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    New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, in a bid to eventually phase out smoking. Anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted in 2022. “We want to make sure young people never start smoking,” Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall said. The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on smoking announced by New Zealand’s Health Ministry.

    Doctors and other health experts in the country have welcomed the “world-leading” reforms, which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes. “It will help people quit smoking or switch to less harmful products, and make it much less likely that young people get addicted to nicotine,” said Prof Janet Hook from the University of Otago.

    The crackdown has been met with mixed reactions. “I reckon it’s a good move, really,” one man told Reuters news agency. “Because right now there’s a lot of young kids walking around with smokes in their mouth. Public are asking how they’re getting these smokes. And it’s also good for myself too because I can save more money.”

    However, others have warned that the move may create a black market for tobacco — something the Health Ministry’s official impact statement does acknowledge, noting “customs will need more resource to enforce border control”. “This is all 100% theory and 0% substance,” Sunny Kaushal, chairman of the Dairy and Business Owners Group, a lobby group for local convenience stores, told New Zealand’s Stuff news site. “There’s going to be a crime wave. Gangs and criminals will fill the gap.”

(www.bbc.com, 09.12.2021. Adaptado.)

No trecho do segundo parágrafo “which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes”, o termo sublinhado refere-se a

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    New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, in a bid to eventually phase out smoking. Anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted in 2022. “We want to make sure young people never start smoking,” Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall said. The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on smoking announced by New Zealand’s Health Ministry.

    Doctors and other health experts in the country have welcomed the “world-leading” reforms, which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes. “It will help people quit smoking or switch to less harmful products, and make it much less likely that young people get addicted to nicotine,” said Prof Janet Hook from the University of Otago.

    The crackdown has been met with mixed reactions. “I reckon it’s a good move, really,” one man told Reuters news agency. “Because right now there’s a lot of young kids walking around with smokes in their mouth. Public are asking how they’re getting these smokes. And it’s also good for myself too because I can save more money.”

    However, others have warned that the move may create a black market for tobacco — something the Health Ministry’s official impact statement does acknowledge, noting “customs will need more resource to enforce border control”. “This is all 100% theory and 0% substance,” Sunny Kaushal, chairman of the Dairy and Business Owners Group, a lobby group for local convenience stores, told New Zealand’s Stuff news site. “There’s going to be a crime wave. Gangs and criminals will fill the gap.”

(www.bbc.com, 09.12.2021. Adaptado.)

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Can human beings really live to be 150?

 

Average life expectancy is relatively easy to calculate but estimating what the maximum limit of a human lifespan could be is considerably more difficult

 

While most of us can expect to live to around 80, some people defy expectations and live to be over 100. In places such as Okinawa, Japan and Sardinia, Italy, there are many centenarians. The oldest person in history – a French woman named Jeanne Calment – lived to 122. When she was born in 1875, the average life expectancy was roughly 43.

But just how long could a human actually live? It’s a question people have been asking for centuries. While average life expectancy (the number of years a person can expect to live) is relatively easy to calculate, maximum lifespan estimates (the greatest age a human could possibly reach) are much harder to make. Previous studies have placed this limit close to 140 years of age. But a more recent study proposes that the limit to human lifespan is closer to 150.

Source: https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-17/can-human-beings-really-live-to-be-150.html . Access: Ago, 2021.

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How WhatsApp messages can identify you

 

A team of researchers has trained an algorithm to extract personal data from anonymous conversations in an experiment that highlights the importance of protecting privacy.

 

What is the extent of our digital footprint? We know about the traces we leave on social networks and from sharing content on other websites on the internet. But we edit this content according to who is going to see it and the image we want to portray. Instant messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp which is owned by Facebook, are another matter altogether. “You reveal more about yourself in private messages, not only in the content, but also in the way you use language,” explains Timo Koch, a researcher at Munich University’s department of Psychology.

Koch and his team analyzed more than 300,000 WhatsApp messages and trained an algorithm to recognize the age and gender of their authors – an experiment, he says, that highlights the importance of protecting privacy in these spaces. “End-to-end encryption is an important first step,” says Koch. “But beyond that, we need to be informed – platforms need to be transparent and add labels when information is not encrypted.”

Source: https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-08-31/how-whatsapp-messages-can-identify-you.html. Access: Ago, 2021.

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How to Recover from Surgery without Getting Addicted to Painkillers

 

Pain management is an important consideration when you’re having surgery – not only to minimize discomfort, but also because good post-operative pain control plays a vital role in optimizing your recovery. The sooner you are able to get up and about, the less likely you are to develop complications like blood clots, hospital acquired infections, and respiratory problems.

 

But with the opioid crisis in the news, you may be concerned about how to recover from your upcoming surgery without the risk of getting addicted to painkillers. And you’re wise to be cautious – according to a study done at University of Michigan, 6% of people who were prescribed opioids for post-surgery pain were still getting the drugs three to six months later. So, how can you prevent this from happening to you?

 

Fortunately, there are ways of improving post-operative pain control while lessening the risk of addiction. Here are some options to discuss with your physicians that may apply to your particular situation: Multi-Modal Analgesia, Regional Anesthesia and Mind/Body Approaches.

 

When you do need to use opioids, exercise caution and be aware of the risk factors for addiction. One factor that seems to greatly impact the risk of opioid dependence after surgery is the number of days that someone remains on opioid painkillers. There doesn’t seem to be a particular risk after the first few days of having surgery, but once you get to around the fifth post-operative day, the odds of staying on opioids long-term goes way up. Certainly, each situation poses unique circumstances. After all, there is a big difference between cataract surgery and a spinal fusion, but if you want to play it safe, try to avoid being on opioids beyond the first 3-5 days after surgery if possible (and have the doctor prescribe only enough pills for the first few days). Other factors than can increase your risk for becoming dependent on painkillers after surgery include a past history of addiction, depression, or anxiety, and tobacco use.

Disponível em: https://blogs.webmd.com/pain-management/20181106/how-to-recover-from-surgery-without-getting-addicted-to-painkillers Access September 9th, 2021

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Treatment-Resistant Insomnia: A Common Undefined Condition

 

Insomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder associated with a significant public health burden. Approximately a third of the general population experiences insomnia, and about 10%-15% are labeled as having chronic insomnia. Despite the decline in the use of sedative hypnotic drugs between 2015 and 2019, the emergence of the COVID-19 in late 2019 has in all likelihood aggravated sleeping difficulties and accelerated the rate of new cases of insomnia as evidenced by a 14.8% increase in sleep medication prescriptions since the onset of the pandemic, according to new data from Express Scripts.

There is little doubt that insomnia has deleterious impact on overall quality of life. The presence of insomnia has been linked to cognitive and functional impairments, decrements in social and emotional wellbeing, and serious health conditions. Epidemiologic evidence from the last two decades has demonstrated a significant correlation between insomnia and incident cardiovascular morbidity and mortality including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. Similarly, the negative effect of insomnia on mental health is evidenced by its association with the increased risk of anxiety, depression, weight gain, and alcoholism. As a result, the economic burden due to reduced productivity, higher rate of absenteeism, and increased work related accidents is estimated in billions of dollars annually.

Disponível em: https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(21)00479-4/fulltext Access September 9th, 2021