Active clinical trials for "Heart and Blood Diseases"

This study is to investigate the relationship between staging of retinal artery lesions and the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a Chinese population. All the patients were divided into four groups according retinal artery lesions.The endpoints were main adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke after 3 to 6 years of follow-up.

Hemostatic disorders are common and potentially fatal complications in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Limited data exist on early diagnosis and prevention of these complications. The investigators undertook this prospective study to determine the incidence, predictor factors, specific pathogenesis, management and survival specially for patients with thrombotic and bleeding complication to better improve outcomes.

Thrombotic biomarkers and angiographic characteristics were compared among the de novo patients of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and the control.

The carotid arteries are blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain. Carotid stenosis disease is defined as a narrowing of these arteries due to the build up of plaque. The plaque material can also break off and move into the brain. The resulting blockage of blood supply to a portion of the brain is what causes 80% of all strokes. One treatment option is to have surgery on the carotid artery and remove the plaque. This procedure is called a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). There is evidence that proves CEA reduces the risk of stroke. The objective of this research project is to determine who is most likely to benefit from CEA surgery.

The main objective is to investigate mechanical alternans and MTWA in patients with heart failure caused by coronary artery disease to demonstrate a possible correlation between these two phenomena.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the serum apoB48 level is associated with atherosclerotic ischemic stroke.

Left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP) has prognostic significance in patients with heart failure. Traditionally, it should be assessed by invasive method, as cardiac catheterization and Swan-Gung catheter. In advance of new techniques and modality, echocardiography provides some useful parameters for assessing LVFP, such myocardial tissue Doppler imaging. Many articles had documented that peak velocity of early-diastolic trans-mitral inflow velocity divided by early-diastolic velocity over mitral annulus correlated closely to LVFP. However, myocardial tissue Doppler only provides the information of regional myocardium, so patients with regional wall motion abnormality, as coronary artery disease, can't be assessed by this method without handicap. In addition, conduction disturbance, like bundle branch block, also influences the result of myocardial tissue Doppler. For resolving those problems, the investigators had designed a new global parameter to assess LVFP. In the investigators prior study, left atrial distensibility correlated logarithmically to LVFP in patients with severe mitral regurgitation and also in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Left atrial distensibility provided a new viewpoint to assess left ventricular diastolic function and to predict prognosis. This time, to extend left atrial distensibility to general population received echocardiographic examination for predicting prognosis is attempted.

The purpose of this study is to measure prothrombin time (PT) on an experimental device and a commercially available device on persons receiving coumadin (warfarin)treatment.

The Observational Study in the "Real World" of Implantable Electronic Cardiac Devices will enable the construction of an electronic database with local access to clinical information, which will collect and disseminate epidemiologic data on demography, cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, and potential risk factors for a selected group of patients. These clinical variables will be analyzed against the data, as based in the programming of devices and the diagnostics. Approved descriptive statistics and analyses will be made available via Internet. The study will describe statistical indexes on sub-groups representing more than 10% of total of datasets. The study will be open to include any patient that had a Medtronic electronic device implanted, pacemakers, ICD, ICD with CRP. The study will be also adapted for devices implanted in the present and for devices to be implanted in patients in the future.

A growing number of studies highlight the potential of stem cell transplantation as a novel therapeutic approach for stroke in animal model. But the stem cell therapy for chronic stroke patients has not been well investigated yet. In this study, the investigators will test the hypothesis that intracerebral peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell (CD34+) (PBSC) transplantation induces neuroplasticity in chronic stroke patients. The remyelination of corticospinal tract in the lesion side, focal increased perfusion and increased cortical activity in the peri-infarcted area will be monitored by the functional MRI after stem cell therapy. The investigators study is aimed to find the potential mechanisms of the functional recovery after stem cell implantation. The investigators also hope to find image surrogate markers for prediction of patient outcome. The possible surrogate markers will be helpful in improving the treatment procedure and patient selection.