There are about 21062 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Italy. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
Increasing lesion complexity in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) has warranted the use of overlapping drug-eluting stents. Whether the substantial impairment of arterial healing observed at sites of overlap in preclinical pathologic studies persists in patients undergoing PCI is unknown. Consecutive patients with long lesions in native coronary vessels requiring stents in overlap are prospectively randomized to receive multiple sirolimus-,paclitaxel polymer-or zotarolimus eluting stents versus bare metal stents. The completeness of stent struts coverage and/or late malapposition are evaluated by Optical Coherence Tomography at 6 months follow-up
RATIONALE: Estrogen can cause the growth of breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy using fulvestrant and exemestane, anastrozole, or letrozole may fight breast cancer by blocking the use of estrogen by the tumor cells and by lowering the amount of estrogen the body makes. Lapatinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether fulvestrant is more effective with or without lapatinib and/or aromatase inhibitor therapy in treating breast cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying fulvestrant with or without lapatinib and/or aromatase inhibitor therapy to compare how well they work in treating postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer that progressed after previous aromatase inhibitor therapy.
The major clinical problems in patients with Marfan Syndrome (MFS) are aortic root dilation (ARD), dissection and rupture. Although the available treatments (beta-blockers, BBs) improve the evolution of the disease, they do not protect MFS patients from progression of ARD and dissection. A key molecule that negatively influences cell growth, differentiation, survival and death in MFS is TGFb which is antagonised by existing drugs employed in the clinical practice, the Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB).
This study will assess whether an implantable defibrillator will increase the likelihood of survival in patients who have had a heart attack, have abnormal test results from a 24 hour heart monitor, and who have low normal heart function.
A randomised, prospective, cross over study will be done to determine whether the anticoagulation therapy with UFH or LMWH used for hemodialysis sessions modifies osteoprotegerin and RANKL plasma levels.
Angiotensin II has been proposed as a lipid metabolism regulator. It is known that adipocytes secrete a variety of protein, such as TNFα, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, leptin, resistin and adiponectin; these proteins have a wide range of biological effects and are associated with insulin resistance. Adipocytes also produce angiotensinogen and angiotensin II and a local renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is present in adipose tissue. In overweight or obese hypertensive normocholesterolemic patients the treatment with AT1-receptor blocker (Losartan) may have a better effect on hepatic steatosis and visceral fat deposition than the antihypertensive treatment with calcium channel blocker (amlodipine). Simvastatin will be added to both groups. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of losartan and simvastatin on ultrasonographic qualitative and quantitative parameters in overweight or obese hypertensive normocholesterolemic patients with hepatic steatosis.
In patients with both COPD and CHF, moderate chronic hypoxemia is caused by a combination of intrapulmonary and extrapulmonary factors. The hypothesis of this study is that adequate medical therapy for both conditions can correct the moderate hypoxemia by improving the underlying mechanisms without the need of LTOT. If this hypothesis is correct, the study will provide a valuable information to the Italian Agency of drugs (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco, AIFA) to reduce the inappropriate use of LTOT for COPD patients with moderate hypoxemia and CHF, and will help the Italian National Health Service to reduce both the direct and indirect costs of unnecessary LTOT.
The anthypertensive treatment with Losartan may have benefits beyond blood pressure reduction on myocardial structure and function in hypertensive diabetic patients. We will evaluate the effect of losartan treatment on structural characteristics of myocardium in hypertensive diabetic patients: 1. left ventricular mass, intraventricular septal thickness, fractional shortening. 2. myocardial qualitative alteration and heterogeneity of myocardial tissue that describes myocardial texture and echodensity, related to collagen deposition; myocardial qualitative alteration will be evaluate by ultrasonic myocardial integrated backscatter signals (IBS) both as peak end diastolic signal intensity and as cardiac cyclic variation 3. alteration of diastolic function as studied by Doppler flow velocities across the mitral valve (Pulse Wave Doppler) and pulse wave Tissue Doppler Imaging parameters 4. aortic strain and distensibility (that is in relation with LVH) 5. epicardial adipose tissue measurement (this parameter is related to the visceral fat and may be an easy method to indicate patients with high cardiovascular risk).
Patients will be randomized to lifestyle changes alone or lifestyle changes associated with iron depletion. Iron depletion will be achieved by removing 350 cc of blood every 10-15 days according to baseline hemoglobin values and venesection tolerance, until ferritin < 30 ng/ml and transferrin saturation < 25%. Weekly phlebotomies will be allowed for carriers of the C282Y HFE mutation. Smaller phlebotomies (250 cc) will be allowed for carriers of beta-thalassaemia trait. Maintenance phlebotomies (as much as required) will then be instituted to keep iron stores depleted (ferritin < 50 ng/ml and transferrin saturation < 25%, MCV <85 fl). Before starting treatment, patients will undergo ECG, and in the presence of hyperglycemia or hypertension also echocardiography (see exclusion criteria). Change in diabetes medication dosage or start of new therapy will be allowed for HbA1C values <6% or ≥ 7%. According to accepted criteria, previously untreated patients should be treated with metformin. If possible, newly diagnosed hypertension should be treated with Ace-inhibitors.
BACKGROUND The effects of ACE-inhibitors on fibrinolysis are well documented. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that ACE inhibitors induce a reduction in plasma PAI-1 levels in many cardiovascular diseases, like hypertension, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. Their effects on t-PA are more controversial, due to the fact that t-PA exists in several forms, including free and bound to PAI-1. Indeed an increase in t-PA activity has been observed in humans and it seems related to bradykinin increase which is known to stimulate endothelial t-PA synthesis. These favourable effects on fibrinolysis could be related not only to the Angiotensin II reduction and the bradykinin increase but also to the improvement in insulin sensitivity, as insulin has been suggested as one of the main regulators of fibrinolytic activity. To date conflicting results have been reported about the effects of ARBs on fibrinolysis. Some studies have reported small improvements, others no significant effect. These conflicting results may be due to possible methodological bias but a possible pathophysiological explanation might be that receptor subtypes other than AT1 mediate the effect of Angiotensin-II on endothelial PAI-1 expression, i.e. the AT4 receptors, and during AT1 receptor blockade there is an important increase not only of Angiotensin-II, but also of all its catabolites including Angiotensin IV. The dissimilar effects on of ACE Is and ARBs may also depend on their different action on the RAS and their different effect on insulin sensitivity: ACE-Is improve insulin sensitivity, while the majority of ARBs have been reported to have a neutral effect. Moreover, unlike ACE-Is, ARBs do not affect the metabolism of bradykinin, which is known to stimulate t-PA synthesis and release. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this study is to verify the effect of imidapril compared to candesartan on insulin sensitivity, evaluated through the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, and on fibrinolysis, evaluated through the plasma PAI-1 and t-PA activity, in mild to moderate hypertensive patients.