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The European (EU) Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) was implemented in May 2016 to regulate the design and labelling of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco. At the same time, the UK introduced standardized packaging measures, whereas Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain did not. This study examines the impact of introducing standardized packaging in England using a quasi-experimental design.

Data from adult smokers in Waves 1 (2016; N=9547) and 2 (2018; N=9724) from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation surveys (England) and EUREST-PLUS surveys (Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Spain) were used. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate changes in pack/brand appeal, salience of health-warning labels (HWLs) and perceived relative harm of different brands in England (where larger HWLs and standardized packaging were implemented), vs. each EU country (where only larger HWLs were implemented).

There was an increase in the percentage of respondents from Germany, Hungary and Poland reporting they did not like the look of the pack (4.7%, 9.6%, and 14.2%, respectively), but the largest increase was in England (41.0%). Moreover, there was a statistically significant increase in the salience of HWLs in Hungary, Poland and Romania (17.0%, 13.9%, and 15.3%, respectively), but the largest increase was in England (27.6%). ReACp53 mw Few differences were observed in cross-country comparisons of the perceived relative harm of different brands.

Findings suggest that standardized packaging reduces pack appeal and enhances the salience of HWLs over and above the effects of larger HWLs. Findings provide additional evidence and support for incorporating standardized packaging into the EU TPD.

Findings suggest that standardized packaging reduces pack appeal and enhances the salience of HWLs over and above the effects of larger HWLs. Findings provide additional evidence and support for incorporating standardized packaging into the EU TPD.

Article 20 of the European Tobacco Product Directive (TPD), which went into effect in May 2016, regulates electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the European Union (EU). The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in e-cigarette use, design attributes of the products used and awareness of e-cigarette labelling and packaging among smokers from six EU Member States (MS) before and after TPD implementation.

Data come from Wave 1 (2016, pre-TPD) and Wave 2 (2018, post-TPD) of the ITC Six European Country Survey among a sample of smokers and recent quitters who use e-cigarettes from six EU MS. Weighted logistic generalized estimating equations regression models were estimated to test the change in binary outcomes between Waves 1 and 2 using SAS-callable SUDAAN.

In 2018, current daily/weekly e-cigarette use among adult smokers was just over 2%, but this varied from the highest in Greece (4%) to lowest in Poland (1.2%). From Waves 1 to 2, there was a significant increase in respondents reporting noticing anigarettes.

Population studies investigating the contribution of immunometabolic disturbances to heart dysfunction remain scarce. We combined high-throughput biomarker profiling, multidimensional network analyses, and regression statistics to identify immunometabolic markers associated with subclinical heart dysfunction in the community.

In 1,236 individuals (mean age, 51.0 years; 51.5% women), we measured 39 immunometabolic markers and assessed echocardiographic indexes of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and left atrial (LA) reservoir dysfunction. We used partial least squares (PLS) to filter the most relevant biomarkers related to the echocardiographic characteristics. Subsequently, we assessed the associations between the echocardiographic features and biomarkers selected in PLS while accounting for clinical confounders.

Influential biomarkers in PLS of echocardiographic characteristics included blood sugar, γ-glutamyl transferase, d-dimer, ferritin, hemoglobin, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and serum ight help to unravel cardiac pathology and improve the detection and management of cardiac dysfunction in clinical practice.A 56-year-old female with 2 prior Chiari decompressions presented with rapidly progressive cognitive decline. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography myelogram, and prone digital subtraction myelography revealed signs of brain sag and left T9 perineural cysts but no cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Symptoms improved after multilevel blood patches but recurred. Lateral decubitus digital subtraction myelography revealed a spinal cerebrospinal fluid venous fistula (SCVF), which resolved after neurosurgeons ligated the nerve root. Rebound headaches with papilledema occurred on postoperative day 9 and then resolved 2 months after acetazolamide was started. A hyperintense paraspinal vein was seen retrospectively on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with Dixon fat suppression sequencing. This case is unique in the acuity of cognitive decline secondary to SCVF. Acetazolamide at the time of treatment may potentially be used as prophylaxis for rebound intracranial hypertension. The hyperintense paraspinal vein may have utility in future diagnosis of SCVF.Leaves are exposed to different light conditions according to their canopy position, resulting in structural and anatomical differences with consequences for carbon uptake. While these structure-function relationships have been thoroughly explored in dense forest canopies, such gradients may be diminished in open canopies, and they are often ignored in ecosystem models. We tested within-canopy differences in photosynthetic properties and structural traits in leaves in a mature Eucalyptus tereticornis canopy exposed to long-term elevated CO2 for up to three years. We explored these traits in relation to anatomical variation and diffusive processes for CO2 (i.e., stomatal conductance, gs and mesophyll conductance, gm) in both upper and lower portions of the canopy receiving ambient and elevated CO2. While shade resulted in 13% lower leaf mass per area ratio (MA) in lower versus upper canopy leaves, there was no relationship between leaf Nmass and canopy gap fraction. Both maximum carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport (Jmax) were ~ 18% lower in shaded leaves and were also reduced by ~ 22% with leaf aging.