View clinical trials related to Arteriosclerosis.
Filter by:Abnormal blood cholesterol levels increase the risk of developing, or dying from heart disease. It is well recognised that if "harmful" LDL cholesterol is high, and "protective" HDL cholesterol is low, this risk is increased. Drugs called statins are routinely used in patients with heart disease, are well tolerated, and decrease the harmful LDL cholesterol levels. However, statins only increase protective HDL cholesterol to a small extent. Some patients may thus benefit from additional medication to increase protective HDL-cholesterol further. One of the most effective drugs which can do this is nicotinic acid. This drug is well established having been available for over 30 years. Previous use has been limited by facial flushing in a large percentage of patients receiving the drug. However a new formulation called Niaspan is now available which is associated with much less flushing. Although many patients will have transient flushing, it is estimated that only 1 patient out of every 20 receiving the drug will have to discontinue treatment. We therefore propose, in patients with coronary artery disease and low HDL cholesterol despite being on a statin, to study the effect of Niaspan on HDL cholesterol and other lipid parameters, and to assess its tolerability.
Conventional open vein harvesting from the legs during coronary artery bypass surgery result in wound complications among 30% of the patients. Endoscopic harvesting decrease the complication rate, but it remains to be shown whether this is also a fact among patient in whom only short segments of veingraft material is needed from the leg. We hypothesise that the rate of wound complications will be reduced and the patient satisfaction will be increased also among patients in whom only short vein segments are endoscopically harvested compared to conventional open vein harvesting.
GENOA, the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy, consists of a network of three field centers and biochemical and genetic core labs to study the common polymorphic genetic variations to determine individual differences in blood pressure and essential hypertension in 1,500 sibling pairs in three racial groups. Linkage analyses are performed using an extensive array of candidate genes and anonymous markers throughout the genome.
Objectives: - Primary: To evaluate the effect of rimonabant 20-mg once daily in comparison with placebo, on the quantitative progression of atherosclerosis as assessed by carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) - Secondary: To evaluate the safety and tolerability of the above rimonabant regimen in the study population of atherosclerosis patients.
The principal objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a widely used complementary medicine intervention, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), in which mindfulness meditation and yoga are the principal components in the treatment of a chronic, often fatal illness that affects tens of millions of Americans. The investigators propose to conduct a single center randomized controlled trial in which 150 patients will be assigned to either a mindfulness meditation condition, a disease education control condition, or a stress-monitoring usual care control condition. They will test the following specific hypotheses: 1. In comparison to either of the control conditions, significantly more coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in the mindfulness meditation condition will demonstrate reductions in mental stress-induced ischemia. 2. The ratio of low-to-high frequency of spectral power in heart rate variability during ambulatory monitoring will be significantly decreased following the participation in a stress reduction program compared with those in a disease education or usual care condition. 3. Patients in the mindfulness meditation condition will report greater improvement in quality of life (i.e., reductions in general psychological symptomology, anger, anxiety, depression, and daily stress, along with increases in optimism and stress coping efficacy) than patients in either of the control conditions. 4. Day-to-day variability in self-reported mental stress will be inversely related to day-to-day stress coping efficacy in the entire sample and time spent in mindfulness practice in the active treatment condition, and these relationships will be maintained over a 3-month follow-up. 5. Patients with CAD and mental stress ischemia who show an *abnormal peripheral artery response during baseline studies will show a significant improvement after mindfulness intervention. - Abnormal responses will be defined as peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) tracings that decrease greater than 20% in amplitude during mental stress.
Viability assessment remains a clinical challenge in patient with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Several imaging modalities are available for evaluating myocardial viability, based either on perfusion or on contractile reserve analysis. Briefly, perfusion analysis is highly sensitive and contractile reserve highly specific. A combined analysis of both perfusion and contractile reserve has been proposed to improve the diagnostic accuracy in patient referred for a revascularization procedure. However, the value of this combined analysis has not been validated in unselected patients referred for viability assessment. The patients enrolled in the study will undergo a nitrate enhanced rest gated SPECT using a Tc-99m labeled tracer (sestamibi or tetrofosmine) followed by a second gated SPECT acquired during a low-dose dobutamine infusion (10 mcg/kg/mn). All patients will have a 6-month clinical and imaging follow-up, including physical examination and a nitrate enhanced rest gated SPECT using the same radiopharmaceutical. All treatments received during this 6-month period will be recorded, including medical therapy and coronary revascularization (angioplasty, stenting and CABG). Finally, the value of baseline perfusion and contractile reserve analysis in predicting left ventricular ejection fraction changes at 6-month follow-up will be evaluated.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of two phosphate binders, PhosLo and sevelamer, on heart calcification in dialysis patients. The study will use a non-invasive technique, electron beam computed tomography (CT) scanning, to measure calcium in the coronary arteries, the aortic valve, and the mitral valve.
Arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) is strongly correlated with atherosclerosis, and the PWV of carotid or femoral artery could predict the severity of arterial atherosclerosis. Because the measurement of PWV is noninvasive, it would serve as a good clinical and screen marker to evaluate the extent of atherosclerosis. The study uses self-made PWV measurement device to investigate the correlation of the PWV in the high cardiovascular risk population, and compare it with normal population.
This study will seek to identify the compound(s) in garlic that is (are) responsible for its ability to prevent the formation of blood clots (prevent platelet aggregation) and to determine the maximally effective dose and duration of the benefits. This study will also determine whether "cooked" garlic (garlic powder added to boiling water, no allicin present) is as effective as "fresh" garlic (garlic powder added to ambient water, high allicin present) and, if more than one compound is involved, and whether their combined effects are more significant than the effects of each compound alone.
The study tries to reveal if aminobisphosphonates influence aside the bone density also the vascular status in the typical elderly patient population