View clinical trials related to Arteriosclerosis.
Filter by:RATIONALE: - Atherothrombosis is a progressive and generalized vascular disease resulting in events leading to myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, and vascular death. - In patients at risk for this disease, it is characterized by an unpredictable, sudden disruption of atherosclerotic plaques, which may lead to total occlusion of artery due to formation of a clot. The use of aspirin (blood thinner agent) for reducing those major ischemic events is either indicated, or recommended by international guidelines. However, aspirin fails to prevent a high percentage of such life-threatening events. Therefore, more effective blood thinning therapy may provide additional clinical benefit to such patients. - The results of the CURE trial in patients with unstable angina demonstrate the additional benefit of long-term treatment (up to one year) with clopidogrel, (a blood thinner agent), when administered in combination with standard therapy including aspirin. The purpose of CHARISMA is to investigate whether a similar clinical benefit of clopidogrel may apply to a broad population of high-risk patients receiving low-dose aspirin therapy. Such population includes patients with previous cardiovascular, neurovascular or peripheral arterial manifestations of atherothrombosis and patients with combinations of recognized risk factors for atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVES: - To assess the efficacy of clopidogrel 75 mg once-daily by comparison with a placebo, in preventing cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. The study will compare the efficacy of the two regimens in preventing the occurrence of major cardiovascular complications (stroke, heart attack, cardiovascular death) in high-risk patients who are otherwise receiving low-dose aspirin therapy (75-162 mg daily). - To evaluate the safety of clopidogrel in this population, and more specifically the incidence of fatal or severe bleeding (as per GUSTO definition), in order to estimate the global benefit of clopidogrel in this patient population.
To examine the associations of common variation in inflammation/thrombosis genes with intermediate quantitative phenotypes and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in the Coronary Artery Risk Factor Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, a large, bi-racial cohort study.
To evaluate the relation of retinal microvascular characteristics to subclinical cardiovascular disease, clinical disease, and their risk factors in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort.
To examine whether serum androgens, measured earlier in life, and variation in genes related to androgen synthesis, metabolism, and signaling are associated with early-onset subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in young adult women from the community.
This study will compare four methods of imaging arteries: - angiography (x-ray picture) - intravascular ultrasound (ultrasound from inside the artery) - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from outside the body - MRI using an antenna to take pictures inside the arteries of the pelvis Standard angiography shows blockages inside the artery, but does not provide any information about the arterial wall itself. New ways of looking at the artery walls with MRI and ultrasound may provide insight into how arteries cause disease. Patients 21 years of age and older who require catheterization and angiography of the heart, kidney, or leg arteries because of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), may be eligible for this study. Participants will undergo MRI and intravascular ultrasound of the arteries immediately after their catheterization and angiography. The additional imaging will add from 1 to 2 hours to the angiogram procedure. - Angiography: Using the sheaths already in place in the groin artery, catheters (flexible plastic tubes) are placed inside the arteries in order to inject a contrast dye to take x-ray pictures. (Patients who had an angiogram of the leg artery as part of their medical care will not repeat this test.) - Intravascular ultrasound: An anti-clotting drug called heparin is given through a vein to prevent clot formation. Blood samples are taken during the test to see if more heparin is needed. Special wires are used to guide the catheters to the proper location inside the arteries. A special ultrasound catheter is advanced over one of these wires to the large artery that supplies blood to the legs. X-rays are used to help the physician place the ultrasound in the correct location to take ultrasound pictures of the artery wall. - Magnetic resonance imaging: A special MRI catheter is advanced through the catheter in the groin. With the catheter in place, the patient is carried to a stretcher and moved into a long metal cylinder (the MRI scanner) for imaging. During the scanning, a contrast drug called gadolinium is injected into an arm vein to brighten the images. The patient is able to speak through a microphone at all times to the person taking the pictures.
To determine familial and non-familial causes for susceptibility to atherosclerosis and the inflammatory response.
This study will measure and compare the levels of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the blood of people with and without risk factors for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) to see if there is a relationship between these cells and cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol level and high blood pressure. Healthy male volunteers between the ages of 21 and 55 years with and without heart disease risk factors may be eligible for this study. Candidates must have no evidence of coronary or peripheral vascular disease, proliferative retinopathy, or other chronic disease and no history of cancer, migraine-type headache, cluster headache, raised intraocular pressure, raised intracranial pressure, hyperthyroidism. Participants will undergo the following procedures at the NIH Clinical Center: - Medical history and physical examination - Blood tests to measure EPC level and various risk and growth factors - Brachial reactivity study - This ultrasound study tests how well the subject's arteries widen. The subject rests on a bed for 30 minutes. An ultrasound measuring device is placed over the artery just above the elbow. The size of the artery and blood flow through it are measured before and after inflating a pressure cuff around the forearm. The pressure cuff stops the flow of blood to the arm for a few minutes. After a 15-minute rest, the drug nitroglycerin is sprayed under the subject's tongue. Before the nitroglycerin spray and 3 minutes after it, the size of the artery and blood flow through it are measured again.
To evaluate subclinical atherosclerotic disease in menopausal women.
To determine whether an impairment of myocardial perfusion reserve is an early indicator of coronary artery disease.
To assess changes in coronary calcium measured by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) as a predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD) events.