Active clinical trials for "Atherosclerosis"

Despite advances in stroke care, women continue to face worse outcomes after stroke than men. This disparity in outcomes may be related to biologic sex-differences that manifest in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Decades of cyclic changes in the hormonal milieu lead to different metabolic profiles in women. These changes may also explain sex-differences in risk factor profiles of atherogenesis and plaque composition. The investigators' objective is to conduct a cross-sectional MR imaging study of suspected stroke patients to compare the burden and composition of intracranial atherosclerosis and risk factors between men and women. Results from this study are expected to show that sex and sex-specific risk factors should be considered at the outset of stroke evaluation for risk-stratification. In the era of precision medicine, the investigators propose the role of sex should be a starting point in the clinical evaluation of stroke.

The goal of this evaluation is to document the incidence of post procedure DW-MRI lesions (relative to baseline) in patients treated with the transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) procedure.

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities, resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intra-cardiac pressures at rest or during stress. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in Internal Medicine departments. This study aims at exploring evidence of the importance of ultrasound in HF both for hospitalized patients and in the follow up. Ultrasound may be used as a recovery monitoring instrument at the bedside and also as a global cardiovascular assessment tool for these patients. HF represents an exciting opportunity to create an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.The Authors plan a five-step ultrasound examination to evaluate and monitor HF patients during hospitalization and follow-up. They call this examination: the "ABCDE" score. It includes the evaluations of A, the Ankle-brachial index (ABI), B, the B-lines, C, the Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), D, the Diameter of the abdominal aorta and of the inferior cave vein and E, the echocardiographic assessment of the ejection fraction.This score represent an integrative ultrasound approach in Internal Medicine/Geriatric departments.

The aim of the study is to examine (a) whether patients with JAK2 V617F positive ET in comparison to age-and sex-matched, apparently healthy control subjects show more advanced progression of arterial stiffness, pulse-wave velocity and coronary calcium score in a 4 year observation period, and (b) whether the burden of JAK2 V617F mutation correlates with the measured vascular parameters. All subjects will be examined twice. The first visit already took place between the years 2014 - 2015 and the second visit will take place between 2018-2019. All participants will have signed their informed consent before entering the study. Each visit will consist of completing a structured questionnaire (on personal and family medical history, risk factors for CVD and medication), physical examination, donating a blood sample for laboratory tests and undergoing carotid ultrasound and coronary calcium measurement oft the extent of coronary artery calcification. At the first and the second examination the JAK2 V617F allele burden, i.e. the percentage of mutated alleles, will be determined from genomic DNA in peripheral blood.

The purpose of this study is to test if a patient can be directly connected to a quality assurance (QA) database, traditionally known as a registry. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data will be entered into the database directly from a patient's mobile phone from their index procedure for 12 months. The investigators hope this study to be a "proof of concept" for such a distributed registry and evaluate 1) consistency of data acquisition, 2) engagement of patients, 3) overall value of patient-reported outcomes to enhance long term follow up.

The purpose of the Patient and Provider Assessment of Lipid Management Registry (PALM) is to gain a better understanding of physicians' cholesterol medication prescribing practices, patient and physician attitudes and beliefs related to cholesterol management, and current utilization of cholesterol-lowering therapies given the new ACC/AHA guideline recommendations. The PALM Registry hopes to allow for the design of ways to improve cholesterol management and decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the US.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the no-touch saphenous vein grafts that were used in coronary artery bypass surgery between 2003-2008 had a patency rate comparable to the left internal thoracic artery when the vein grafts were anatomised to the left anterior descending artery.

Several studies show an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Besides risk factors such as smoking, both are associated with physical inactivity, advanced age and systemic inflammation The use of coronary computed tomography (CCT) with multiple detectors is a diagnostic method for coronary disease, describing the anatomy and severity of arterial obstruction. One way of estimating the cardiovascular risk is coronary calcium score (CCS). Due to the association between COPD and CAD, it is likely that many patients with IHD diagnosed by CT have reduced lung function. The aim of this observational study is to establish the correlation between the CCS and lung function. It will also correlate the presence of irreversible airway obstruction with significant coronary lesions. Patients over 40 years referred to CCT who agree to participate in the study will perform a spirometry with bronchodilator and collect a blood sample to measure serum markers of inflammation and cardiovascular risk (glycemia, lipid profile, C reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-Alpha) and fibrinogen). The data will be compared in the general population and in subgroups: smokers, former smokers and nonsmokers. One year after the CCT patients will be contacted by the investigators and accessed for emergency room visits, hospital admissions and fatal or nonfatal coronary or respiratory events. The investigators hypothesis is that reduced lung function is independently associated with elevated CCS and is, also a risk factor for increased hospital admission and coronary events. The concomitant assessment of lung function and CCS can contribute knowledge about the epidemiological association between pulmonary disease and CAD. This can also add to evidence for the use of spirometry as a marker of cardiovascular risk.

To compile acute procedural performance and clinical outcomes data for the Promus PREMIER everolimus-eluting coronary stent system in understudied/underserved patient populations including women and minorities.

This is a pilot clinical trial to assess the ability of a new ultrasound-based imaging method, Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) ultrasound, to describe the composition and structure of atherosclerotic plaques. The hypothesis being tested is that in vivo, transcutaneous ARFI ultrasound delineates plaque composition and structure in human carotid arteries.