43 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The aim of this study is to measure how different people respond to mental stress. The investigators will measure if there are differences in cardiovascular responses to mental stress among different groups of subjects. In one part of the study the investigators will compare the cardiovascular responses to mental stress between healthy women and healthy men. In another part of the study, the investigators will compare the cardiovascular responses to mental stress between women with apical ballooning syndrome and healthy post-menopausal women. The investigators hypothesize that healthy men will have an increased vascular response to and decreased endothelial function in response to to mental stress, compared to health women. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that women with apical ballooning syndrome will have an increased vascular response to and decreased endothelial function in response to mental stress.
AIM III is a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial. The study is directly connected to IRB 08-008161 as a specific aim of the National Institute of Health (NIH) grant. Participants may either consent to and qualify for AIM I and AIM II (IRB 08-008161) or have a cardiac catheterization with acetylcholine testing in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to be considered for this study.
The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of febuxostat on coronary artery flow in patients with coronary artery disease.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether nitric oxide is effective in the treatment of acute kidney injury in cardiac surgical patients with sign and laboratory data suggesting endothelial dysfunction undergoing prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass.
The goal of this research study is to demonstrate that Cardiac Perfusion MRI with Vasomotor Stress may serve as a non-invasive and less risky imaging technique for detecting non-obstructive perfusion deficits and/or abnormalities in myocardial blood flow (MBF) in patients with endothelial dysfunction. This is a controlled study, which will enroll approximately 60 subjects (30 diabetics and 30 non-diabetics to serve as healthy controls), and will include male and non-pregnant females, between the ages 18-50 years. All eligible participants will sign an informed consent and will complete a Lifestyle Questionnaire. They will undergo blood work which includes: * 2-hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and Fasting Labs for Glucose, Insulin, C-Peptide, HbA1c, Creatinine, and Lipid Panel. * Urine Albumin to Creatinine ratio for microalbuminuria. * Serum inflammatory markers: E-selectin, homocysteine, ADMA, VCAM, IL-6, TNFalpha, hs-CRP and PAI-1. After blood work, all participants will undergo cardiac MR perfusion imaging procedure with Cold Pressor Test and Adenosine Stress Test.
The goal of this mechanistic clinical trial is to learn about the effects of medications called soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulators on vascular function and markers of kidney and brain injury in patients having heart surgery. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulation improve blood vessel function compared to placebo? 2. Does soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulation decrease markers of kidney injury and brain injury compared to placebo? Participants will be randomized to a soluble guanylyl cyclase stimulator called vericiguat or placebo, and researchers will compare vascular function and markers of brain and kidney injury to see if vericiguat improves vascular function and reduces markers of injury. This will provide important information to determine the underlying reasons that patients have some kidney and brain function problems after having heart surgery.
This study will examine the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on blood vessel health using a newly developed microfluidic-based tactile sensor to assess blood vessel health. The participants will have their blood vessel health measured using a sensor that is placed on top of the skin over the artery before and after exercise (1, 3, 5, 10, 30 and 60 mins). The investigators will study these responses at the first session of cardiac rehabilitation and following 1 and 4 weeks of cardiac rehabilitation (sessions 3 and 6). The investigators will also collect some information from the medical record regarding: age, gender, body mass index, resting cardiovascular measures (heart rate, blood pressure etc), medications, reasons which qualified the participant into cardiac rehabilitation, blood tests related to heart or cardiovascular function, metabolic panel, lipid panel, echocardiogram results, recorded electrocardiogram, known vascular diseases, presence of implantable devices, Seattle Heart Failure Model data and cardiovascular measures and exercise workloads during cardiac rehabilitation.
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) promote systemic and coronary endothelial repair through rescue of bone marrow progenitors in type 2 diabetic patients with symptomatic IHD compared to placebo.
This study is an ancillary (add-on) study to the clinical trial entitled "Effect of Nitric Oxide in Cardiac Surgery Patients With Endothelial Dysfunction", which has Clinical Trials.gov identifier NCT02836899. NCT02836899 trial randomizes cardiac surgical patients to receive either Nitric Oxide (NO) or a placebo during and after cardiac surgery. This ancillary study aims to assess the effects of Nitric Oxide on plasma reduction-oxidation reactions of patients undergoing cardiac surgery requiring prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass.
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.
Hookah (water pipe) smoking is a new global epidemic. The World Health Organization wants to prohibit all claims that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes and wants hookah products to bear the same warning labels as cigarettes. But there is little scientific evidence to substantiate this proposal. Cigarettes, cigars, medicinal nicotine, and e-cigarettes all acutely impair brachial artery endothelial function (flow-mediated dilation, FMD). Also, cigarettes cause both acute and chronic impairment in coronary endothelial function, but the comparative effects of hookah are unknown. Hookah tobacco is heated with burning charcoal. So, the smoke contains "tar" and nicotine plus charcoal combustion products. These include carbon monoxide (CO) and proatherogenic oxidants (especially carbon-rich nanoparticles) that the study team expected to impair endothelial function.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether patients receiving human albumin for plasma volume replacement during cardiac surgery have improved postoperative endothelial function compared to patients receiving 6% hydroxyethyl starch solutions. The postoperative endothelial function, measured with peripheral arterial tonometry as reactive hyperemia index (RHI) within 2 hours following surgery, will be compared in cardiac surgical patients randomized to receive human albumin or 6% HES solutions for intraoperative volume replacement. Within two hours of arrival to the ICU peripheral arterial tonometry using EndoPAT will be performed. In a subset of 40 consecutive patients the investigators will perform additional EndoPAT measurements to describe the expected changes that occur in endothelial function during the perioperative period (baseline, early postoperative and 24 hours postoperative) using RHI. This study will also determine whether human albumin 5% reduces plasma biomarkers of endothelial and glycocalyceal damage by measuring plasma concentrations of syndecan 1 and endocan at baseline (before surgery), and 1 and 24 hours following surgery. Blood samples will be taken on the morning of the surgery, within one hour of arrival to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 24 hours after surgery or within 2 hours before discharge from the ICU (three times altogether). These samples will be used to measure the plasma concentrations of two biomarkers that measure endothelial injury.
The investigator's hypothesis is that local activation of the endogenous Lp-PLA2 plays an integral role in early atherosclerosis, and contributes to the mechanism of coronary endothelial dysfunction and to the structural and mechanical properties that characterize plaque vulnerability. Thus, the investigators study will characterize prospectively the correlation between the functional and structural vascular wall properties, and the activity of the Lp-PLA2 pathway.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of music therapy before, during, and after cardiac catheterization is associated on (a) change in reactive hyperemia index measured before and after catheterization using peripheral arterial tonometry and (b) patient stress and discomfort measured by a questionnaire, as compared to the standard of care (no music during cardiac catheterization). The hypothesis of the study is that music therapy during cardiac catheterization will be associated with more favorable change in reactive hyperemia and higher patient satisfaction compared to no music playback.
The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether an anti-inflammatory medication, pentoxifylline, reduces depressive symptoms and improves artery function. Participants in this trial will be older primary care patients (60 years and up) who are depressed but do not have a history of cardiovascular disease. Half of these patients will receive pentoxifylline, and half will receive placebo. In addition, participants in both arms will receive an evidence-based psychological treatment called Beating the Blues®, which is a computerized, cognitive behavioral treatment program for depression. The investigators will use questionnaires to assess change in depressive symptoms and an ultrasound test to measure change in artery function from pre- to post-treatment. It is hypothesized that patients who receive pentoxifylline will show greater improvements in both depression and artery function than patients who receive placebo.
The investigators' hypothesis is that local activation of the endogenous Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) plays an integral role in early atherosclerosis, and contributes to the mechanism of coronary endothelial dysfunction and to the structural and mechanical properties that characterize plaque vulnerability. Thus, this study will characterize prospectively the correlation between the functional and structural vascular wall properties, and the activity of the Lp-PLA2 pathway.
This research study is to see whether blood vessel function, an early sign of heart disease, improves in HIV-infected men and women who take telmisartan for 12 weeks. The investigators will be looking at how a blood vessel in the arm, called the brachial artery, changes in response to stress before and after taking telmisartan. To determine how well the blood vessel functions, the investigators will be using an ultrasound machine. Telmisartan is not an HIV medication. It is an FDA-approved medication designed to treat blood pressure, but has been shown to improve blood vessel function in HIV-negative people with and without high blood pressure. Telmisartan is made by Boehringer Ingelheim, and this trial is sponsored by The Campbell Foundation.
Vitamin D (Vit D) status is an emerging risk marker of great interest in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lower serum levels of Vit D are associated with both cardiac risk factors and prevalent cardiovascular disease. Vit D insufficiency remains very prevalent in free living populations in the United States especially in urban, and multi-ethnic low income Northern cities.To date, prospective randomized trials using Vit D supplementation to modify CVD risk and evaluate outcomes have not been performed. The investigators propose a double-blind, randomized wait-list control trial in subjects with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Vit D deficiency with two specific aims. Specific aim 1 is to measure endothelial function using reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) before and after treatment with Vit D replacement therapy. Specific Aim 2 is to measure levels of inflammation before and after treatment with Vit D replacement therapy. These aims will test the hypotheses that Vit D repletion will improve endothelial function and reduce the levels of detectable inflammation in the plasma of these subjects.
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.
Background: - Imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can provide information about heart and blood vessels. The tests let doctors can see the amount of blood vessel narrowing and vessel wall thickness. This information may help diagnose and treat heart disease and other conditions that lead to heart attacks. Better MRI methods are needed to improve heart disease diagnosis, especially by avoiding the use of radiation. Researchers are testing new techniques to improve the quality of heart MRI, compared with more complex studies like catheterization or angiography. Objectives: - To compare heart MRI techniques with other tests used to diagnose heart disease. Eligibility: - People at least 18 years of age who either have or may have heart disease, or are healthy volunteers. Design: * Participants will be screened with a physical exam, medical history, and blood tests. * They will have an angiography to study the inside of blood vessels. This test is an x-ray study of the blood vessels. It will be done either separately or as part of a set of tests to diagnose possible heart disease. * Participants will have at least one and up to five MRI scans. The scans will involve different methods of studying the heart and blood vessels. Participants may also have a computed tomography scan to confirm the findings of an MRI scan. * No treatment will be provided as part of this protocol.
The purpose of this study is to look at a new method for finding out if patients have a risk of heart complications from surgery. At the present, to find out if patients have a risk of heart complications from surgery, look at whether the patient has heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, and stroke. The investigators hope that this study will confirm a new, safe test to help us predict the risk of surgery.
This is a study of the effects of 3 oz almonds added daily to a National Cholesterol Education Program Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet in improving endothelial function in patients with Coronary Artery Disease. The study seeks to determine if these effects are mediated via an increase in Nitric Oxide synthesis and reductions in dyslipidemia and systemic inflammation. Vascular reactivity will be assessed via flow mediated dilation with endothelium-independent and hyperemic flow measured in the right brachial artery by non-invasive 2-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound. Serum will be collected and analyzed for biomarkers of dyslipidemia, inflammation, endothelial function, vascular reactivity and oxidative stress.
Qualifying patients who are scheduled for angiogram with endothelial function testing are approached to participate in this protocol (consent form reviewed with patient). Those who are willing to participate will have additional measurements taken during their angiogram as part of this protocol. Patients who are diagnosed with Endothelial Dysfunction as a result of a clinically indicated angiogram will be eligible to participate in a 6 month medication trial (Atrasentan vs. placebo - randomized, blinded trial). Patients are monitored closely during the 6 month trial via phone calls and blood testing for assessment. At the end of the 6 months they return to Mayo for a repeat angiogram to assess endothelial function for any changes or improvements.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has proven effective in altering the natural history of HIV infection in many patients. However, this therapy may not be sustainable because of the toxicities of the medications. Evidence suggests that HIV-infected patients on HAART may be at risk for premature coronary artery disease. The exact cause is unknown. It is possible that the medications directly affect the endothelium (the lining of the arteries that supply blood to the heart) and lead to premature heart disease. Or because the medications cause lipid abnormalities (high cholesterol) and a condition of relative insulin resistance, in which the body has a difficult time processing sugars; known risk factors for endothelial dysfunction and heart disease. Therapeutic intervention that reverses these lipid abnormalities and/or insulin resistance may lower these risk factors, normalize endothelial function, and decrease the risk of heart disease. This protocol aims to assess endothelial function among a group of HIV-infected patients with varying degrees of viral activity and levels of immune function on a variety of HAART regimens. It also aims to evaluate the effect of three different medications on lipids, insulin resistance, and thus endothelial function. Understanding the factors involved in causing endothelial dysfunction will help better characterize the relative risks and benefits of early versus late and continuous versus intermittent HAART therapy. The research may offer some insights into the causes of premature heart disease among HIV-infected patients on HAART that could be more thoroughly investigated in subsequent clinical trials. A total of 75 patients will be recruited: 25 for each arm of the study. Each arm evaluates the potential benefit of a particular medication and will enroll sequentially. An endothelial function test will be performed on an outpatient basis. The first 25 patients will be assigned at random to receive pravastatin sodium or placebo; the next 25 will receive gemfibrozil or placebo; the final 25 will receive rosiglitazone or placebo. Patients will take the pills for 6 weeks, no pills for the next 4 weeks, and then the opposite treatment for 6 more weeks. Two weeks after the start of the study drug, blood will be taken to check for potential toxic side effects. After each 6-week treatment, blood will be drawn and endothelial function tests will be performed.
There is significant evidence that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, a commonly used class of cholesterol lowering medications, reduce the risk of death from coronary disease. Although these medicines lower cholesterol levels, other studies suggest that they have an additional effect on improving blood vessel functioning. It has also been shown that consumption of a fatty meal temporarily alters blood vessel functioning, causing endothelial dysfunction. This study will examine if pravastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, improves blood vessel functioning after a fatty meal. We plan on enrolling 32 subjects, aged 18-40 years, who are healthy with no history of diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, or heart disease. These subjects will be randomly assigned to initially receive four days of pravastatin or an inactive substance, and then crossed over to the other group. Blood vessel functioning will be monitored by a technique called flow mediated vasoactivity, which uses ultrasound measurement of the forearm artery and its response to temporary occlusion. This primary measure of flow mediated vasoactivity will be done before and after consumption of a fatty meal. We hope to show that treatment with pravastatin prevents the blood vessel dysfunction known to occur after a high fat meal. Secondary outcomes will include measurement of endothelin-l, a mediator of blood vessel functioning, and assessment of changes in lipid profiles. If pravastatin does prevent endothelial dysfunction in this setting, it could lead to further studies about their use in more acute medical settings, including heart attacks or strokes.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the susceptibility of subjects to atherosclerosis is influenced by prior CMV exposure, whether the susceptability to endothelial dysfunction in patients with and in patients without atherosclerosis is influenced by prior CMV exposure.
The goal of this research study is to understand if a blood test in people who have had heart transplants can detect and predict the following: * Blockages in the small blood vessels of the heart. * Whether small blockages can turn into more severe blockages in the future. Participants will undergo blood draws once every 3 months in the first year of the study (4 blood draws total, taking 15 minutes each) and their medical records will be reviewed for 3 years after the date they are enrolled in the study.
Cardiopulmonary bypass during cardiac surgery provides blood flow to the body during surgery but has adverse effects on different organs. Blood flow during cardiopulmonary bypass may be pulsatile or non-pulsatile, which may impact normal organ function after surgery. The study will collect data on the type of cardiopulmonary bypass used during surgery and organ function to determine if there is an association between the type of bypass and organ function.
The overall objective of this multi-center registry is to identify specific phenotypes of INOCA with both an anatomic evaluation (coronary angiography and intravascular imaging) and physiologic assessment with the Abbott Coroventis Coroflow Cardiovascular System, and to determine long-term outcomes.
The pathophysiology of HF is highly variable, with overlapping pathogenic mechanisms that complicates any attempt to create a simple and unified conceptual model. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), assessed as the fraction of the end-diastolic volume that is ejected upon contraction, has been the cornerstone metric for characterization of LV systolic function in patients with HF. LVEF demonstrates a strong inverse relationship with clinical outcomes in HF in patients with reduced EF (HFrEF). Current management options for the treatment of HFrEF include medical management, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplantation. In the setting of refractory end stage HFrEF, the standard of care is heart transplantation. Since limited organ procurement is a significant constraint to the treatment of patients with advanced disease, durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) were developed as a safe and efficacious treatment strategy for patients with advanced HF that is refractory to medical therapy. The advances in LVAD engineering and design, tailored towards defined physiological goals, have resulted in the creation of much smaller continuous-flow (CF) pumps that possess technical superiority, pump durability, and ease of implantation compared to the older and larger pulsatile-flow pumps. The addition of speed modulation algorithms to the next generation centrifugal CF LVADs, has decreased the incidence of device related adverse events. Our interest lies in the impact of continuous flow hemodynamics on endothelial function and the cardiac and end-organ responses to this novel therapy. Current knowledge of the impact of these specific advances in LVAD therapy is however limited by the relative youth of the field. Thus, the goal of this research project is to study human LVAD patients and to determine the impact of speed modulation algorithms in CF physiology on microvascular and endothelial function and its association with cardiac and peripheral organ function. The investigators hypothesize that restoration of cardiac output using an LVAD with modern speed modulation algorithm improves vascular endothelial function. In addition, these changes would have a positive correlation with functional outcomes.