***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Subjects ( N = 139 ) were assigned to intensive behavioral or to low-contact smoking treatment and to 2-mg nicotine gum or to placebo gum in a 2 X 2 factorial design . The 2-mg gum produced higher abstinence rates than did the placebo . Subjects receiving the low-contact condition plus the 2-mg nicotine gum had excellent abstinence rates at both 26 weeks ( 56 % abstainers ) and 52 weeks ( 50 % abstainers ) . Smokers who scored at the median on a measure of physical dependence to nicotine were more likely to benefit by nicotine gum treatment than subjects who scored either higher or lower , but this relation was nonsignificant . The results of this study are compared with an earlier nonblind trial OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects on serum lipids , plasma fibrinogen , plasma insulin , plasma C-peptide and blood glucose , of smoking cessation after 4 months . To develop a group-based smoking intervention programme in primary health care . SETTING Twenty health centres in primary health care in southern Sweden . SUBJECTS Four hundred habitual smokers ( > 10 cigarettes per day-1 , > 10 years ) , recruited by advertisement in local papers . INTERVENTION The smokers were r and omized , after stratification for age and sex , to one intervention group ( n = 200 ) and one control group ( n = 200 ) . The intervention group was offered supportive group sessions and free nicotine supplementation ( patches , chewing gum ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES All participants were investigated at the start and after 4 months ( medical history , physical examination , laboratory evaluation ) . Blood sample s were drawn for determination of glucose , insulin and C-peptide , both in the fasting state and during an oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT ) , and for measurement of lipoproteins , fibrinogen , nicotine and cotinine . RESULTS In the intervention group 98 of the subjects ( 48 % ) had quit smoking after 4 months . They were compared with the 156 subjects in the control group ( 91 % ) who were still daily smokers during the whole period . There were no significant differences in any variable between the two ( total ) experimental groups at baseline . Plasma nicotine and cotinine decreased ( P < 0.001 ) in the intervention group following smoking cessation , and weight increased by 2.7 kg . In the intervention group HDL-cholesterol increased by 11 % ( P < 0.001 ) , whereas HbA1c increased by 2 % ( P < 0.05 ) only in the control group . No changes occurred in levels of glucose , insulin , C-peptide and fibrinogen . CONCLUSION The smoking cessation programme had a success rate of almost 50 % over 4 months . Smoking cessation was associated with a marked increase in HDL-cholesterol levels but did not affect glucose tolerance . A concomitant weight increase may have blunted any independent beneficial effect of smoking cessation on glucose metabolism BACKGROUND This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the nicotine patch in smoking cessation when combined with self-help material s , three brief visits , and telephone counseling . METHODS One hundred fifty-nine healthy volunteers who smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day and desired to quit smoking were enrolled in a double-blind trial with 6-week treatment and 6-month follow-up periods . After review of self-help material s , subjects were r and omly assigned to regimens of nicotine or placebo patches . Subjects wore two patches per day for 4 weeks ( 25 mg of nicotine per 24 hours ) , then one patch per day for 2 weeks . Return visits were at the ends of weeks 4 and 6 . Telephone counseling was given during weeks 1 , 2 , 3 , and 5 . Abstinence at 6 weeks was defined as zero cigarettes smoked for the previous 28 days , verified by exhaled carbon monoxide less than 8 ppm at 4 weeks and 6 weeks . Abstinence at 3 and 6 months was defined as self-report of zero cigarettes since the previous contact , verified by carbon monoxide value at 6 months . RESULTS Abstinence rates at 6 weeks , 3 months , and 6 months were 29.5 % , 21.8 % , and 20.5 % in the active group , and 8.8 % , 3.8 % , and 2.5 % in the placebo group ( P < or = .001 for each comparison ) , respectively . Skin irritation was the main side effect , causing 1.3 % to drop out . CONCLUSION The nicotine patch is efficacious in smoking cessation over a 6-month period , when combined with only self-help material s , three brief visits , and telephone counseling The authors present results of a r and omized clinical trial of the efficacy of extended treatment with bupropion SR in producing longer term cigarette smoking cessation .  Adult smokers ( N = 362 ) received  open-label treatment  ( 11 weeks ) that combined relapse prevention training , bupropion SR , and nicotine patch followed by extended treatment ( 14 weeks ) with bupropion SR or matching placebo .  Abstinence percentages were relatively high ( week 11 : 52 % ; week 25 : bupropion , 42 % ; placebo , 38 % ; week 52 : bupropion , 33 % ; placebo , 34 % ) , but bupropion SR did not surpass placebo .  Gender and baseline craving level were identified as significant , independent moderators of treatment response . Men were more likely to abstain than women ( week 11 : 59 % vs. 43 % , p = .001 ; week 25 : 48 % vs. 31 % , p = .001 ; week 52 : 39 % vs. 27 % , p = .01 ) . Because most smokers suffer relapse with any current cessation treatment , the comparatively high abstinence percentages achieved in this trial are of interest PURPOSE AND METHODS Cognitive behavior therapy ( CBT ) constitutes the basis of smoking cessation programs . Quitting rates are usually increased by the concomitant use of CBT and pharmacotherapy . There are studies showing the efficacy of bupropion and nortriptyline compared to placebo , but there is just one published comparison between these drugs , unfortunately with low power to detect significant differences . This study was design ed to compare the efficacy of bupropion , nortriptyline and placebo in a group of smokers who also received intensive counseling therapy .  We conducted a double blind , double-dummy , placebo-controlled trial for smoking cessation that lasted 9 weeks . Patients were r and omized to receive nortriptyline 75 mg/day ( 52 subjects ) , bupropion 300 mg/day ( 53 subjects ) or placebo ( 51 subjects ) . All smokers also received the same intensive cognitive behavior therapy . The target day for quitting smoking was usually day 10 . Intensive counseling was provided at baseline , weekly during treatment , and at 10 , 13 , 16 , 20 and 26 weeks . Abstinence was defined as continuous when the subject was not smoking since the target-quitting day ( self-report ) and had an expired carbon monoxide concentration of 10 ppm or less . RESULTS The sustained abstinence rates at 6 months were 21.6 % in the placebo group , 30.8 % in the nortriptyline group ( p = 0.40 ) , and 41.5 % in the bupropion group ( p = 0.05 ) . The odds ratio was not statistically different for smokers using nortriptyline or bupropion ( OR 1.60 ; 95 % CI 0.66 - 3.86 ; p = 0.35 ) . The most common adverse events were dry mouth and drowsiness in the nortriptyline group and dry mouth and insomnia in the bupropion group . CONCLUSIONS Treatment with CBT + bupropion result ed in a better 6-month rate of smoking cessation compared to CBT+nortriptyline or CBT + placebo .  Abstinence rate in the nortriptyline group was not statistically different from patients in the bupropion or placebo group BACKGROUND Currently available smoking cessation therapies have limited success rates . Varenicline tartrate is a novel , selective nicotinic receptor partial agonist developed specifically for smoking cessation . This study evaluated the efficacy , tolerability , and safety of 3 varenicline doses for smoking cessation . Bupropion hydrochloride was included as an active control . METHODS A phase 2 , multicenter , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study of healthy smokers ( 18 - 65 years old ) . Subjects were r and omized to varenicline tartrate , 0.3 mg once daily ( n = 128 ) , 1.0 mg once daily ( n = 128 ) , or 1.0 mg twice daily ( n = 127 ) , for 6 weeks plus placebo for 1 week ; to 150-mg sustained-release bupropion hydrochloride twice daily ( n = 128 ) for 7 weeks ; or to placebo ( n = 127 ) for 7 weeks . RESULTS During the treatment phase , the continuous quit rates for any 4 weeks were significantly higher for varenicline tartrate , 1.0 mg twice daily ( 48.0 % ; P<.001 ) and 1.0 mg once daily ( 37.3 % ; P<.001 ) , than for placebo ( 17.1 % ) . The  bupropion  rate was 33.3 % ( P = .002 vs placebo ) . The carbon monoxide-confirmed continuous quit rates from week 4 to week 52 were significantly higher in the varenicline tartrate , 1.0 mg twice daily , group compared with the placebo group ( 14.4 % vs 4.9 % ; P = .002 ) . The  bupropion rate was 6.3 % ( P = .60 vs placebo ) . Discontinuation owing to treatment-emergent adverse events was 15.9 % for bupropion , 11.2 % to 14.3 % for varenicline , and 9.8 % for placebo . No dose-related increases occurred in adverse events for varenicline . CONCLUSIONS Varenicline tartrate demonstrated both short-term ( 1 mg twice daily and 1 mg once daily ) and long-term efficacy ( 1 mg twice daily ) vs placebo . Varenicline was well tolerated and may provide a novel therapy to aid smoking cessation Sixty subjects were run in a study comparing the use of nicotine gum with placebo gum  during cessation from smoking . Subjects were given clinic support and chewed the gum ad libitum . A survival analysis showed the two groups differed significantly in successful abstinence over time ( p less than .03 ) . Differences between groups appeared early ( within weeks ) and , at six months , a 28 % superiority of nicotine over placebo gum was demonstrated with mean success rates of 48 % and 20 % , respectively . Between six months and one year , relapse in the nicotine group accounted for the 30 % vs. 20 % success rates for nicotine and placebo observed at one year . In a pilot study ( " dispensary " ) testing the efficacy of the two gums when intervention was minimal , subjects in both groups resumed smoking within the first two weeks . The enhanced short-term success rates with nicotine gum in the clinic study are attributed to an effective interaction between use of the active preparation and clinic support . Long-term cessation may require extended maintenance procedures and /or an identification of optimal gum use Background : Varenicline , a new treatment for smoking cessation , has demonstrated significantly greater efficacy over placebo and sustained release bupropion ( bupropion SR ) . A study was undertaken to compare a 12-week st and ard regimen of varenicline with a 10-week st and ard regimen of transdermal nicotine replacement therapy ( NRT ) for smoking cessation . Methods : In this 52-week , open-label , r and omised , multicentre , phase 3 trial conducted in Belgium , France , the Netherl and s , UK and USA , participants were r and omly assigned ( 1:1 ) to receive varenicline uptitrated to 1 mg twice daily for 12 weeks or transdermal NRT ( 21 mg/day reducing to 7 mg/day ) for 10 weeks . Non-treatment follow-up continued to week 52 . The primary outcome was the biochemically confirmed ( exhaled carbon monoxide ⩽10 ppm ) self-reported continuous abstinence rate ( CAR ) for the last 4 weeks of the treatment period in participants who had taken at least one dose of treatment . Secondary outcomes included CAR from the last 4 weeks of treatment through weeks 24 and 52 , and measures of craving , withdrawal and smoking satisfaction . Results : A total of 376 and 370 participants assigned to varenicline and NRT , respectively , were eligible for analysis .  The CAR for the last 4 weeks of treatment was significantly greater for varenicline ( 55.9 % ) than NRT ( 43.2 % ; OR 1.70 , 95 % CI 1.26 to 2.28 , p<0.001 ) . The week 52 CAR ( NRT , weeks 8 
    Output:
    
Conclusion Pharmacotherapeutic interventions are effective for increasing smoking abstinence rates in the short-term