Worldwide organized cigarette smuggling: an empirical analysis

This article estimates the economic size and the impact on government revenues of cigarette smuggling worldwide and formulates economic policies that can be used to effectively address the problem. First, information from various sources are combined and a global map of smuggling routes for cigarettes is described. By examining the international cigarette trade records, the hub/transit countries in six regions of the world are identified. Second, a variable that measures smuggling incentives for cigarettes is defined and computed for 110 countries. Third, a static global demand model for cigarettes (that includes the smuggling incentives variable) is specified and robustly estimated. Using the estimation results, global price and income elasticities of cigarette demand are obtained as -0.41 and 0.37, respectively. It is estimated that in 1999, 3.4% of global cigarette consumption was smuggled and 7.4% of tax revenue was lost to smuggling. Fourth, the best policy options are identified to achieve the objectives of both public health agencies (less consumption, less smuggling) and governments (less smuggling, more revenue). A tax-induced increase in real retail cigarette prices and an improvement in anti-smuggling law enforcement (as proxied by the corruption indicator) are found to significantly increase government revenues while decreasing global consumption and smuggling. Furthermore, when the tax increase is not accompanied by an improvement in law enforcement, then global smuggling of cigarettes would increase, but governments would still enjoy increased tax revenues.

Effects of oral isotretinoin therapy on the nasal cavities.

INTRODUCTION: Isotretinoin (13 cis-retinoic acid) is the most effective treatment for acne vulgaris and is the only treatment option that can provide either remission or a permanent cure. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to use both subjective and objective methods to assess the nasal complaints of patients with severe acne who received oral isotretinoin therapy. METHODS: Fifty-four subjects were enrolled in the study. All the subjects were assessed with subjective (NOSE and VAS questionnaires) and objective (rhinomanometry and saccharine) tests to determine the severity of their nasal complaints. RESULTS: The mean severity scores (min: 0; max: 100) for nasal dryness/crusting and epistaxis were 0.47 ± 1.48 (0–5); 0.35 ± 1.30 (0–5) at admission, 3.57 ± 4.45 (0–10); 2.26 ± 4.71 (0–20) at the first month, and 4.28 ± 6 (0–20); 2.26 ± 4.71 (0–20) at the third month of the treatment respectively. Total nasal resistance of 0.195 ± 0.079 (0.12–0.56) Pa/cm(3)/s at admission, 0.21 ± 0.084 (0.12–0.54) Pa/cm(3)/s at the first month, and 0.216 ± 0.081 (0.14–0.54) Pa/cm(3)/s at the third month. CONCLUSION: Oral isotretinoin therapy can cause the complaint of nasal obstruction. In addition, nasal complaints, such as dryness/crusting and epistaxis, significantly increase in patients during the therapy schedule

Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio: Predictor of High-grade Dysplasia in Colorectal Polyp

Objective: To determine the value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio for predicting high-grade dysplasia among patients with neoplastic colorectal polyp

Predictive Value of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio for Differentiating Organic Dyspepsia from Functional Dyspepsia

Objective: Dyspepsia, one of the most commonly seen symptoms, can be due to organic dyspepsia (OD) or functional dyspepsia (FD). The aim of this study is to evaluate neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio (NLR) for the predictability of OD due to peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastric cancer (GC)