[What are the epidemiological data on the consequences of smoking-related increased risk in pregnant women? Dermatological consequences].

Smoking has numerous effects on skin. Some of them are well established, others are more debatable. Smoking is a cofactor of skin aging after chronic sun exposure, as demonstrated by recent histological, biochemical and cutaneous relief studies.

[Usefulness of biological markers in the evaluation of smoking at the first visit of a smoking cessation program].

Introduction: We have studied the relationship between urinary cotinine and other tobacco markers to assess the relevance of urinary cotinine in the dosage of nicotine substitutes.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-five patients, who were regular cigarette smokers not taking any nicotine substitutes took part in the study. The parameters examined were daily consumption, nicotine contents of the cigarettes, the Fagerström test score, levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in exhaled breath air and urinary cotinine.

[A new cause of false positives when analyzing expired air carbon monoxide].

Introduction: Measurement of expired air carbon monoxide expired is an essential examination to be conducted in smokers during consultation. However, this can be the source of errors, such as that identified in the case report we present here.

Observation: A 65 year-old man, wishing to stop smoking, consumed a large quantity of polyol-rich sweets and exhibited increased expired air carbon monoxide levels, intestinal gases and increased volume of his liver.

[Anxiety and depressive disorders in tobacco dependence].

The association between tobacco dependence and various forms of anxiety and depressive disorders is well established. The presence of these disorders constitutes a key cause of failure in subjects seeking to stop smoking. In addition to the clinically manifest forms of such anomalies, systematic screening for minor forms of these disorders was performed at the Centre for Tobacco Studies of Créteil, France; as well as the standard questionnaire concerning personal and familial history and current psychological well-being, subjects were asked to complete two self-questionnaires, the HAD (Hospital Anxiety Depression score) and the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory, abridged version) together with the MINI (structured mini-interview).

[Nicotine substitution therapy: 10 years later].

To be efficient, nicotine substitution therapy (NST) must be part of a global strategy comprising several stages. The first consists in evaluating and re-enforcing motivation, since smoking cessation is impossible unless the patient is clearly motivated. The second stage is the withdrawal period that lasts for several days or months.

[Nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation: what choice for its status?].

The behavioral and pharmacological mechanisms of nicotine addiction are comparable to those of other addictive substances such as heroine, cocaine...

[Effect of smoking on blood rheology].

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cigarette smoking on biologic and rheologic tests, chiefly on the red blood cells (RBC) in measuring the deformability by the Cell Transit Analyser (CTA) and their aggregation by using an ultrasonic interferometry method based on A-mode echography allowed for the measurement of the accumulation rate of particles in a solid plate which is related to their sedimentation rate (Echo-Cell). Nine male smoker subjects with a high nicotine addiction measured by Fagerström questionnaire (> 8) and level of carbon monoxide (CM) in the breathed out air (> 20 ppm), have been compared with ten healthy no-smoker volunteers (CM < 3 ppm). One smoker has been eliminated of statistic evaluations because his glucose level showed a diabetes (10.

[Commonplace use of "H"].

Objectives: Describe characteristic use of cannabis and tobacco.

Case Report: A young couple were nicotine-dependent smokers who also regularly used cannabis. After treatment for nicotine withdrawal they no longer had a craving for cigarettes but use of hashish increased.

[Obstacles to stopping smoking among patients with vascular risk].

Despite the risk, smoking has only slightly decreased and the percentage of heavy smokers increases. The reason for the paradoxical situation has now been identified in more than 95% of the cases and is due to behaviour amplified by a pharmacological dependence on nicotine. The psycho-active effects of nicotine binding to nicotine receptors in the brain, produce a quasi constant physical dependence and a psychic dependence in certain smokers.

[Nicotine: a psychoactive drug, a doping agent?].

A 43-year-old high-level athlete used nicotine gum to stop his smoking habit. Later, use of nicotine gum was directly related to improved sports performance. It is suggested that nicotine might be added to the official list of prohibited drugs in athletes.