View clinical trials related to Atherosclerosis.
Filter by:The aim of this study is to develop non-invasive MRI, and MRS approaches that will quantify the plaque composition and lipid content of plaques and will have the potential for repeated in vivo measurements. To investigate sensitivity and specificity of 3.0 Tesla MRI and MRS for dimension and composition assessment of carotid artery plaques, in particularly those plaques with lipid rich necrotic cores. This non-invasive cross-sectional study, compares carotid parameters of in-vivo 3.0 Tesla MRI, MRS and B-mode ultrasound with histology specimens collected at endarterectomy.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with a low grade systemic inflammatory process. Systemic inflammation is hypothesized to maintain cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in COPD. Early changes of vascular integrity can be detected via markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. Selective Inhibition of phosphodiesterase subtype 4 describes a promising therapeutic option in COPD with beneficial impact on lung function and exacerbation rate. Moreover, an anti-inflammatory effect of phosphodiesterase-4 inhibition was confirmed by recent data. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor Roflumilast on firstly surrogates of subclinical atherosclerosis and secondly markers of systemic inflammation in the peripheral circulation of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that combined vildagliptin-metformin therapy is associated with clinically significant reductions in biological markers of inflammation, pro-thrombogenicity, and atherosclerosis as compared to metformin mono-therapy in a population of diabetic patients with coronary artery disease who undergo cardiac rehabilitation. The pre-specified established biological markers of inflammation, pro-thrombogenicity, and atherosclerosis will include: interleukin-6 (IL-6 - primary biological marker), hs-CRP, platelet reactivity testing, MMP-9, Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and adiponectin levels.
Cardiovascular disease(CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed nations. CVD is primarily caused by atherosclerosis, a systemic disease characterized by lipid deposition in the subendothelial space with a concomitant, low-grade inflammatory reaction.(Fuster, Moreno et al. 2005) To date, most therapeutic interventions aimed at lowering CVD have thus far focused on modulating lipid levels, either lowering LDLc or increasing HDLc levels. Yet, since the introduction of statins 20 years ago, there have been few breakthroughs in the treatment of this disease. A promising strategy to reduce CVD is to directly target inflammation at the level of the vessel wall.(van Leuven, van Wijk et al.; Libby 2002) A potential drawback of anti-inflammatory strategies pertains to the thin line between inhibiting 'inappropriate' inflammation versus inducing immuno-suppression. Therefore, continuous low dosed anti-inflammatory drugs have great potential as novel treatment strategies. In the present project, the investigators propose to inject liposomal glucocorticoids intravenously in patients with an increased risk of atherosclerotic disease aiming to reduce vessel wall inflammation.
Statins are commonly prescribed to lower cardiovascular risk in primary and secondary prevention. Despite their well known efficacy, statin withdrawal is a common event. Even a short term statin withdrawal can have dramatic consequences on atherosclerotic plaque stability, owing to a rebound in cholesterol levels and inflammation. The effects of a short term statin withdrawal on endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and monocyte/macrophage polarization is unknown. In this study, the investigators will explore the effects of a 5-day statin withdrawal on EPC and monocyte/macrophage polarization, together with other inflammatory biomarkers in type 2 diabetic patients. The investigators hypothesize that statin withdrawal determines a reduction in EPC levels and an inflammatory cell polarization. Patients will be randomized to continue their habitual statin regimen or to withdraw statin. At baseline and 5 days later, blood samples will be collected for experimental measures.
Elevated LDL-cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. In patients with heart disease LDL-cholesterol should be lowered to levels below 70 mg/dl to prevent progression of disease. In most patients life style modification together with lipid lowering drug therapy is sufficient to achieve this goal. In some patients with severe forms of hypercholesterolemia, this may not be sufficient to reach goals and regular lipid apheresis (a costly and time intensive form of therapy) may be performed. Mipomersen is a new drug (apoB antisense oligonucleotide) that can lower LDL-cholesterol even in the most severe forms of LDL-hypercholesterolemia by 25-47%. It is unknown whether and to what extent mipomersen can decrease LDL-cholesterol in patients treated with regular apheresis. Phase 1 of the study will test how 6 months of weekly therapy with mipomersen affects LDL-cholesterol in patients with severe LDL-hypercholesterolemia treated with regular apheresis. Phase 2 will test in how many patients this will result in a meaningful reduction of apheresis time, apheresis frequency or if apheresis can be stopped completely.
In Asia, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome have been dramatically increased. Therefore, the investigators intend to the collect the blood sample, laboratory, anthropometric, and body composition parameters prospectively to examine the risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, the investigators will collect the data of carotid IMT and branchial ankle pulse wave velocity to clarify the metabolic risk factors of atherosclerosis.
Coronary MDCT (multi-detector computed tomography) has been useful screening imaging modality for the coronary artery disease. Recently, novel adipokines and hepatokines as well as various inflammatory markers have been known as direct regulators of atherosclerosis. Therefore, the investigators examine the correlation of various metabolic risk factors including adipokines and hepatokines with coronary atherosclerosis measured by coronary MDCT in apparently healthy people.
To obtain safety and tolerability information in healthy subjects is administered as a single dose
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death and disability in adults. However, investigations suggest that the basic pathology of heart disease as more severe myocardial infarction which usually reach mainly middle-aged or above, starts from childhood. Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important risk factors for atherosclerosis in adults and children, is associated with early deposition of lipids in the aorta and coronary arteries. Among other recommendations for prevention and treatment of heart disease and risk factors, is the recommendation to encourage the intake of soluble fiber. The oats, a major source of soluble fiber, has been recognized as a potential component of the diet to lower blood cholesterol levels, this effect is attributed mainly to the beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber present in large quantities in oats. In 1997 the Food and Drug Administration admitted that the oat bran, oat flakes and oatmeal may have beneficial effects for health with the recommendation of daily intake of 3g of beta-glucan from oats and a food that brings a claim for promotion health, must provide, without enrichment, at least 1 gram of beta-glucan per serving. The objective of this project will be compared by randomized clinical trial, the impact of intake of oats, for 8 weeks in the lipid profile of children and adolescents with dyslipidemia. Will be included in the study 120 volunteers aged between 5 and 16 years who are in nutritional monitoring for at least 1 month. The subjects will be randomly divided into 2 groups, with a control group and another intervention will receive 3 tablespoons of soup filled with oat bran, which corresponds to 3g of beta-glucan, along with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Patients will be monitored with consultations on the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks of treatment. Blood sample will be performed, to obtain the lipid profile of patients, at the beginning and end of the study. To compare the groups are used Student's t and squared chi. The alpha of 0.05 is considered critical. The program will be used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0. It is expected a decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL-c. Thus, living habits and healthy alternatives to prevent these risk factors should be done since childhood, especially in children who already have cholesterol levels of change.