<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Syrjänen, Kari</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Suovaniemi, Osmo</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Slow-release L-cysteine Lozenges in Smoking Cessation: Meta-analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">In Vivo</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026-01-01 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><pages><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">39-49</style></pages><doi><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10.21873/invivo.14171</style></doi><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">40</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Background/Aim: The hypothesis that elimination of cigarette smoke-derived acetaldehyde in the saliva by slow-release L-cysteine would eliminate acetaldehyde-enhanced nicotine addiction among smokers has been tested in two randomized controlled trials (RCT) using Acetium® lozenge (Biohit Oyj, Helsinki, Finland). Both RCTs showed a similar direction and magnitude of the effect size, but only the larger study was adequately powered to reach statistical significance.Materials and Methods: The two published RCTs on Acetium® in smoking intervention included in this formal meta-analysis include: a cohort of 423 cigarette smokers, randomly allocated to intervention (n=212) and placebo arms (n =211) in Study 1, as well as a cohort of 1,998 smokers, with 996 and 1,002 subjects in the intervention and placebo arms, respectively, in Study 2. Both studies analyzed the results for intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) compliance groups. Random-effects (RE) meta-analysis was used to compute the summary effect size.Results: In the ITT group of Study 1, Acetium® was more effective than placebo, with OR=1.48 (95% CI=0.87-2.54), and in Study 2, the respective OR=1.26 (95% CI=0.99-1.59). In the PP groups, the success rates in both studies were better: OR=1.65 (95% CI=0.75-3.62) and OR=1.51 (95% CI=1.12-2.02), respectively. In RE meta-analysis, the summary estimates of Acetium® efficacy were statistically significant in both the ITT (n=2,421) and PP (n=863) analysis: OR=1.29 (95% CI=1.04-1.60, p=0.018) and OR=1.53 (95% CI=1.16-2.01, p=0.0025), respectively.Conclusion: Although meta-analyses with a limited number of studies should be interpreted with caution, these data provide clear support to the concept that Acetium® lozenge significantly (1.5-fold) increases the likelihood of successful smoking cessation as compared to placebo.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>