A controlled study was undertaken to measure the effectiveness of general practitioners' use of an intensive programme to help patients to stop smoking. Two hundred cigarette smokers who attended a general practice were allocated to either a treatment (n = 100) or a non-intervention control (n = 100) group. After the initial visit treatment consisted of an educational consultation and four follow up visits. Smoking state was assessed biochemically at six months and three years. Thirty five patients in the treatment group were abstinent at three years compared with eight in the control group (p less than 0.001). Sixty four patients attended the educational consultation and first follow up visit; of these, 45 were not smoking at the first follow up visit, 30 maintained abstinence up to six months, and 22 were still not smoking after three years. Among the 37 patients who completed the treatment programme and attended all the follow up visits 57% were abstinent at three years. The results of this study suggest that general practitioners can help patients to stop smoking.

Thirty-seven reports of the treatment of hypertension by non-pharmacological means were compared with the results of treatment by standard drug regimens. Treatment by drugs produced the greatest lowering of blood pressure. Treatment by weight reduction, yoga, and muscle relaxation each produced smaller, but appreciable, changes in blood pressure. The effects of meditation, exercise training, blood pressure biofeedback, and salt restriction were inferior to those of the other regimens and were not significantly different to the effects of placebo treatment.Large comparative trials of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are needed before definite conclusions can be made.

Archaeological excavations are comprised of interdisciplinary teams that create, manage, and share data as they unearth and analyse material culture. These team-based settings are ripe for collective curation during these data lifecycle stages. However, findings from four excavation sites show that the data interdisciplinary teams create are not well integrated. Knowing this, we recommended opportunities for collective curation to improve use and reuse of the data within and outside of the team.

Pre-treatment characteristics which predicted successful outcome in one hundred cigarette smokers participating in a general practitioner administered smoking cessation programme were identified. Successful outcome was assessed using three types of criteria: quit smoking by the end of treatment, remained abstinent for six months and remained abstinent for three years. Seventeen pre-treatment variables predicted immediate response to treatment, but this decreased to six variables for six months sustained abstinence and to only one variable (smoking when ill in bed) for three years sustained abstinence. Low cigarette dependence, no smoking related health problems, and a non-smoking social environment characterized subjects most likely to have stopped smoking at the end of treatment and to have remained abstinent for six months.

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