Renal blood flow,sodium handling and the DASH diet

描述（由申请人提供）：K24奖的申请是为Paul R. Conlin博士提供支持，使他有时间投入到以患者为导向的研究中，并作为初级临床研究者的导师。他的长期目标是通过临床试验，为了解生活方式改变对肾脏和心血管疾病风险因素的影响做出重大贡献。Conlin博士研究了饮食模式和钠对肾脏/肾上腺功能和心血管疾病风险因素的影响。他最近是DASH（饮食方法来阻止高血压）和DASH-钠研究的合作研究者，该研究表明，富含水果，蔬菜和低脂乳制品的低脂饮食（DASH饮食）单独或与钠限制一起显着降低血压。他现在正在研究三种饮食模式对肾脏和心血管疾病风险因素（血压和血脂）的影响。这项申请提出了新的具体目标，他将研究DASH饮食对肾脏的影响，特别是肾血流量、肾血管阻力和钠排泄。这些研究将验证DASH饮食能够扩张肾脏血管并以类似ACE抑制的方式促进钠排泄的假设。这些研究将在高正常和1期高血压患者中进行，并将在非裔美国人中进行亚组分析。这些研究的结果将揭示DASH饮食对肾脏/心血管疾病危险因素的附加价值和对肾功能的保护作用。他致力于招募和指导以患者为导向的研究方向的初级临床研究人员，特别是那些对肾心血管生理学，介入营养学或学术内分泌学感兴趣的人。他最近指导了6名研究员和初级教师，其中许多人获得了独立的资助支持。此外，他还将在哈佛医学院K30资助的“临床科学学者”项目中教授面向患者的初级研究人员。因此，在这个奖项的支持下，他将在多个层面上对未来以患者为导向的研究产生重大影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):This application for a K24 award is to provide support for Paul R. Conlin, MD to allow him protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as a mentor for beginning clinical investigators. His long-term goal is to make significant contributions to the understanding of lifestyle modifications as they impact on renal and cardiovascular disease risk factors through clinical trials. Dr. Conlin has investigated the impact of dietary patterns and sodium on renal/adrenal function and cardiovascular disease risk factors. He was recently a collaborating investigator in the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and DASH-Sodium studies, which showed that a low-fat diet enriched in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products (DASH diet) either alone or with sodium restriction significantly lowered blood pressure. He is now studying the effect of three dietary patterns on renal and cardiovascular disease risk factors (blood pressure and lipid profile). This application proposes new specific aims in which he will study the effects of the DASH diet on the kidney- in particular, renal blood flow, renal vascular resistance and sodium excretion. These studies will test the hypotheses that the DASH diet vasodilates the renal vasculature and enhances sodium excretion in a manner that mimics ACE inhibition. These studies will be performed in individuals with high normal and Stage 1 hypertension, and subgroup analyses will be performed in African Americans. The results of these studies will reveal the added-value of the DASH diet on risk factors and protective effects on renal function in patients at risk for renal/cardiovascular disease. Dr. Conlin is fully committed to recruiting and mentoring junior clinical investigators destined for careers in patient-oriented research, particularly those interested in renal cardiovascular physiology, interventional nutrition or academic endocrinology, He has recently mentored 6 fellows and junior faculty, many of whom have achieved independent grant support. In addition, he will teach junior patient-oriented research investigators in the K30 funded "Scholars in Clinical Science" Program at Harvard Medical School. Thus, with the support of this award he will have significant impact on future patient-oriented research at multiple levels.