Office of Research & Development

Protocol

Funding Source

VA Location

1. High Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation to Restore Cough

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

VA

Cleveland, OH

Purpose of Research:  Veterans with spinal cord injuries that impair their ability to cough are vulnerable to potentially fatal respiratory infections. This study evaluates how electrical stimulation of the spinal cord could be optimized to activate respiratory muscles appropriately to generate effective coughing.

Comments: Inactive. Work with dogs for this study is complete. The protocol remains approved, but no further work with dogs on this protocol is planned at this time.

2. Neuropharmacology of Pontine Control of Breathing Frequency

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

VA

Milwaukee, WI

Purpose of Research:  Veterans with certain head or neck injuries, or who suffer from pain that can only be controlled with potent analgesics, often experience impaired control of breathing and coughing. This work is to increase understanding of that control, which is fundamental to developing better ways to help these veterans.

Comments:  Inactive. The Principal Investigator (PI) has retired from the VA and is completing the data analysis and writing papers to publish the results. The protocol remains approved, but no further work is expected unless journal reviewers require it.

3. Mechanistic Insight of Premature Ventricular Contractions- induced Cardiomyopathy

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

NIH

Richmond, VA

Purpose of Research:  Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) interfere with proper beating of the heart. This is research into the cellular mechanisms involved, which we need to understand in order to develop better ways to manage PVCs.

4. Autonomic Nerve Activity and Cardiac Arrhythmias

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

American Heart

Richmond, VA

Purpose of Research:  Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) interfere with nerve signals to the heart, and can damage heart muscle. This is research into how the loss of nerve signals might be responsible for the damage, which we need to understand in order to develop better ways to protect the heart.

5. Nanoparticle Injection into Ganglionated Neural Plexi to Prevent Atrial Fibrillation

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

Other

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Virginia Commonwealth

Richmond, VA

Purpose of Research:  Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, hospitalization, and death, but current treatments for AF are risky. This is research into new ways to treat AF with less risk than is currently possible.

6. A Comparison of Canine Anesthetic Regimens to Optimize Hemodynamic Stability and Quality of Electrophysiologic and Neurophysiologic Data Acquisition

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

Other

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internal funds

Richmond, VA

Purpose of Research:  Sedatives and anesthetics commonly affect how the heart works. This study is designed to sort out how to improve anesthesia for future studies of cardiac function.

7. Administration of intratumoral immunocytokine to activate immune rejection of spontaneous canine melanoma

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

VA

Madison, WI

Purpose of Research:  Service-related to exposure to sun places Veterans at increased risk of melanoma, compared to the general US population.  This aggressive skin cancer frequently spreads to other parts of the body, after which it is usually fatal.  In dogs, melanoma is a common oral cancer.  This research is to evaluate the safety and effects of some new ways of treating melanoma in pet dogs whose owners choose to have their dogs participate.  Because of the similarity of the oral melanoma that develops spontaneously in dogs to the melanoma that humans get, this is an important step in the process of preparing the new treatments for human clinical trials.

8. Contribution of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Pericardial Fluid to Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation after Cardiac Surgery

Protocol Form, Feedback Document, and Summary of the Literature

VA

St. Louis, MO

Purpose of Research:  Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is associated with longer hospital stays after cardiac surgery, and increased risks of stroke and death in Veterans as well as others.  This researcher has newly identified factors in the blood and in the pericardial fluid that bathes the heart in human patients who undergo cardiac surgery that seem to be related to POAF. This research is the next step, to evaluate in a dog model the mechanisms by which those factors may contribute to POAF.  This knowledge is needed as a basis for developing effective ways to prevent and treat POAF .