the official microscopic technique (Directive 98/88/EC) for the detection in animal meals of cereals (wheat and corn) and animal parts (bone, feathers, meat, liver, fat and blood). Microscopy successfully detected animal bones in raw feeds with a sensitivity of 1 g kg^?1, while the sensitivity of the PCR method was in the range of 5–10 g kg^?1. Microscopy also allowed the detection of animal bones and feathers in feeds processed at 115 and 133 °C but failed to detect other animal materials. The PCR method successfully detected cereals (wheat and corn) as well as meat, bone, liver, fat and feathers after processing at 115 °C for 20 min. Heating at 133 °C under overpressure (autoclave) conditions resulted in more intense DNA fragmentation and lower DNA extractability. Nevertheless, bone and liver, as well as wheat and corn in home‐made animal meals, were successfully detected even after heating at 133 °C for 20 min. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry