Study objective: The validity of self reported smoking in population surveys remains an important question. An associated question is what would be the value of measuring serum cotinine concentrations in such surveys to obtain validated smoking data. Design: Cross sectional analysis of data on self reported smoking and serum cotinine among a random population sample of 5846 persons aged 25 to 64 years, who participated in the FINRISK-92 survey. Main results: Among self reported regular smokers, 97.2% of men and 94.9% of women had a cotinine concentration of 10 ng/ml or higher in serum. Of those participants who reported to have smoked at any time during their life but not during the previous month, 6.3% of men and 5.2% of women had a serum cotinine concentration of at least 10 ng/ml. Among never smokers 2.5% of men and 2.7% of women had detectable level of cotinine in their serum. The validity of self reporting was similar among subjects from different areas, ages, and socioeconomic groups. Conclusions: In a sample of the general population in Finland the validity of self reported smoking is high, and most of the few self reported non-smokers who had cotinine in their serum had only low or moderate levels.B oth in clinical and in community settings there has been a concern about the validity of self reported smoking. Mainly, three biological measurements have been used to validate self reported smoking: carbon monoxide, thiocyanate, and cotinine. 3 The aim of our paper is to study the validity of self reported smoking in a cardiovascular risk factor population survey by comparing self reports with results of measurements of cotinine levels in serum.Nicotine metabolises rapidly and extensively, primarily in the liver. N-oxidation of nicotine to nicotine-1'-N-oxide occurs in humans. This metabolite has been shown to convert back to nicotine. In humans, the urinary elimination phase of the metabolite parallels that of the parent nicotine, indicating a formation rate limited excretion. It has been estimated that approximately 4% of the nicotine dose is excreted as nicotine-1'-N-oxide. Furthermore, it has been estimated that the quantitative disposition of nicotine is as follows: an average of 9% of the dose seems to be excreted as intact nicotine, and about 70% of nicotine seems to be converted to cotinine. Cotinine is the major plasma metabolite of nicotine and persists for a considerable time period in plasma, with a half life of approximately 16 hours. Only a minor fraction of the generated cotinine is excreted by the kidneys, but cotinine is further metabolised to more polar water soluble substances. According to recent human data the major metabolite found in urine is hydroxylated cotinine.

The same dose of intravenous oxycodone and morphine administered by PCA pump was needed for immediate postoperative analgesia. The two drugs appear to be equipotent.

Misuse of supraphysiological doses of anabolic steroids is claimed to have serious side effects. The aim of the study was to determine the mortality, and the cause of premature deaths among a group of subjects who are strongly suspected to have used anabolic steroids for a non-medical purpose over several years. The mortality of 62 male powerlifters placed 1st-5th in weight series 82.5-125 kg in Finnish championships during 1977-1982 was compared with the mortality of population controls. The mortality during the 12-year follow-up was 12.9% for the powerlifters compared to 3.1% in the control population. By 1993 eight of 62 powerlifters and 34 of 1094 population controls had died, thus the risk of death among the powerlifters was 4.6 times higher (95% CI 2.04-10.45; p = 0.0002). The causes of premature death among the powerlifters were suicide (3), acute myocardial infarction (3), hepatic coma (1) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (1). These findings add to the growing amount of evidence of an association between anabolic steroid abuse and premature death, and support the view that measures to decrease AAS misuse among both competitive and amateur athletes are justified.

This article focuses on anabolic steroid adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and mental health issues as well as the possible increase in the incidence of neoplasms in anabolic steroid users. On the basis of findings in the literature, the authors consider these three issues as the most significant concerning morbidity and mortality among anabolic steroid users. A study by Pärssinen et al. (2000) has shown an increased incidence of premature mortality among power lifters. Anabolic steroids and other concomitantly used drugs are the probable cause of this increased mortality, as power training itself does not increase health risks and all types of physical activity promote health.

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