High pesticide levels found in fruit-based drinks in some countries outside U. S.
In the first worldwide study of pesticides in fruit-based soft drinks, researchers in Spain are reporting relatively high levels of pesticides in drinks in some countries, especially the United Kingdom and Spain. Drinks sampled from the United States, however, had relatively low levels, the researchers note. Their study was scheduled for the December 15 issue of ACS' Analytical Chemistry, a semi-monthly journal.
In the report, Antonio Molina-D?az, Amadeo Fern??ndez-Alba and colleagues note that strict regulations limit pesticide levels in fresh fruits, vegetables, and drinking water. However, regulators have paid less attention to the presence of pesticides in soft drinks made from fruits. Scientists are increasingly concerned about the possible impact of pesticide-containing fruit juices on the health of children, who tend to consume large amounts of such soft drinks, they add.
The scientists used a sophisticated lab test to measure levels of a wide range of common pesticides in more than 100 fruit-based soft drink samples from 15 different countries. They tested for pesticides such as carbendazim, thiabendazole, and imazalil, and malathion, which are applied to crops after harvest and can remain on fruits and vegetables during processing. They found relatively large concentrations of pesticides, in the micrograms per liter range, in most of the samples analyzed. Samples from Spain and the U. K. had the highest levels of pesticides, while samples from the U. S. and Russia were among the lowest. "Steps should be taken toward the removal of pesticides in these beverages by changing the way they are manufactured," the researchers conclude. - MTS
ARTICLE: "Determination of Pesticide Residues in Fruit-Based Soft Drinks"
CONTACT:
Antonio Molian-D?az, Ph.D.
University of Ja?©n
Ja?©n, Spain
Tiny delivery system with a big impact on cancer cells
Researchers in Pennsylvania are reporting for the first time that nanoparticles 1/5,000 the diameter of a human hair encapsulating an experimental anticancer agent, kill human melanoma and drug-resistant breast cancer cells growing in laboratory cultures. The discovery could lead to the development of a new generation of anti-cancer drugs that are safer and more effective than conventional chemotherapy agents, the scientists suggest. The research was scheduled for the Dec. 10 issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.
In the new study, Mark Kester, James Adair and colleagues at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center and University Park campus point out that certain nanoparticles have shown promise as drug delivery vehicles. However, many of these particles will not dissolve in body fluids and are toxic to cells, making them unsuitable for drug delivery in humans. Although promising as an anti-cancer agent, ceramide also is insoluble in the blood stream making delivery to cancer cells difficult.
The scientists report a potential solution with development of calcium phosphate nanocomposite particles (CPNPs). The particles are soluble and with ceramide encapsulated with the calcium phosphate, effectively make ceramide soluble. With ceramide encapsulated inside, the CPNPs killed 95 percent of human melanoma cells and was "highly effective" against human breast cancer cells that are normally resistant to anticancer drugs, the researchers say.
Penn State Research Foundation has licensed the calcium phosphate nanocomposite particle technology known as "NanoJackets" to Keystone Nano, Inc. MK and JA are CMO and CSO, respectively. - MTS
ARTICLE: "Calcium Phosphate Nanocomposite Particles for In Vitro Imaging and Encapsulated Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery to Cancer Cells"
CONTACT:
James H. Adair, Ph.D.
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
Tracking community-wide drug use by testing water at sewage treatment plants
Scientists in Oregon and Washington State are reporting the development and successful testing of a new method for determining the extent of illicit drug use in entire communities from water flushed down toilets that enters municipal wastewater treatment plants. The technique may be an effective tool for comparing drug use in different regions of the United States and the world, they note in a study was scheduled for the December 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.
In the study, Aurea C. Chiaia and colleagues note that the new test eliminates the need for sample preparation - saving time and money and decreasing the risk of sample contamination. They proved the test's effectiveness by measured levels of illegal drugs like methamphetamine and legal drugs like prescription painkillers in wastewater from seven U.S. municipalities. The research team also tested the levels of 'urine indicators' such as creatinine, a metabolic byproduct that can be used as an indicator of drug use.
The scientists determined the 'index loads' of the different drugs - the amount of drug per person per day - based on estimates of the population served by each wastewater facility. These calculated index loads generally reflect known illegal drug use patterns in the US and worldwide. The loads for methamphetamine in western and southern U.S. were much larger than previous reports from Europe, for example. The authors proposed that urine indicator compounds like creatinine could be used in place of population estimates - which can fluctuate and be unreliable - to determine more accurate community-level drug index loads, which can then be compared between municipalities. - KSD
ARTICLE: "Eliminating Solid Phase Extraction with Large-Volume Injection LC/MS/MS: Analysis of Illicit and Legal Drugs and Human Urine Indicators in US Wastewaters"
CONTACT:
Jennifer Field, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry and Department of Environmental Toxicology
Oregon State University
Healthy make-over: Natural colors replace artificial colorants in foods, beverages
In the future, Santa may be leaving candy canes and nibbling holiday cookies that are a little duller, but better for your health. The reason? Food color manufacturers are going natural. Food manufacturers worldwide are increasingly turning to more natural colors in an effort to replace potentially harmful, though often dazzling, artificial colorings now used in many foods and beverages. An article on this topic was scheduled for the December 15 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
In the article, C&EN senior editor Melody Voith points out that some artificial colors, such as Red #40, have been linked to hyperactivity in children as well as other health problems. Such health concerns have spurred colorant phase-outs and new regulations, causing manufacturers to search for natural alternatives. Food coloring now represents a $1.2 billion global market, with natural colors capturing 31 percent of the food market but growing at a rate of 5 percent yearly, according to the article.
The switch is not easy. Food manufacturers are finding it difficult to substitute synthetic colors with natural ones that preserve the exact look and appeal of the original product, whose quality consumers often judge by appearance. That's why researchers are now experimenting with a wide range of natural colorants derived from dark-colored vegetables in an effort to closely match their artificial counterparts. Ingredient makers are looking, for example, to red cabbage and purple sweet potatoes to provide new natural sources of red, purple, and blue, the article notes.
ARTICLE : "The effort to eliminate synthetics gives chemists the blues"
The American Chemical Society - the world's largest scientific society - is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Source: Michael Woods
American Chemical Society
четверг, 20 октября 2011 г.
понедельник, 17 октября 2011 г.
Genes And Genius
If you're particularly good with puzzles or chess, the reason may be in your genes.
A team of scientists, led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has gathered the most extensive evidence to date that a gene that activates signaling pathways in the brain influences one kind of intelligence. They have confirmed a link between the gene, CHRM2, and performance IQ, which involves a person's ability to organize things logically.
"This is not a gene FOR intelligence," says Danielle M. Dick, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author on the study. "It's a gene that's involved in some kinds of brain processing, and specific alterations in the gene appear to influence IQ. But this single gene isn't going to be the difference between whether a person is a genius or has below-average intelligence."
Dick's team comprehensively studied the DNA along the gene and found that several variations within the CHRM2 gene could be correlated with slight differences in performance IQ scores, which measure a person's visual-motor coordination, logical and sequential reasoning, spatial perception and abstract problem solving skills. When people had more than one positive variation in the gene, the improvements in performance IQ were cumulative. The study's findings are available online in Behavioral Genetics and will appear in an upcoming print issue of that journal.
IQ tests also measure verbal skills and typically include many subtests. For this study, subjects took five verbal subtests and four performance subtests, but the genetic variations influenced only performance IQ scores.
"One way to measure performance IQ may be to ask people to order pictures correctly to tell a story," Dick explains. "A simple example might be pictures of a child holding a vase, the vase broken to bits on the floor and the child crying. The person taking the test would have to put those pictures into an order that tells the story of how the child dropped the vase and broke it and then cried."
The researchers studied DNA gathered as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). In this multi-center study, people who have been treated for alcohol dependence and members of their families provide DNA samples to researchers, who isolated DNA regions related to alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as a variety of other outcomes.
Some of the participants in the study also took the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, a traditional IQ test. In all, members of 200 families, including more than 2,150 individuals, took the Wechsler test, and those results were matched to differences in individuals' DNA.
By comparing individual differences embedded in DNA, the team zeroed in on CHRM2, the neuronal receptor gene on chromosome 7. The CHRM2 gene activates a multitude of signaling pathways in the brain involved in learning, memory and other higher brain functions. The research team doesn't yet understand how the gene exerts its effects on intelligence.
Intelligence was one of the first traits that attracted the attention of people interested in the interplay of genes and environmental influences. Early studies of adopted children, for example, showed that when children grow up away from their biological parents, their IQs are more closely correlated to biological parents, with whom they share genes, than adoptive parents, with whom they share an environment.
But in spite of the association between genes and intelligence, it has been difficult to find specific variations that influence intelligence. The genes identified in the past were those that had profoundly negative effects on intelligence - genes that cause mental retardation, for example. Those that contribute to less dramatic differences have been much harder to isolate.
Dick's team is not the first to notice a link between intelligence and the CHRM2 gene. In 2003, a group in Minnesota looked at a single marker in the gene and noted that the variation was related to an increase in IQ. A more recent Dutch study looked at three regions of DNA along the gene and also noticed influences on intelligence. In this new study, however, researchers tested multiple genetic markers throughout the gene.
"If we look at a single marker, a DNA variation might influence IQ scores between two and four points, depending on which variant a person carries," Dick explains. "We did that all up and down the gene and found that the variations had cumulative effects, so that if one person had all of the 'good' variations and another all of the 'bad' variations, the difference in IQ might be 15 to 20 points. Unfortunately, the numbers of people at those extremes were so small that the finding isn't statistically significant, but the point is we saw fairly substantial differences in our sample when we combined information across multiple regions of the gene."
Dick says the next step is to look at the gene and its numerous variants to learn what is going on biologically that might affect cognitive performance. Presently, she says it's too early to predict how small changes in the gene might be influencing communication in the brain to affect intelligence, and she says it's nearly certain CHRM2 is not the only gene involved.
"Perhaps as many as 100 genes or more could influence intelligence," she says. "I think all of the genes involved probably have small, cumulative effects on increasing or decreasing I.Q., and I expect overall intelligence is a function of the accumulation of all of these genetic variants, not to mention environmental influences ranging from socio-economic status to the value that's placed on learning when children are growing up."
Dick DM, et al. Association of CHRM2 with IQ: Converging Evidence for a Gene Influencing Intelligence. Behavioral Genetics, DOI 10.1007/s10519-006-9131-2
This work was funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and that National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health.
Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Contact: Jim Dryden
Washington University School of Medicine
A team of scientists, led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has gathered the most extensive evidence to date that a gene that activates signaling pathways in the brain influences one kind of intelligence. They have confirmed a link between the gene, CHRM2, and performance IQ, which involves a person's ability to organize things logically.
"This is not a gene FOR intelligence," says Danielle M. Dick, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author on the study. "It's a gene that's involved in some kinds of brain processing, and specific alterations in the gene appear to influence IQ. But this single gene isn't going to be the difference between whether a person is a genius or has below-average intelligence."
Dick's team comprehensively studied the DNA along the gene and found that several variations within the CHRM2 gene could be correlated with slight differences in performance IQ scores, which measure a person's visual-motor coordination, logical and sequential reasoning, spatial perception and abstract problem solving skills. When people had more than one positive variation in the gene, the improvements in performance IQ were cumulative. The study's findings are available online in Behavioral Genetics and will appear in an upcoming print issue of that journal.
IQ tests also measure verbal skills and typically include many subtests. For this study, subjects took five verbal subtests and four performance subtests, but the genetic variations influenced only performance IQ scores.
"One way to measure performance IQ may be to ask people to order pictures correctly to tell a story," Dick explains. "A simple example might be pictures of a child holding a vase, the vase broken to bits on the floor and the child crying. The person taking the test would have to put those pictures into an order that tells the story of how the child dropped the vase and broke it and then cried."
The researchers studied DNA gathered as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA). In this multi-center study, people who have been treated for alcohol dependence and members of their families provide DNA samples to researchers, who isolated DNA regions related to alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as a variety of other outcomes.
Some of the participants in the study also took the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, a traditional IQ test. In all, members of 200 families, including more than 2,150 individuals, took the Wechsler test, and those results were matched to differences in individuals' DNA.
By comparing individual differences embedded in DNA, the team zeroed in on CHRM2, the neuronal receptor gene on chromosome 7. The CHRM2 gene activates a multitude of signaling pathways in the brain involved in learning, memory and other higher brain functions. The research team doesn't yet understand how the gene exerts its effects on intelligence.
Intelligence was one of the first traits that attracted the attention of people interested in the interplay of genes and environmental influences. Early studies of adopted children, for example, showed that when children grow up away from their biological parents, their IQs are more closely correlated to biological parents, with whom they share genes, than adoptive parents, with whom they share an environment.
But in spite of the association between genes and intelligence, it has been difficult to find specific variations that influence intelligence. The genes identified in the past were those that had profoundly negative effects on intelligence - genes that cause mental retardation, for example. Those that contribute to less dramatic differences have been much harder to isolate.
Dick's team is not the first to notice a link between intelligence and the CHRM2 gene. In 2003, a group in Minnesota looked at a single marker in the gene and noted that the variation was related to an increase in IQ. A more recent Dutch study looked at three regions of DNA along the gene and also noticed influences on intelligence. In this new study, however, researchers tested multiple genetic markers throughout the gene.
"If we look at a single marker, a DNA variation might influence IQ scores between two and four points, depending on which variant a person carries," Dick explains. "We did that all up and down the gene and found that the variations had cumulative effects, so that if one person had all of the 'good' variations and another all of the 'bad' variations, the difference in IQ might be 15 to 20 points. Unfortunately, the numbers of people at those extremes were so small that the finding isn't statistically significant, but the point is we saw fairly substantial differences in our sample when we combined information across multiple regions of the gene."
Dick says the next step is to look at the gene and its numerous variants to learn what is going on biologically that might affect cognitive performance. Presently, she says it's too early to predict how small changes in the gene might be influencing communication in the brain to affect intelligence, and she says it's nearly certain CHRM2 is not the only gene involved.
"Perhaps as many as 100 genes or more could influence intelligence," she says. "I think all of the genes involved probably have small, cumulative effects on increasing or decreasing I.Q., and I expect overall intelligence is a function of the accumulation of all of these genetic variants, not to mention environmental influences ranging from socio-economic status to the value that's placed on learning when children are growing up."
Dick DM, et al. Association of CHRM2 with IQ: Converging Evidence for a Gene Influencing Intelligence. Behavioral Genetics, DOI 10.1007/s10519-006-9131-2
This work was funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and that National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health.
Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Contact: Jim Dryden
Washington University School of Medicine
пятница, 14 октября 2011 г.
Cannabis Smoking Linked To Gum Disease
Most Popular Articles For Dentistry
These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Dental Surgery Linked To Short Term Stroke And Heart Attack Risk
19 Oct 2010
An individual who undergoes dental surgery has a higher risk of developing a heart attack or stroke for a few weeks after the procedure, British researchers have revealed in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal...
Homeopathic Teething Tablets Contain Inconsistent And Potentially Dangerous Levels Of Belladonna
24 Oct 2010
Stop Making Unproven Health Claims, FDA Tells Mouthwash Makers
28 Sep 2010
Tooth Loss Linked To Dementia
10 Jan 2011
Potential Tooth Loss Link To Breast Cancer
13 Feb 2011
_uacct = "UA-849615-1";
urchinTracker();
These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Dental Surgery Linked To Short Term Stroke And Heart Attack Risk
19 Oct 2010
An individual who undergoes dental surgery has a higher risk of developing a heart attack or stroke for a few weeks after the procedure, British researchers have revealed in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal...
Homeopathic Teething Tablets Contain Inconsistent And Potentially Dangerous Levels Of Belladonna
24 Oct 2010
Stop Making Unproven Health Claims, FDA Tells Mouthwash Makers
28 Sep 2010
Tooth Loss Linked To Dementia
10 Jan 2011
Potential Tooth Loss Link To Breast Cancer
13 Feb 2011
_uacct = "UA-849615-1";
urchinTracker();
вторник, 11 октября 2011 г.
Vocational Counseling: NDRI Learns How To Increase Participation And Help Substance Abusers
Treatment success for substance users is enhanced through employment, with reduced rates of relapse to drug use, criminality, and parole violations. Researchers from National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI) have published a study in the journal Substance Use & Misuse that identifies the factors contributing to higher participation in vocational rehabilitation services.
Sung-Yeon Kang, Stephen Magura, and Laura Blankertz from NDRI joined with Elizabeth Madison and Michael Spinelli to conduct the first scientific study identifying the predictors of engagement in vocational services among patients in methadone treatment. They studied 211 patients in two methadone treatment programs located in New York City. Most of the participants were polysubstance users prior to treatment and almost all were unemployed at the time of the study. The findings indicated that it was often the most "needy" unemployed methadone patients who became more engaged in vocational counseling when it was offered to them. Most importantly, an innovative vocational program offering active outreach, intensive counseling and ongoing support resulted in higher participation than did standard vocational counseling.
Dr. Stephen Magura, the study's Principal Investigator, pointed out: "Employment is a key ingredient in successful long-term outcomes for substance users. And achieving employment must start with strengthening active engagement in vocational counseling."
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Keywords: employment; engagement; methadone treatment; substance use; vocational counseling; vocational rehabilitation; treatment outcomes.
Substance Use & Misuse, Volume 41, Number 8 (June 2006), pp. 1125 - 1138. Predictors of Engagement in Vocational Counseling for Methadone Treatment Patients. Sung-Yeon Kang, Stephen Magura, Laura Blankertz, Elizabeth Madison, Michael Spinelli
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, grant number 5R01 DA013596
Contact: Betty Wagoner
National Development & Research Institutes
Sung-Yeon Kang, Stephen Magura, and Laura Blankertz from NDRI joined with Elizabeth Madison and Michael Spinelli to conduct the first scientific study identifying the predictors of engagement in vocational services among patients in methadone treatment. They studied 211 patients in two methadone treatment programs located in New York City. Most of the participants were polysubstance users prior to treatment and almost all were unemployed at the time of the study. The findings indicated that it was often the most "needy" unemployed methadone patients who became more engaged in vocational counseling when it was offered to them. Most importantly, an innovative vocational program offering active outreach, intensive counseling and ongoing support resulted in higher participation than did standard vocational counseling.
Dr. Stephen Magura, the study's Principal Investigator, pointed out: "Employment is a key ingredient in successful long-term outcomes for substance users. And achieving employment must start with strengthening active engagement in vocational counseling."
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Keywords: employment; engagement; methadone treatment; substance use; vocational counseling; vocational rehabilitation; treatment outcomes.
Substance Use & Misuse, Volume 41, Number 8 (June 2006), pp. 1125 - 1138. Predictors of Engagement in Vocational Counseling for Methadone Treatment Patients. Sung-Yeon Kang, Stephen Magura, Laura Blankertz, Elizabeth Madison, Michael Spinelli
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, grant number 5R01 DA013596
Contact: Betty Wagoner
National Development & Research Institutes
суббота, 8 октября 2011 г.
Does Moderate Drinking Confer Health Benefits Or Not?
While moderate drinking - one to less than three drinks per day - is linked to a decrease in mortality in middle-aged and older adults, there is also concern that the health benefits of moderate drinking have been overestimated. A new study of the association between drinking and mortality during a 20-year period, which controlled for confounding factors such as previous problem drinking, confirms an association of moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults.
Results will be published in the November 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
"Although alcohol misuse is linked to many medical conditions, considerable epidemiological evidence indicates that moderate alcohol use is related to reduced total mortality," explained Charles J. Holahan, a professor in the department of psychology at The University of Texas at Austin and corresponding author for the study. "We expected that a substantial part of the health benefits associated with moderating drinking were due to confounding factors associated with alcohol abstention. For example, abstainers may include former problem drinkers with health problems and individuals who are atypical in terms of sociodemographic and social-behavioral factors that may increase health risk."
"None of the studies that have examined the association of drinking and mortality and cardiovascular disease have been experimental studies in which a group of people was randomly chosen to drink a particular amount of alcohol or to not drink alcohol," observed Alison A. Moore, professor of medicine and psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "All have been observational studies, meaning those in which persons who consume varying amounts of alcohol are compared with those who don't. Because conditions in these observational studies are not controlled and the characteristics of persons who choose to drink varying amounts of alcohol or not differ quite a bit, it is impossible to prove that alcohol consumption causes reduced risks for coronary heart disease, diabetes or mortality."
For this study, using data gathered from a larger study of late-life patterns of drinking and related problems, researchers followed 1,824 older adults (1,142 men, 682 women) between the ages of 55 and 65 years of age - who were former or current drinkers - for 20 years. The information collected included: daily alcohol consumption, sociodemographic factors, former problem-drinking status, health factors, and social behavioral factors. Death was confirmed primarily by a death certificate.
"Controlling only for age and gender, mortality was highest among abstainers and heavy drinkers and lowest in moderate drinkers," said Holahan. "Controlling for former problem drinking status, existing health problems, and key sociodemographic and social-behavioral factors substantially reduced the mortality effect for abstainers compared to moderate drinkers. However, even after adjusting for all covariates, abstainers and heavy drinkers continued to show increased mortality risks of 49 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared to moderate drinkers."
"In other words, the association of moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults is reduced but still present when taking into consideration factors that affect both alcohol consumption and mortality," said Moore. "For example, socioeconomic status has been a consistent factor in the link between alcohol consumption and mortality. That is, those with higher income and/or education are less likely to be abstainers and to die."
Thus, the health benefits of moderate drinking ae complicated because a number of underlying health risks are correlated with later life abstention, Holahan noted.
"Our findings demonstrate that abstainers were significantly more likely to have had prior drinking problems, to be obese, and to smoke cigarettes than moderate drinkers and scored significantly higher than moderate drinkers on health problems, depressive symptoms, and avoidance coping," he said. "In addition, abstainers were significantly lower than moderate drinkers on socioeconomic status, physical activity, number of close friends, and quality of friend support and significantly less likely to be married than moderate drinkers. Moreover, all of these factors that were associated with abstention significantly predicted mortality."
Both Holahan and Moore reiterated that any health benefits are linked to moderation. "Older persons drinking alcohol should remember that consuming more than two drinks a day exceeds recommended alcohol consumption guidelines in the U.S. and is associated with increased falls, a higher risk of alcohol use problems, and potential adverse interactions with medications," said Holahan. "Moreover, nondrinkers should not start drinking to try to enhance their health, and individuals who are or plan to become pregnant, or have alcohol problems or medical conditions that could be worsened by alcohol should not drink."
Sources:
Charles J. Holahan, Ph.D.
University of Texas at Austin
Alison A. Moore, M.D., M.P.H.
University of California, Los Angeles
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Results will be published in the November 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
"Although alcohol misuse is linked to many medical conditions, considerable epidemiological evidence indicates that moderate alcohol use is related to reduced total mortality," explained Charles J. Holahan, a professor in the department of psychology at The University of Texas at Austin and corresponding author for the study. "We expected that a substantial part of the health benefits associated with moderating drinking were due to confounding factors associated with alcohol abstention. For example, abstainers may include former problem drinkers with health problems and individuals who are atypical in terms of sociodemographic and social-behavioral factors that may increase health risk."
"None of the studies that have examined the association of drinking and mortality and cardiovascular disease have been experimental studies in which a group of people was randomly chosen to drink a particular amount of alcohol or to not drink alcohol," observed Alison A. Moore, professor of medicine and psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. "All have been observational studies, meaning those in which persons who consume varying amounts of alcohol are compared with those who don't. Because conditions in these observational studies are not controlled and the characteristics of persons who choose to drink varying amounts of alcohol or not differ quite a bit, it is impossible to prove that alcohol consumption causes reduced risks for coronary heart disease, diabetes or mortality."
For this study, using data gathered from a larger study of late-life patterns of drinking and related problems, researchers followed 1,824 older adults (1,142 men, 682 women) between the ages of 55 and 65 years of age - who were former or current drinkers - for 20 years. The information collected included: daily alcohol consumption, sociodemographic factors, former problem-drinking status, health factors, and social behavioral factors. Death was confirmed primarily by a death certificate.
"Controlling only for age and gender, mortality was highest among abstainers and heavy drinkers and lowest in moderate drinkers," said Holahan. "Controlling for former problem drinking status, existing health problems, and key sociodemographic and social-behavioral factors substantially reduced the mortality effect for abstainers compared to moderate drinkers. However, even after adjusting for all covariates, abstainers and heavy drinkers continued to show increased mortality risks of 49 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared to moderate drinkers."
"In other words, the association of moderate drinking and reduced mortality among older adults is reduced but still present when taking into consideration factors that affect both alcohol consumption and mortality," said Moore. "For example, socioeconomic status has been a consistent factor in the link between alcohol consumption and mortality. That is, those with higher income and/or education are less likely to be abstainers and to die."
Thus, the health benefits of moderate drinking ae complicated because a number of underlying health risks are correlated with later life abstention, Holahan noted.
"Our findings demonstrate that abstainers were significantly more likely to have had prior drinking problems, to be obese, and to smoke cigarettes than moderate drinkers and scored significantly higher than moderate drinkers on health problems, depressive symptoms, and avoidance coping," he said. "In addition, abstainers were significantly lower than moderate drinkers on socioeconomic status, physical activity, number of close friends, and quality of friend support and significantly less likely to be married than moderate drinkers. Moreover, all of these factors that were associated with abstention significantly predicted mortality."
Both Holahan and Moore reiterated that any health benefits are linked to moderation. "Older persons drinking alcohol should remember that consuming more than two drinks a day exceeds recommended alcohol consumption guidelines in the U.S. and is associated with increased falls, a higher risk of alcohol use problems, and potential adverse interactions with medications," said Holahan. "Moreover, nondrinkers should not start drinking to try to enhance their health, and individuals who are or plan to become pregnant, or have alcohol problems or medical conditions that could be worsened by alcohol should not drink."
Sources:
Charles J. Holahan, Ph.D.
University of Texas at Austin
Alison A. Moore, M.D., M.P.H.
University of California, Los Angeles
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
среда, 5 октября 2011 г.
Wine better for your heart than gin
When the choice is red wine or gin, choose red wine - at least when considering your heart's health.
That's according to a recent study by Jefferson Medical College researchers, who compared the effects of drinking either red wine or gin on several biochemical markers in the blood. Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin. They found that drinking red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels in the bloodstream of so-called "anti-inflammatory" substances that are risk factors in the development of heart disease and stroke.
The results, which appeared recently in the journal Atherosclerosis, didn't surprise co-author Emanuel Rubin, M.D., who led the study. "It's clear from these results that while drinking some form of alcohol lowers inflammatory markers, red wine has a much greater effect than gin," says Dr. Rubin, Distinguished Professor of Pathology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
While there are well known associations between alcohol and a lowered risk of heart attack and stroke - the so-called "French paradox," for example - Dr. Rubin says that "breaking down the data epidemiologically" has been difficult.
To find evidence related to alcohol's effect in reducing heart attack and stroke, he and his colleagues at the University of Barcelona turned to "surrogate" or substitute markers of disease. Inflammation, he notes, has long been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. "High levels of c-reactive proteins and other markers of inflammation in the blood are risk factors that have been implicated in coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke," he says.
The Jefferson-led team compared the effects of red wine and gin on the levels of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood, including adhesion molecules, chemokines and white blood cells that are related to atherosclerosis. According to Dr. Rubin, no clinical trials have been done comparing the effect of red wine to that of alcoholic beverages with low levels of non-alcoholic substances, such as polyphenols.
In the first part of the study, the researcher gave 20 subjects in two groups two drinks a day of either wine or gin for 28 days. That was followed by a "washout period" of 15 days with no alcohol. In the second part of the trial, those who received red wine the first time then were given gin. Those who had gin first then received red wine. The researchers measured levels of biomarkers before and after each half of the trial. They attempted to rigorously control subjects' diets.
Both wine and gin showed anti-inflammatory effects. Both groups had reduced levels of fibrinogen which clots blood but is not an inflammatory marker, and IL-1, which is. Raised levels of fibrinogen are a risk factor for heart attack.
But red wine also dramatically lowered the levels of inflammatory molecules such as adhesion molecules, and proteins in monocytes and lymphocytes.
Dr. Rubin argues that one or two glasses of red wine a day may be beneficial, and that there is some degree of protection from heart disease and stroke by alcoholic beverages in general. Still, the results are only indirect evidence and can't prove a protective effect against the development of atherosclerosis. The study is far too brief to analyze a process that takes years to develop, he says. "It's tough to root out just what is going on," he says. "There will have to be long-term epidemiological studies done."
Contact: Steve Benowitz or Phyllis Fisher
steven.benowitzjefferson
215-955-6300
After Hours: 215-955-6060
Thomas Jefferson University
That's according to a recent study by Jefferson Medical College researchers, who compared the effects of drinking either red wine or gin on several biochemical markers in the blood. Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin. They found that drinking red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels in the bloodstream of so-called "anti-inflammatory" substances that are risk factors in the development of heart disease and stroke.
The results, which appeared recently in the journal Atherosclerosis, didn't surprise co-author Emanuel Rubin, M.D., who led the study. "It's clear from these results that while drinking some form of alcohol lowers inflammatory markers, red wine has a much greater effect than gin," says Dr. Rubin, Distinguished Professor of Pathology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
While there are well known associations between alcohol and a lowered risk of heart attack and stroke - the so-called "French paradox," for example - Dr. Rubin says that "breaking down the data epidemiologically" has been difficult.
To find evidence related to alcohol's effect in reducing heart attack and stroke, he and his colleagues at the University of Barcelona turned to "surrogate" or substitute markers of disease. Inflammation, he notes, has long been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. "High levels of c-reactive proteins and other markers of inflammation in the blood are risk factors that have been implicated in coronary artery disease and ischemic stroke," he says.
The Jefferson-led team compared the effects of red wine and gin on the levels of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood, including adhesion molecules, chemokines and white blood cells that are related to atherosclerosis. According to Dr. Rubin, no clinical trials have been done comparing the effect of red wine to that of alcoholic beverages with low levels of non-alcoholic substances, such as polyphenols.
In the first part of the study, the researcher gave 20 subjects in two groups two drinks a day of either wine or gin for 28 days. That was followed by a "washout period" of 15 days with no alcohol. In the second part of the trial, those who received red wine the first time then were given gin. Those who had gin first then received red wine. The researchers measured levels of biomarkers before and after each half of the trial. They attempted to rigorously control subjects' diets.
Both wine and gin showed anti-inflammatory effects. Both groups had reduced levels of fibrinogen which clots blood but is not an inflammatory marker, and IL-1, which is. Raised levels of fibrinogen are a risk factor for heart attack.
But red wine also dramatically lowered the levels of inflammatory molecules such as adhesion molecules, and proteins in monocytes and lymphocytes.
Dr. Rubin argues that one or two glasses of red wine a day may be beneficial, and that there is some degree of protection from heart disease and stroke by alcoholic beverages in general. Still, the results are only indirect evidence and can't prove a protective effect against the development of atherosclerosis. The study is far too brief to analyze a process that takes years to develop, he says. "It's tough to root out just what is going on," he says. "There will have to be long-term epidemiological studies done."
Contact: Steve Benowitz or Phyllis Fisher
steven.benowitzjefferson
215-955-6300
After Hours: 215-955-6060
Thomas Jefferson University
воскресенье, 2 октября 2011 г.
The 26th Of June International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking
The 26th of June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was established by the United Nations in 1987. In its 2006 edition, the UNODC launched an anti-drugs campaign entitled "Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs."
This three-years campaign focuses on different aspects of drug control: drug abuse in 2007, drug cultivation and production in 2008, and illicit drug trafficking in 2009. The campaign's goal is to raise people's awareness and mobilize support for drug control. The campaign only focuses on drugs subject to control, as specified in the three multilateral drug treaties that form the backbone of the international drug control system, which include amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), coca/cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates, and sedative hypnotics.
The UNGASS process
The international drug control system, based on three main Treaties, has been in continuous evolution since 1961. June 1998, when the 20th UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) convened in New York to debate the world drug problem, marked a critical new juncture in the global fight against drugs and set the agenda for international drug control on the eve of the 21st century, on the basis of three key documents: a political declaration, the declaration on the guiding principle of drugs demand reduction and a five-part resolution with action plans to enhance international cooperation. In adopting the political declaration, UN Member States committed themselves to achieving measurable results in reducing the illicit supply and demand for drugs by 2008. They were also asked to adapt their national drug strategies accordingly and report to the CND (UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs) on their progress in meeting UNGASS targets. Monitoring instruments were developed.
The UNGASS debate is taking place since then, the objective being that the international community would assess the efficiency of the system in place and the measures taken - based on objective data and evidences- and will decide on the follow-up to the UNGASS 1998 process and on the future of the international counternarcotics system during the high-level segment of the 52nd CND in 2009.
The EU has constructively participated in the UNGASS debate and working groups and, since September 2007, has been working on a common position to be on the table for the 2009 CND, thus demonstrating to be a fundamental actor in the world's fight against drugs and that the "European model" is efficient and a good example to follow.
The EU framework for drug policy - evaluation of the action plan/the new action plan
The EU Drugs Strategy (2005-2012) endorsed in December 2004 by the European Council, is an integral part of the multi-annual programme "The Hague Programme' for strengthening freedom, security and justice in the EU[1]". It is based on the fundamental principles of EU law and upholds the founding values of the Union: respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, solidarity, the rule of law and human rights. It aims to protect and improve the well-being of society and of the individual, to protect public health, to offer a high level of security for the general public and to take a balanced, integrated approach to the drugs problem.
The Strategy sets the framework, objectives and priorities for all drug-related activities in the EU by means of two consecutive four-year Drug Action Plans to be brought forward by the Commission. Implementation of most of the activities is the responsibility of the Member States; the Community plays a coordination role and has a complementary role (e.g. in public health) or a specific mandate on some issues (e.g. prevention of the diversion of chemical precursors used for the manufacturing of illicit drugs and the prevention of money laundering).
Depending on historical background, traditions and development patterns in the drug market, drug use and the health and social harms associated with drug dependence varies between Member States. Nonetheless, all EU Member States have formulated and implemented national drug policies that - with different levels of success - seem to be increasingly successful in reducing the most serious health and social damages associated with drug use.
The EU Drug Strategy (2005-2012) continues to be the overarching framework for the on going evaluation of the current EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-2008) and for a new EU Action Plan on Drugs covering the period from 2009 to 2012. The new EU Action Plan on Drugs covering the period from 2009 to 2012 together with the conclusions of the final evaluation are to be presented in the Communication on an EU Action Plan on Drugs (2009-2012), which is scheduled for adoption in September 2008.
Eurobarometer 233- Young people and drugs
The objective of the Eurobarometer survey is to study young citizens' attitudes and perceptions about the issues of drugs. Interviews were conducted to over 12,000 randomly selected young people (15-24 years - of- age) in the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union by telephone interviews between 14 May and 18 May 2008, around the following questions:
Becoming more informed about illicit drugs and drug use: Almost two-thirds (61%) of young people in the EU27 who responded said they would use the Internet to get information about illicit drugs and drug use in general; only in Cyprus and Greece did figures fall below 50%. There was a great similarity across Member States, with many young people opting for similar sources (the Internet, a friend, parents, a health professional or drugs counsellor). These preferences would be at the expense of potential contact with the police, social workers and a telephone helpline. However, despite the above findings, which referred to methods that theoretically might be used, the Internet (35%) was not actually the channel most frequently consulted to find out about drug-related issues. More use was made of media campaigns (46%) and school prevention programmes (39%).
Perceived health risks of using drugs: The young people that participated in the survey made a distinction between the health risks of using heroin, cocaine and ecstasy and the risks of using cannabis. Between 81% and 96% of respondents thought heroin, cocaine and ecstasy pose a high risk, while almost 41% of young people thought cannabis pose a high risk, and 43% thought cannabis poses a medium risk, somewhat similar to the risk perceived with tobacco smoking. Of the respondents, 70% thought the smoking of tobacco poses a medium to low health risk, while 75% thought alcohol poses a medium to low risk. For ecstasy and cannabis, Czech respondents stood out with only 37% and 17%, respectively, associating high health risks with these illicit drugs. Young Czechs thought tobacco (20%) and alcohol (18%) posed a slightly higher risk than cannabis (17%). Romanians were the most likely to say that alcohol or tobacco, (37% and 42%, respectively), posed a high health risk.
How should society's drug problems be tackled: The 15-24 year olds in the survey seem to support the EU's balanced approach in drug policy by advocating tough measures to be taken against drug dealers and traffickers (63%) but also advocating "soft" measures to be used against drug users, e.g. through information and prevention campaigns (47%) and the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders (33%) as opposed to tough measures against drug users (23%). Exceptions were Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and the Netherlands, where tough measures against drug users were considered to be more effective than treatment and rehabilitation.
To ban or regulate illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco: There was a consensus that heroine, cocaine and ecstasy should continue to be banned: 97% for heroin, 95% for cocaine and 94% for ecstasy. Only a very small minority would regulate one or more of these substances (3% for heroin, 4% for cocaine and 5% for ecstasy). However there were major differences in opinions relating to the use of cannabis: two-thirds (67%) of young people wanted to continue the ban and 31% wanted to bring in regulation, similar to what is custom for alcohol and tobacco. When asked if cannabis should continue to be banned young people in Romania, Sweden, and Cyprus supported a continued ban on cannabis (91%, 89%, and 84% respectively). On the other hand, respondents e.g. from the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Spain and the UK said the sale and consumption of cannabis should be regulated (53%, resp. 52%, 41% and 40%).
Access to illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco: Among all respondents, heroin was seen to be the most difficult illicit drug to obtain followed by cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis. Among 35% of them considered cocaine to be easy or very accessible, with high accessibility in Ireland (58%) and the UK (51%) and the lowest availability in Finland (9%) and Romania (19%). Cannabis was considered to be the most easily accessible: nearly two out of three respondents (63%) thought it would be fairly easy to very easy for them to acquire cannabis, with greatest availability in Spain (85%), the Czech Republic (83%) and Denmark (73%) and lowest availability in Cyprus (38%), Finland (38%) and Sweden (42%). Moreover 72% of 15-18 year-olds thought it would be easy to very easy for them to get hold of tobacco compared to 87% of 22-24 year olds and more than nine out of 10 respondents in all Member States (except Cyprus) said it would be easy for them to obtain alcohol, only 83% of respondents in Cyprus said it would be easy.
The 15-18 year-olds were the ones thinking it would be very or fairly difficult for them to get hold of illicit drugs, while the 19-24 year-olds most often expected it to be very or fairly easy to obtain them. Moreover, just under half (47%) of rural residents said it would be very difficult to acquire heroin, compared to 39% of urban residents and 40% of metropolitan residents.
[1] COM (2005) 184 final, 10.5.200
europa.eu
This three-years campaign focuses on different aspects of drug control: drug abuse in 2007, drug cultivation and production in 2008, and illicit drug trafficking in 2009. The campaign's goal is to raise people's awareness and mobilize support for drug control. The campaign only focuses on drugs subject to control, as specified in the three multilateral drug treaties that form the backbone of the international drug control system, which include amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), coca/cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates, and sedative hypnotics.
The UNGASS process
The international drug control system, based on three main Treaties, has been in continuous evolution since 1961. June 1998, when the 20th UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) convened in New York to debate the world drug problem, marked a critical new juncture in the global fight against drugs and set the agenda for international drug control on the eve of the 21st century, on the basis of three key documents: a political declaration, the declaration on the guiding principle of drugs demand reduction and a five-part resolution with action plans to enhance international cooperation. In adopting the political declaration, UN Member States committed themselves to achieving measurable results in reducing the illicit supply and demand for drugs by 2008. They were also asked to adapt their national drug strategies accordingly and report to the CND (UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs) on their progress in meeting UNGASS targets. Monitoring instruments were developed.
The UNGASS debate is taking place since then, the objective being that the international community would assess the efficiency of the system in place and the measures taken - based on objective data and evidences- and will decide on the follow-up to the UNGASS 1998 process and on the future of the international counternarcotics system during the high-level segment of the 52nd CND in 2009.
The EU has constructively participated in the UNGASS debate and working groups and, since September 2007, has been working on a common position to be on the table for the 2009 CND, thus demonstrating to be a fundamental actor in the world's fight against drugs and that the "European model" is efficient and a good example to follow.
The EU framework for drug policy - evaluation of the action plan/the new action plan
The EU Drugs Strategy (2005-2012) endorsed in December 2004 by the European Council, is an integral part of the multi-annual programme "The Hague Programme' for strengthening freedom, security and justice in the EU[1]". It is based on the fundamental principles of EU law and upholds the founding values of the Union: respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, solidarity, the rule of law and human rights. It aims to protect and improve the well-being of society and of the individual, to protect public health, to offer a high level of security for the general public and to take a balanced, integrated approach to the drugs problem.
The Strategy sets the framework, objectives and priorities for all drug-related activities in the EU by means of two consecutive four-year Drug Action Plans to be brought forward by the Commission. Implementation of most of the activities is the responsibility of the Member States; the Community plays a coordination role and has a complementary role (e.g. in public health) or a specific mandate on some issues (e.g. prevention of the diversion of chemical precursors used for the manufacturing of illicit drugs and the prevention of money laundering).
Depending on historical background, traditions and development patterns in the drug market, drug use and the health and social harms associated with drug dependence varies between Member States. Nonetheless, all EU Member States have formulated and implemented national drug policies that - with different levels of success - seem to be increasingly successful in reducing the most serious health and social damages associated with drug use.
The EU Drug Strategy (2005-2012) continues to be the overarching framework for the on going evaluation of the current EU Action Plan on Drugs (2005-2008) and for a new EU Action Plan on Drugs covering the period from 2009 to 2012. The new EU Action Plan on Drugs covering the period from 2009 to 2012 together with the conclusions of the final evaluation are to be presented in the Communication on an EU Action Plan on Drugs (2009-2012), which is scheduled for adoption in September 2008.
Eurobarometer 233- Young people and drugs
The objective of the Eurobarometer survey is to study young citizens' attitudes and perceptions about the issues of drugs. Interviews were conducted to over 12,000 randomly selected young people (15-24 years - of- age) in the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union by telephone interviews between 14 May and 18 May 2008, around the following questions:
Becoming more informed about illicit drugs and drug use: Almost two-thirds (61%) of young people in the EU27 who responded said they would use the Internet to get information about illicit drugs and drug use in general; only in Cyprus and Greece did figures fall below 50%. There was a great similarity across Member States, with many young people opting for similar sources (the Internet, a friend, parents, a health professional or drugs counsellor). These preferences would be at the expense of potential contact with the police, social workers and a telephone helpline. However, despite the above findings, which referred to methods that theoretically might be used, the Internet (35%) was not actually the channel most frequently consulted to find out about drug-related issues. More use was made of media campaigns (46%) and school prevention programmes (39%).
Perceived health risks of using drugs: The young people that participated in the survey made a distinction between the health risks of using heroin, cocaine and ecstasy and the risks of using cannabis. Between 81% and 96% of respondents thought heroin, cocaine and ecstasy pose a high risk, while almost 41% of young people thought cannabis pose a high risk, and 43% thought cannabis poses a medium risk, somewhat similar to the risk perceived with tobacco smoking. Of the respondents, 70% thought the smoking of tobacco poses a medium to low health risk, while 75% thought alcohol poses a medium to low risk. For ecstasy and cannabis, Czech respondents stood out with only 37% and 17%, respectively, associating high health risks with these illicit drugs. Young Czechs thought tobacco (20%) and alcohol (18%) posed a slightly higher risk than cannabis (17%). Romanians were the most likely to say that alcohol or tobacco, (37% and 42%, respectively), posed a high health risk.
How should society's drug problems be tackled: The 15-24 year olds in the survey seem to support the EU's balanced approach in drug policy by advocating tough measures to be taken against drug dealers and traffickers (63%) but also advocating "soft" measures to be used against drug users, e.g. through information and prevention campaigns (47%) and the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders (33%) as opposed to tough measures against drug users (23%). Exceptions were Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and the Netherlands, where tough measures against drug users were considered to be more effective than treatment and rehabilitation.
To ban or regulate illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco: There was a consensus that heroine, cocaine and ecstasy should continue to be banned: 97% for heroin, 95% for cocaine and 94% for ecstasy. Only a very small minority would regulate one or more of these substances (3% for heroin, 4% for cocaine and 5% for ecstasy). However there were major differences in opinions relating to the use of cannabis: two-thirds (67%) of young people wanted to continue the ban and 31% wanted to bring in regulation, similar to what is custom for alcohol and tobacco. When asked if cannabis should continue to be banned young people in Romania, Sweden, and Cyprus supported a continued ban on cannabis (91%, 89%, and 84% respectively). On the other hand, respondents e.g. from the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Spain and the UK said the sale and consumption of cannabis should be regulated (53%, resp. 52%, 41% and 40%).
Access to illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco: Among all respondents, heroin was seen to be the most difficult illicit drug to obtain followed by cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis. Among 35% of them considered cocaine to be easy or very accessible, with high accessibility in Ireland (58%) and the UK (51%) and the lowest availability in Finland (9%) and Romania (19%). Cannabis was considered to be the most easily accessible: nearly two out of three respondents (63%) thought it would be fairly easy to very easy for them to acquire cannabis, with greatest availability in Spain (85%), the Czech Republic (83%) and Denmark (73%) and lowest availability in Cyprus (38%), Finland (38%) and Sweden (42%). Moreover 72% of 15-18 year-olds thought it would be easy to very easy for them to get hold of tobacco compared to 87% of 22-24 year olds and more than nine out of 10 respondents in all Member States (except Cyprus) said it would be easy for them to obtain alcohol, only 83% of respondents in Cyprus said it would be easy.
The 15-18 year-olds were the ones thinking it would be very or fairly difficult for them to get hold of illicit drugs, while the 19-24 year-olds most often expected it to be very or fairly easy to obtain them. Moreover, just under half (47%) of rural residents said it would be very difficult to acquire heroin, compared to 39% of urban residents and 40% of metropolitan residents.
[1] COM (2005) 184 final, 10.5.200
europa.eu
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