Double or quit?

Quit Stalling or You’ll Be Silenced

The use of small RNAs to program gene regulation and genome defense necessitates ever-changing choices about the sequences used for small-RNA biogenesis. Dumesic et al. now reveal stalled spliceosomes as a trigger for small-RNA biogenesis in the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans.

Quit early, quit often.

Taking a stand in Timmins: quit smoking, or forgo surgery.

Dr. Alberto de la Rocha is a stubborn man. For 12 years the Ontario surgeon has continued his one-physician attack on smoking by refusing to operate on patients who refuse to quit. And de la Rocha, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in Timmins, has taken his stand in the area with the province’s highest smoking rate. “When you see the carnage day in and day out, the putrid lungs and the gang...

Smoking reduction for smokers not able or motivated to quit?

Smoking reduction, i.e. a sustained decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked daily, is a highly controversial area. Results from population studies are reported as well as from the few randomized controlled studies published. The effect with regard to smoking reduction seems small and there is only limited evidence that smoking reduction is followed by improvement in some health-related para...

Quit Now? Quit Soon? Quit When You’re Ready? Insights About Target Quit Dates for Smoking Cessation From an Online Quit Date Tool

BACKGROUND Setting a target quit date (TQD) is often an important component in smoking cessation treatment, but ambiguity remains concerning the optimal timing (ie, quitting spontaneously versus delaying to prepare). OBJECTIVE We examined four questions about the timing of TQDs and smoking outcomes in secondary analyses of The iQUITT Study, a randomized trial of Internet and telephone treatme...