ACRC Studies
Children's Asthma Study
The Study of Acid Reflex in Children with Asthma (SARCA) is an NIH sponsored research study underway at Texas Children Hospital/BCM. If your child currently takes an inhaled corticosteroid for asthma, he or she may be able to participate in this study. Study-related medical care and study-related medicines are provided at no cost to you or your insurance company. Review study brochure.
Eligibility: Individuals between 6 and 17 years of age who have not smoked in the last six months and are not currently taking any daily prescription medicine for acid reflux.
Contact: Laura V. Bertrand 713-798-2681 or Mustafa A. Atik 713-798-2683
Do You Smoke? Do you have COPD?
If you are between 45 and 80 years of age and have COPD / Emphysema,
OR
If you have a history of cigarette smoking with no known lung disease, you may be eligible to participate in a research study. This study involves one visit. You will be compensated for your time and travel.
If you would like to be considered for participation in this study, we would like to hear from you.
Please call Baylor College of Medicine at 713-798-2681 or e-mail COPD@bcm.edu.
Studies conducted previously at our ACRC Center:
- ALA-ACRC 01: Study of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Asthmatics (SIIVA)
The first trial conducted by the ALA-ACRC evaluated the safety of the influenza vaccine in asthmatics. Enrollment and data collection was completed in January 2001. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate whether getting a flu vaccine caused asthma to worsen. Two thousand thirty two people with asthma enrolled in the study in the Fall and Winter of 2000. Preliminary results from the trial were presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting in May 2001. Final results of the primary study were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in November 2001, and may be found on the magazine's web site at http://content.nejm.org. The study concluded that the inactivated influenza vaccine is safe to administer to adults and children with asthma, including those with severe asthma.
Reference:
American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Center.
The Safety of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Adults and Children with Asthma.
N Engl J Med 345(21): 1529-36(2001). - ALA-ACRC 02: Low Dose Theophylline as Add-On Therapy in the Treatment of Asthmatics (LoDo)
People who have asthma can usually relieve their symptoms with an inhaler. Most asthma doctors, however, think that it is better to prevent asthma attacks rather than treating them after they occur. Recent scientific advances have lead to the development of new drugs and new ways to use older drugs to prevent asthma attacks. The purpose of the study was to find out if a once-a-day pill can effectively help control asthma symptoms. Results are available. - ALA-ACRC 03: The Leukotriene Modifier or Corticosteroid or Corticosteroid-Salmeterol Trial (LOCCS)
This research study compared the treatment effects of three different asthma medications in asthma subjects six years and older whose asthma is well controlled when they take fluticasone, an inhaled corticosteroid. The treatments are fluticasone, montelukast (an anti-leukotriene drug), and a combination therapy of fluticasone and salmeterol (a long-acting beta-agonist). Fluticasone, montelukast, and the combination therapy of fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair Diskus®) are all approved for the treatment of asthma. However, in this study the combination therapy was administered only once per day, rather than the usual twice per day. It was looking at whether the three treatments are equally effective for reducing the number and the severity of asthma attacks in subjects with mild to moderately severe asthma. This study recruited approximately 495 patients from the 19 ALA-ACRC clinical centers. Final results are pending following close data evaluation. - TAPE (Trial of Asthma Patient Education): Funded by the National Institute of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.The purpose of this study is to understand the way that educational approaches and presentation of a drug may affect the response to montelukast and placebo in people with asthma (age 15 and older). This study aims to recruit 600 patients from the 19 ALA-ACRC clinical centers. Patients with asthma are currently being recruited for this short four visit, six-week trial.
- SARA (Study of Acid Reflux and Asthma): Funded by the National Institute of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux or GERD, is frequent among people with poorly controlled asthma. It often occurs with no symptoms and can induce constriction of the airways. Poorly controlled asthma patients are frequently treated for GERD with drugs that suppress gastric acid, but this approach is expensive and its benefit has not been well established. This clinical trial is investigating whether treating GERD in patients with inadequately controlled asthma even if they do not have symptoms of GERD, with a class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors will improve asthma control. Four hundred patients, 18 years or older, who have asthma that is not well controlled with inhaled steroids treatment are being studied, and are randomly assigned to six months treatment with either Nexium (a proton pump inhibitor) or a placebo.