NAD+ Treatment Options

Purpose: Grapefruit juice is one of the most extensively studied dietary/natural substances shown to interact with a variety of medications. However, unanswered questions remain regarding the causative ingredients and mechanisms underlying such drug-grapefruit juice interactions. Compounds in grapefruit juice called furanocoumarins have been established as major causative ingredients, which act by inhibiting the elimination (metabolism) of drugs, leading to increased circulating drug concentrations. Increased drug concentrations can in turn lead to increased drug potency or even toxicity. Grapefruit juice also has been shown, paradoxically, to decrease circulating concentrations of some drugs, including the non-sedating antihistamine agent, fexofenadine (Allegra), which undergoes negligible metabolism. Whether or not furanocoumarins mediate the decrease in fexofenadine concentrations is unknown. The purpose of the proposed study is to compare the effects of a "furanocoumarin-free" grapefruit juice with grapefruit juice on circulating concentrations of fexofenadine. Read Less

The General Objective of this study is to investigate the cost and efficacy of treating patients undergoing colorectal surgical resections with an opioid limited pain control regimen as part of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol. This group will be compared to a traditional opioid based pain control regimen. Read Less

The investigators plan to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intranasal Ketalar (ketamine hydrochloride) in the treatment of primary symptom manifestations of pediatric bipolar disorder; Fear of Harm (FOH) phenotype. This phenotype represents those children who are most resistant to traditional treatments and suffer repeated hospitalizations. Primary symptoms include fearfulness, aggression secondary to threat, mood and/or arousal instability, and psychosis. In addition to evaluation of efficacy and safety, the investigators will also analyze whether therapeutic response depends upon the degree to which the subject fits the FOH phenotype. Read Less

Background: Warfarin is used as an anti-coagulant in patients at risk of developing thrombosis. It has a narrow therapeutic index necessitating close monitoring of International Normalized Ratio (INR). According to a meta-analysis, patients were in therapeutic range only 63.6% of the time. This increases the risk of bleeding or thrombosis. Various retrospective and prospective studies have looked at supplementation with phytonadione in these patients to reduce the variability of INR showing an improvement in variability. Most of these studies have only been done in a small number of patients already on warfarin therapy. This study will focus on patients newly starting warfarin therapy. Methods: This study is a prospective, randomized, controlled trial performed at James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (JAHVA). Patients who meet criteria and sign informed consent will receive either phytonadione with warfarin or warfarin alone. Based on a power calculation for 80%, a total of 370 patients will be enrolled (185 participants in each arm). Participants will be randomized to either intervention or control. Intervention group participants will be prescribed their usual starting dose of warfarin along with 200 mcg phytonadione by mouth daily. Control group participants will be prescribed their usual starting dose of warfarin. Both groups will follow the usual standard of care. They will come in for a follow-up INR and warfarin dose titration at least once per week until therapeutic, and then as instructed up to every 6 weeks thereafter. Both groups will participate in anticoagulation clinic activities that constitute the current standard of care. Intervention will last for a total of 6 months for each participant once enrolled. Hypothesis:Participants in the intervention group being supplemented with 200mcg of phytonadione will spend more total time with a therapeutic INR than participants in the control group. Read Less

The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to determine whether two low-intensity, technology based interventions, when compared to each other and to usual care, improve adherence to selected medications that are used to treat people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Read Less

To determine if acute assessments of profasi and factrel affect plasma cocaine levels and cocaine-induced behavioral changes in men. Read Less

Worldwide, 1 in 12 couples experience difficulty in getting pregnant and seek the help of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF-egg is fertilized by sperm outside the body), ovarian stimulation (medications are used to stimulate egg development) and intra-cytoplasmic injection (ICSI-single sperm is injected directly into the egg). Regardless of the ART procedure being performed, the newly fertilized embryo must still implant into the mothers endometrium (inner lining of uterus). This implantation process in humans is surprisingly inefficient and accounts for up to 50% of ART failures. Intrauterine infusion of hCG prior to embryo transfer has recently been shown to increase pregnancy rates but the cellular mechanism for this increase is unknown. Successful implantation requires the newly fertilized embryo and the endometrium develop in a synchronized manner. This coordinated development is accomplished, in part, by proteins secreted by the embryo which circulate throughout the maternal bloodstream and alert the maternal body organs (i.e. ovary, endometrium, breast, ect) that fertilization has occurred. One of the earliest of these secreted proteins is human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is the molecule detected in over-the-counter pregnancy tests. From previous studies, we know that hCG production by the embryo alerts the ovary to continue producing progesterone, a hormone required for pregnancy. However, very little is known about the direct effect of hCG on the endometrium during early pregnancy in humans. Using animal models, hCG has been shown to induce specific changes in the endometrium, suggesting that embryo-derived hCG may be "priming" the endometrium in anticipation of implantation. The goal of this research study is to examine the direct effect of hCG on the human endometrium and see if this "priming effect" is also present in humans. Findings from this research may reveal whether pre-treatment with hCG can enhance ART outcomes, especially pregnancy rates. Read Less

To test the hypothesis that treatment with the inverse agonist nadolol will improve smoking cessation in patients with chronic cough associated with long-term smoking, with or without airflow obstruction, including those with established chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (chronic bronchitis dominant) or non-obstructive chronic bronchitis (NCB), compared to placebo and standard of care, while undergoing a validated smoking cessation program. Read Less

This study will test Scanadu Urine Device for clinical performance and usability. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine why obese women have lower hormone levels and less fertility than women of normal body weight. The proposal will examine the reproductive system at the level of the brain and the ovary to define the changes that happen leading to lowered hormone production. Women will be studied throughout a menstrual cycle and given medications that will test how well their pituitary gland can make hormones that stimulate the ovary (luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)). They will also be given a medication to abolish estrogen production in the body and their response to this medication will be assessed. Finally, the ovary's ability to produce progesterone after ovulation will be examined. --Hypotheses: 1. Obese women have reduced pituitary sensitivity to exogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), but normal clearance of exogenous LH. (comparative study of obese compared to normal weight women) 2. Obese women have abnormally increased sensitivity to estradiol negative feedback which will be reversed by an aromatase inhibitor. (comparative study of obese compared to normal weight women) Read Less

The primary objective of the study is to compare nighttime symptom relief of fluticasone furoate nasal spray versus oral fexofenadine Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that 18-22 week treatment with the inverse agonist nadolol will improve airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with mild asthma, compared to placebo. Read Less