View clinical trials related to Endothelial Dysfunction.
Filter by:The researchers intend to recruit individuals who are referred for a routine screening in the primary prevention outpatient clinic of Attikon University hospital, Athens According to institutional protocols, a detailed medical history for atherosclerotic risk factors and current medication is recorded and a baseline clinical examination is performed. Moreover fasting blood samples are drawn to diagnose the presence of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. Glycocalyx examination is performed at the same visit. The subjects are revaluated at one month and then followed up according to the attending physician's instructions. Pulse wave velocity and the rest pulse wave analysis parameters were also calculated to determine the additive predictive value for cardiovascular events beyond SCORE2. All subjects are followed up for adverse events (death, stroke, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for heart failure) for 6 years after enrollment via telephonic contact and planned appointment at the outpatient clinic.
Cardiac surgery has been described as altering endothelium structure and function, notably because of the use of cardiac-pulmonary bypass (CPB). Among the endothelial structure, glycocalyx, the thin layer recovering the endothelial surface, may be altered by the inflammatory process and probably the modification of flow during CPB. Endothelial and glycocalyx integrity are essential for vascular function and glycocalyx destruction is associated with organ failure and mortality. On the other hand, a chronic alteration of glycocalyx is observed in many diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or chronic kidney failure, all pathologies frequently observed in patients benefiting grom cardiac surgery. Thus the preoperative alteration of glycocalyx may be associated with postoperative organ failure.
Severe SARS-CoV-2 disease is characterized by a progressive hypoxemic respiratory failure. Autopsies from these patients show severe endothelial damage with extensive vascular thrombosis, microangiopathy, and occlusion of alveolar capillaries and, finally, evidence of new vessel growth through intussusceptive angiogenesis. This research aims to study endothelial damage and angiogenesis biomarkers and its association with major cardiovascular events.
Aim: We aim to evaluate αvβ3 integrin expression in proven COVID-19 infected patients with indicative findings on routine contrast-enhanced CT using [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2. If activated vascular endothelium in the lung parenchyma proceeds ARDS, as frequently observed during COVID-19 infection, imaging αvβ3 integrin expression using PET/CT could have potential as a clinical tool to characterize patients at early stages during disease and guide development of novel treatments targeting the vascular endothelium. Study design: This is a prospective, observational non-randomized pilot study. Maximum 10 patients will undergo a [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 PET/CT scan and CT-subtraction scan in the same procedure. 10-minutes/bed position static [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 PET/CT scans of the thorax will be acquired starting at 60 minutes post injection. Study population: Maximum 10 patients from the Infectious Diseases ward with proven COVID-19 infection and indicative pulmonary abnormalities on contrast-enhanced CT (CORADS 4-5) undergo PET/CT scans after injection of 70 μg (200 MBq) [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 and CT-subtraction. Intervention: All patients will undergo a [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 PET/CT scan, and in the same procedure, a CT-subtraction scan. Primary study objective: The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate and quantitate activation of the endothelium in the lung vasculature using [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 PET/CT. Secondary study objectives: 1. To assess the spatial correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 uptake and abnormal findings on routine contrast-enhanced CT scan of the chest 2. To assess the spatial correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 and CTS of the lung parenchyma 3. To assess the correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 and laboratory results 4. To explore the correlation between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-(RGD)2 uptake and clinical course of disease
This study will explore the effects of 8 weeks of local leg heat therapy, exercise training, or both on measures of vascular function, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength in young, healthy individuals. Participants will be allocated into either a control group that will maintain their regular physical activity habits; or into one of three training groups: heat therapy will involve lower limb warm water immersion, exercise training will involve moderate-intensity cycling, and combined training will involve both performed in sequential order.
The purpose of the study is to find out the effects of neighborhood disadvantage and sleep disparities contribute to racial disparities in cardiometabolic health and blood pressure in young adults.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the presence of early vascular aging 6 months and 12 months after COVID-19 infection.
The pathophysiology of HF is highly variable, with overlapping pathogenic mechanisms that complicates any attempt to create a simple and unified conceptual model. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), assessed as the fraction of the end-diastolic volume that is ejected upon contraction, has been the cornerstone metric for characterization of LV systolic function in patients with HF. LVEF demonstrates a strong inverse relationship with clinical outcomes in HF in patients with reduced EF (HFrEF). Current management options for the treatment of HFrEF include medical management, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplantation. In the setting of refractory end stage HFrEF, the standard of care is heart transplantation. Since limited organ procurement is a significant constraint to the treatment of patients with advanced disease, durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) were developed as a safe and efficacious treatment strategy for patients with advanced HF that is refractory to medical therapy. The advances in LVAD engineering and design, tailored towards defined physiological goals, have resulted in the creation of much smaller continuous-flow (CF) pumps that possess technical superiority, pump durability, and ease of implantation compared to the older and larger pulsatile-flow pumps. The addition of speed modulation algorithms to the next generation centrifugal CF LVADs, has decreased the incidence of device related adverse events. Our interest lies in the impact of continuous flow hemodynamics on endothelial function and the cardiac and end-organ responses to this novel therapy. Current knowledge of the impact of these specific advances in LVAD therapy is however limited by the relative youth of the field. Thus, the goal of this research project is to study human LVAD patients and to determine the impact of speed modulation algorithms in CF physiology on microvascular and endothelial function and its association with cardiac and peripheral organ function. The investigators hypothesize that restoration of cardiac output using an LVAD with modern speed modulation algorithm improves vascular endothelial function. In addition, these changes would have a positive correlation with functional outcomes.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Aging is the primary risk factor for CVD, in large part due to adverse modifications to the arteries. These modifications include vascular endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is an initiating step in atherosclerosis, and is primarily caused by reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability secondary to excessive superoxide-driven oxidative stress and inflammation. Endothelial dysfunction leads to arterial stiffness and the development of hypertension (HTN) which further increases CVD. Greater than 2/3 of the US population has elevated blood pressure or stage 1-HTN. As such, interventions that improve vascular endothelial dysfunction by increasing NO bioavailability and mitigating excessive oxidative stress and inflammation are needed. Blueberries are rich in bioactive compounds including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and pterostilbene. These compounds and their metabolites have been shown to attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation. The primary goal of this study is to assess the efficacy of blueberries to improve reduce blood pressure and improve vascular endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness in middle-aged/older men with elevated blood pressure or stage 1-HTN.
The first case of a person infected with SARS-Cov-2 virus can be tracked back on November the 17th, 2019, in China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. On April 13, COVID-19 is affecting 210 countries and territories worldwide, about 2 million positive cases have been officially declared along with 115.000 deaths. The real number of infected and deaths is scarily higher, considering that up to 65% people are asymptomatic and thus, not tested. The percentage of patients with COVID-19 needed for intensive care unit (ICU) varied from 5 to 32% in Wuhan, China. It was up to 9% in Lombardy, Italy. According to available data from Lombardy, 99% of patients admitted to the ICU needed respiratory support (88% invasive ventilation, 11% non invasive ventilation). The aim of the present investigation is to test the hypothesis whether transcutaneous partial O2 and CO2 pressures may be reliable predictive factors for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) development in hospitalized clinically stable COVID-19 positive patients and to clarify the role of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its final product, angiotensin 2 (Ang II) in the pathogenesis of this systemic disease. We also aim to test the hypothesis that plasma concentration of Clara Cell protein (CC16) and surfactant protein D (SPD), which are a biomarkers of acute lung injury, are severely decreased in COVID-19 positive patients and the plasma concentration is related to the severity of lung injury.