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Chief, Contact Division for Bcientific Branch Chief, Office

I. As recommended in Case , ve have discussed the uses of nicotinic acid and its compounds with who is head of the Department of Pharmacology at the Medical Bchool in

was most cooperative and made the following comments on the gubjecti

2. The common use of nicotinic acid is as a vitamin; it is used principally as a preventative for pellagra (a skin affection with severe constitutional and nervous symptome) in the southern part of the US. Its therapeutic action in these cases is in developing a paychosis and dilating the blood vessels.

3. Since nicotinic acid is a peripheral dilator of blood vessels, it might also be used in the treatment of froat bite but there is no published indication that this type of therapy has ever been developed anyvhere.

4. The etaff of the Medical School Pharmacology Department has done much work on using a combination of nicotinomid with privine for the treatment of achizophrenic patients. Privine is a nicotinic acid inhibitor (B 45) and, although very lethal in animals, is not poisonous for human beings. The nicotinaid-privine combination produces a shock reection which does not involve convulsions. Experimenta in this have been made on patients at Hospital in but are no longer being carried on because of the lack of fumds and the difficulty in travel between the medicel college laboratories and the hospital.

i. did not know of other doctors or laboratories in the US or abroad vho were working with this nicotinomid-privine combination or other nicotinic acid compounds. He could not recall having seen any publications on this aubject.

This office believes that it might be advantageous to discuss Case with . Chairman of the Bio-Chemistry Department of the where we understand research in nicotinic acid is also being done but, because of the sensitivity of the matter, ve will not do so until further edvised by you.

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8  1952

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Office Memorandum · UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

TO : Ciicr, Cuntact Division

DATE: C JOn 52

FROM : Chief, Office

SUBJECT:Case

Re: liemo by , same subject, dated 24 Jin 52

1. The nicotinonid and privine combination is uot a conapound. The two seuarate lrus are given cimnultancously in the treatment of schizophrenic patients. Since it is not a compound, there is no spectophotometric curve.

2. Tie nicotinoid and privine combination is civen in oral coosules in doses of three millirams of privine and lù0 milligrams of nicotinonid.twice a day. The ffect of this dosare is seeu uver a period ol days; there is no seizuue, rather ¿raduel inorovement. The shock produced is not in tie form produced by electric shock treatment. It is in the form of a metabolic change rather than a loss of consciousness. liere is no amnesia. therefore. The matabolic chumy;e is manifested by a lowered body temperature, paleness, Coosbuaps all over the body, a slcvinr; of the pulse to approximately h, a hoveriuE ol the blood pressure to anproximztely yC over ó0. Since the paticnts re sclizophnrenic, they ùo not realize they Teel ballj aad often vol:: around in this condition withont being aware of disconfort. Cne pntient who vas occidentally given a dose cf the drug coribination every hour for part of one day did tell the nurse that he. preferred other types of treatment.

3. There are no case histories on ezperiuentotion with nicotinonid and urivine since none of tne expcrilaents have been couoleted. So par, only l2 paticnts have boen ¿iveu tiis treutmeut. claims that 20.to l00 cases would have to be tested terore any case histories could be released eveu to a clused ioup. This pro.jected resear:h Irs rccently been deljed by bad weather. wiicn prcvents the doctors fron traveling to the hosnital, but, more ilaportant than this, tne deatì uf oue ol the patients who uus uder the nicoiinonid and privinc trentent las made it necessnry to slov down the experineuts somewhat even though thie rcnth js nct believet to be dnc to the iry tretent. Lzperinents will be reneved in the cprin.

h. le parngraph 2 of she sub ject memo, our resiüeut arent will contact at the maintaining the same security classiiication on USl's interest. leanwhile, OSI may be interestcd to know that the Lis working with nicotinic acid, rather then nicotinonid. and the efrect of this drug on psycioses as well as using it in the treatment of pellagra vhi\_h resulis froin a deficiency of nicotinic acid. of the

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has, according. to , trzated ¿O psychiatric patieuts vith nicotinic acid, using its bloouvessel dilating properties in her treaticent. These patients, emphasized, vere merely psychiatric, not schizupirenic and not, conlined.

5. In discussing his experiments vith nicotinowid, also nentioned other experiments,vhicu may be ol' interest to OSi. although they do not deal with nicotinic acid or nicotinomid. reports that the. Fedical Sehool is studying the production of epilepsy in patients by adrinistering seuicarbazide in capsuie form. This treatment has been used on six patients - three men and three women. The three nen have developed eyilepsy; the three women have not but have developed central voniting instead. Tiis seeas 1o us to nave little to do viti OSI's :urrent interest but since there appeared to be scre association for , we are sending it along in case Osl also sees some comectioi.

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Office MemoranduIn UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

A tO : , CSI DATE: 13 February 1952

FRom : Chief, Contact Division, 00

SUECT:Case

1. Chairman of the Lenartment of Biochemistry and Doan of the Sraduate School, t was contacted but, coild add little to the information alreacy furnished. He referred the O0/C representative tc Professor of Pharmacolopy in the Medical School.

2. provided the enclosed reprint of an article which acpeared in the August lyh5 issue of the Liodical Jenrnal on the use of nicotinic acid in the treatment of rhsumatoid arthritis. This is the extent of his research with ths acid. He in turn referred our man to also of the Medical. School faculty.

, whc is Professor of Neuro-Psychiatry, provided the enclosed reprint of an article written byon the usa of the acia in the treatnent of certain dopressed states. has continued to conduct research on this subject, at the State Hospital but is now using succinate acid rather thar nicotinic acid because, as states, it. has substantialiy the same effect as the latter and is more casily administered.promised to give us reports of two additional stucies on the sam subject, and these will be forwarded when received.

Encl. - Two reprints as described above

UOU UO C

STAHOARD FORM NO. 4

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