Bossé Y, Miqdad A, Fournier D, Pépin A, Pibarot P, Mathieu P Refining molecular pathways leading to calcific aortic valve stenosis by studying gene expression profile of normal and calcified stenotic human aortic valves. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2009 Oct;2(5):489-98. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.108.820795. Epub 2009 Jul 8.
Bouchareb R, Boulanger MC, Fournier D, Pibarot P, Messaddeq Y, Mathieu P Mechanical strain induces the production of spheroid mineralized microparticles in the aortic valve through a RhoA/ROCK-dependent mechanism. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2014 Feb;67:49-59. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2013.12.009. Epub 2013 Dec 22.
Côté N, Couture C, Pibarot P, Després JP, Mathieu P Angiotensin receptor blockers are associated with a lower remodelling score of stenotic aortic valves. Eur J Clin Invest. 2011 Nov;41(11):1172-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.2011.02522.x.
Garcia J, Capoulade R, Le Ven F, Gaillard E, Kadem L, Pibarot P, Larose É Discrepancies between cardiovascular magnetic resonance and Doppler echocardiography in the measurement of transvalvular gradient in aortic stenosis: the effect of flow vorticity. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2013 Sep 20;15:84. doi: 10.1186/1532-429X-15-84.
Mathieu P, Després JP, Pibarot P The 'valvulo-metabolic' risk in calcific aortic valve disease. Can J Cardiol. 2007 Oct;23 Suppl B:32B-39B. Review. Erratum in: Can J Cardiol. 2009 Mar;25(3):140.
Shetty R, Girerd N, Côté N, Arsenault B, Després JP, Pibarot P, Mathieu P Elevated proportion of small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles and lower adiponectin blood levels predict early structural valve degeneration of bioprostheses. Cardiology. 2012;121(1):20-6. doi: 10.1159/000336170. Epub 2012 Feb 25.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.