View clinical trials related to Non-Smoking.
Filter by:Diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including raised blood pressure, are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Higher intakes of dietary nitrate, found abundantly in root vegetables such as beetroot, have been shown to have health benefits including lowering blood pressure and improving the elasticity of blood vessels. Bacteria which reside in the mouth and those in the gastrointestinal tract play an important role in converting dietary nitrate to nitrite and nitric oxide (a chemical which promotes the relaxation of blood vessels). In particular, removal of oral bacteria by using antiseptic mouthwash is accompanied by an increase in blood pressure in subjects with normal blood pressure, even after consuming nitrate-rich foods. To date, very little is known about the role of these oral bacteria in the control of blood pressure, and if there are any differences in bacterial composition between individuals.
Dietary nitrate have been shown to have health benefits including lowering blood pressure (Hobbs et al, 2012), improving endothelial function and inhibiting platelet aggregation in healthy humans (Lidder & Webb, 2013). The main sources of dietary nitrate in the human diet are vegetables such as beetroot. Nitrates are converted to nitrites then nitric oxide (NO), following their reduction by commensal oral bacteria and those residing in the gastrointestinal tract (Hord, Tang, & Bryan, 2009; Lidder & Webb, 2013). A recent study has shown following elimination of oral bacteria by the use of a chlorhexidine based antiseptic mouthwash, the conversion of nitrate to nitrite is prevented and this is accompanied by a statistically significant increase in blood pressure in normotensive subjects (Kapil et al., 2013). To date, very few studies have investigated the potential role of these oral bacteria in control of blood pressure and if there are any inter and intra-individual differences in bacterial composition.
The purpose of this study is to develop a fit-for-purpose biochemical verification tool that can be used to detect concomitant use of a few (less than 5) conventional cigarettes.
1. Characterize the tolerability and safety of repeated doses of varenicline in healthy non-smoking elderly subjects. 2. Describe the steady state pharmacokinetics of varenicline in healthy non-smoking elderly subjects. 3. Evaluate the potential effects of repeat doses of varenicline on cognition in healtly non-smoking elderly subjects.