View clinical trials related to Atherosclerosis.
Filter by:Heart attacks and strokes caused by the unstable atherosclerotic plaques remain the leading cause of death in the United States. Unstable plaques often have more fat than stable plaques. This study will investigate if a treatment with LDL-lowering plus HDL-raising compared with LDL-lowering alone would more effectively reduce the plaque fat content assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), therefore, further reducing heart attacks and strokes.
Coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease, is caused by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis that is an inflammatory process in which immune mechanisms interact with metabolic risk factors to initiate, propagate, and activate lesions in the arterial trees. Epidemiological studies have found that increased cardiovascular risks are associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (eg, interleukin-6 [IL-6] and tumor necrosis factor-alpha[TNF-alpha]) or their hepatic product, C-reactive protein (CRP). Higher expression of interleukin-Ibeta(IL-1beta),IL-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and TNF-alpha were observed in epicardial adipose tissues in patients with CAD. These findings suggested that the pericoronary tissues could be a source of inflammatory mediators or act as paracrine that lead to vascular inflammation on CAD pathogenesis. However, adiponectin, a kind of adipocytokine, produced and secreted exclusively by adipose tissue, has been reported to have a variety of anti-inflammatory functions against atherosclerosis, resulting in risk reduction for incidence of CAD events. It remains unclear whether adiponectin and inflammatory mediators in mediastinal adipose tissue contribute to CAD. We therefore aim to analyze the expression of adiponectin and inflammatory mediators in mediastinal adipose tissue between patients with CAD and with valve diseases, and to correlate these parameters with clinical atherosclerotic risks, medications (statins or antiplatelet), and blood sugar.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a condition that affects the whole body. It can cause inflammation of the blood vessels resulting in an earlier thickening and hardening of the arteries resulting in strokes. It has been reported that SLE can worsen the function resulting in heart failure. The aim of the study is to examine what effects Rosuvastatin, a cholesterol lowering drug, given to patients has on the degree of thickening of the arteries over the course of two years. We also want to see how it affects the function of the blood vessels and also of the heart. Individuals who agree to participate will be randomly assigned into two groups. One group will be given the active drug whereas the other will have a placebo. Subjects in the study will all have a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan before treatment, at 1 year and then 2 years at the end of the treatment. Each scan will involve imaging the carotid arteries in the neck, the arteries in the arm and also the heart. Individuals will continue to have regular out-patient reviews by their own team of doctors, regular blood tests will be taken to monitor the disease and also to ensure the safety and well being of the individual. At the end of the 2 year study we hope that we will be able to slow down the rate of arterial thickening and retard any plaque build up in the arteries. We also want to see what effect rosuvastatin has on heart function. Ultimately, we hope to prove that people with SLE should be treated with a cholesterol lowering drug as part of their routine treatment.
The investigators are hoping to discover the cause of chest pain in patients with a normal coronary arteriogram. For patients with chest pain coronary angiography is the standard method by which the blood vessels of the heart can be visualized and any narrowing can be assessed. In some cases the investigators find totally normal coronary blood vessels or only minor disease. Such a finding is associated with an excellent long term prognosis. However, as a large proportion of patients with normal coronary arteries or mild coronary narrowings often continue to experience recurrent chest pains the investigators are interested in understanding the mechanisms responsible for this. The investigators hypothesise that in many cases, coronary artery spasms are responsible for the recurrent chest pains. These spasms usually respond to treatment with drugs known as vasodilators. The acetylcholine test (ACH-test) has been recommended by the European Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology as a diagnostic test. This test can reveal whether the coronary blood vessels have a tendency to go into spasm. The investigators plan in this study to carry out the test in patients who have chest pains suggestive of coronary narrowings but are found to have normal or only mildly narrowed coronary arteries on angiography. A positive test -indicating a tendency for spasm- may help guiding therapy with vasodilators, which are often very effective to prevent coronary spasms. The investigators would also like to take blood samples during the test (before and after) from every patient to measure blood markers and see if there is a relation between these markers and the result of the ACH-test.
Patients with kidney failure on hemodialysis have an extremely high rate of cardiovascular disease including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This, at least in part, is due to the chronic inflammatory status usually seen in these patients. Here we try to see if treatment with extended release nicotinic acid (Niaspan) can reduce their overall inflammatory burden (in general) and the atherosclerotic plaque inflammation (in particular).
The study is designed to compare the efficacy and safety profile of cangrelor to standard of care in patients require percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
The purpose of this study is to determine any differences in pharmacokinetic parameters of darapladib when dosed to people with moderate liver disease as compared to when dosed in normal healthy volunteers.
Vascular inflammation is a key factor in both the pathogenesis and outcome of atherosclerosis.Resistin was shown to induce vascular endothelial dysfunction and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is a promising tool for identifying and quantifying vascular inflammation within atherosclerotic plaques.Therefore, the purpose of the study is to demonstrate the correlation between circulating resistin and vascular inflammation detected by 18FDG-PET in obese persons.
The inflammatory state and composition of atherosclerotic plaques are considered the main contributing factors responsible for acute cardiovascular events, rather than the degree of stenosis. Recently, positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) has been suggested as a promising novel imaging technique to identify the inflammatory state of atherosclerotic plaque. Recently, a few clinical studies showed that circulating A-FABP level had a close relation with the development of atherosclerosis in human. Therefore, in the present study, the investigators examined the relationship between circulating A-FABP and vascular inflammation of carotid arteries measured using FDG-PET in healthy male subjects.
Background: - Innate immunity is the process by which white blood cells and other parts of the immune system sense and respond to potential infections by causing an inflammation. Researchers are interested in studying how the body responds to certain environmental factors, and whether the body s response can contribute to chronic illnesses or diseases such as asthma and certain types of cancers. Objectives: - To examine how specific genes and proteins in blood cells respond to environmental exposures. Eligibility: - Healthy volunteers between 18 and 45 years of age. Design: - The study will involve one visit of 45 to 60 minutes. - Participants will be screened with a brief physical examination and finger stick to determine if they are eligible to donate blood for the study, and will complete a questionnaire about any medications or other drugs (e.g., cigarettes) they may be taking. - Participants will provide a blood sample for research purposes.