View clinical trials related to Atherosclerosis.
Filter by:Atherosclerosis is a chronic and multifocal immunoinflammatory, fibroproliferative disease of medium-sized and large arteries driven by lipid. Atherosclerosis is rarely fatal unless thrombosis supervene, causing an acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, for event-free survival, the vital question is not why atherosclerosis develops but rather why atherosclerosis, after years after indolent growth, suddenly becomes complicated with luminal thrombosis. The great majority of coronary plaques will remain quiescent, at least from a clinical point of view. Acute coronary syndrome is primarily precipitated by a ruptured plaque. The precipitating factor or condition may be found outside rather than inside the plaque. The challenge is to find the plaque(s) destined for the next thrombus-mediated heart attack(s), treat, and thus avoid the heart attack(s). Identification of vulnerable plaques has become a key issue. The natural history of individual plaques (risk of thrombosis) is unknown and needs to be established. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can provide angiography and imaging of the vessel wall (detection, quantification and characterization of plaques). The intention of this project is to evaluate the accuracy of coronary MDCT in identifying and differentiating the morphology of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.
This prospective, randomized, controlled study aims to investigate the effects of atorvastatin treatment in hemodialysis patients concerning progression of coronary artery calcification, progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness, endothelial function, and inflammation.
Study Title: Evaluation of chylomicrons metabolism in sub-clinical atherosclerosis in patients whit Heterozigous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) treated with statin plus ezetimibe. Background: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a marker of sub-clinical coronary atherosclerosis which correlates with higher risk of clinical events. It was already demonstrated that CAC is more prevalent in patients with FH compared with normal individuals. A number of studies demonstrated that plasmatic removal of chylomicrons is defective in patients with atherosclerosis. Despite the fact that is still controversial whether this impairment occurs in patients with HF when compared to normal controls, the kinetics of chylomicrons has not been studied in HF patients with and without atherosclerosis and more important, it is not clear if those changes may be observed in the sub-clinical disease, as reported for CAC in asymptomatic individuals. Previous studies have demonstrated the inverse correlation among LDL-C levels and the removal of remnants chylomicrons using artificial chylomicrons technique. It is also well known that high doses of more potent statins are more effective to remove chylomicrons from the plasma due to better expression of LDL-C receptors through plasma LDL-C reduction. It was not evaluated yet if the association of ezetimibe and statin, enhancing LDL-C receptors expression in the liver would enhance the efficacy of the monotherapy with statins to remove artificial chylomicrons in patients with HF. Study design: Open, randomized, single-blinded study in which twenty six outpatients from the Lipids Clinical Unit at the Heart Institute (INCOR), University of São Paulo, previously diagnosed with FH according to US MED PED criteria, without history of CD and a CAC evaluation by MSCT (Multiple Sensors Computed Tomography) in the previous year will be compared to 26 control individuals matched by age and sex collected from the database of the Lipids Metabolism Laboratory. Patients will be randomized to receive simvastatin 40 mg as monotherapy or in combination with ezetimibe 10 mg and will undergoing three kinetics studies to demonstrate the effects of simvastatin 40 mg on the kinetics of the chylomicrons along with other laboratorial dosages ( lipid fractions, hepatic enzymes and CK). The primary endpoint of this study is to evaluate if there is any correlation among the reduction of the plasma clearance of chylomicrons by the artificial chylomicrons technique and the presence of sub-clinical atherosclerosis; the secondary endpoint is to evaluate if ezetimibe/simvastatin enhances the effects of simvastatin alone in the removal of chylomicrons in patients with HF.
The purpose of this first-in-man study is to evaluate the safety and performance of the Dynalink®-E everolimus eluting peripheral stent system for the treatment of patients with atherosclerotic de novo or restenotic native superficial femoral and proximal popliteal lesions. Abbott Vascular is ceasing data analysis of the STRIDES Clinical Trial after 2 years. The decision to discontinue the study is not related to any safety concern. The rationale for this proposal is based on the following considerations: The performance of DYNALINK-E from STRIDES shows no device- or procedure-related deaths and no stent fractures, and the rate of additional revascularizations has been stable since approximately 14 months after the procedure. Evaluations of the bare metal nitinol DYNALINK and ABSOLUTE stents in the clinical literature show low rates of death, reintervention and stent fracture, which are consistent with STRIDES and demonstrate the safety of the nitinol stent platform of the DYNALINK-E. Long-term animal studies show no concerns with the drug or polymer coating of DYNALINK-E - everolimus tissue concentration drops below the quantifiable limit by approximately 17 months after implant, and vascular response to the coating is normal with widely patent lumens and struts incorporated into vessel tissue. The safety and performance of the DYNALINK-E has been substantiated by its clinical and pre-clinical data, and by the clinical data of similar products. Given the demonstrated mechanical integrity of the stent along with the evidence of a healthy long-term vascular response, there is a reasonable expectation of continued low event rates.
Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)Surgery is commonly used to treat patients with coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis) for the relief of angina (chest pain) and improve heart muscle function. Healthy veins or arteries, referred to as 'conduits' from elsewhere in the patient's body, are grafted (attached) from the aorta to the coronary arteries, bypassing (via new routes) coronary artery narrowings caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and thereby improving the blood supply to the myocardium (heart muscle). Over the years, a range of different veins and arteries from around the body have been used to bypass diseased coronary arteries. Typically, internal thoracic arteries from behind the breastbone and the saphenous veins from the legs are used for bypass. More recently, radial arteries from the forearm have also been used to bypass coronary arteries that are diseased (atherosclerotic). There is strong evidence to indicate that the left internal thoracic artery stays open the longest (i.e. has the highest patency) and achieves the best health outcomes. As a result, most cardiac surgeons use the left internal thoracic artery as their first choice of conduit (vessel used to bypass the blocked artery). However, many patients require multiple grafts and there is little evidence as to which grafts are the best conduits to use. It has been suggested that the radial arteries might function better than saphenous veins as conduits. The Radial Artery Patency and Clinical Outcomes Trial(RAPCO) aims to compare patency of the radial arteries with the right internal thoracic artery and also with the saphenous vein.
Diabetes is a highly atherogenic disease. Pomegranate juice has impressive antioxidant properties. It has been proven to decrease oxidant stress and to cause the regression of atherosclerotic plaques in hypercholestrolemic and diabetic patients.Furthermore it has been proven to potentiate the biologic activity of the enzyme paraoxonase 1 which is very important in preventing atherosclerosis. The study will try to prove that a polyphenolic extract from pomegranate (POMx) has the same desired effects.
SB-568859 is a medication that is being developed for the treatment of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The purpose of this study is to see if there is a difference in how the human body takes up the study drug depending on how the study drug is made. This study will compare SB-568859 tablets that are made in 2 different ways. This is not a treatment study.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of testosterone deficiency in men with diabetes on atherogenesis, inflammation, cardiovascular Risk factors And adiposity .
This study will test how well a new contrast agent (dye) used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help visualize totally blocked arteries that normally supply blood to the neck, arms or legs. Currently used agents work well in visualizing normal or partly blocked arteries (arteries that have some blood flowing through them), but only poorly in totally blocked arteries. This study will see if a contrast agent called gadofosveset can better brighten images of completely blocked arteries. Gadofosveset is approved in Europe for use in MRI scans, but is still considered experimental in the United States. People 18 years of age or older with known or suspected total blockage of an artery to the neck, arm or leg may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo MRI scanning with gadofosveset contrast dye. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. For this procedure, the subject lies on a table that can slide in and out of the tubular scanner, wearing earplugs to muffle loud noises that occur during the scanning process. The procedure lasts about 1.5 to 2 hours, during which the subject may be asked to hold his or her breath several times for as long as 5 to 20 seconds. During the procedure, gadofosveset is injected and several kinds of MRI pictures are taken to understand better how the new agent works. Subjects may be asked to undergo a second scan using conventional MRI contrast dye
This study is performed to determine whether a seven day treatment with dipyridamole (slow release, 200mg twice daily) can induce a protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury, after ischemic exercise of the non-dominant forearm in healthy volunteers.