PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches

First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches shows comparable success in helping smokers to quit

2013-09-08
(Press-News.org) Barcelona, Spain: First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches shows comparable success in helping smokers to quit.

The first ever trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches has found that both methods result in comparable success in quitting, with roughly similar proportions of smokers who used either method remaining abstinent from smoking for six months after a 13 week course of patches or e-cigarettes.

The study, presented today (8 September 2013) at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress in Barcelona, Spain and published in The Lancet, is only the second controlled trial to be published which evaluates e-cigarettes, and is the first ever trial to assess whether e-cigarettes are more or less effective than an established smoking cessation aid, nicotine patches, in helping smokers to quit.

Led by Associate Professor Chris Bullen, Director of the National Institute for Health Innovation at The University of Auckland in New Zealand, a team of researchers recruited 657 smokers to the trial through adverts in local newspapers. Study participants were all people who wanted to quit smoking, and were divided into three groups: just under 300 (292) received 13 weeks' supply of commercially available e-cigarettes, each of which contained around 16mg nicotine. The same number (292) received 13 weeks' supply of nicotine patches, and a smaller number of participants (73) received placebo e-cigarettes, which contained no nicotine. Over 13 weeks of using the cessation aids, and 3 months further follow-up, participants underwent testing to establish whether they had managed to remain abstinent from cigarettes. At the end of the six-month study period, around one in twenty study participants (overall, 5.7%) had managed to remain completely abstinent from smoking.

While the proportion of participants who successfully quit was highest in the e-cigarettes group (7.3%, compared to 5.8% for those in the nicotine patches group, and 4.1% in the placebo e-cigarettes group), these differences were not statistically significant. The results suggest that e-cigarettes are comparable to nicotine patches in helping people to quit for at least six months. Additionally, the results found no statistically significant difference in any adverse changes to health reported by participants in the e-cigarettes and the nicotine patches group.

Among those who had not managed to quit after six months, cigarette consumption was markedly reduced in the nicotine e-cigarettes group, compared to the patches and placebo groups; well over half (57%) of the participants in the e-cigarettes group had reduced their daily consumption of cigarettes by at least half after six months, compared to just over two fifths (41%) of the patches group.

In both of the nicotine and placebo e-cigarettes groups, a third of participants were still using the devices after six months, compared to under one in ten (8%) of those in the patches group. When asked whether they would recommend their allocated product to a friend one month after finishing the course, around 9 out of 10 participants in both the e-cigarettes and the placebo groups said they would, compared to just over half (56%) in the patches group; these proportions were little changed after six months.

Professor Bullen said: "Our study establishes a critical benchmark for e-cigarette performance compared to nicotine patches and placebo e-cigarettes, but there is still so much that is unknown about the effectiveness and long-term effects of e-cigarettes. Given the increasing popularity of these devices in many countries, and the accompanying regulatory uncertainty and inconsistency, larger, longer-term trials are urgently needed to establish whether these devices might be able to fulfil their potential as effective and popular smoking cessation aids."

European Respiratory Society President, Professor Francesco Blasi, said: "The introduction of e-cigarettes on the market has caused some debate amongst healthcare professionals. Our position is clear: we need more research on the positive or negative effects of these products.

"This study has taken us one step closer to understanding the effectiveness of these devices as a quitting aid, but we still need long-term independent clinical trials and behavioural studies. It is also essential that research focuses on the safety of these devices, as this is still an area that is lacking data and the results of this study suggest many people are enthusiastic about the use of the devices. Until this strong scientific evidence exists, policymakers who are deciding how to regulate the devices should proceed with caution."

### Notes to editors:

Abstract: Do electronic cigarettes help smokers quit? Results from a randomized controlled trial Session: E-cigarettes, shisha, the tobacco industry and public health Date and time: Sunday 8 September, 12:50-14:40 Room: HALL 1-28


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Rapid diagnostic tests decrease waiting time for drug-resistant TB patients

2013-09-08
Barcelona, Spain: Results of a new study suggest that three new diagnostic tests could each be used to successfully diagnose drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) patients in a quarter of the time taken by the current method. The research, presented today (8 September 2013) at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Barcelona, has provided evidence that each test could be used as an effective alternative to standard testing, increasing the possibilities open to clinicians. Drug susceptibility tests are carried out in people with active TB in order to ...

Yin-yang effect of sodium and chloride presents salt conundrum

2013-09-08
'Eat less salt' is a mantra of our health-conscious times and is seen as an important step in reducing heart disease and hypertension. Too much salt in the diet – and specifically sodium – is widely acknowledged as a major risk factor for high blood pressure however, scientists have found that salt's other oft-overlooked constituent chloride might also play an important role. A study by researchers at the University of Glasgow has revealed that low chloride levels in the blood is an independent indicator of mortality risk in people with hypertension. The role of chloride ...

Stanford scientists use DNA to assemble a transistor from graphene

2013-09-07
DNA is the blueprint for life. Could it also become the template for making a new generation of computer chips based not on silicon, but on an experimental material known as graphene? That's the theory behind a process that Stanford chemical engineering professor Zhenan Bao reveals in Nature Communications. Bao and her co-authors, former post-doctoral fellows Anatoliy Sokolov and Fung Ling Yap, hope to solve a problem clouding the future of electronics: consumers expect silicon chips to continue getting smaller, faster and cheaper, but engineers fear that this virtuous ...

NASA satellites and HS3 Mission cover Tropical Storm Gabrielle's demise, watch other areas

2013-09-07
Two NASA satellites and one of NASA's Global Hawk aircraft got good looks at Gabrielle when it weakened from a tropical storm to a depression. Although Gabrielle is now a remnant low pressure area, there are a couple of other developing low pressure areas in the Atlantic Ocean basin to keep an eye on. As part of NASA's Hurricane Severe Storms Sentinel mission known as HS3, two of NASA's Global Hawks have been investigating Gabrielle and are gathering data over its remnants. Global Hawk 871 and 872 have been gathering data on Gabrielle this week and are expected to fly ...

Inflatable antennae could give CubeSats greater reach

2013-09-07
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The future of satellite technology is getting small — about the size of a shoebox, to be exact. These so-called "CubeSats," and other small satellites, are making space exploration cheaper and more accessible: The minuscule probes can be launched into orbit at a fraction of the weight and cost of traditional satellites. But with such small packages come big limitations — namely, a satellite's communication range. Large, far-ranging radio dishes are impossible to store in a CubeSat's tight quarters. Instead, the satellites are equipped with smaller, less ...

Satellite sees Atlantic Tropical Depression 8 form in southwestern Gulf of Mexico

2013-09-07
The eighth tropical depression of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico at 2 p.m. EDT on Sept. 6, and NOAA's GOES-East satellite captured a visible image of the storm. NOAA's GOES-East satellite image showed a large circulation associated with Tropical Depression 8 or TD8 after it was officially designated a depression by the National Hurricane Center. The image was created by NASA's GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The center of TD8 formed right along the eastern coast of Mexico near Tampico ...

Drug patch treatment sees new breakthrough

2013-09-07
An assistant professor with the Virginia Tech - Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering has developed a flexible microneedle patch that allows drugs to be delivered directly and fully through the skin. The new patch can quicken drug delivery time while cutting waste, and can likely minimize side-effects in some cases, notable in vaccinations and cancer therapy. News of the delivery technology was published in a recent issue of the scientific journal, Advanced Materials. Leading development of the flexible patch was Lissett Bickford, now an assistant professor and ...

Co-sponsors highlight important research to be presented at the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium

2013-09-07
SAN FRANSISCO, CA – Five additional studies of note are among those that will be presented at the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium, taking place September 7-9, 2013 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, California. Two studies examine cognitive function in women who undergo treatment for early-stage breast cancer; a third evaluates impact of tumor genotyping on clinical trial enrollment; and the final two evaluate the outcomes of different treatment approaches. Saturday, September 7 Presentations Abstract #48: Receptor status change from primary to residual ...

NASA's HS3 Mission Global Hawk data used in National Hurricane Center forecast of Gabrielle

2013-09-06
Data from the dropsondes that are dispersed from one of NASA's Global Hawk unmanned aircraft assisted forecasters at the National Hurricane Center when analyzing the environment of newborn Tropical Storm Gabrielle at 11 p.m. EDT on Sept. 4. One of two of NASA's Global Hawks flew over Tropical Depression Seven on Sept. 4, which organized into Tropical Storm Gabrielle. "During this flight, the National Hurricane Center upgraded the tropical system to Tropical Storm Gabrielle and acknowledged the data that they are getting real time from our aircraft on their website," ...

11 spacecraft show interstellar wind changed direction over 40 years

2013-09-06
Like the wind adjusting course in the middle of a storm, scientists have discovered that the particles streaming into the solar system from interstellar space have most likely changed direction over the last 40 years. Such information can help us map out our place within the galaxy surrounding us, and help us understand our place in space. The results, based on data spanning four decades from 11 different spacecraft, were published in Science on Sept. 5, 2013. Vestiges of the interstellar wind flowing into what's called the heliosphere -- the vast bubble filled by the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Plant doctor: An AI system that watches over urban trees without touching a leaf

Study tracks chromium chemistry in irradiated molten salts

Scientists: the beautiful game is a silver bullet for global health

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

[Press-News.org] First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches
First trial to compare e-cigarettes with nicotine patches shows comparable success in helping smokers to quit