Novel Pathways to Manage Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Dialysis Patients: Role of Nicotinic Acid

Exclusion Criteria

• •Any patient with a medical condition or taking any medications that would be contraindicated with the use of extended release niacin, such as active peptic ulcer disease;
• •History of severe allergic reactions to the study medication;
• •History of active infection or acute gouty attack within 2 weeks prior to enrollment;
• •Known serological positivity for HIV, HBsAg, or HCV Ab;
• •HbA1C \> 9;
• •Total CK of more than three times of the upper limit of normal;
• •Elevation of liver function tests at time of entry (AST and/or ALT \> 2 times the upper limit of normal);
• •History of drug, alcohol, or chemical abuse within 6 months prior to enrollment;
• •History of malignancy except adequately treated in-situ cervical carcinoma, or adequately treated basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin;
• •History of an inflammatory disease such as SLE, rheumatoid arthritis or ulcerative colitis;
• •Patients currently on pharmacological doses of nicotinic acid;
• •Patients receiving chronic anti-inflammatory therapy;
• •Patients with average baseline hs-CRP levels of \> 20 mg/L or \< 1 mg/L;
• •Patients in whom FDG-PET/CT dual scans are contraindicated (e.g., pregnant patients or those with severe allergy to IV contrast; a pregnancy test will be performed in each female subject between 18 and 45 years of age prior to each scan)