
A Multicenter Randomized Parallel-group Study to Investigate the Efficacy of a Combination of Rosuvastatin...
DiabetesCVDDiabetic patients have an excess risk of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) compared to non-diabetics. Cardiovascular disease mortality rate is reportedly on the rise in several countries in the region, including urban China, Malaysia, Korea and Taiwan. Cardiovascular diseases and stroke are always the number 2 and 3 killers for Taiwanese population in recent years, and they really cost much from our medical resource. For treating dyslipidemia, one of the major risk factor for CVD, statins have been well documented to reduce CV deaths both for primary and secondary prevention in several large-scale trials. It has been reported that the clinical benefits of treating dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes mellitus should be at least equivalent to the benefits observed among those with cardiovascular disease. A meta-analysis of seven trials of statins found that treatment for about 5 years resulted in a 25% reduction in the combined outcome of coronary heart disease death and non-fatal myocardial infarction. Fibrates are another group of hypolipidemic drugs that regulate lipid metabolism and are used quite often in daily practice for diabetic dyslipidemia, because of its beneficial effect to reduce high TG and increase low HDL-C, which are the characteristic lipid abnormalities commonly seen in the patients with diabetes or metabolic syndrome. However, in recently published FIELD study, fenofibrate did not significantly reduce the risk of the primary outcome of coronary events in 9,795 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The higher rate of starting statin therapy in patients allocated placebo might have masked a moderately larger treatment benefit. Furthermore, all the treatment trials to back up the lipid treatment guideline were conducted in Caucasians and no data about the combination therapy with fibrate and statin was published before.

Detection of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Asymptomatic Individuals
Coronary Artery DiseaseThis study will evaluate the use of cardiac CT in identifying atherosclerosis plaque in patients who have not been diagnosed with atherosclerosis and who have no symptoms of the disease but who are at risk of developing atherosclerosis based on traditional risk factors such as diabetes or a family history of coronary artery disease.

Epidemiology of Carotid IMT Progression in MESA - Ancillary Study
AtherosclerosisCardiovascular Diseases3 moreTo determine the factors associated with progression of sub-clinical atherosclerosis and to evaluate the associations between the progression of sub-clinical atherosclerosis and the development of clinically manifest atherosclerosis.

Natural History of Peripheral Arterial Disease
AtherosclerosisCoronary Disease3 moreThe Veterans Administration Patient Study examined the progression of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with large vessel PAD or isolated small vessel PAD. The Community Follow-up Study following subjects with and without PAD from a previous cohort to determine subsequent coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality.

Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY)
Cardiovascular DiseasesAtherosclerosis3 moreTo conduct a multicenter prevalence survey for characterizing pathologically the extent of atherosclerosis in the aortas and coronary arteries of young persons dying from accidental causes, suicide, or homicide.

Potential Role of CMV in Restenosis Following Angioplasty, in Atherosclerosis, and in Endothelial...
Arterial Occlusive DiseasesAtherosclerosis2 moreThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether the susceptibility of subjects to atherosclerosis is influenced by prior CMV exposure, whether the susceptability to endothelial dysfunction in patients with and in patients without atherosclerosis is influenced by prior CMV exposure.

Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) for the Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis
AtherosclerosisMagnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) is a method used to evaluate arteries and veins without the use of invasive catheters or x-rays (radiation). MRA technique has been continuously improving and has become more accurate at diagnosing problems of narrowing in blood vessels. However, MRA has a difficult time detecting narrowing in small blood vessels, limiting its use to large arteries. The purpose of this study is to recruit patients diagnosed with or suspected of having, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) to participate in a series of new state-of-the-art diagnostic tests using MRA. This study is a combined effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), and General Electric Medical Services and is supported a Cooperative Research Agreement is to (CRADA). The goal of this study is to improve MRA to the point that it can reliably replace diagnostic x-ray catheter angiography in the evaluation of patients with atherosclerosis.

Quantitative Analysis of Functional CT Imaging of Coronary Atherosclerosis
Coronary Artery DiseaseThe purpose of this prospective observational study is to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic performance of a "one-stop" comprehensive coronary artery anatomy and function assessment for CAD.

68Ga-FAPI PET/MR for Atherosclerosis
AtherosclerosisA thin-cap fibroatheroma with a large necrotic core and macrophage infiltration marks the vulnerable plaque. Fibroblast activating protein (FAP) is an active serine protease, which can degrade type I collagen, potentially thinning the fibrous cap. Thus we speculate that atherosclerotic plaque could be imaged with 68Ga-FAPI PET/MR.

The ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System (ENROUTE Transcarotid NPS) DW-MRI Study
Carotid StenosisCarotid Artery Diseases2 moreThe goal of this study is to evaluate the incidence of post procedure DW-MRI lesions (relative to baseline) and debris captured in the ENROUTE Transcarotid NPS inline filter during a transcarotid stenting procedure.