After 20 years, the family of a New Jersey man who died from a smoking-related illness has reached a settlement with cigarette makers, the Newark Star-Ledger reported May 17.

Peter Rossi of Westfield smoked up to four packs a day for 40 years. When he died in 1984 of cancer at age 55, his three daughters, ex-wife, and second wife sued the tobacco companies. The case was finally settled in April.

The lawsuit, which claimed the cigarette makers produced a defective, unsafe product and inadequately informed consumers about the dangers of smoking, triggered the release of internal tobacco-company documents which have since been used in other individual tobacco lawsuits.

The terms of the agreement were not released. The lawsuit sought $358,000 in lost income for Rossi, $10,000 for medical and funeral costs, and punitive damages. Liggett Group Inc., was the only defendant named in the settlement. R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and the parent company of Lorillard were removed as defendants because Rossi smoked their brands after warning labels were placed on the products.

"It feels like a huge victory," said Susan Haines, Rossi's oldest daughter. "There's been a whole change of consciousness. If my father had a small part to play in contributing to that, that's a good thing."

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A Look Into if You are Drinking Too Much

Some Alcohol Problems Require Alcohol Rehab If you or someone you know regularly drinks alcohol, there are questions that need addressed. At times do you feel you drink too much? In conjunction to that do you ever feel like you should cut back on drinking? Has the consumption of liquor and alcohol become a habitual daily practice? It is an escape from the realities of life in general? Is it something you or that person does to escape problems? If the answer to these questions is yes, chances are you have an alcohol problem of some level. It isn't an indicator of an alcoholic or a need for alcohol rehab, just that the drinking is a little excessive.

The truth is most people can socially drink with no ill effects. Alcohol as a depressant can help to relax and calm individuals. Social drinking is perfectly acceptable behavior for those who can hold their liquor per se. However excessive drinking often can be an indicator of a greater alcohol problem. There are many factors that make up an addiction. An alcohol problem is one of them. With the right social situations and emotional or psychological issues, the consumption of alcohol can become habitual and even controlling in nature.

An alcohol problem, or drinking too much, doesn't initially require alcohol or drug rehab. If people feel it is a problem simply cutting back can help immensely. Even the help of a local 12-step group or support meeting attendance can be helpful at cutting back on alcohol. Alcohol rehab is needed when you can’t cut back, and the body and mind need the drinks to maintain a normal function. Alcoholrehab is needed when the abuse of alcohol takes over other aspects of life like jobs, friends and family.

An addiction to alcohol is a struggle. It is something that only escalates out of control. Initially alcohol addiction can be as harmless as a simple excessive drinking, but can result into a life or death situation. Alcoholism is a chemical dependence to liquor. The body and mind cannot maintain any sense of function unless alcohol is in the system. It is an endless carving to drink that can not be quenched. At this point alcohol rehab can be critical. At this stage of addiction the only solution is to stop consumption completely. Alcoholism is a gradual process from the initial alcohol problem. It is however a quick descent with a difficult process of climbing out.

If alcohol rehab is needed, an inpatient facility can be beneficial. Inpatient facilities function as a safe haven away from the influences of alcohol. They are controlled environments where it's possible to get control of life again. Inpatient alcohol rehab can provide the answers to many of the difficult questions of why a person must drink to feel normal. One of the leading inpatient alcohol rehab facilities is Cirque Lodge Sundance Utah. The dedicated staff of this facility knows what it takes to get life back from alcohol addiction. They do it with a unique program of leading therapies and a number of fun and enjoyable activities. It is a place to end the addiction and learn to control the alcohol problem.

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Alcoholism and Vitamin Deficiency - Treatment and Recovery

Korsakoff’s syndrome, which is also known as amnesic-confabulatory syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis, is caused by a deficiency of thiamine or vitamin B1 in the brain. The disorder is named after the Russian neuropsychiatrist, Sergei Korsakoff, who discovered and popularized the theory.

How does Korsakoff’s syndrome manifest itself?

There are six major symptoms of Korsakoff's syndrome:

* Anterograde Amnesia - a loss of memory of what happens after the injury that caused the amnesia.
* Retrograde Amnesia - where events prior to the injury-causing one are forgotten. To a large degree, anterograde amnesia remains a mysterious ailment because the precise mechanism of storing memories is not yet well-understood, although scientists know which regions of the brain are involved.
* Apathy- individuals don’t have interest in things for very long and seem indifferent to change.
* Little content is offered in conversations and a lack of insight.
* Confabulation – are memories that are invented to fill in gaps of memories. These gaps are usually associated with blackouts.

Other signs that are associated with Korsakoff’s include: ataxia, tremors, paralysis of eye muscles, coma and lack of insight into the severity of the condition.

How does this occur?

Causes

There are several conditions or behaviors that can lead to Korsakoff’s including:

Chronic alcoholism which is automatically correlated with vitamin deficiency and malnutrition is a precursor to Korsakoff’s. As alcohol can irritate and inflame the stomach lining, thiamine deficiency can occur.

Other dietary deficiencies causing Korsakoff’s include prolonged vomiting, eating disorders, or from the effects of chemotherapy. This can also occur in pregnant women due to a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, which is extreme morning sickness. Mercury poisoning has also been known to cause the disorder.


What is the mechanism in the brain that causes Korsakoff’s?

The symptoms mentioned above are caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 or thiamine. This is thought to cause damage to the medial thalamus of the brain as well as damaging parts of the hypothalamus. In addition, thiamine deficiency can lead to an overall cerebral atrophy. This disorder involves neuronal loss, or damage to the neurons. In addition, gliosis can occur which is damage to the cells which support the central nervous system. The lack of thiamine and malnutrition can lead to the hippocampus decaying, leaving holes that cause ones short term memory to transfer into long term memory (see anterograde amnesia).

How is Korsakoff’s treated?

As the individual is lacking thiamine, treatment takes place by replacing the missing vitamin. Thiamine is replaced by intramuscular or intravenous injection. In addition, the proper nutrition or hydration is required. Irregardless of how much of the thiamine is replaced, the amnesia and brain damage that are caused by the disease do not respond to thiamine replacement. Even if treatment is successful, it often takes two years for some sign of recovery. In cases where recovery is achieved, it is slow and may not be complete.

Prevention of Korsakoff’s

The best way to avoid this syndrome is by making sure that a thiamine deficiency does not result. As the most common cause of thiamine deficiency in the Western world is alcoholism it should be quite clear that alcohol in excess should be avoided. It should be made clear that this deficiency does not result in an absence of thiamine in the diet, but rather a resistance on part of the body to properly absorb the nutrients. Alcohol can cause inflammation of the stomach and the intestines which is where nutrients are soaked in. At one point in time, thiamine was added to alcoholic beverages; however, it did not assist alcoholics. The addition of alcohol has been blocked by the U.S. governments as some political groups attest that adding thiamine to alcohol would further encourage excess drinking.

In addition to the effects of thiamine deficiency, alcohol is neurotoxic which means with time, the neurons (part of the brains framework and ‘communication’ system) can become damaged; specifically focusing on the hippocampus. This is the area responsible for short term memory and spatial thinking. When one consumes alcohol, the body releases cortisol, a stress hormone. In excess, it has been found that cortisol cause further damages to the hippocampus which may be irreversible if present for a long period of time. Using alcohol in moderation will not cause Korskoff, however, continued use can cause all of the effects mentioned above including dementias. This may give one something to think about before picking up that first or second glass of wine, or bottle of beer.

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Binge Drinking

In the United States, when one thinks of binge drinking the first thing most people think of is a fraternity toga party. There is much debate over what actually defines binge drinking. The definition of binge drinking that is most often acknowledged is drinking twenty five or more drinks for men and eighteen drinks or more for women on one occasion. Binge drinking is usually associated with intoxication and being in a large group of people. However, people around the world may have a different perception of what binge drinking consists of. Different behaviors, different liquors, and difference of opinion as to what is considered acceptable will define binge drinking.

Australia

A culture of binge drinking is prevalent among many communities, for example at high schools, universities, at parties, amongst some Aboriginal groups and in sporting clubs. Those who are able to consume large amounts of alcohol are often held in high regard by their peers. Binge drinking and getting drunk to a point of complete loss of control may not only be accepted but encouraged. Drinking to this extent often begins, in a minority of social circles, at as young as 13 and 14, and may be very widely practised and accepted by most by age 16 or 17. This is the main advantage of binge drinking in Australia; it is passed off by the younger generations as "being Australian" and is seen as a perfectly normal cultural practice for some.


Canada

University students are often found binge drinking. It is common for drinking to be accompanied by hostile behavior. During the first week of orientation which is known as ‘frosh’ week, college students are known for binge drinking. In fact, many university towns and cities in Canada include drinking sub cultures.

Europe

As a general rule, European children have exposure to alcohol much earlier than American children, with the approval of parents. In most countries, the drinking age is eighteen, and in many restaurants as well as other jurisdictions adolescents can order certain alcohols with a parent’s supervision. Diluted wines and other mixed drinks may also be given to children as well. In several countries including: Denmark, Germany, Portuagal, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium the legal drinking age is sixteen. It is generally believed that binge drinking is less prevelant in the southern part of the continent— France, Italy and the Mediterranean.

Russia

In Russia, binge drinking or ‘zapoy’ usually consists of two days of continuous drunkenness. Close to fifty percent of working age Russian men are killed by alcohol abuse.

Spain

Big bottle drinking or ‘botellon’ is something that youth between sixteen and twenty four often do. Drinks are purchased in stores and taken to wide open spaces where friends sit, drink and listen to music. Most drink three to five drinks in less than five hours which consists of binge drinking..

United Kingdom

In the majority of Europe, alcohol is to be consumed with a meal over the course of an evening. In the UK however, alcohol is drank quickly and in massive quantities usually leading to drunkenness. In fact on a given night out, young adults are pressured into not only drinking but getting drunk. UK officials have begun to regard this as a more serious issue because of the number of casualties that have occurred related to binge drinking. In 2003 the cost of binge drinking in the UK was estimated as twenty billion pounds. In January 2005, one million admissions to UK accident and emergency units were alcohol-related.

New Zealand

Eight or more drinks in one session are considered to be binge drinking in New Zealand. The drinking age in New Zealand was recently dropped from twenty to eighteen. The argument being, at eighteen individuals are able to serve in war and vote, as well as other adult activities so drinking should be no different. This lead to more problems as opposed to alleviating concerns as more underage drinkers would ask their counterparts to buy them liquor.

South Africa

The most prevalent age for binge drinking in South Africa is between eighteen and thirty five years of age. The word 'Phuza' in Zula is translated as drink is often used to describe ‘Phuza Thursday’. In the event that someone is hung over one might say he or she is ‘Phuza face’.

United States

University students are often characterized as having a propensity for drinking even though the drinking age in the U.S. is twenty one. Athletes and fraternity/sorority members are the stereotypical heavy drinks, especially at football games, after final exams and on spring break when there were typically no rules enforced. An explanation for binge drinking behavior, is university students are on their own for the first time without parental supervision and drinking is considered the cool thing to do. It is arguable that the twenty one year old drinking age is the reason why youth drinks more. There are just as many arguments against the lowering the drinking age.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health found binge drinking is most prevalent in the following states: Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The survey found that the lowest binge-drinking rate in the U.S. was in Utah.


This article was last modified on 9/16/2007.


References
1. Binge Drinking: Key Facts and Issues. International Center for Alcohol Policies. Last accessed November 20, 2006.
2. "Alcohol Alert Digest", Institute of Alcohol Studies, UK
3. Nemtsov, Alexander (2005). Russia: alcohol yesterday and today. Addiction 100 (2), 146–149.
4. Tomkins, S, L. Saburova, N. Kiryanov, E. Andreev, M. McKee, V. Shkolnikov, D. A. Leon (2007). Prevalence and socio-economic distribution of hazardous patterns of alcohol drinking: study of alcohol consumption in men aged 25-54 years in Izhevsk, Russia. Addiction 102 (4), 544–553.
5. Treml, Vladimir G. (1982). Death from Alcohol Poisoning in the USSR. Soviet Studies 34 (4), 487-505.
6. BBC Binge drinking costing billions 19 September 2003
7. Kapka Kassabova The unbearable lightness of being English
8. Perkins HW, Linkenbach J, Dejong W. Estimated blood alcohol levels reached by "binge" and "nonbinge" drinkers: a survey of young adults in Montana. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 2001 Dec;15(4):317-20.
9. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and alcoholism. Alcohol Tolerance (Alcohol Alert number 31 from NIAA). Washington, DC: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1996.

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A growing number of teens are misusing the prescription muscle relaxant Soma to get high, CBS News reported June 2.

"Some students are crushing it up and snorting it," said Mesa Police Sgt. Sean Kelly in Arizona. "They're also mixing it with alcohol. "

In Mesa recently, 29 students were suspended for possessing the drug. A 16-year-old girl was arrested for smuggling 3,000 Soma pills across the border from Mexico and distributing them at five schools.

"They're really cheap, especially down in Mexico, and everybody's got them," said one student.

Mike Salazar, a drug counselor in Arizona, said Soma is part of a national trend toward mixing prescription and over-the-counter drugs to get high. "If [youths] have access to the medicine cabinet, that's what they're going to mix together," Salazar said.

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New research concludes that children who watched movies showing alcohol use were more likely to try alcoholic drinks compared to those who weren't exposed to such films, the Associated Press reported May 25.

Dartmouth Medical School researchers studied middle-school students in Vermont and New Hampshire. They found that those who frequently watched movies with scenes depicting alcohol use were three times more likely to drink than those with little exposure.

While other studies have examined the impact of alcohol advertising on a teenager's drinking behavior, this is the first study to analyze the influence of the entertainment industry.

Previous studies have found that drinking during early teen years is linked with alcohol misuse later on.

The findings were delivered at a recent research-conference session.

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Tamper-proof pills and revised drug formulas are being used by pharmaceutical companies to reduce the likelihood that painkillers are misused, the Washington Post reported June 14.

At Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, about 19 researchers are exploring ways to make non-addictive or less addictive pain relievers.

"There's a whole biology we're starting to pull apart," said Charles Grudzinskas, who will chair a session this week on the "Quest for Non-Abusable Opioid Analgesics" at the annual meeting in Puerto Rico of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, a group that has focused on addiction and pain relief since the 1930s. "We're making progress, but this is very hard -- like trying to thread a needle without any glasses on."

Researchers have found that morphine-based painkillers are the most effective relief for severe post-operative and chronic pain. The challenge for researchers is to make the painkillers less prone to misuse without reducing their effectiveness for patients.

At Endo Pharmaceuticals in Chadds Ford, Pa., another major producer of painkillers, research is focusing on chemically encapsulating the opioids in painkillers to make it more difficult to extract the narcotic.

"We call it the Fort Knox approach," said senior medical officer Bradley Galer. "We want to tweak the formulation, so if the abuser crushes a pill and takes some of the powder, the opioid would still be in extended-release form and there would be no sudden burst of drug."

However, experts aren't expecting a breakthrough any time soon. "To have a medication that's devoid of abuse potential and has good analgesic effect is highly desirable, but I know nothing at this point that would do it," said Frank Vocci of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "We hope compounds will become available with reduced abuse liability, and that they will push the more abusable compounds out of the market. But this is such a complicated field that I see no single, absolute solution or silver bullet."

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This November, South Carolina voters will decide whether to end a 30-year-old constitutional requirement that forces bars and restaurants in the state to serve alcohol from mini bottles, the Columbia State reported June 2.

Supporters of the referendum said eliminating mini bottles would reduce drunk-driving rates because the 1.7 ounce bottles have about 50 percent more alcohol than the average free-pour drink.

But opponents said eliminating mini bottles would cut into funding for alcohol treatment and prevention programs, since a portion of the mini-bottle tax pays for these programs. "Now that they've got the referendum, what's the incentive to make sure the revenue is there for the programs?" asked South Carolina House of Representatives Minority Leader James Smith (D-Richland).

If the referendum is approved by voters, establishments would be able to sell liquor from full-sized bottles.

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Hospital emergency rooms in North Dakota are reporting an increase in violence by people who have been using drugs, particularly methamphetamine, the Associated Press reported June 21.

Officials said the trend is linked to alcohol and other drug misuse and mental illness.

"We have definitely seen an increase in violent behavior in the ER in the last year or so," said Jodi Baumgartner, a spokeswoman for the emergency room at Innovis Health in Fargo, N.D.

MeritCare Hospital, also in Fargo, reported similar drug-related violence. Mary Jagim, a nurse who manages the emergency center, said security officers are summoned at least once for every 50 patients treated.

"The meth has really been a challenge," Jagim said. "They're very agitated. They don't want anybody touching them. They can be very violent."

In the past year, methamphetamine cases at the MeritCare Hospital emergency room have more than doubled. In addition, the emergency room is seeing more patients who have been drinking or have paranoid schizophrenia.

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With physicians now able to prescribe buprenorphine, an alternative to methadone, from their office, individuals addicted to heroin are finding it much easier to return to a non-drug-dependent life, the New Bedford Standard-Times reported June 16.

"I've been on it about four weeks, and I feel like I've been let out of jail," said a sculptor from Provincetown, Mass., who said buprenorphine has enabled her to return to work and renew relationships with her family. "Can you imagine how much this is going to change the world? I think it can really revolutionize the detox field."

Unlike methadone, which is dispensed in liquid form at a clinic, buprenorphine is a pill that is dispensed through a prescription from a physician. This makes it easier on addicted individuals because they're not burdened with having to go to a clinic daily to receive treatment.

The prescribed treatment also enables recovering addicts to become contributing members of the community. Sheryl, who asked that her last name not be used, started on buprenorphine six weeks ago. Instead of spending all her money on heroin like before, she was able to get a job and earn money to pay her unpaid excise taxes and get her driver's license reinstated.

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Few people who died from methadone overdoses in Maryland were in drug treatment, according to a study by the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland in College Park.

The state has seen methadone-related deaths more than triple between 1998 and 2002, from 24 to 76, the Baltimore Sun reported May 18.

According to medical records, only 16 percent of the 56 Marylanders who died from methadone overdoses between 2000 and 2002 were in drug treatment programs at the time of their deaths. The study further found that 20 percent of those who died obtained methadone illegally, while 5 percent had a prescription for the drug. The source of the drug was unknown in the rest of the cases.

Methadone is used to treat heroin addiction and to relieve chronic pain. Between 1998 and 2002, prescription methadone sales in Maryland increased 167 percent. However, the report found that methadone treatment admissions rose only 30 percent during the same period.

Editor's Note: As more states have cracked down on diversion and abuse of OxyContin, doctors and patients have increasingly turned to methadone for use as a painkiller, with the result being more diversion and abuse of methadone.

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The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs announced a grants initiative to promote mentoring programs for children.

A total of $29.37 million is available, with each award no more than $200,000. The grants can be used for mentoring programs that assist at-risk children in receiving support and guidance from a mentor; improve the academic performance of children; improve interpersonal relationships between children and their peers, teachers, other adults and family members; reduce the dropout rate; and reduce juvenile delinquency and involvement in gangs.

Eligible applicants include county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; local educational agencies; and nonprofit, community-based organizations.

Applications are due July 7. Applications and guidelines are available online. If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, contact Julius Cotton at 202-245-6140; fax: 202-245-6288; e-mail: julius.cotton@ed.gov.

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People with lung cancer feel they get blamed for their illness because the disease is mainly associated with smoking, the BBC reported June 11. The stigma attached to lung cancer was detailed in a study conducted by researchers at Oxford University.

The study of 45 lung-cancer patients found that those who had stopped smoking years ago or had never smoked felt unfairly blamed for their illness. The study said that some anti-smoking campaigns perpetuated the problem, causing damaged relations with family, friends, and doctors.

"Efforts to help people to quit smoking are important, but clinical and educational interventions should be presented with care so as not to add to the stigma experienced by patients with lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases," the researchers concluded.

Mike Unger, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, supported the study's findings, saying there is a "huge" stigma attached to having lung cancer.

"At a meeting I had with patients a few weeks ago, without exception they were angry at the 'dirty lungs' image portrayed in recent [ads] -- this just reinforced the stereotype. This campaign might persuade some to stop smoking briefly, but it does nothing to help those with lung cancer, a significant number of whom have never smoked," he said. "[We] would much rather have such [ads] focusing on lifestyle."

The study's findings appear in the British Medical Journal.

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New research from the Boston University Medical Center concluded that lung-cell genes may be used to determine whether a smoker will develop lung cancer or other chronic airway diseases, Health Day News reported June 22.

Researchers examined the gene-expression profiles of bronchial cells from 93 smokers and nonsmokers. They found that smokers had more genes that were altered by mutation, and thus may contribute to tumor development. In addition, smokers showed decreased expression of various tumor-suppressing genes and genes that regulate airway inflammation.

Some of the genes returned to normal levels after a smoker quit for two years. However, several genes never rebounded.

The researchers concluded that bronchial gene expression may be effective as a biomarker for lung cancer in smokers.

The study is published in the June 21-25 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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A Louisiana Senate panel passed a bill to partly close a legal loophole that allows minors to possess and consume alcohol at private residences, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported June 9.

Rep. Rep. Daniel Martiny (R-Kenner) introduced the bill after an incident at a private home in Ascension Parish that involved drinking by underage partygoers. Murphy Painter, the state Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner, said current drinking laws exempt private residences, thus hindering the ability of prosecutors, sheriffs, and police chiefs to break up underage-drinking parties.

"They argue that they cannot stop a 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-, 16- or 17-year-old from drinking in a private home, whether their parents are there or not," Painter said.

The new bill would only permit teens ages 18-21 to drink unsupervised in a private home. Those under 18 would only be able to drink in a private home if a parent or guardian is present.

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A Statistics Canada survey finds that fewer Canadian youth ages 10 to 14 are smoking, the Canadian Press reported June 14.

According to the data, 6.2 percent of Canadian children in grades 5 to 9 said they smoked in 2002, a drop from the 13.6 percent who said they smoked in 1994.

The study also found that youth smoking is most prevalent in Quebec, with 55 percent of the children who said they smoked in 2002 coming from the province. "Quebec traditionally has higher smoking rates, they traditionally have been more tolerant towards smoking," said Dr. Murray Kaiserman, director of the office of research, surveillance, and evaluation in Health Canada's tobacco-control program.

Newfoundland and Labrador also have a high number of young smokers. However, the survey found the smoking rate on the decline overall even in these hot spots.

Kaiserman said the high cost of cigarettes, along with smoking becoming less socially acceptable, can be credited for the decline in youth smoking.

The survey results were based on responses from questionnaires completed by 19,000 children in 955 classes in randomly selected schools across Canada.

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The number of American adults misusing alcohol is on the rise, with young minorities at particularly high risk. However, alcohol-dependence rates have declined, which researchers attributed in part to a decrease in heavy drinking.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA's) 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) finds that 17.6 million Americans were either dependent on alcohol or misused it in 2001-2002, compared with 13.8 million adults in 1991-1992. The rate of alcohol misuse increased from 3.03 percent of the population to 4.65 percent during the decade, while the rate of alcohol addiction declined from an estimated 4.38 percent of the population to 3.81 percent.

The study said that alcohol misuse and addiction in 2001-2002 was significantly higher among men than women, as well as among individuals in the 18-29 and 30-44 age groups. In addition, there was a significant increase in alcohol misuse among black and Hispanic men, and Asian women aged 18-29 years.

Alcohol-addiction rates significantly increased among black women and Asian men aged 18-29, researchers added.

The findings were based on interviews with 43,093 individuals.

"The NESARC report reinforces the need for ongoing research to define genetic and environmental factors that contribute to alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as current NIAAA initiatives for the early identification of at-risk drinkers and the application of research-based interventions in vulnerable populations, especially underage drinkers," said Ting-Kai Li, M.D., director of NIAAA. "The fact that alcohol disorder rates are highest among young adults underscores the need for concerted research on drinking patterns that initiate in adolescence."

The study is published in the current issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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An American Cancer Society study concludes that women smokers are no more at risk for getting lung cancer than male smokers, Reuters reported June 1.

"It's unclear why some studies have pointed to an increased risk for women," said Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society, who helped lead the study. "But this unprecedented review should help us focus on broad strategies that will be relevant to preventing tobacco use for everyone."

Starting in the mid-1960s, when more women began to smoke, lung cancer rates among females began rising significantly.

The latest study, which was conducted with researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., included statistics on 85,000 men and women.

"Our data indicate that women are not at an excess risk of lung cancer compared to men, given similar smoking levels and smoking histories," said Brigham and Women's researcher Diane Feskanich.

The study's findings are published in the June 2 issue of The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

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As the United States deals with a growing female inmate population, the Canadian prison system serves as a model for how to address the physical and emotional needs of women in prison, the Newark Star-Ledger reported May 25.

Canada's progressive corrections system features houses for women in six prison complexes, a healing lodge for Native American women offenders, nontraditional job training off-site, a certified trade school, and prison tattoo parlors to reduce the spread of hepatitis through self-inflicted body art.

Canada's prison strategy requires a "correction plan" that is individually developed for each woman entering prison. Components of the plan include education, addiction and medical treatment, parenting classes, and three months of training in nontraditional jobs.

In addition, all inmates are given intensive psychological testing and spend several hours a week in anger-management, behavior-modification, cognitive-therapy and domestic-violence-prevention programs.

While advocates throughout the United States praised Canada's corrections model for female inmates, they acknowledged one major difference between prisons in both countries. Last year, 100,000 women were in prison in the United States, compared with 309 in Canada.

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Through an executive order, President Bush told AmeriCorps and other national-service programs to work more closely with faith-based groups and to increase their fundraising efforts to attract more money from private sources, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported March 18.

In the order to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, Bush told the agency to "increase efforts to expand opportunities for, and strengthen the capacity of, faith-based and other community organizations in building and strengthening an infrastructure to support volunteers that meet community needs."

Alan Khazei, founder of City Year, which operates service programs in 14 cities with AmeriCorp's support, is concerned about the vagueness of the order and how the corporation will decide to enforce it. "As long as the voice of local programs is heard, we can come out of this with a strong AmeriCorps," he said. "We have to see how the process works."

Khazei is more concerned about Bush urging national-service organizations that receive federal funds to raise more money from state and local governments and private donors. Khazei said if the order results in term limits for federal funds or more reliability on nonfederal money, grantees in poor and rural areas would suffer because philanthropic resources there are scarce.

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