1,333 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated trial that compares Colchicine 0.5mg/day with placebo, among patients with stable CAD. Subjects will be educated to maintain medication compliance with other prescribed medications.
The goal of this double-blind randomized controlled trial is to determine how treatment with high intensity statin, low-dose colchicine, and their combination modulates progression and composition of coronary atherosclerosis in individuals with high polygenic risk for coronary artery disease.
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to assess the impact of disclosing a high polygenic risk result for coronary artery disease on change in cardiovascular health over one year.
Among patients with ischemic heart disease who are referred for coronary angiography, a substantial proportion have non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Myocardial infarction (MI) with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) accounts for 5-20% of patients with MI and preferentially affects women. MINOCA pathogenesis is varied and may include atherosclerotic plaque rupture, plaque erosion with thrombosis, vasospasm, embolization, dissection or a combination of mechanisms. Other patients may have clinically unrecognized myocarditis, or takotsubo syndrome masquerading as MI. Among patients referred for coronary angiography for the evaluation of stable ischemic heart disease, non-obstructive CAD is present in up to \~30% of men and \~60% of women. Stable ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) may be due to coronary microvascular dysfunction in up to 40% of these patients. Our understanding of mechanisms of MINOCA and INOCA remain incomplete. Coronary inflammation has been hypothesized as a potential mechanism contributing to coronary spasm in MINOCA and microvascular disease in INOCA.
The purpose of this research study is to see the effect of taking Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) on the progression of coronary plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis, in people diagnosed with Diabetes.
The investigators are studying whether an anti-inflammatory intervention improves impaired coronary endothelial function (CEF) in HIV+ people with no clinical coronary artery disease (CAD).
The purpose of this pilot study proposal is to test the ability of Transluminal Flow Encoding (TAFE) to evaluate vessel specific ischemia in patients with a clinical indication for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) with fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements for suspected coronary disease.
Utilizing Computed Tomographic Angiography to Evaluate Coronary Artery Disease in Patients on Long-Term Antiretroviral Therapy Intro: It is well known that HIV treated with antiretroviral drugs increases the risk for coronary artery disease. Studies have documented this with various methods including analyzing the effects of retroviral therapy on cardiac risk factors such as diabetes, lipids and hypertension. Still other studies have looked at carotid and brachial artery intimal thickness. Our study, then, aims to evaluate the relationship between HIV medications and coronary atherosclerosis using a novel method. Coronary artery CT angiography is a relatively new diagnostic procedure to evaluate heart disease in cardiac patients. We will apply this test to HIV patients on longstanding antiretroviral therapy to directly examine their coronary arteries to assess heart disease. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy will have increased coronary artery disease compared to the general population. Methods: This project will be conducted in collaboration between Florida Heart Center and Associates in infectious Disease - two communities based infectious disease and cardiology practices. We will identify all the HIV positive patients seen within a 1 month timeframe at the infectious disease office. These patients will then be filtered by our exclusion/inclusion criteria. After obtaining informed consent, we will draw blood from each patient to gather lab values such as A1C, cholesterol, inflammatory markers, and other markers associated with coronary artery disease. Each enrolled patient will then schedule and receive a 64 slide coronary CTA at Florida Heart Center. The results of the CTA scans will be categorized in mild, moderate, and severe coronary artery disease. The data, then, will consist of the parameters measured on blood work, and the results of the coronary CTA. Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patients aged 35 to 50 with HIV and on retroviral therapy for at least 5 years. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with prior documented coronary artery disease, heart attack, stent placement, or heart surgery. Statistical Analysis: We will conduct a multivariate analysis on the cardiac risk factors taken from patient history and the bloodwork (diabetes, lipids etc) to correlate them with the results of the CTA. We will also conduct basic analysis to support our hypothesis that long term antiretroviral therapy increases coronary artery disease. Funding: The bloodwork and CTA tests ordered in this study will be payed for by insurance companies where available. In cases where insurance companies will not pay, Florida Heart Center will pay for the CTA tests and Associates in infectious Disease will fund the bloodwork. Humans Subjects Protection: This will be a projective chart review study that will require access to protected health information. Thus, we will seek full IRB approval from the FSU IRB committee with informed consent. An informed consent document will be given to each patient explaining all the risks and benefits of the study in addition to the methods. Recruitment will be done by an office staff or medical assistant not on the research team. After patient recruitment, their medical records will be flagged for study and they will undergo the required testing. At completion of testing, their results will be recorded in the final data sheet, and their medical record will no longer be flagged for study. No identifying data will be recorded in the final data sheet, and the data will be stored in an encrypted excel sheet on a secure password protected personal laptop running antivirus and firewall. Third parties (such as family members) will not have access to any research data regardless of authorizations received from the study subjects. All the test results and labwork performed for the study will go into the patient's individual medical record at their respective offices. Thus, if an authorized third party wishes to view any test results, they can do so via the normal methods at the doctor's office.
* The prediction of extent and risk profile of coronary atherosclerosis based on clinical evaluation and non-invasive techniques. * Detailed analysis of plaque volume, plaque composition, risk plaque features and shear stress (WSS) changes during lipid lowering therapy (rosuvastatin 40mg) from 3D vessel reconstruction. * Prediction of changes in coronary arteries based on changes in non-invasive examinations. * Examination of WSS influence on atherosclerosis development and changes of WSS during lipid lowering therapy.
The majority of the acute coronary events are caused by coronary artery segments with minimal luminal disease, but with potentially significant vascular wall inflammation and oxidative stress leading to plaque vulnerability. It has become apparent that an initial injury at the endothelial surface, is the primary site of the mechanisms involved and a role for vascular inflammation and the interaction with oxidative stress continues to emerge. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a novel biomarker for vascular wall inflammation that circulates in the blood bound to both low density (LDL) and high density (HDL) lipoprotein and promotes vascular inflammation. Circulating levels of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Recent studies, demonstrating that Lp-PLA2 is also associated with coronary endothelial dysfunction. However, the relationship between Lp-PLA2 and early atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries, and the contribution of lipoprotein binding to the deleterious potential of Lp- PLA2 have not been elucidated. Our working hypothesis is that the endogenous local activation of the Lp-PLA2 pathway plays an integral role in early coronary atherosclerosis and contributes to the mechanism of coronary endothelial dysfunction and the structural and mechanical properties reflecting plaque vulnerability. Thus, the current application will characterize prospectively the correlation between the functional, mechanical, and structural vascular wall properties, and the systemic as well as the coronary activity of the Lp-PLA2 pathway.
This study is a phase 1, intravenous, open-label, single-dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ACP-501 (recombinant human Lecithin Cholesterol Acyl Transferase (rhLCAT)) in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD). Four cohorts consisting of 4 subjects each will receive one dose of ACP-501. The dose will be escalated by cohort.
Although atherosclerosis is a systemic disease, its manifestations are focal and eccentric, and each coronary obstruction progresses, regresses, or remains quiescent in an independent manner. The focal and independent nature of atherosclerosis cannot be due solely to the presence of systemic risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, and hypertension. Local factors that create a unique local environment are a major determinant of the behavior of atherosclerosis in a susceptible individual. The vascular endothelium is in a unique and pivotal position to respond to the extremely dynamic forces acting on the vessel wall due to the complex 3-D geometry of the artery. Mechanical forces in general, and fluid shear stress (endothelial shear stress \[ESS\]) in particular, elicit a large number of humoral, metabolic and structural responses in endothelial cells. Regions of disturbed flow, with low and oscillatory ESS (\< 1.0 Pa), are intensely pro-atherogenic, pro-inflammatory, and pro-thrombotic, and correlate well with the localization of atherosclerotic lesions. These sites demonstrate intense accumulation of lipids, inflammatory cells, and matrix degrading enzymes which promote the formation of high-risk thin-cap fibroatheroma. In contrast, physiologic laminar flow (1.0-2.5 Pa) is generally vasoprotective. However, as the obstruction progresses and further limits blood flow through a narrowed lumen, flow velocity and ESS may increase excessively (\> 2.5 Pa) at the neck, and decrease abnormally at the outlet, increasing the likelihood of platelet activation and thrombus formation. Identification of an early atherosclerotic plaque likely to progress and acquire characteristics leading to likelihood of rupture and, consequently, to precipitate an acute coronary event or rapid luminal obstruction, would permit more definitive pharmacologic or perhaps mechanical intervention prior to the occurrence of a cardiac event. The potential clinical value of identifying and "eradicating" plaques destined to become vulnerable before they actually become vulnerable is enormous. The purpose of the PREDICTION Trial is to identify high-risk coronary lesions at an early time point in their evolution, to follow the natural history of these lesions over a 6-10 month period, and to confirm that these high-risk lesions are likely to rupture and cause an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or develop rapid progression of a flow-limiting obstruction. The hypothesis is that local segments in the coronary arteries with low ESS and excessive expansive remodeling will be the sites where atherosclerotic plaque develops, progresses, and becomes high-risk, leading to a new cardiac event. This study is being conducted in Japan as patients are clinically evaluated with followup coronary angiography and IVUS in a routine manner at 6-10 months following their initial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for an ACS. This is a natural history and a clinical outcomes study in patients who initially present with an ACS. The natural history portion of the study is designed to describe the temporal progression of atherosclerosis in segments of coronary arteries with low ESS and expansive remodeling using intracoronary vascular profiling techniques utilizing intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and coronary angiography. The clinical outcomes portion of the study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of coronary vascular profiling to predict segments of coronary arteries that will become areas of rapid plaque growth or rupture leading to recurrent major clinical coronary events. Five hundred (500) patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI for a culprit lesion are to be enrolled in the study to undergo coronary vascular profiling at the time of the index catheterization procedure. Up to 374 consecutive patients with at least one low ESS subsegment are to have follow-up coronary angiography and IVUS at 6-10 months to allow for at least 300 patients with analyzable intracoronary vascular profiling data for assessment of lesion natural history. All patients are to have a one-year clinical follow-up to assess for new cardiac events, followed by two additional years of extended clinical followup.
The purpose of this study is to investigate dose range, safety and efficacy of RVX000222 in subjects with stable coronary artery disease.
Background: * Noninvasive cardiac stress testing is imperfect. Inconclusive test results generate further expensive testing. * In patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been shown to provide suitable results for detecting the disease. However, both types of scans have limitations in their usefulness, and it is not known whether one is preferable in either accuracy or cost-effectiveness. Objectives: - To determine the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of CT and MRI in subjects with a prior inconclusive heart stress test. Eligibility: - Patients 18 years of age and older who have had an inconclusive heart stress test within the past 90 days. Design: * A blood test will be obtained prior to both heart tests. This will require less than a teaspoon of blood. * A CT scan will be performed, accompanied by beta blocker medications (to slow heart rate) or nitroglycerin (to enlarge blood vessels) to improve picture quality, as needed. * An MRI scan will be performed. Scans will be taken before, during, and after the patient receives vasodilators (to increase blood flow to the coronary arteries and detect blockages in heart blood vessels). * Heart rate and function will be monitored with an electrocardiogram.
The study will assess the change in coronary atherosclerotic disease as determined by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) for aliskiren compared to placebo when given in addition to standard therapy in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and a blood pressure in the pre-hypertensive range.
The Century Trial is a single center Phase III randomized study sponsored by the Albert Weatherhead III Foundation and conducted by Dr. K. Lance Gould. The study hypothesis is that a combined image-treatment regimen of PET + comprehensive program of lifestyle modification and lipid lowering drugs to target lipid level will result in an improved cardiovascular risk score when compared to current standard optimal medical therapy, potentially resulting in a lower rate of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and revascularization procedures during long term follow-up when compared with current standard of care. If our hypothesis is correct, we will not only improve our ability to prevent and treat CAD but we will also illustrate that, even with the expenses of behavioral interventions and imaging techniques, we can be very cost effective. This information may help patients at risk or with known CAD to obtain insurance coverage to prevent the disease as well as providing a more effective way of treating it.
The study will be conducted at up to 80 centers worldwide and will be a double-blind randomized parallel group placebo controlled study among subjects with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Subjects will be randomized to receive either placebo tablets or one of 4 orally active doses of A-002. The duration of study drug therapy will be 8 weeks.
The overall goal of this study is to use MRI to: * Examine the relationship between known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and coronary artery wall thickness; * Examine the relationship between coronary artery wall thickness and other markers of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, such as carotid wall thickness and coronary calcium scores; and, * Examine the feasibility of measuring the progression of coronary artery wall thickness over time in a subset of participants.
The purpose of this study is to learn if CS-505 is safe and effective for slowing down or possibly reversing the buildup of tissue, cells and fatty deposits (plaque) in the blood vessels of the heart (coronary artery atherosclerosis).
Regular exercise reduces the risk of heart problems, in part because it improves the work of the endothelium (the cells that line blood vessels). Exercise appears to release precursor cells from the bone marrow that will later become endothelial cells. A molecule called nitric oxide (NO) appears to be involved in this release. However, some heart patients do not improve their endothelial function despite regular exercise. The researchers believe that the heart disease in these patients may interfere with the normal relationship between exercise and endothelial function. This study is designed to test whether giving a patient nitroglycerin (which is converted to NO in the bloodstream) will increase the release of endothelial precursor cells from the bone marrow. If the study succeeds, it may lead to improved healing of arteries in heart disease patients. Adults may be eligible for this study if they have coronary artery disease and do not take nitroglycerin or nitroglycerin-like medication on a daily basis. Volunteers will be admitted to the Clinical Center on 2 separate nights at least 1 week apart. On the morning after each admission, volunteers will have blood drawn from an arm vein for laboratory tests, and then walk on a treadmill until fatigue or discomfort prevents further exercise, or until asked to stop. On one of their admissions, volunteers will receive 1 tablet of nitroglycerin under the tongue shortly before the treadmill test. Volunteers will be monitored by EKGs and blood pressure tests during the treadmill tests, and will have more blood drawn at about 15 minutes and 24 hours after each treadmill test. Researchers will examine the levels of endothelial precursor cells and nitric oxide in the blood samples taken before and after exercise.
This study will determine whether dietary nitrates and nitrites can produce nitric oxide in the body and dilate blood vessels in patients with coronary artery disease. Nitric oxide is normally made by endothelial cells that line blood vessels. It plays an important role in maintaining the normal function of arteries by keeping them open and preventing damage from substances such as cholesterol in the blood stream. Coronary artery disease is caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries or build-up of cholesterol and scar tissue within the walls of the arteries). Once arteries become clogged, the ability of the endothelium to produce nitric oxide diminishes considerably and may speed up the disease process, leading to shortness of breath, chest pain, and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Patients 21 years of age and older with coronary artery disease may be eligible for this study. Participants will have a medical history and physical examination, electrocardiogram (recording of the electrical activity of the heart), echocardiogram (ultrasound test of the heart), treadmill exercise stress test (see below), and will meet with a dietitian. They will be hospitalized at the NIH Clinical Center on two occasions. For 1 week before each admission, they will follow a diet prescribed by an NIH nutritionist. The diet before one admission will be high in nitrates and nitrites, and the diet before the other admission will be low in nitrates and nitrites. Each admission will last 4 days, during which participants will undergo the following tests: * Forearm blood flow study: Small tubes are placed in the artery and vein at the inside of the elbow of the dominant arm (right- or left-handed) and a small tube is placed in a vein of the other arm. The tubes are used for infusing saline (salt water) and for drawing blood samples. A pressure cuff is placed around the upper part of the dominant arm, and a rubber band device called a strain gauge is also placed around the arm to measure blood flow. When the cuff is inflated, blood flows into the arm, stretching the strain gauge at a rate proportional to the flow. Maximum grip-strength of the dominant arm is measured with a dynamometer. Forearm blood flow is measured and blood samples are drawn at the following times: 20 minutes after the tubes are placed; during a hand-grip exercise; and 4 minutes after the exercise is completed. * Brachial artery reactivity study: This test measures h...
This study will test whether inhaling nitric oxide gas can improve blood flow to the heart, ventricular function, exercise tolerance in patients with coronary artery disease and chest pain that has not improved with medical or surgical therapy. Patients with coronary artery disease who have chest pain despite treatment with medicines and angioplasty or surgery may be eligible for this study. Those enrolled will receive monetary compensation for their participation in this study. The duration of the study is 5 days, with 2 testing periods lasting 2 days each. During one of the periods, the study participants will breathe nitric oxide mixed with room air through a face mask during the tests. During the other period, the participants will breathe room air alone through a face mask during the tests. At least 1 day will separate the treatment periods. During each of the 2 treatment periods (nitric oxide and room air), participants will undergo 4 tests to determine whether the treatment improves the heart's response to stress with increased heart rate and contraction. Approximately one hour before each of the tests, participants will breathe either nitric oxide mixed with room air or room air alone through the face mask, and continue the inhalation treatment while each test is being performed. The face mask will be removed at the end of each test. On the morning of the first day of each treatment period, participants will have a special echocardiogram with imaging of the heart. The echocardiogram will be performed during an infusion of dobutamine, a medicine that increases heart rate and contraction, and serves to stress the heart. This manner of stress testing is commonly used in hospitals around the country to determine if walls of the heart are receiving sufficient blood supply. That afternoon, participants will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the heart. The MRI will determine the heart's blood flow and contraction while receiving the same dosage of dobutamine as was used earlier in the day. On the morning of the second day of each treatment period, participants will exercise on a treadmill until moderately uncomfortable chest pain is reported. Later that morning, participants will undergo cardiac catheterization. For the cardiac catheterization, a long tube (catheter) will be placed into a vein of the neck once the skin is numbed with xylocaine. This tube will be positioned within the right atrium of the heart and into a tube-like structure called the coronary sinus, where venous blood exits the heart muscle. A small catheter will also be placed in an artery of the upper forearm after the skin has been numbed with xylocaine. Blood samples will be taken to allow us to measure the amount of nitric oxide transported in the blood. The blood samples will be drawn (through the tube in the heart and through the small tube in the artery) at the beginning of the study and during infusion of dobutamine to stress the heart. The dose of the dobutamine infusion will be the same dose used in the previous day's stress studies. After the completion of the first treatment period, we will stop testing for at least one day. Participants will begin the second treatment period with the inhalation treatment not received during the first treatment period.
This study will measure and compare the levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the blood of people with and without risk factors for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) to see if there is a relationship between these cells and cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol level and high blood pressure. Healthy male volunteers between the ages of 21 and 55 years with and without heart disease risk factors may be eligible for this study. Candidates must have no evidence of coronary or peripheral vascular disease, proliferative retinopathy, or other chronic disease and no history of cancer, migraine-type headache, cluster headache, raised intraocular pressure, raised intracranial pressure, hyperthyroidism. Participants will undergo the following procedures at the NIH Clinical Center: * Medical history and physical examination * Blood tests to measure EPC level and various risk and growth factors * Brachial reactivity study - This ultrasound study tests how well the subject's arteries widen. The subject rests on a bed for 30 minutes. An ultrasound measuring device is placed over the artery just above the elbow. The size of the artery and blood flow through it are measured before and after inflating a pressure cuff around the forearm. The pressure cuff stops the flow of blood to the arm for a few minutes. After a 15-minute rest, the drug nitroglycerin is sprayed under the subject's tongue. Before the nitroglycerin spray and 3 minutes after it, the size of the artery and blood flow through it are measured again.
The purpose of this study is to determine if the CAD Score, collected from the CADscore system, performs as well as the Coronary CTA in determining Coronary Artery Disease, in low to intermediate risk patients that are referred for coronary CTA.
To investigate the superior vena cava collapsibility index (SVC-CI), measured via transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), as a marker of fluid responsiveness. Two groups will be compared in this study. Groups will be identified by obtaining cardiac output (CO) by standard means using the TEE or pulmonary arterial catheter (PAC). Both of these monitors are considered standard for patient's undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) and recording initial CO readings. Based on CO, the patient's will be placed in study groups one or two. Participants with normal and mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF \>40%) for group one and those with moderately to severely reduced LVEF (\<40%) in the second group. Following group separation, we will measure the SVC-CI and CO metric in both groups. The intervention will be an operating room table tilt test (head up and then head down) to artificially simulate giving the patient additional fluid. Before and after table tilt, the SVC-CI and CO will be obtained and measured. The SVC-CI is a mathematical equation determined by distance measurements taken via TEE to identify how much the superior vena cava has collapsed following table tilt. Participants will be considered responders if the CO increases by 12% following intervention. Non responders less than 12% change in CO following intervention. Our hypothesis is that the SVC-CI can differentiate responders vs non-responders with regards to fluid responsiveness with adequate sensitivity and specificity in participants with CAD undergoing isolated CABG. The SVC-CI numerical values for the two groups, responders and non-responders, will calculate a threshold of sensitivity and specificity percentages for future patients undergoing CABG.
The goal of this study is to assess the benefit to physicians and patients of adding an integrated risk score (IRS) to existing coronary artery risk tools by conducting a randomized prospective study. IRS combines both an individual's coronary artery disease (CAD) polygenic risk score (PRS) and clinical risk factors, like cholesterol levels and age. This study will examine to what extent IRS knowledge impacts physician/provider behavior as well as clinical outcomes including cholesterol levels and incident heart disease.
Despite increasing evidence that exposure to cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) at an early age increases the prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis and is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular events later in life, there is a lack of randomized trial evidence to support primary prevention strategies in adults aged 30-50 years. The researchers have designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether strict control of CVRF in young adults without known cardiovascular disease, will reduce the progression of total atherosclerosis burden, a surrogate endpoint for symptomatic cardiovascular disease, compared with usual care. The researchers propose a randomized controlled trial enrolling 1,600 healthy young adults who meet the inclusion criteria and who do not meet any exclusion criteria. Eligible study participants will be randomized, in a 1:1 ratio, to either the intervention group (active treatment strategy) or to the control group (guideline-directed medical therapy). Randomization will be stratified by the presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaque in vascular ultrasound.
This is a prospective pilot study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and technical feasibility of utilizing carbon dioxide for assessing coronary blood flow in subjects with coronary artery disease.
This retrospective study will evaluate the coronary angiograms of approximately 100 patients who have undergone invasive angiography and fractional flow reserve (FFR). DICOM files of the angiograms will be analyzed on a secure computer within the cardiac catheterization laboratory using the AutocathFFR software to assess if invasive FFR measurements and automated computer analysis of FFR measurements correlate. AutocathFFR measurement per lesion will be compared to the gold standard, invasive FFR value, where an FFR ≤ 0.80 will be considered "positive", while an FFR \> 0.8 will be considered "negative". The AutocathFFR value will be compared to the invasive FFR measurements. The sensitivity and specificity of the AutocathFFR will be calculated, as well as the AutocathFFR accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value per lesion. Device success will be calculated as the ratio of completed versus initiated AutocathFFR index calculations. Usability of the AutocathFFR software will be evaluated using dedicated questionnaires to be completed by the user (cardiologists).
The FRACTURE Trial is a prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, multicenter, interventional study in US and international centers.