Review
Urology & Nephrology
Arnaud Devresse, Sophie Gohy, Arnaud Robert, Nada Kanaan
Summary: Smoking has negative impacts on kidney transplantation outcomes, with guidelines strongly recommending quitting before transplantation. Nicotine addiction is a complex disease, with smoking cessation programmes proving effective in the general population.
CLINICAL KIDNEY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Substance Abuse
Rukshar K. Gobarani, Jenni Ilomaki, Stephen Wood, Michael J. Abramson, Billie Bonevski, Johnson George
Summary: This study examined the use of smoking cessation medications in Australia and found that varenicline was more commonly dispensed compared to nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion. The study also revealed that individuals who received varenicline were generally healthier.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Paulo Roberto Xavier Tomaz, Thuane Sales Goncalves, Juliana Rocha Santos, Jaqueline Scholz, Tania Ogawa Abe, Patricia Viviane Gaya, Eduardo Costa Figueiredo, Henrique Dipe de Faria, Isarita Martins, Ana Miguel Fonseca Pego, Beatriz Aparecida Bismara, Mauricio Yonamine, Alexandre Costa Pereira, Paulo Caleb Lima Santos Junior
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the application of nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) in Brazilian smoking patients and analyze its association with smoking characteristics. The findings contribute to the development of personalized smoking cessation treatments and improvement of success rates.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Helena Zhang, Tara Mansoursadeghi-Gilan, Sarwar Hussain, Scott Veldhuizen, Bernard Le Foll, Peter Selby, Laurie Zawertailo
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an online treatment using first-line prescription medications for smoking cessation. The results showed that the varenicline group had higher 7-day quit rates compared to the bupropion group, and this difference persisted in the follow-up periods. However, the varenicline group also reported more adverse events.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sabina Antonela Antoniu, Ioana Buculei, Florin Mihaltan, Radu Crisan Dabija, Antigona Carmen Trofor
Summary: The article discusses the clinical data of main studies evaluating smoking cessation therapies for COPD patients, starting from seminal studies like the Lung Health Study to more recent ones. Despite the high impact on disease progression and demonstrated benefits of pharmacological therapies, smoking cessation remains challenging in COPD. Potential approaches to increase success rates include prolonging treatment duration, combination therapy, or sequential pharmacotherapy.
EXPERT OPINION ON PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Nancy A. Rigotti, Gina R. Kruse, Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce
Summary: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the US, and quitting smoking can potentially add up to 10 years of life expectancy. Most smokers want to quit and usually make multiple attempts before achieving long-term abstinence. A combination of behavioral counseling and medication, particularly varenicline, is the most effective treatment for smoking cessation.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Philip Tonnesen, David Lawrence, Serena Tonstad
Summary: This post hoc analysis of EAGLES data found that smokers with smoking-related diseases had lower continuous abstinence rates compared to those without these comorbidities. The use of smoking cessation medication was identified as the strongest predictor of continuous abstinence.
TOBACCO INDUCED DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Nayoung Kim, Danielle E. McCarthy, Megan E. Piper, Timothy B. Baker
Summary: This study compared the effects of varenicline and combination nicotine replacement therapy (C-NRT) with nicotine patch monotherapy on different phases of smoking cessation. Varenicline showed greater suppression of craving and smoking expectancies pre-cessation, while C-NRT mainly reduced craving and expectancies changes during cessation.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Kangle Guo, Shizhong Wang, Xue Shang, E. Fenfen, Liangying Hou, Jieyun Li, Yanfei Li, Kehu Yang, Xiuxia Li
Summary: This study conducted a network meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of varenicline (VAR), bupropion (BUP), and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) on smoking cessation. The results showed that VAR, BUP, and NRT alone were more effective than placebo in increasing the odds of smoking abstinence. Combined interventions were superior to monotherapy, and VAR combined with other interventions had the best smoking cessation effect.
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Emma Beard, Sarah E. Jackson, Robert M. Anthenelli, Neal L. Benowitz, Lisa St. Aubin, Thomas McRae, David Lawrence, Cristina Russ, Alok Krishen, A. Eden Evins, Robert West
Summary: The study used Bayes factors for secondary analysis, showing that the use of varenicline, bupropion, or nicotine patches for smoking cessation does not increase the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events compared to placebo in the global smoking cessation study, especially for smokers without a history of psychiatric disorders.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sarah E. Jackson, Harry Tattan-Birch, Lion Shahab, Emma Beard, Jamie Brown
Summary: In England, the decline in adult smoking prevalence stagnated during the COVID-19 pandemic through to 2022. At the start of the pandemic, a potential reduction in smoking prevalence among middle-aged adults and increases in quitting among smokers may have been offset by an increase in smoking among young adults. The slowing in the rate of decline was pronounced in more advantaged social grades.
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Eliza Skelton, Alistair Lum, Lucy E. Cooper, Emma Barnett, Julie Smith, Arlene Everson, Jane Machart, Amanda L. Baker, Sean Halpin, Olav Nielssen, Matthew Clapham, Billie Bonevski
Summary: This pilot study aimed to test the feasibility of providing varenicline in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and motivational interviewing (MI) to adult male smokers attending a clinic in a hostel for homeless people. Results showed that the intervention was feasible and associated with short-term smoking cessation and significant reductions in the number of cigarettes smoked per day. However, adherence to the counseling sessions was low, raising concerns about the need for further improvement in this area.
ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Athanasia Pataka, Seraphim Kotoulas, George Kalamaras, Asterios Tzinas, Ioanna Grigoriou, Nectaria Kasnaki, Paraskevi Argyropoulou
Summary: The relationship between smoking and OSA is unclear, with contradicting research findings. Nicotine affects sleep quality, and smoking cessation may improve OSA, but there is limited data to support these claims.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Maria Novalen, Meghan J. Chenoweth, Bin Zhao, Larry W. Hawk, Rachel F. Tyndale
Summary: This study found that varenicline and other analytes remained stable in saliva during storage for 21 days at various temperatures, and only showed minor concentration changes after repeated freezing and thawing. These findings support the potential use of mail-in approach for saliva samples in varenicline smoking cessation clinical trials.
NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yadira X. Perez-Paramo, Philip Lazarus
Summary: Smoking cessation is a global issue with low success rates. Utilizing personalized medicine approaches and considering genetic factors in smoking cessation pharmacotherapies may increase the success rates.
EXPERT OPINION ON DRUG METABOLISM & TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Carolin Steinack, Cecile A. Robinson, Mirjam Naegeli, Ilhan Inci, Christian Benden
Summary: Extra-corporeal photopheresis (ECP) is an important immunomodulatory therapy for lung transplant recipients, especially in the early post-transplant period, as it can improve patient outcomes and reduce the need for standard immunosuppression.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL APHERESIS
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Matteo Mombelli, Brian M. Lang, Dionysios Neofytos, John-David Aubert, Christian Benden, Christoph Berger, Katia Boggian, Adrian Egli, Paola M. Soccal, Laurent Kaiser, Cedric Hirzel, Manuel Pascual, Michael Koller, Nicolas J. Mueller, Christian van Delden, Hans H. Hirsch, Oriol Manuel
Summary: The study described the epidemiology and outcomes of respiratory viral infection (RVI) in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients in Switzerland. The research found that RVI caused important morbidity and may affect long-term outcomes, highlighting the need for improved preventive strategies.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Kris Denhaerynck, Alexander S. Goldfarb-Rumyantzev, Gurprataap Sandhu, Sonja Beckmann, Uyen Huynh-Do, Isabelle Binet, Sabina De Geest
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of pre-transplant social determinants of health on post-transplant outcomes using data from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study (STCS), and found that there was no significant association between SAI score and mortality or return to dialysis in this Swiss sample.
CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
(2021)
Review
Pediatrics
Ernestina Melicoff, Don Hayes, Christian Benden
Summary: Lung transplantation is a crucial treatment option for selected children with end-stage lung disease and pulmonary vascular disorders. Early referral, perioperative management, and transitional strategies are challenging but important aspects in improving outcomes for pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension.
PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Helge Hebestreit, Susi Kriemler, Christian Schindler, Lothar Stein, Chantal Karila, Don S. Urquhart, David M. Orenstein, Larry C. Lands, Jonathan Schaeff, Ernst Eber, Thomas Radtke
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-month partially supervised physical activity intervention on lung function in cystic fibrosis patients. The results showed that the intervention increased vigorous physical activity and exercise capacity, but the control group had better FEV1 effects.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Pediatrics
Daniel E. Dulek, Monica I. Ardura, Michael Green, Marian G. Michaels, Abanti Chaudhuri, Luciola Vasquez, Lara Danziger-Isakov, Klara M. Posfay-Barbe, Mignon I. McCulloch, Arnaud G. L'Huillier, Christian Benden
Summary: COVID-19 vaccination has successfully reduced infection rates in immunocompetent vaccine recipients, including children as young as 5 years old. However, there is a lack of data regarding vaccination in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients, highlighting the need for further studies to assess vaccine effectiveness and optimal scheduling.
PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Melisa Dirchwolf, Chiara Becchetti, Sarah G. Gschwend, Christian Toso, Philipp Dutkowski, Franz Immer, Franziska Beyeler, Simona Rossi, Jonas Schropp, Jean-Francois Dufour, Vanessa Banz
Summary: This study analyzed the impact of the MELD Upgrade rule and all other MELD exceptions on liver transplant waiting list outcomes in Switzerland. The results indicated that only patients with MELD Upgrade exceptions had higher waiting list mortality and quicker access to liver transplantation.
Review
Surgery
Nicholas Avdimiretz, Christian Benden
Summary: There has been a shift in the diagnostic indications for pediatric lung transplantation, with a decrease in cystic fibrosis cases and an increase in other diagnostic groups. Pulmonary arterial hypertension has become the main indication for pediatric lung transplantation. Novel CFTR modulator therapies are believed to be a major factor in this shifting landscape.
CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Respiratory System
Thomas Radtke, Susi Kriemler, Lothar Stein, Chantal Karila, Don S. Urquhart, David M. Orenstein, Larry C. Lands, Christian Schindler, Ernst Eber, Sarah R. Haile, Helge Hebestreit
Summary: This study found no significant differences in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) between individuals with and without cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD), after controlling for various factors that may influence aerobic exercise capacity.
JOURNAL OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Angela Koutsokera, Jenna Sykes, M. Math, Olga Theou, Kenneth Rockwood, Carolin Steinack, Marie-France Derkenne, Christian Benden, Thorsten Krueger, Cecilia Chaparro, John-David Aubert, Paola Soccal Gasche, Christophe Von Garnier, Elizabeth Tullis, Anne L. Stephenson, Lianne G. Singer
Summary: This study developed a CF-specific frailty index and found that it was significantly associated with wait-list and post-LT outcomes in CF patients listed for lung transplantation.
JOURNAL OF HEART AND LUNG TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Nicholas Avdimiretz, Thomas Radtke, Christian Benden
Summary: The majority of pediatric lung transplant programs use conventional pulmonary function testing and chest CT for the detection and monitoring of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Novel methods such as infant/preschool PFT and multiple breath washout are only utilized by a small number of centers. Respondents agree that there is a need for pediatric consensus guidelines on CLAD detection and monitoring.
PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Surgery
Nicholas Avdimiretz, Christian Benden
Summary: A global survey conducted by the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) revealed significant variation in lung allocation systems worldwide for pediatric lung transplantation. While some countries lack formal prioritization systems for pediatric candidates, others such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Australia, and countries serviced by Eurotransplant offer methods of prioritization for children.
CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Lutz Goetzmann, Marie Eichenlaub, Adrian M. Siegel, Christian Benden, Annette Boehler, Josef Jenewein, Annina Seiler, Olga Grytska, Konstantin Hesse, Uwe Wutzler, Barbara Ruettner
Summary: This study explores the complex psychodynamic processes involved in organ transplantation, particularly through the lens of Lacan's explanations of the torus. By analyzing dreams and conducting interviews, the so-called "transplantation complex" was identified and found to be related to the dialectic between a repetitive demand and the desire for a lost or forbidden object. The results also highlight the function of identification with certain traits of the donor and suggest that the model of the torus can provide a deeper understanding of the psychodynamic aspects of transplantation.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY
(2023)
Review
Respiratory System
Allan R. Glanville, Christian Benden, Anne Bergeron, Guang-Shing Cheng, Jens Gottlieb, Erika D. Lease, Michael Perch, Jamie L. Todd, Kirsten M. Williams, Geert M. Verleden
Summary: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) can occur after either lung or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), with similarities in histopathological features and clinical manifestations, but differences in contributory factors and clinical trajectories. Diagnosing BOS after HSCT is challenging, and treatment is empirical. This article provides insights into both conditions and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary learning from experts in other transplant modalities.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Andreas Elmer, Mara-Lisa Rohrer, Christian Benden, Nathalie Krugel, Franziska Beyeler, Franz F. Immer
Summary: DCD and DBD donors have different characteristics and transplant rates, with DCD kidney transplants carrying a higher risk, while DCD liver transplants appear to be more stable.
SWISS MEDICAL WEEKLY
(2022)
