Decreased Levels of Soluble CD44 in a High-Risk Population following a Smoking Cessation Program

Tobacco is a risk factor of head and neck cancer (HNC) and smoking cessation alone may reduce HNC risk by 70%. Soluble CD44 (solCD44), a cell surface receptor linked to cell proliferation and migration, and total protein (TP) levels can detect early HNC. This study aims to determine whether salivary solCD44 and TP levels in oral rinses change following a smoking cessation program. 150 smokers provided oral rinse samples at baseline and at a 12-month follow-up after participation in a smoking cessation program. Assays to measure levels of solCD44, TP, and cotinine, a metabolite used as a biomarker of tobacco exposure, were completed. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) mean difference in biomarker levels before and after the program. Baseline and at 12-month follow-up data were available for 88 subjects, 21 of whom quit smoking entirely. Mean levels of solCD44 significantly decreased by 0.412 ng/mL from baseline to the 12-month follow-up, p = 0.010. There was no significant difference in mean TP levels, p = 0.975. Mean cotinine levels decreased significantly by 74.7 ng/mL, p = 0.035. This is the first work demonstrating an association between smoking cessation and decreased solCD44 levels in oral rinses. Decreased expression of the tumorigenic CD44 may be one mechanism by which smoking cessation lowers cancer risk.

A Pragmatic Pilot Cluster-Randomized Study of Tobacco Screening and Smoking Cessation Program for Community Pharmacies in Japan: FINE Program

Objectives. To investigate the effectiveness of a smoking cessation program (FINE program) in community pharmacies. Methods. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 11 community pharmacies in Japan. The participants were randomly assigned to a pharmacist-led structured smoking cessation program (intervention group) or pharmacist-led usual care (control group). The intervention group was followed up over the telephone on the third day of smoking cessation, and ongoing follow-up and advice were provided according to the original smoking cessation guidebook developed for the current study based on a behavioral change approach. The control group received brief advice and ready-made pamphlets on smoking cessation from pharmacists upon their visit to these community pharmacies. The primary outcome was continued smoking cessation as determined by self-reporting and carbon monoxide monitoring with a microsmokerlyzer after 3 months. Results. Five hundred and seventy-two smokers who met the eligibility criteria visited the pharmacies included in the study. Of these individuals, 24 patients agreed to participate in the study. The quit rates were 45.5% and 18.2% in the intervention and control groups, respectively ( P = 0.380 , effect size = 0.60 ). Conclusion. Based on the effect size values, the FINE program may be effective to some extent, but the difference was not significant. We speculate that this is related to the small sample size due to difficulty in recruiting. Further studies with an effective recruitment method and larger sample sizes are needed to accurately verify the effectiveness of this program.

Smoking cessation reduces systemic inflammation and circulating endothelin-1

Smoking increases systemic inflammation and circulating endothelin-1 (ET-1), both of which contribute to an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study sought to test the hypothesis that a 12-week smoking cessation intervention would contribute to a long-term reduction in circulating ET-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). 30 individuals participated in a 12-week evidence-based smoking cessation program at Augusta University. Serum cotinine, plasma inflammatory cytokines, and plasma ET-1 were determined at baseline, immediately after the 12-week cessation program (end of treatment, EOT), and 12-months (12M) following the cessation program. Serum cotinine was significantly reduced (p < 0.001) at EOT and 12M following the smoking cessation program. Compared to BL (7.0 ± 1.6 pg/mL), TNF-α was significantly reduced at EOT (6.3 ± 1.5 pg/mL, p = 0.001) and 12M (5.2 ± 2.7 pg/mL, p < 0.001). ET-1 was significantly lower at EOT (1.9 ± 0.6 pg/mL, p = 0.013) and at 12M (2.0 ± 0.8 pg/mL, p = 0.091) following smoking cessation compared with BL (2.3 ± 0.6 pg/mL). BL concentrations of cotinine were significantly associated with basal ET-1 (r = 0.449, p = 0.013) and the change in cotinine at 12M following smoking cessation was significantly associated with the change in plasma ET-1 at 12M (r = 0.457, p = 0.011). Findings from the present pilot investigation demonstrate that a 12-week smoking cessation program reduces circulating concentrations of ET-1 and TNF-α for at least a year. The reduction in serum cotinine was associated with the decrease in circulating ET-1. The attenuation in ET-1 and inflammation may in part, contribute to the lower risk of CVD that is observed with smoking cessation.

A Comparison of the Factor Analysis on Smoking Cessation Success between Inpatient Smoking Cessation Program and Residential Smoking Cessation Program

Background: Since 2015, Smoking cessation program have been provided by the local smoking cessation support center in Korea. This program consisted of a 5-days of residential smoking cessation program and an inpatient program. This article is to assist smokers to quit smoking by analyzing and comparing the success factor in smoking cessation from the two different programs.Methods: This study was conducted with a total of 996 participants from the residential smoking cessation program and the inpatient program, from January 2018 to December 2020 at the University Hospitals. Based on the registration card information, we did a retrospective research. Success defines that the smoking cessation continued after 6 months of program participation when it is confirmed by urine cotinine test or phone consultation. The outcome of this study was performed by cross-tabulation analysis and regression analysis.Results: The findings show that the expected value of success in smoking cessation is higher as the subject is older in their age (P<0.05 in 60s or older), and more frequent consultations (P<0.01) in both programs. The nicotine dependency (P<0.01), social security system (P<0.01), and drinking experience (P=0.01) showed a meaningful correlation to success in smoking cessation in the residential program.Conclusions: It is required to improve the smoking cessation program to active intervention with frequent consultations when providing these two programs.