Background: Population data on tobacco use and its determinants require continuous monitoring and careful inter-country comparison. We aimed to provide the most up-to-date estimates on tobacco smoking from a large cross-sectional survey, conducted in selected European countries.Methods: Within the TackSHS Project, a face-to-face survey on smoking was conducted in 2017-2018 in 12 countries: Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain, representing around 80% of the 432 million European Union (EU) adult population. In each country, a representative sample of around 1,000 subjects aged 15 years and older was interviewed, for a total of 11,902 participants.Results: Overall 25.9% of participants were current smokers (31.0% among men and 21.2% among women, p<0.001), while 16.5% were former smokers. Smoking prevalence ranged from 18.9% in Italy to 37.0% in Bulgaria. It decreased with increasing age (compared to <45, multivariable odds ratio, OR, for ≥65 years was 0.31; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.27-0.36), level of education (OR for low vs. high was 1.32; 95% CI: 1.17-1.48) and self-rated household economic level (OR for low vs. high was 2.05; 95% CI: 1.74-2.42). The same patterns were found in both sexes.Conclusions: These smoking prevalence estimates represent the most up-to-date evidence in Europe. From them it can be derived that there are more than 112 million current smokers in the EU-28. Lower socio-economic status is a major determinant of smoking habit in both sexes.

Most safety data on this new tobacco product come from research conducted by the tobacco industry.2 The few independent toxicological studies confirm that HNBs release harmful and potentially harmful substances, although at reduced levels as compared with conventional cigarettes.1 3 4 To our knowledge, the only available studies on the use of HNBs are two repeated online surveys on Japanese adult population, showing a prevalence of IQOS users of 0.3% in …

Severe tinnitus has been shown to be strongly associated with depression and anxiety,¹ and the only established approach to treat tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy.² Our research group recently reported that the tinnitus-associated mental health burden is greater in women than in men, likely due to higher levels of anxiety and stress.³ Most of the evidence on the association of tinnitus with suicide came from case series studies, until a recent cross-sectional study reported that an increased risk of suicide attempts was associated with severe tinnitus.⁴ In the present study, we assessed whether this association would differ between men and women using data from a large population-based study, the Stockholm Public Health Cohort (SPHC).⁵

Several reports suggest a beneficial effect of Nigella sativa on cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure (BP). However, the magnitude of the BP-lowering effect of N. sativa remains controversial. We aimed to calculate this effect size of N. sativa through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). PubMed, Cochrane Collaboration Library, and SCOPUS were used as data sources of RCTs published before 30 August 2015 (in English only) comparing N. sativa treatment with placebo or standard treatment. We used random effect models to estimate the difference in BP reductions, I2 index and χ2 statistics to measure and test the interstudy heterogeneity. Random effect metaregression models were applied to explore the associations between BP reduction and duration of treatment, dosage of N. sativa, and type of black seed as potential confounders. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plot and Egger's regression asymmetry test. Total 11 RCTs, including 860 hypertensive or normotensive individuals were eligible, of which 10 compared N. sativa versus placebo and one versus standard treatment. SBP and DBP means decreased from 132.85 to 125.19 mmHg and from 82.63 to 77.74 mmHg after mean treatment duration of 8.3 weeks in N. sativa groups, respectively. The difference in reductions as compared with control/standard groups were −3.26 (−5.10, −1.42; I2 = 59%) mmHg in SBP and −2.80 (−4.28, −1.32; I2 = 60%) mmHg in DBP. Pharmaceutical preparations of N. sativa in powder and oil demonstrated a different lowering effect (in favour of the former) on both SBP and DBP. No association was observed between SBP lowering and time on treatment, N. sativa dosage or type of N. sativa. The results of Egger's test did not indicate any publication bias. Our meta-analysis suggests that short-term treatment with N. sativa powder can significantly reduce SBP and DBP levels. More evidence is needed, however, to strengthen the available evidence and to further explore the long-term BP-lowering effect of N. sativa.

This open-label, non-randomized, multicenter trial (Registration: NCT 03661736) aimed to assess if an amino acid-based formula (AAF) supplemented with two human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) supports normal growth and is well tolerated in infants with a cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA). Term infants aged 1–8 months with moderate-to-severe CMPA were enrolled. The study formula was an AAF supplemented with 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT). Infants were fed the study formula for 4 months and were offered to remain on the formula until 12 months of age. Tolerance and safety were assessed throughout the trial. Out of 32 infants (mean age 18.6 weeks; 20 (62.5%) male), 29 completed the trial. During the 4-month principal study period, the mean weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) increased from −0.31 at the baseline to +0.28 at the 4-months’ follow-up. Linear and head growth also progressed along the WHO child growth reference, with a similar small upward trend. The formula was well tolerated and had an excellent safety profile. When comparing the microbiome at the baseline to the subsequent visits, there was a significant on-treatment enrichment in HMO-utilizing bifidobacteria, which was associated with a significant increase in fecal short-chain fatty acids. In addition, we observed a significant reduction in the abundance of fecal Proteobacteria, suggesting that the HMO-supplemented study formula partially corrected the gut microbial dysbiosis in infants with CMPA.