Let's talk e-cigarettes

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Ian Pope. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr Ian Pope, an emergency medicine physician and honorary associate professor at Norwich Medical School, about his new trial, which he co leads with Professor Caitlin Notley from the University of East Anglia. The new trial is the COSTED trial, the Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department and funded by the British National Institutes of Health Research. This is a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, based in 6 emergency departments around the UK. This study tested the real-world effectiveness of an emergency department based smoking cessation intervention that included provision of an e-cigarette starter kit compared to usual care. (ClinicalTrial.gov:NCT04854616). Adults who smoke tobacco and were attending one of six EDs across the UK were randomised to either control (in which case they were given written information about stop smoking services) or intervention (brief smoking cessation intervention, provision of an e-cigarette starter kit, and referral to stop smoking services). Both groups were followed up 1, 3 and 6 months after randomisation. Smoking abstinence was biochemically verified at 6 months. There were over a thousand participants and biochemically verified smoking cessation rate of 7.2% in the intervention group 4.1% in the control group. The study found that it was feasible to implement a smoking cessation intervention in EDs with dedicated staff time to deliver the intervention and that EDs may represent an excellent opportunity to engage hard to reach smokers. Pope I, Notley C, Boyle A, Results of the cessation of smoking trial in the emergency department (COSTED), Emergency Medicine Journal / 2023;40(12):873-874 This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out on 1st March found the following 1 new study: Hoeppner BB, Eddie D, Schick M, Hoeppner SS, Kelly L, Kelly JF, Feasibility of and reactivity to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) during electronic cigarette use initiation in adults who smoke daily: MASKED FOR REVIEW, European Journal of Psychiatry / 2024;38(3):100247. 10.1016/j.ejpsy.2023.100247 3 papers linked to studies included in the review: Auer R, Schoeni A, Humair J-P, Jacot-Sadowski I, Berlin I, Stuber MJ, Haller ML, Tango RC, Frei A, Strassmann A, Bruggmann P, Baty F, Brutsche M, Tal K, Baggio S, Jakob J, Sambiagio N, Hopf NB, Feller M, Rodondi N, Berthet A, Electronic Nicotine-Delivery Systems for Smoking Cessation, The New England journal of medicine / 2024;390(7):601-610. 10.1056/NEJMoa2308815 Piper ME, Schlam TR, Donny EC, Kobinsky K, Matthews J, Piasecki TM, Jorenby DE, The Impact of Three Alternate Nicotine-Delivery Products on Combusted Cigarette Use: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2024;, ntae014, 10.1093/ntr/ntae014 Correction to Yingst: Changes in Nicotine Dependence Among Smokers Using Electronic Cigarettes to Reduce Cigarette Smoking in a Randomized Controlled Trial, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2023;, ntad229, 10.1093/ntr/ntad229 For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in January 2024 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub8/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Reto Auer, Bern University, Switzerland. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Reto Auer, primary care physician and clinical researcher from the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern. Reto Auer is Head of the Substance Use Unit, where he leads a variety of research projects, including a large randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy, safety and toxicology of nicotine e-cigarettes. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Reto Auer about his new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine ‘Electronic nicotine delivery systems for smoking cessation’. This trial randomized 1246 participants: 622 to free e-cigarettes and e-liquids, standard-of-care smoking-cessation counselling, and optional (not free) nicotine-replacement therapy; and 624 participants to a control group, which received standard counselling and a voucher, which they could use for any purpose, including nicotine-replacement therapy. This study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and others and registered as ESTxENDS NCT03589989. The percentage of participants with validated continuous abstinence from tobacco smoking was 28.9% in the intervention group and 16.3% in the control group (relative risk, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.43 to 2.20). The study concluded that adding e-cigarettes to standard smoking-cessation counselling resulted in greater abstinence from tobacco use among smokers than smoking-cessation counselling alone. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2308815 This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out on 1st February found the following 1 new study by Lin 2024 (Lin, H-X, Liu Z, Hajek P, Zhang W-T, Wu Y, Zhu B-C, Liu H-H, Xiang Q, Zhang Y, Li S-B, Pesola F, Wang Y-Y, Efficacy of Electronic Cigarettes vs Varenicline and Nicotine Chewing Gum as an Aid to Stop Smoking: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA internal medicine / 2024;(101589534).) 3 new ongoing studies: NCT06169813, E-cigarette Harm Reduction Among PLWHA in South Africa. ISRCTN14068059, E-cigarettes for smoking cessation and reduction in people with a mental illness. Hameed A, Malik D, Clinical study protocol on electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches for smoking cessation in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial, Trials / 2024;25(1):9 3 papers linked to studies included in the review: Scheibein F, McGirr K, Morrison A, Roche W, Wells JSG, Correction to: an exploratory non-randomized study of a 3-month electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) intervention with people accessing a homeless supported temporary accommodation service (STA) in Ireland, Harm reduction journal 2021;18(1):113 Pesola F, Smith KM, Phillips-Waller A, Przulj D, Griffiths C, Walton R, McRobbie H, Coleman T, Lewis S, Whitemore R, Clark M, Ussher M, Sinclair L, Seager E, Cooper S, Bauld L, Naughton F, Sasieni P, Manyonda I, Hajek P, Safety of e-cigarettes and nicotine patches as stop-smoking aids in pregnancy: Secondary analysis of the Pregnancy Trial of E-cigarettes and Patches (PREP) randomized controlled trial, Addiction (Abingdon, England) / 2024 Trigg J, Rich J, Williams E, Gartner CE, Guillaumier A, Bonevski B, Perspectives on limiting tobacco access and supporting access to nicotine vaping products among clients of residential drug and alcohol treatment services in Australia, Tobacco control 2023 For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Reto Auer, primary care physician and clinical researcher from the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern. Reto Auer is Head of the Substance Use Unit, where he leads a variety of research projects, including a large randomized controlled trial designed to test the efficacy, safety and toxicology of nicotine e-cigarettes. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Reto Auer about his new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine ‘Electronic nicotine delivery systems for smoking cessation’. This trial randomized 1246 participants: 622 to free e-cigarettes and e-liquids, standard-of-care smoking-cessation counselling, and optional (not free) nicotine-replacement therapy; and 624 participants to a control group, which received standard counselling and a voucher, which they could use for any purpose, including nicotine-replacement therapy. This study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and others and registered as ESTxENDS NCT03589989. The percentage of participants with validated continuous abstinence from tobacco smoking was 28.9% in the intervention group and 16.3% in the control group (relative risk, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.43 to 2.20). The study concluded that adding e-cigarettes to standard smoking-cessation counselling resulted in greater abstinence from tobacco use among smokers than smoking-cessation counselling alone. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2308815 This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out on 1st February found the following 1 new study by Lin 2024 (Lin, H-X, Liu Z, Hajek P, Zhang W-T, Wu Y, Zhu B-C, Liu H-H, Xiang Q, Zhang Y, Li S-B, Pesola F, Wang Y-Y, Efficacy of Electronic Cigarettes vs Varenicline and Nicotine Chewing Gum as an Aid to Stop Smoking: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA internal medicine / 2024;(101589534).) 3 new ongoing studies: NCT06169813, E-cigarette Harm Reduction Among PLWHA in South Africa. ISRCTN14068059, E-cigarettes for smoking cessation and reduction in people with a mental illness. Hameed A, Malik D, Clinical study protocol on electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches for smoking cessation in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial, Trials / 2024;25(1):9 3 papers linked to studies included in the review: Scheibein F, McGirr K, Morrison A, Roche W, Wells JSG, Correction to: an exploratory non-randomized study of a 3-month electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) intervention with people accessing a homeless supported temporary accommodation service (STA) in Ireland, Harm reduction journal 2021;18(1):113 Pesola F, Smith KM, Phillips-Waller A, Przulj D, Griffiths C, Walton R, McRobbie H, Coleman T, Lewis S, Whitemore R, Clark M, Ussher M, Sinclair L, Seager E, Cooper S, Bauld L, Naughton F, Sasieni P, Manyonda I, Hajek P, Safety of e-cigarettes and nicotine patches as stop-smoking aids in pregnancy: Secondary analysis of the Pregnancy Trial of E-cigarettes and Patches (PREP) randomized controlled trial, Addiction (Abingdon, England) / 2024 Trigg J, Rich J, Williams E, Gartner CE, Guillaumier A, Bonevski B, Perspectives on limiting tobacco access and supporting access to nicotine vaping products among clients of residential drug and alcohol treatment services in Australia, Tobacco control 2023 For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in January 2024 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub8/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK. This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Cara Murphy, Brown University, USA. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Assistant Professor Cara Murphy, clinical psychologist at Brown University. Cara Murphy works at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction in the School of Public Health and the Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Cara Murphy about her new trial, Trial for Harm Reduction With Incentives & Vaping E-cigarettes (THRIVE) and funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. This trial will assess the effect of e-cigarettes and incentives on combustible cigarette smoking in individuals with overweight/obesity who smoke cigarettes. A randomized group of participants will given e-cigarettes for 6 weeks. carbon monoxide will be monitored and participants will either receive fixed incentives for sample completion or receive varying incentives contingent on their carbon monoxide levels. Researchers will compare groups to understand the effect of each condition on smoking-related behaviour. Cara outlines how individuals with overweight/obesity who smoke cigarettes have greatly increased risks of metabolic, cardiac, and pulmonary diseases due to the synergistic effects of tobacco and obesity. Cara also discusses issues faced by people who smoke and are overweight. Switching to e-cigarettes may decrease the risk of negative health outcomes and be a promising approach. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out on 1st December and 1st January found the following . 1 new study by Xu et el 2023 (Xu Y, Goldenson NI, Prakash S Augustson EM, Shiffman S, Randomized trial assessing the effect of the JUUL system on switching away from cigarettes and smoking reduction among U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology / 2023;(9419066)). 2 new ongoing studies: NCT06111053, Trial for Harm Reduction With Incentives & Vaping E-cigarettes (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06111053) and NCT06118502, A Clinical Trial of Adaptive Treatment for Early Smoking Cessation Relapse (ADAPT) (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06118502). 1 study by Pope et al 2023 linked to Notley 2023 (Pope I, Notley C, Boyle A, Results of the cessation of smoking trial in the emergency department (COSTED), Emergency Medicine Journal / 2023;40(12):873-874). For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Eve Taylor, King's College London. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Eve Taylor who is working on a PhD in the Nicotine Research Group at King's College London. Eve also works as a research assistant on projects including the International Tobacco Control Project and the Public Health England e-cigarette evidence reviews. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Eve Taylor at the E-Cigarette Summit, 16th November at the Royal College of Physicians, London. Eve discusses packaging regulations and the role that cigarette packaging and e-cigarette packaging have on the appeal to young people and adults. She draws on findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey data. The survey data from ASH shows that young people are less interested in trying e-cigarettes in standardised packaging and colours compared to branded packaging. However, changing the packaging does not affect adults, including adults that use combustible cigarettes. Eve discusses the role of flavour names and brand names. The interview highlights that the consequences of any changes in policy need to be thought through and any changes in regulations need to be clear and easily enforceable. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out November 1st 2023 identified: four new ongoing studies (ISRCTN82413824, NCT06063421, NCT06077240, NCT06088862); one linked paper by Prell et al (10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071099) and two reports to be classified. For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss cigarette packaging, flavours and brand names with Eve Taylor, King's College London. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Eve Taylor who is working on a PhD in the Nicotine Research Group at King's College London. Eve also works as a research assistant on projects including the International Tobacco Control Project and the Public Health England e-cigarette evidence reviews. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Eve Taylor at the E-Cigarette Summit, 16th November at the Royal College of Physicians, London. Eve discusses packaging regulations and the role that cigarette packaging and e-cigarette packaging have on the appeal to young people and adults. She draws on findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey data. The survey data from ASH shows that young people are less interested in trying e-cigarettes in standardised packaging and colours compared to branded packaging. However, changing the packaging does not affect adults, including adults that use combustible cigarettes. Eve discusses the role of flavour names and brand names. The interview highlights that the consequences of any changes in policy need to be thought through and any changes in regulations need to be clear and easily enforceable. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out November 1st 2023 identified: four new ongoing studies (ISRCTN82413824, NCT06063421, NCT06077240, NCT06088862); one linked paper by Prell et al (10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071099) and two reports to be classified. For further details see our webpage under 'Monthly search findings': https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research interview Associate Professor Natalie Walker from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Associate Professor Natalie Walker, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Social and Community Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Natalie Walker discusses her study exploring the effectiveness of nicotine salt vapes, cytisine, and a combination of these products, for smoking cessation in New Zealand. This is a three-arm, pragmatic, community-based randomised controlled trial. They have just finished recruiting 800 participants and the results of this study will be published 2024. This study is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. We also hear about the stop smoking policies taking place in New Zealand and about current levels of smoking and e-cigarette use there. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out October 1st 2023 identified two papers linked to studies previously identified. The study discussed in the podcast, Walker 2023, Effectiveness of nicotine salt vapes, cytisine, and a combination of these products, for smoking cessation in New Zealand: protocol for a three-arm, pragmatic, community-based randomised controlled trial (10.1186/s12889-023-16665-w) linked to ongoing study NCT05311085. The second linked study is Carpenter 2023 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102142), see also May 2023 podcast. For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full Or our webpage: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and Ailsa Butler interviews Andrea Leinberger-Jabari from the Public Health Research Center at New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research. Ailsa Butler interviews Andrea Leinberger-Jabari, Assistant Director for tobacco research at the Public Health Research Center at New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Andrea Leinberger-Jabari talks to Ailsa Butler at the Society for Nicotine and Tobacco Research- E annual conference held in London where Andrea was presenting a poster of her work. Andrea describes her study of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is part of a larger cohort study at the Public Health Research Center called the UAE Healthy Futures study. Data is collected from Emirati adults residing in the UAE on tobacco use behaviors and, since becoming legal in 2019, on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. The overall smoking rate is around 30% and men tend to smoke more than women. Of those who smoke combustible tobacco, over half smoke more than one type of combustible tobacco including cigarettes, shisha, pipe tobacco and Doha tobacco. Most e-cigarette users are people who already smoke combustible tobacco, are male, younger and college educated. The views on the perceived harm of e-cigarettes are mixed; people were unsure if they were more or less harmful than combustible tobacco. The top reasons for using e-cigarettes among people who use combustible tobacco, are that they might help them quit, that they are more acceptable than combustible cigarettes and they can be used in places where combustible cigarettes are banned. People not using combustible cigarettes use e-cigarettes out of curiosity and because they taste good. The EC market is new in the UAE and is growing rapidly, so continued monitoring of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco use in this emerging market will inform further policy and regulation The results of this study presented as a poster will be published soon. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Our literature searches carried out August 1st and September 1st 2023 identified one new (Rose 2023 https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-023-06401-y), two linked (Przulj 2023 https://doi.org/10.3310/AGTH6901) (Kanobe 2023, https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070564) and one new ongoing study (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05960305). For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full Or our webpage: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Assistant Professor Joanna Streck from Massachusetts General Hospital, USA. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Assistant Professor of Psychology, Joanna Streck, from the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US. Joanna Streck talks about her new study looking at the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of switching from combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes in individuals in treatment for opioid use disorder. The trial name is: Switching Individuals in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Who Smoke Cigarettes to the Standardized Research E-Cigarette (SREC). The goal of this study is to conduct a pilot randomized waitlist-controlled trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of substituting the National Institute for Drug Abuse standardized research e-cigarette (SREC) for combustible cigarettes in people who use medications for opioid disorder and combustible cigarettes who are not ready to quit smoking. A waitlist controlled randomised controlled trial of 40 participants will investigate the impact of SREC provision on: tobacco use behaviour; biomarkers (e.g., carbon monoxide); cigarette dependence and withdrawal; and short-term health effects and tolerability. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. For more information on the study see: https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT05881304 Our literature search carried out July 1st 2023 identified two new ongoing studies. The study above and NCT0588794, Impact of E-cigarette Nicotine Concentration on Compensation. For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full Or our webpage: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Associate Sarah Pratt, Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth University, New Hampshire, USA. Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Associate Professor Sarah Pratt from Dartmouth University. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. Sarah Pratt discusses her research and her study of e-cigarette provision to people with serious mental illness to support them transitioning away from combustible tobacco. This research is funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. An abstract of this work was presented at the Society for Research into Nicotine and Tobacco, SRNT, meeting in 2023 and published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research last year. People with serious mental illness (SMI) have great difficulty quitting and sustaining abstinence, warranting novel harm reduction strategies, including switching to potentially reduced-harm nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes. Sarah Pratt and her team conducted the first-ever trial of e-cigarette provision with instructions on their safe use versus usual care in 240 chronic smokers with SMI. They tested whether substitution of e-cigarettes could reduce harm as measured by the cigarette metabolite and carcinogen NNAL (the nitrosamine (4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol). The e-cigarette group had significantly lower NNAL at 4 weeks but the group difference was attenuated at 8 weeks. This study demonstrated rapid short-term harm reduction among chronic smokers with SMI assigned to receive e-cigarettes. The attenuation of this effect at 8 weeks suggests that smokers with SMI require more than e-cigarette provision alone to maintain reduced smoking. Sarah and her team conclude that development of a behavioural intervention in addition to e-cigarette provision seems warranted to prevent morbidity and early mortality in this high-risk group of smokers. For more information on the study see: Pratt SI, Ferron JC, Brunette MF, Santos M, Sargent J, Xie H. E-Cigarette Provision to Promote Switching in Cigarette Smokers with Serious Mental Illness-A Randomized Trial. Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Aug 6;24(9):1405-1412. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac082. PMID: 35363874; PMCID: PMC9356685. SRNT 2023, abstract PPS22-5, RCT assessing the effect of e-cigarettes versus usual smoking on NNAL among chronic smokers with serious mental illness.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Matthew Carpenter, Medical University of South Carolina, USA. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Nicola Lindson discuss emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Professor Matthew Carpenter. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches. In the May 2023 episode Jamie Hartmann-Boyce talks with Professor Matthew Carpenter from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston SC, and co-leader of the Cancer Control Program within MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Matthew Carpenter's primary research interests relate to tobacco use: craving and nicotine dependence, clinical trials for smoking cessation, and public health policy for effective tobacco control. Jamie interviews Matthew at the US E-cigarette Summit in Washington DC and asks about his Naturalistic E-Cig Trial (CONNECT) funded by National Cancer Institute. In this randomised controlled trial 638 participants who use combustible cigarettes are allocated to either: a control arm where they can continue using combustible cigarettes; or given an NJOY electronic cigarette to sample and can continue smoking their usual cigarettes as much or as little as they would like. The study gathered information on e-cigarette product use, purchasing of e-cigarettes and cessation of use of combustible cigarettes at 6 months. The study found an increase in quit attempts and an increase in smoking cessation of combustible cigarettes in the intervention arm. We will include the results in our Cochrane review when these become available. For more information on the study see: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03453385 Our literature searches carried out between February 2023 and May 2023 found 2 new studies (Kanobe 2022, DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-25054-z & NCT03453385) 5 linked studies and 1 new ongoing study (NCT05703672) which may be relevant to our review when it is completed. For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in November 2022 see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub7/full Or our webpage: https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1 This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.