Objective We utilized the amyloid imaging ligand Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) to determine the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in different mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subtypes and to relate increased PiB binding to other markers of early AD and longitudinal outcome. Methods Twenty‐six patients with MCI (13 single‐domain amnestic‐MCI [a‐MCI], 6 multidomain a‐MCI, and 7 nonamnestic MCI) underwent PiB imaging. Twenty‐three had clinical follow‐up (21.2 ± 16.0 [standard deviation] months) subsequent to their PiB scan. Results Using cutoffs established from a control cohort, we found that 14 (54%) patients had increased levels of PiB retention and were considered “amyloid‐positive.” All subtypes were associated with a significant proportion of amyloid‐positive patients (6/13 single‐domain a‐MCI, 5/6 multidomain a‐MCI, 3/7 nonamnestic MCI). There were no obvious differences in the distribution of PiB retention in the nonamnestic MCI group. Predictors of conversion to clinical AD in a‐MCI, including poorer episodic memory, and medial temporal atrophy, were found in the amyloid‐positive relative to amyloid‐negative a‐MCI patients. Longitudinal follow‐up demonstrated 5 of 13 amyloid‐positive patients, but 0 of 10 amyloid‐negative patients, converted to clinical AD. Further, 3 of 10 amyloid‐negative patients “reverted to normal.” Interpretation These data support the notion that amyloid‐positive patients are likely to have early AD, and that the use of amyloid imaging may have an important role in determining which patients are likely to benefit from disease‐specific therapies. In addition, our data are consistent with longitudinal studies that suggest a significant percentage of all MCI subtypes will develop AD. Ann Neurol 2009;65:557–568

Executive Summary When diagnosed with cancer, patients can immediately make a meaningful positive impact on their health by stopping their tobacco use. Scientific evidence clearly shows that tobacco use in patients with cancer leads to poorer outcomes. The specific biological processes driving tobacco consumption’s interference in cancer therapy are the subject of continuing research, but the evidence is clear that tobacco use in patients with cancer leads to decreased treatment efficacy and safety, decreased survival, decreased quality of life, increased treatment-related toxicity, and increased risk of cancer recurrence and second primary tumors. Data suggest that tobacco cessation can improve outcomes and survival in patients with cancer, yet full execution of evidence-based cessation interventions is infrequent in oncology settings. Therefore, both improved provision of cessation assistance to all patients with cancer who use tobacco or have recently quit and further study of the deleterious effects of tobacco use and benefits of tobacco cessation on cancer progression and treatment are needed and recommended by the American Association for Cancer Research. Progress on both fronts begins with universal assessment and documentation of tobacco use as a standard of quality cancer care regardless of treatment setting and will be further facilitated through the development of reliable, valid, and standard measures of tobacco use, incorporation of evidence-based procedures into quality and accreditation procedures, and the development of appropriate training, clinical infrastructure, and incentives for delivery of tobacco cessation interventions.

This article examines data from 10 longterm prospective studies (N > 5,000) in relation to key issues about the self-quitting of smoking, especially those discussed by Schachter. When a single attempt to quit was evaluated, self-quitters" success rates were no better than those reported for formal treatment programs. Light smokers (20 or less cigarettes per day) were 2.2 times more likely to quit than heavy smokers. The cyclical nature of quitting was also examined. There was a moderate rate (mdn = 2. 7%) of long-term quitting initiated after the early months (expected quitting window) of these studies, but also a high rate (mdn = 24%) of relapsing for persons abstinent for six months. The number of previous unsuccessful quit attempts was unrelated to success in quitting. Finally, there were few occasional smokers (slips) among successful long-term quitters. We argue that quitting smoking is a dynamic process, not a discrete event. Cigarette smoking is considered the major preventable risk in physical morbidity and premature mortality in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1986). Information about the risks of smoking has been widely disseminated, and smokers and nonsmokers alike report awareness of cigarette-related health risks. In fact, epidemiologic survey data indicate that millions of persons report that they have quit smoking. Most of these persons (as many as 95%) are presumed ,to have quit on their own, without the help of a formal ces