Clinical outcome of smoking-cessation trial of nicotine chewing gum evaluated by analysis of nicotine in hair.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

The axial distribution of nicotine along the hair shafts was examined in 21 subjects enrolled in a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of nicotine chewing gum (Nicorette) for validating their self-reported smoking behavior and their physicians' assessments.

Hair samples obtained from the subjects once during the 3-month follow-up period (n = 10 for placebo and n = 11 for Nicorette ad libitum) were analyzed for the cm x cm distribution of nicotine along the hair shafts.

Who Took Part

The study group was 21 subjects.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, men only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the subjects and researchers unaware of who received Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide).

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) group a baseline to be compared against.

What Was Measured

The axial distribution of nicotine along the hair shafts was examined in 21 subjects enrolled in a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of nicotine chewing gum (Nicorette) for validating their self-reported smoking behavior and their physicians' assessments.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Chewing Gum, Drug Monitoring, Hair, Nicotine, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Polymethacrylic Acids and Polyvinyls.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in 21 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1997 (Therapeutic drug monitoring), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) compound page, all human trials.