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SmokingNCT02752022

Monitoring the Transition From Smoking to E-cigarettes

An observational study of Smoking, run by St George's, University of London at 1 site in United Kingdom.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have proved very popular and a meteoric rise in their usage is currently under way. People purchase them as an aid to giving up smoking, to reduce cigarette consumption, to minimise withdrawal symptoms in occupational environments that ban smoking, and in order to continue smoking… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Smoking
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Sep 2016to 1 Apr 2019
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Heavy smokers (continuous smoking of >10 cigarettes per day) for at least 6 months who are willing to give up smoking and switch to nicotine containing e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking

Who may be able to join

  • Heavy smokers (continuous smoking of >10 cigarettes per day) for at least 6 months who are willing to give up smoking and switch to nicotine containing e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.
  • Males and females aged 18-65 years
  • Subjects must be willing and able to give informed consent
  • Subjects must have understanding of English sufficient that they are able to read and understand the participant information sheet and the informed consent form
  • Subjects in the opinion of the Investigator are healthy on the basis of medical history questionnaire and vital signs
  • Subjects who will purchase their e-cigarettes kits, e-liquid and/or cartridges from a pharmacy, leading super market, established newsagent chain)

Who cannot join

  • Severe psychosis, Bipolar Affective Disorder I, prostate cancer, Cushing's syndrome, severe depression with suicidal ideation and intention, brain trauma or other severe neurological disorders (e.g. pan-hypopituitarism) or taking antidepressants, anxiolytics antipsychotics
  • Pregnant females and lactating mothers
  • History of substance abuse and alcoholism
  • History of cardiovascular disease (heart disease, angina, heart attacks, high blood pressure, heart surgery) in the last 6 months.
  • Self-declared smokers with low or non-detectable CO readings in their breath when tested with the oxymeter will be excluded from further being studied
  • Smokers who are undergoing alternative Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)/pharmacological treatment for smoking cessation (i.e. nicotine patches, nicotine gum, Champix, bupropion)
  • Any other condition that in the judgement of the investigator would preclude participation
  • Smokers who are unwilling to refrain from smoking for 4 weeks

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United Kingdom1 site
  • St George's Hospital

    London, SW17 0QT

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Monitoring Levels of Tobacco-specific Nitrosamines, DNA Adducts, Stress Hormones and DNA Methylation During the Transition From Cigarette Smoking to Electronic Cigarette Use: a Prospective Observational Study

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have proved very popular and a meteoric rise in their usage is currently under way. People purchase them as an aid to giving up smoking, to reduce cigarette consumption, to minimise withdrawal symptoms in occupational environments that ban smoking, and in order to continue smoking with decreased health risks. Although the safety and impact on health of electronic cigarettes, especially after long-term use, has not been evaluated, they are generally considered to be far safer alternatives to cigarette smoke. Electronic cigarettes do not generate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a potent class of carcinogenic chemicals generated during the combustion of tobacco and making important contribution to the cigarette-induced cancer. However, carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines have been encountered in e-cigarettes being detected in some nicotine cartridges as contaminants, albeit at very low concentrations in comparison with tobacco smoke. Consequently, it is imperative to ascertain the toxicity risk (if any) of consuming nicotine intake through electronic cigarettes. This European Commission funded study will monitor levels of carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines in urine of heavy smokers who give up smoking and completely transition to e-cigarette use for a period of 4 weeks. Levels of other compounds which are known to be associated with smoking toxicity, such as DNA adducts and DNA methylation, will also be monitored in biological fluids of these subjects. Finally, cigarette craving, mood, anxiety, social anxiety, well-being status and stress hormones will be measured in smokers transitioning to e-cigarettes for 4 weeks to assess the psychological effect of the transition. The results from the study will provide important information on the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation which investigators anticipate to drive policy.

Read the detailed description

Established smokers will completely stop smoking for 4 weeks and instead transition to nicotine use through an electronic cigarette as required. They will be free to purchase the e-cigarette and e-liquid/cartridges of their own choice.

Eligible subjects will be asked to visit St George's Clinical Research Facility to provide the following samples. Blood, saliva and buccal cells to be collected on screening day. 24hr urine, blood, saliva and buccal cells will be collected at baseline and on days 3, 7, 21 and 28 after the first transition to e-cigarette use.

Moreover, subjects will be breathalysed with carbon monoxide (CO) oximeter and their urine analysed for anatabine to assess compliance to the study protocol (complete refrain of use of tobacco cigarettes for 4 weeks while they use e-cigarettes).

Subjects will be monitored for craving, mood, social anxiety, sleep profile and quality of life on every visit to St George's Clinical Research Facility (quality of life will be assessed only at baseline and day 28 of e-cigarette use). The subjects will be followed up with a telephone call 6 and 12 months after the end of the e-cigarette intervention to monitor their smoking/e-cigarette use behaviour and participants craving, mood, social anxiety, sleep profile and quality of life.

Conditions
Smoking
Keywords
e-cigarettes, nitrosamines, smoking cessation
Medical subject headings
Smoking, Vaping, Smoking Cessation

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT02752022
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Heavy smokersHeavy smokers (continuous smoking of >10 cigarettes per day) for at least 6 months who will give up smoking and switch to nicotine containing e-cigarettes for 28 days to help them quit smoking.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change of levels of DNA adducts analysed by high resolution liquid chromatography

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  2. Change of levels of tobacco specific nitrosamines analysed by high resolution liquid chromatography

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  3. Change of levels of stress hormones analysed by ELISA

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  4. Change of levels of DNA methylation analysed by high pressure liquid chromatography-UV

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

Secondary outcomes (9)
  1. Change of measures of withdrawal symptoms severity measured by the Fagerstrom test

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  2. Change of measures of craving analysed by Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  3. Change of measures of mood analysed by Mood and Physical Symptoms Scale (MPSS)

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  4. Change of measures of anxiety analysed by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  5. Change of measures of social anxiety analysed by Liebovitz Social Anxiety Test

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  6. Changes of measures of depression analysed by Beck Depression Inventory

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  7. Changes of measures of sleep analysed by Pittsburg Sleep Index or Karolinska sleep questionaire

    Measured: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  8. Changes of measure of quality of life analysed by the European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EuroQL-5D)

    Measured: baseline and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes

  9. Changes in brain electrical activity measured by EEG

    Measured: baseline and 21 days following transition to e-cigarettes

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted26 Apr 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2016
  3. Primary completion1 Apr 2019 (estimated)
  4. Study completion1 Apr 2019 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
50 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02752022
Sponsor's protocol ID
16.0070
Status last verified
Jan 2019
First submitted
13 Apr 2016
Last updated
17 Jan 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Smoking, run by St George's, University of London at 1 site in United Kingdom.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jan 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change of levels of DNA adducts analysed by high resolution liquid chromatography (time frame: Screening, baseline and 3, 7, 21 and 28 days following transition to e-cigarettes). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jan 2019.

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