View clinical trials related to Cardiovascular Disease.
Filter by:The aim of this study is to determine whether a new vectorcardiogram (VCG) analysis will facilitate the detection of significant coronary disease (CAD) in patients with normal rest 12-leads ECG (NE).
The cyclic movement of the heart and the coronary arteries induces relative axial movement between the artery and a pre-deployed intra-luminal stent which may cause malpositioning. Using a new imaging algorithm to indicate the position of a stent in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the investigators will measure the pre-deployment relative, intra-luminal stent axial movement in the different coronary arteries to facilitate the precise deployment site.
Evidence suggests that a diet rich in plant phenolic compounds may induce beneficial vascular effects. Coffee is a good source of phenolic compounds called chlorogenic acids (CGA), however the level of CGA is reduced during the roasting process. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of coffee roasting on vascular response. The investigators hypothesize that coffee roasted to a lesser extent will exert a favourable vascular response over more heavily roasted coffee due to the higher levels of CGA.
This study is a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial comparing Rosuvastatin with placebo in HIV positive people who are at intermediate cardiovascular risk. It is possible that HIV positive people will receive a greater benefit from statins because of their higher baseline levels of inflammation. Current Australian guidelines recommend initiation of statin therapy on the basis of cholesterol level and the presence of other risk factors for heart disease (such as diabetes) but do not take into account whether a patient is infected with HIV. This study aims to determine what benefit HIV infected people will receive from starting statin therapy earlier then currently recommended.
Subclinical inflammation is now indisputably recognized as a key etiological factor in the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular disease. Obesity and related dysmetabolic states including metabolic syndrome (MetS) are highly prevalent causes of subclinical inflammation. Obesity and MetS are both diet and lifestyle-related and there is a growing body of literature suggesting that specific nutrients, such as long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA), may attenuate the pro-inflammatory state associated with these conditions. However, careful review of existing literature on this topic reveals important gaps in knowledge, the purported anti-inflammatory effects of LCn-3PUFA even being questioned by many. Significant confounding attributable to study design, sample size and biomarker selection may be responsible in part for inconsistencies in the literature on LCn-3PUFA and inflammation. We also found that evidence available to date (for and against) is based primarily on secondary analyses, as most of the studies published were not primarily designed to investigate inflammation as a primary outcome. It remains unclear whether the different LCn-3PUFA, primarily docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), have similar effects on pro-inflammatory processes as almost all studies were undertaken using a mix of LCn-3PUFA. Whether efficacy of EPA and DHA is influenced by sex/gender is also unknown. Finally, a better understanding of the systemic and tissue-specific mechanisms underlying the anticipated anti-inflammatory effects of different LCn-3PUFA in MetS would also be of great value. Addressing these gaps has important public health implications, considering that LCn-3PUFA supplements are broadly and indiscriminately recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The overarching objective of the proposed research is to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of EPA and DHA in men and women with MetS.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an enlargement or ballooning of the main artery supplying high pressure blood from the heart to the body. AAAs may continue to stretch until they burst (rupture) causing 7000 deaths per year in the United Kingdom (UK); 2.1% of all deaths in men over 65. Planned repair before rupture is critical and the National AAA Screening Programme (NAAASP) is being introduced to identify AAAs in men before rupture. Screening will identify over 9000 men per year with a previously undiagnosed AAA. More than 90% of screen detected AAAs are small, do no require repair, enter ultrasound follow-up (surveillance) and may benefit from exercise to improve fitness before repair. Over 4000 elective AAA repairs per year are performed in the UK and it has been suggested that exercise training and weight loss may reduce mortality and complications of AAA repair. This pilot study will examine the feasibility of supervised exercise training for patients with AAAs and determine the optimal duration of training to achieve worthwhile improvements in fitness.
A standard hospital meal often contains a high percentage of carbohydrates (CHO), which may not be ideal for patients with diabetes. This concern is particularly pertinent to the breakfast meal, which often contains mainly CHO. Clinical observations suggested that such diets elevate pre-lunch blood glucose (BG) values. The study team compared standard hospital "no concentrated sweets (NCS)" breakfast meals with more balanced meals. The study team hypothesized that a balanced breakfast would improve pre-lunch BG values. This 8-week pilot study was conducted at Duke Hospital on two non-ICU cardiology wards. Ward A consisted mainly of patients with a primary diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Ward B consisted mainly of patients with a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF). The intervention breakfast menu included 5 choices containing 40-45g of CHO. All patients on Ward A (with and without diabetes) were given the intervention breakfast for the first 4 weeks of the study, while those on Ward B received standard menus (60-75g CHO in NCS meals). After 4 weeks, the standard and intervention wards were switched. Data were collected only on patients with diabetes who were able to consume meals.
Diacylglycerol oil has been shown to lower postprandial and fasting serum triacylglycerol levels and reduce body fat. The investigators hypothesize that replacing dietary fat with diacylglycerol oil reduces excess body fat in type 2 diabetic patients and that diacylglycerol oil has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients.
The field of neuroeconomics has begun to elucidate neural mechanisms underlying self-control; however, researchers have not yet harnessed neuroeconomics findings to develop interventions for improving self-control ability. The investigators are currently developing such an intervention. The investigators' approach involves using a brain-computer interface with audiovisual feedback to show people what is happening in their own brains, in real time. Through this interface, individuals are trained to increase levels of neural activity that may facilitate self-control, which, in turn, may improve the ability to exhibit self-controlled behaviors. This may increase the ability to engage in heath behaviors for which self-control is required (eg, dieting and exercising). The investigators' long-term goal is to create a tool that will help people develop the self-control needed to achieve lasting improvements in health behaviors.
The purpose of this study is to determine how a stress reduction program, called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), compared to a health education program, improves well being and reduces the risk of heart disease in women Veterans. Recruitment completed.