18 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this research study is to determine if carotid artery ultrasound scanning can provide additional information for determining cardiovascular risk in patients. Patients who agree to participate wil undergo non-invasive carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement and plaque assessment. Findings of CIMT will be compared to results of patient standard of care stress echocardiogram (SE) and of diastolic function. We hypothesize tht 1) in patients undergoing SE for inappropriate or uncertain indications, CIMT and plaque assessment will provide useful risk stratification beyond use of traditional risk factors; 2) CIMT findings will correlate with results of SE in terms of exercise capacity and 3) Exercise capacity will correlate with diastolic function.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of contrast enhanced carotid ultrasound to serve as an indicator of disease activity in patients with Takayasu's arteritis or Giant Cell arteritis and to determine if patients with active arteritis have a thickening of their blood vessel walls compared to healthy people of the same age and gender.
This cross-sectional study was primarily a cardiovascular disease (CVD) study designed a) to compare selected CVD biomarker data between subjects who were long-term consumers of cigarettes or moist snuff and non-consumers of tobacco and b) to identify principal endpoints related to CVD risk that differed among the three tobacco-use cohorts. The following assessments provided the primary study endpoints for comparative analyses between the cohorts: 1. CVD-related physiological assessments: Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), ankle-brachial index (ABI), spirometry and expired carbon monoxide (ECO). 2. CVD-related biomarker assessments in blood and urine (biomarkers of tobacco effect). 3. Biomarkers of tobacco exposure in urine and blood.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether Ateronon, a nutritional supplement that contains lycopene from tomatoes has a favorable effect on carotid atherosclerosis, lipid levels, and other biomarkers of coronary heart disease. The trial was stopped early due to insufficient financial support from the initial study collaborator, Cambridge Theranostics Ltd. Collected patient data are sufficient for final trial-based analyses to be conducted with financial support from the new study collaborator, CamNutra Ltd. The data will still be analyzed according to the original study aims.
The objective of the study is to assess the effect of standard versus aggressive inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS)in type 2 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria (MA) on; a)progression of microalbuminuria, b)estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), c)endothelial dysfunction (measured by post-hyperemia arterial tonometry) and d)the slowing of the progression of atherosclerotic disease (measured by carotid intima media thickness \[CIMT\]).
The purpose of the study is to see how two classes of blood pressure medications,angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (Ace inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), differ in their long term effects on certain chemicals in the body and on the carotid arteries.
Vitamin D deficiency accelerates vascular risk progression after kidney transplant.
Obesity, a condition that occurs when a person has too much body fat, affects about 31% of people in the United States. It is associated with increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease. Abdominal obesity, in particular, is also associated with low levels of growth hormone, a hormone that affects rate of growth and the way the body uses energy. Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) is a substance that makes the body naturally increase its own growth hormone levels. Administering GHRH to people who are obese may help return their growth hormone levels to normal and, in turn, may lead to reduced abdominal fat and improved cardiovascular function. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of synthetic GHRH in decreasing the amount of abdominal fat and improving cardiovascular function in people who are obese.
1) Research questions: 1a. Can non-sonographer health care professionals in a community medical office practice setting be trained to detect and evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis? 1b. Can carotid ultrasound performed in community office practices improve physician use of evidence-based, risk-reducing interventions and patient motivation to adhere to therapeutic recommendations?
Recent evidence on the use of statin therapy indicates the potential for ultra-low levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) to provide greater protection from recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Thus, in August 2005, the guidelines for the treatment of lipid disorders (NCEP ATPIII) were revised to indicate that an LDL-C treatment goal of 70 mg/dL (revised from 100 mg/dL) was optional for patients with known CHD. In these same guidelines, low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) are also suggested but not specifically proscribed as a target of therapy. Recently the ARBITER 2 trial has provided the first evidence of the potential of raising HDL-C with extended release niacin when added to statin monotherapy. However, whether this approach would be superior to a strategy in which lower concentrations of LDL-C are targeted is unknown. The purpose of ARBITER 6 - HALTS is to compare HDL and LDL-focused strategies of lipid treatments for their effects of atherosclerosis. This study is a prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint trial comparing treatment strategies of either HDL-raising therapies or LDL reduction for dyslipidemia on carotid atherosclerosis. Subjects with known atherosclerotic coronary or vascular disease or otherwise at high cardiovascular risk through the presence of a coronary risk equivalent who are currently being treated with a statin will be eligible. Subjects will be randomly assigned in an allocation-concealed fashion to open label treatment with either Ezetimibe 10 mg/d for additional LDL-lowering OR Extended-release niacin (1 gm/d, titrated to max tolerable dose up to 2 gm/d) for HDL improvement. The effects of these 2 different strategies of intensified lipid management on atherosclerosis will be assessed by the change in the carotid intima-media thickness, a validated surrogate endpoint. The data will help guide clinicians on the potential benefits of these lipid treatment strategies.
The study will evaluate the clinical utilization of skin Cholesterol (SC) for cardiovascular risk assessment in asymptomatic individuals at low, intermediate and high risk based on Framingham global risk estimates. Preliminary studies have suggested that SC is an easy to measure, noninvasive marker of cardiovascular risk. This study is intended to provide further data in support of broader clearance by the Food and Drug Administration for the use of SC as a tool to identify asymptomatic patients at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Currently, SC testing is cleared for use as part of risk assessment in subject suspected of having significant multi-vessel disease. The current study data will be used to support the use of SC testing as part of cardiovascular risk assessment in subjects without suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
The purpose of this study is to measure carotid artery IMT at a single visit in a subset of women previously enrolled in the CORE (H3S-MC-GGJY) trial
This minimal risk protocol is designed to assess the reproducibility of B-mode ultrasound measurements of carotid intima media thickness (IMT) when the scans are performed in CC Radiology and read using a computerized edge reader. Up to 20 volunteers will have two ultrasounds performed within a 6-month period. IMT thickness is used as a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis and may be of value in clinical trials.
Develop a standard technique and demonstrate adequate precision for measurement of intima-media thickness (IMT) for routine clinical use.
The potential for nattokinase to "thin" blood and to reduce blood clotting by positive antithrombotic and fibrinolytic effects presents a unique opportunity to safely study such effects on cardiovascular disease and cognition. Unfortunately, such studies of antithrombotic and fibrinolytic pathways of prevention have been limited due to lack of safe compounds and the adverse reactions associated with current agents such as Coumadin. Nattokinase, an over-the-counter supplement used for cardiovascular health, is the most active functional constituent of natto, a fermented soy product. Natto has been consumed primarily by the Japanese for over 1000 years, a population with one of the lowest risks for cardiovascular disease and dementia. Cardiovascular disease and dementia remain the most challenging age-related health risks of the 21st century for Americans necessitating development of further effective preemptive strategies. Whether reducing the propensity for thrombus formation and/or increasing fibrinolytic activity can prevent the progression of atherosclerosis and cognitive decline has not yet been determined. Using nattokinase under primary prevention conditions, the investigators propose to conduct a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether decreasing atherothrombotic risk can reduce the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis and cognitive decline. The investigators propose to randomize 240 healthy non-demented women and men to nattokinase supplementation or to placebo for three years. The primary trial endpoints will be measurement of carotid arterial wall thickness and arterial stiffness, early changes of atherosclerosis that can be measured safely by non-invasive imaging techniques. The secondary trial endpoint will be ascertained through change in cognition measured by a neuropsychological battery. In addition, biochemical blood measurements and in vitro studies will be conducted to compare the effects of nattokinase relative to placebo on blood coagulation and thrombus break-down capabilities, blood flow properties, inflammation and inflammatory activation of endothelial cells that line blood vessels.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether soy supplementation can reduce hardening of the arteries and cognitive decline in postmenopausal women.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of oral 17B-estradiol (estrogen) on the progression of early (subclinical) atherosclerosis and cognitive decline in healthy postmenopausal women.
Objectives: * Primary: To evaluate the effect of rimonabant 20-mg once daily in comparison with placebo, on the quantitative progression of atherosclerosis as assessed by carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) * Secondary: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of the above rimonabant regimen in the study population of atherosclerosis patients.