Self-reported quit rates and quit attempts among subscribers of a mobile text messaging-based tobacco cessation programme in India

Introduction

In 2015, as part of the WHO and International Telecommunication Union’s ‘Be Healthy Be Mobile’ initiative using mobile technology to combat non-communicable diseases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in India developed a short text message-based mobile health programme (the ‘mCessation’ programme) to support tobacco users to quit tobacco use.

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of the mCessation programme by estimating quit rates and quit attempts among registered subscribers of the programme and to understand subscriber perceptions of the programme.

Methods

Subscribers to the mCessation (QuitNow) programme were telephonically interviewed 4–6 months after registration. A total of 12 502 calls were made, and completed responses recorded from 3362 ever tobacco users. A total of 6978 respondents either gave very few responses or refused to participate in the telephonic survey. Never tobacco users (1935) and subscribers to the mDiabetes programme (227) were excluded from the sample.

Results

A large proportion of registrants (1935 out of 12 502 respondents) were found to be never users. The quit rate (estimated as those who stated they had not had any tobacco in the past 30 days at 4–6 months after registering with the programme from the total sample (excluding never smokers and mDiabetes registrants)) was 19%. Sixty-six per cent of registered subscribers who were current tobacco users had made quit attempts in the period between registration and survey. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents reported that the programme was helpful/very helpful to quit tobacco.

Conclusion

The mCessation programme has successfully helped tobacco users in India to quit tobacco by motivating and supporting registered participants through mobile text messages.

The WHO-ERS Smoking Cessation Training Project: the first year of experience

Strategic @ERSTalk-@WHO alliance to address tobacco use by training health professionals on brief advice resulted in establishing smoking cessation in real care settings with quit rates higher than the literature and high propensity for wider dissemination http://ow.ly/lWDF30krq5V.

Tobacco control in schools of India: review from India Global School Personnel Survey 2006

School personnel are role models for students, teachers of tobacco use prevention curricula, and key influencers for tobacco control policies in schools. With their daily interactions and strong influence on their students they represent an influential group for tobacco control. Data collected through the Global School Personnel Survey during 2006 in 180 school; of 6 regions of India have shown that a large proportion (29%) of school personnel used tobacco. The scarcity of tobacco free school policies and relevant teaching materials (non existent in 62% of schools surveyed) and lack of training among school personnel (84%) reported in this study indicate the extent of undermining the scope of prevention efforts in schools to reduce adolescent tobacco use prevalence in India. Majority of school personnel in India strongly agreed that they should receive specific training to help students avoid or stop using tobacco. Training of school personnel along with introduction of comprehensive school policies and its vigorous enforcement will help adolescent students and school personnel to adopt and maintain a tobacco free lifestyle.

Evaluation of mediastinal masses by endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration

OBJECTIVE

Interest has been growing in using endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in the evaluation of mediastinal masses. The purpose of this study was to review the spectrum of mediastinal masses encountered using endoscopic ultrasound.

METHODS

We reviewed all cases of mediastinal masses examined by endoscopic ultrasound, with or without endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration, prospectively gathered from our electronic database from April 1995 to July 2000.

RESULTS

Of 1447 upper endoscopic ultrasound examinations, 33 (2.3%) involved a mediastinal mass. Sixty-one percent of the patients were male and the average age was 65 yr. Fifty-five percent of patients had dysphagia, 48 percent experienced weight loss, and only 12 percent were totally asymptomatic. Seventy-three percent had masses by chest CT. Sixty-seven percent were ultimately found to be malignant, 21 percent were solid benign lesions, and four were cystic. Only two lesions were resected. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration was used in 76 percent of all patients. The median survival of patients with malignant lesions was only 87 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Lesions of the deep mediastinum are often difficult to conclusively diagnose with nonendoscopic studies. Endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration can easily access this region to aid in the diagnosis and management of these lesions.

Spontaneous candida mediastinitis diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided, fine-needle aspiration

Candida mediastinitis is a rare clinical entity associated with high mortality and morbidity. It is emerging as an important clinical entity, probably due to increased recognition of candida as a significant pathogen in mediastinitis. Candida mediastinitis is usually associated with cardiothoracic surgery, esophageal perforation, and head and neck infections. Optimal therapy for candida mediastinitis remains undefined. Aggressive, combined surgical debridement and antifungal therapy appears to be the most effective of available therapies. We report a case of spontaneous candida mediastinitis diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided, fine-needle aspiration and successfully treated with oral antifungal therapy alone.

Evaluation of pancreas and other abdominal organs by colonoscopic ultrasound

We report a case where colonoscopic ultrasound was used to evaluate the pancreas. In this case the usual method of evaluating the body of the pancreas by upper gastrointestinal ultrasound was unsuccessful because of the presence of a large hiatal hernia. The other abdominal organs evaluated by colonoscopic ultrasound included the ileo-cecal valve, kidney, liver, spleen and prostate. To our knowledge this is the first case where ultrasonic colonoscope has been used to evaluate the body of the pancrease.

In cirrhotic patients variceal bleeding is more frequent in the evening and correlates with severity of liver disease

BACKGROUND/AIMS

It has been observed that the portal pressure in cirrhotic patients shows circadian variation and is at a maximum at night. Our aims in this study were a) to evaluate the frequency of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding from esophageal/gastric varices or portal congestive gastropathy during the day, evening or night shift, and b) to correlate the frequency of bleeding during various shifts with severity of liver disease.

METHODOLOGY

At our institution, during the period from January 1997 to June 1995, 15,000 gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic reports and consultations were evaluated. Episodes of bleeding due to portal hypertension (PH), i.e., esophageal varices, gastric varices or congestive gastropathy, were noted. The time of occurrence of bleeding from PH in various shifts, e.g., day shift (DS), evening shift (ES) or night shift (NS) was determined. The severity of liver disease was classified as A, B or C according to Child's classification.

RESULTS

There were 221 episodes of UGI bleeding due to PH in 144 patients. 75.5% of patients presented with hematemesis, whereas 24.5% presented with melena (p < 0.025). Bleeding started during the DS in 39/221 (17.6%), during the ES in 122/221 (55.2%), and during the NS in 60/221 (27.1%). There were 29 (13.1%) patients in Child's A, 75 (33.9%) in Child's B, and 117 (52.9%) in Child's C. Among the 122 bleeders during ES, 85 (69.6%) were in category C. It seems that in these patients UGI bleeding is more frequent during the ES compared to DS and NS (p < 0.0001; chi square; 95% CI: 0.52-0.58). Child's C patients are more likely to bleed during ES compared to Child's A or B patients (p < 0.0001; Odds Ratio: 4.8%; 95% CI: 2.7-8.5).

CONCLUSIONS

1) The majority of the cirrhotic patients with PH who develop UGI bleeding present with hematemesis rather than melena. 2) The bleeding in these patients is more likely to occur during the ES. 3) Child's C patients are more likely to bleed during the ES.

Four-year trends in Helicobacter pylori IgG serology following successful eradication

PURPOSE

Detection of anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies is accurate in the diagnosis of the infection, and there is a decline in IgG titers after successful eradication. It is not known whether these titers continue to decline during the next 3 to 4 years.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients had been successfully treated for H pylori with triple therapy (metronidazole, tetracycline, and bismuth subsalicylate) during 1990 and 1991. Those who had frozen serum samples available from that time were contacted to have follow-up serum collected in 1994. A simultaneous [13C]urea breath test was done to confirm H pylori infection status. Serology was determined by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and qualitative immunoassay.

RESULTS

All 29 patients who agreed to participate were free of H pylori infection. They had a mean decrease in H pylori IgG titers of 51% from baseline (P <0.001). Titers remained stable from 1 year to a mean of 3.5 years after therapy (range 2.8 to 4.4). Of the 29 patients, 21 (72%) remained seropositive by ELISA 3.5 years after successful H pylori treatment, and 18 (62%) remained positive by rapid serum immunoassay.

CONCLUSION

IgG titers against H pylori plateau at a 50% decrease after therapy. Helicobacter pylori serology, either quantitative or qualitative, will yield false positive results in patients who have previously been treated for H pylori and should not be used to determine infection status in this population.

Helicobacter pylori recurrence after successful eradication: 5-year follow-up in the United States

OBJECTIVES

We previously reported a 3.4% posttreatment Helicobacter pylori recurrence rate over 18 months. We undertook to establish the rate of reinfection in our United States cohort up to 80 months after successful therapy.

METHODS

Previously studied patients who had successful triple therapy for H. pylori during 1989-92 were identified. Baseline infection had been established by the presence of H. pylori on antral biopsies as well as positive [13C]urea breath tests. Eradication of H. pylori had been confirmed by repeat endoscopy and breath test 4 wk after therapy. Three of four subjects reported that H. pylori recurrences had occurred in the first year after therapy. Patients remaining free of infection were invited back for follow-up breath test in 1995-1996.

RESULTS

One hundred fourteen patients were identified: 56 were unavailable or were using medications that would interfere with H. pylori testing. The remaining 58 patients (50.9%) included 32 M/26 F, mean age 62.9 yr. The mean follow-up period was 58 months, range 34-80 months. Positive breath tests occurred in 2/58 patients (3.4%) at 54 and 70 months after therapy. Both patients reported recurrent epigastric symptoms. The H. pylori recurrence rate for our group was 3.4% over the 4 yr since their last evaluation, or 0.85% recurrence per year. Defining recurrence as reinfection occurring after 1 yr, the total recurrence rate for the group over the 5 yr since treatment was 3/59 patients (5.1%), or 1.0% H. pylori recurrence per year posttreatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of H. pylori reinfection after successful therapy is low in the United States and approximates 1% per year.

Quantitative noninvasive testing for Helicobacter pylori does not predict gastroduodenal ulcer disease

BACKGROUND

Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with gastric and duodenal ulcer disease. However, the diagnosis of gastroduodenal ulcers requires an endoscopic or radiographic examination. In this study, we attempted to establish a relationship between the magnitude of [13C]urea breath test results or serum H. pylori IgG levels and endoscopic findings in H. pylori-infected individuals.

METHODS

Patients who had undergone endoscopy and had a positive [13C]urea breath test and/or positive H. pylori IgG serology were identified. Endoscopic diagnoses included duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, nonulcer dyspepsia, and others. Results of 6% or greater on the [13C]urea breath test was defined as positive for H. pylori infection. H. pylori IgG serology was determined by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay with values of greater than or equal to 1.0 being seropositive.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-five patients were seropositive (mean = 3.01 +/- 1.58). One hundred sixty-eight patients had a positive [13C]urea breath test (mean = 25.43 +/- 16.90). One hundred fifty-five patients were common to both the groups. Statistical analysis did not reveal any relationship between quantitative [13C]urea breath test results or H. pylori IgG values and endoscopic diagnoses.

CONCLUSION

The magnitude of [13C]urea breath test or H. pylori IgG serology cannot be used to predict the presence or absence of gastroduodenal ulcer disease.

Long-term follow-up of Helicobacter pylori serology after successful eradication

OBJECTIVE

To determine the Helicobacter pylori IgG serology pattern 12-21 months after successful organism eradication and to assess the usefulness of IgG serology in the long-term follow-up of patients.

METHODS

We recruited patients from our 1990-91 study on IgG serology after H. pylori treatment. Forty-three of 45 patients (93%) agreed to participate. They had all been cured of H. pylori infection after triple antibiotic therapy and remained H. pylori negative at 1 yr posttreatment. H. pylori IgG antibody concentrations were measured in serum samples taken at 3-month intervals between 12 and 21 months posttreatment. [13C]-urea breath test was done at each blood draw to ensure continued eradication. Serology was determined by ELISA (Pylori Stat, BioWhittaker, Inc) and expressed as absorbance.

RESULTS

All 43 patients (100%) continued to be free of H. pylori and demonstrated a decline in their H. pylori IgG concentration compared with baseline. The overall decline in serology among all 43 patients was approximately 50%. Forty of 43 patients (93%) had a decline of more than 20% in H. pylori IgG concentration compared with baseline. However, 28 of 43 patients (65%) remained seropositive for more than 1 yr after successful H. pylori eradication.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that a 20% decline in IgG concentration has an overall sensitivity of 93% for determining H. pylori eradication 12-21 months after H. pylori treatment. Serology is an attractive alternative to endoscopy or urea breath tests in monitoring patients after H. pylori treatment, but serum IgG levels should not be expected to reach seronegative range after successful H. pylori eradication.

Accurate placement of central venous catheters: a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial

OBJECTIVES

a) To define the frequency of dangerous (intracardiac) central venous catheter placement in a multicenter study of large community hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and to evaluate physician responses to this finding. b) To validate right atrial electrocardiography as a technique to assure adherence with recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines regarding the location of central venous catheter tips. c) To conduct a literature review of vascular cannulation and its associated potentially lethal complications.

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized, blinded, multicenter study.

SETTING

Multidisciplinary ICUs in five large community teaching hospitals.

PATIENTS

Consecutive patients (n = 112) who required a central venous catheter by either internal jugular vein or subclavian vein at four separate hospitals were assessed using 30-cm catheters. Consecutive patients (n = 50) in a fifth hospital who subsequently required a central venous catheter via the internal jugular vein or subclavian vein route were prospectively randomized to receive a 20-cm central venous catheter with either conventional surface-landmark guidance, or with the right atrial electrocardiography-guided technique.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

a) Occurrence rate of malpositioned central venous catheters. b) Ability of right atrial electrocardiography to aid in the accurate placement of central venous catheters.

RESULTS

a) Using conventional placement techniques with a 30-cm catheter, 53 (47%) of 112 initial central venous catheter placements resulted in location of the catheter tip within the heart. Catheter tips were not repositioned to locations outside the right atrium after this finding was identified on initial post-procedure films. b) Using the right atrial electrocardiography technique to place 20-cm central venous catheters resulted in no catheter tip locations within the heart (0/25) vs. 14 (56%) of 25 (p < .0001) intracardiac placements using conventional techniques. c) The literature suggests that serious mechanical complications of central venous catheterization, although uncommon, are associated with a high mortality rate. Deaths are associated with intracardiac placement.

CONCLUSIONS

a) The FDA guidelines regarding catheter tip location (catheter tip should not be in the right atrium) have not been widely publicized. b) The average safe insertion depth for a central venous catheter from the left or right internal jugular vein or subclavian vein is 16.5 cm for the majority of adult patients; a central venous catheter should not be routinely inserted to a depth of > 20 cm. Catheters longer than this size are rarely needed, and potentially dangerous. Catheter tip location is important to document following central venous catheter insertion. Thirty-centimeter central venous catheters should not be used when accessing the central circulation via internal jugular or subclavian veins. c) Right atrial electrocardiography is a technique that assures initial tip position outside the heart in accordance with FDA guidelines. This technique would virtually eliminate the major risk of death (i.e., cardiac perforation) associated with this procedure. d) Recently available, 15- and 16-cm central venous catheters have significant potential to minimize intracardiac placement of central venous catheters by either the internal jugular or subclavian vein route and may become the standard of care.