Link between passive smoking, rheumatoid arthritis. The results of a study confirmed the link between active smoking and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, interestingly, it also suggested for the first time that in smokers, exposure to tobacco early in life through passive smoking in childhood significantly increased this risk. In a second study, the preliminary results of a meta-analysis showed that smoking is associated with increased progression of structural damage to the spine in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Another important reason why rheumatologists should encourage their AS patients to quit smoking. "Our study highlights the importance of avoiding any tobacco environment in children, especially in those with a family history of RA," said lead author Professor Raphaèle Seror from University Hospitals of South Paris, France. Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR)

Drop in violence associated with smoke-free policy at psychiatric hospital. King's College London research reveals a 39 per cent drop in physical assaults -- both between patients and towards staff -- following the introduction of a smoke-free policy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). The Lancet Psychiatry

Pictorial warning labels on tobacco products could help improve communication of risks to smokers. Tobacco use remains the largest preventable cause of death and disease. Health warnings with pictures have been contested through the courts by the tobacco industry. Researchers found that health warning labels that include images or Pictorial Warning Labels (PWLs) are more effective in gaining and holding the attention of smokers when the image and the text convey similar risks. The research will help prove that images reinforce, not distract from, the important warning messages in text-only cigarette labels contrary to what some tobacco industry companies have claimed. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Tobacco Control