A recent study said on Wednesday, that patients who have had liver transplant and quit smoking, will decrease their risk of developing cancer. Researchers from Spain reviewed data of liver transplant patients between 1990 and 2009, and found out that those who quit smoking had lesser tendencies of getting smoking-related cancer, than those who did not.

The identified smoking-related cancers in their study included lung, head, esophageal, and kidney cancer. Of all the patients in this study, 26 patients developed smoking-related cancer after their liver transplant.

Previous studies will tell us that long duration of treatment that causes immunosuppression among liver transplant patients increases the risk of developing cancer. This current study, however, showed no association between the two.

Instead, this research proved that quitting cigarette smoking after a liver transplant will decrease your risk of getting cancer. The same way that smoking after a liver transplant will increase ones risks of developing cancer.

Dr. J. Ignacio Herrero, said that because smoking has been proven to be a major risk factor for malignancies after a liver transplant, we need to perform screening and intervention programs aimed towards lowering this risk. This will also give us an opportunity to help lower the statistics of post liver transplant patients who develop smoking-related cancers.

This particular research study supported by the International Liver Transplantation Society and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases will be published on Liver Transplantation journal’s April issue.

Uganda will start the stage of developing its first oil refinery in 2012. The refinery will begin by meeting the local demand of up to 25,000 barrels per day (bpd) prior to increasing up to 200,000 bpd, according to a Uganda official on Tuesday.

The east Africa’s third biggest economy is already keen on avoiding any pitfalls that have already caused problems on other oil producers in the sub-Saharan Africa. These pitfalls made them decide against exporting crude oil.

The Uganda government tells they hope refining capacity will ensure more earnings, give more employment, and help the country achieve a middle-income status.

The oil refinery is said to compete with other planned plantation refineries in South Africa, as well as Angola, which is considered as one of the largest in the region.

Fred Kabagame Kaliisa, the permanent secretary at the mines and energy ministries said that they will focus the entire duration next year into serious planning for development, which will include taking a land and meeting with financiers and potential developers to deal with financing agreements.

According to Kabagame, the ministry with Uganda’s cabinet were conferring about a feasibility study that was done by Foster Wheeler, and that the refinery will be based in the Hoima, west of Uganda.

On Tuesday, Kabagame also said that 28 companies also expressed their interests in building the proposed $900 billion Karuma hydropower dam that will produce about 700 megawatts based on Kabagame’s statement.

The winner will be awarded in August as they wish to see someone start the work by September or October.