This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Volunteer patients with HIV infection and recent evidence of excess body acid will swallow an inert material (placebo) 3 times a day with meals for 2 weeks. On 2 consecutive days at the end of each week, they will save all their urine for 24 hours and bring it before breakfast to MGH, where they will have morning blood collected. For the subsequent 2 weeks, they will swallow either potassium bicarbonate (an antacid), potassium chloride (a non-antacid), or placebo (an inert material) 3 times a day with meals, and repeat the urine and blood collections as above at the end of each week. Which treatment a participant gets during this second 2 weeks will be decided by lottery, and kept secret from the participants and investigators until the entire study is completed, to prevent accidentally-misleading results. By testing all the urine and blood samples, we can see whether neutralizing their excess body acid improved the participants' bone metabolism. If so, future more prolonged studies will test whether antacids prevent the bone loss that is so common in HIV-infected patients.
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