Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Active, not recruiting
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT04067752 |
Other study ID # |
NEPH-010-18F |
Secondary ID |
|
Status |
Active, not recruiting |
Phase |
N/A
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
March 1, 2022 |
Est. completion date |
June 28, 2024 |
Study information
Verified date |
March 2024 |
Source |
VA Office of Research and Development |
Contact |
n/a |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
By 2030 an estimated 2 million people in the US will need dialysis or transplantation.
Insulin resistance and chronic inflammation are common in dialysis patients and have been
linked to protein-energy wasting, the most important determinant of clinical outcome in this
patient population. The investigators hypothesize that the skin and muscle tissue sodium
accumulation is a critical mechanism by which chronic inflammatory response and insulin
resistance, alone or in combination lead to protein energy wasting in hemodialysis patients.
The investigators will test this hypothesis by studying dialysis patients and matched
controls without kidney disease by examining tissue Na content, markers of inflammation and
protein metabolism.
Description:
There are more than 420,000 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis therapy in the United
States, which is estimated to rise to over 500,000 patients by 2020. There are an estimated
45,500 Veterans receiving hemodialysis, of which over 3,000 enrolled Veterans were receiving
dialysis at VA facilities in FY 2013. Over the last decade, there have been no therapies
proven to significantly lower the mortality and morbidity risk for these patients. One of the
most important determinants of this poor clinical outcome is protein energy wasting, a highly
prevalent nutritional and metabolic abnormality characterized by increased protein breakdown
in the skeletal muscle compartment. The investigators' group has shown that two
well-recognized and interrelated metabolic abnormalities, insulin resistance and persistent
inflammation, are likely to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of protein energy
wasting and related nutritional and metabolic abnormalities. The investigators' preliminary
data show that in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients 1) There is an inadequate response
to protein anabolic actions of insulin; 2) Persistent systemic inflammation is strongly and
independently associated with skeletal muscle net protein balance; and 3) Pharmacological
modulation of systemic inflammation and insulin resistance partially, but not fully, reverse
net protein catabolism. It was demonstrated that non-osmotic sodium (Na) is stored in skin
and muscle without commensurate water retention, which leads to local immune-cell activation
and accelerated pro-inflammatory status. The investigators' preliminary data show that the
skin and muscle Na+ contents, derived by 23Na magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are
substantially higher in MHD patients compared to matched healthy controls. The investigators
also showed that increased skin and muscle Na concentrations are significantly associated
with increased inflammatory response and decreased peripheral insulin sensitivity, in
patients on MHD. These data suggest that tissue Na content, immune pathways and insulin
resistance are closely linked and could lead to increased risk for protein energy wasting in
MHD patients. It was reported that standard 4-hour conventional hemodialysis provides
significant Na removal from muscle and skin suggesting that tissue Na and water content could
be modulated by modulating hemodialysis prescription. The overall goal of this application is
to elucidate the mechanisms by which tissue sodium accumulation, persistent immune system
activation and insulin resistance influence the development of protein energy wasting in MHD
patients. The investigators hypothesize that the skin and muscle tissue sodium accumulation
is a critical mechanism by which chronic inflammatory response and insulin resistance, alone
or in combination, lead to protein energy wasting in MHD patients. Specific Aims: To test the
hypothesis that removal of tissue sodium by modulating hemodialysis prescription would
improve metabolic milieu and protein energy wasting in MHD patients. The investigators will
achieve this goal through a cross-over randomized clinical trial whereby dialysate sodium
concentrations will be modulated (138 mEq/L versus 132 mEq/L, 4 weeks each) to remove 10% of
baseline skeletal muscle Na content in the setting of stable sodium intake by diet. The
primary outcomes will be markers of net protein balance, inflammation, and macronutrient
disposal rates. If successful, the proposed studies will have great potential to influence
clinical practices in MHD patients because the proposed intervention protocol would be easily
accessible and could ultimately lead to improvements in the hospitalization and death rates
with great impact on Veterans' Health Care and make important contributions to the research
mission of the Department of Veterans Administration.