Active clinical trials for "Atherosclerosis"

As men grow older, their testosterone levels decrease with age. One-third of men, 70 years of age or older, have low testosterone levels. It is known that short-term testosterone replacement is safe, and can increase muscle strength and physical function, but the risks of long-term testosterone replacement in older men with low testosterone levels are incompletely understood. Atherosclerosis is characterized by thickening of the artery walls, and the narrowing of the blood vessels as cholesterol is deposited in the lining of the arteries. It is the major cause of cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease (heart attacks) and stroke. Although, historically, there has been a widespread perception that higher levels of testosterone might increase the risk of atherosclerosis, the evidence from research does not support this. In observational studies, higher testosterone levels have been correlated with more favorable cardiovascular risk factors, and supplementation with testosterone to bring older men into the normal range for healthy younger men appears to improve several cardiovascular risk factors, and may slow the progression of atherosclerosis. The primary purpose of this study is to look at the effects of testosterone replacement on the progression of atherosclerosis in older men. This study is also being done to find out whether replacement with testosterone in older men with low testosterone levels improves their health-related quality of life.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including acute myocardial infarction and stroke. Atherosclerosis is an important step for these events. Recent studies demonstrated the independent association between OSA and validated markers of atherosclerosis. However, the impact of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on these markers is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine whether CPAP therapy can reverses early signs of atherosclerosis in apparently healthy OSA patients.

The purpose of this study is to test whether SR123781A is a possible treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes (heart attack) who are scheduled to undergo a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 48 hours after inclusion in the study. Two doses of SR123781A are currently tested, each in a group of about 180 patients per group to find which is the most adequate, versus heparin and glycoprotein IIbIIIa (GPIIBIIIA) antagonist.

This study will determine the effects of hormone replacement therapy (estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone) on the walls of arteries in postmenopausal women. Inflammation and stiffness of artery walls are two risk factors for atherosclerosis-deposits of fatty substances (plaques) that can block the vessel, causing a heart attack or stroke. Estrogen raises the levels of certain substances in the blood that cause vessel inflammation and lowers the levels of others. This study will measure the net effects of estrogen on artery wall inflammation and stiffness. Postmenopausal women in good health may participate in this study. Volunteers will be screened for eligibility with a complete medical history, heart examination, and blood tests. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either: 1) hormone therapy (estradiol 2 mg daily alone for women who have had a hysterectomy or estradiol plus micronized progesterone 200 mg daily for women with an intact uterus); or 2) placebo (look-alike pills that contain no active drug). Women in both groups will take pills for 3 months, then no pills for 1 month, and then will crossover to the alternate therapy for 3 months (i.e., those in the original placebo group will take hormones, and those in the hormone group will take placebo). At the end of each 3-month treatment period, participants will undergo the following procedures to assess blood vessel inflammation and stiffness: Blood tests - 60 cc (about 2 ounces) of blood will be drawn to measure levels of hormones, cholesterol, and substances in the blood that indicate inflammation of the vessels. Ultrasonography - an ultrasound probe will be applied gently on the neck to image the right and left carotid arteries (arteries in the neck that lead to the brain). During the procedure, the heart's electrical activity will also be monitored with an electrocardiogram and a blood pressure cuff will be wrapped around the arm to obtain blood pressure measurements every 5 minutes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - Images of the carotid arteries are taken while the volunteer lies on a table in a narrow cylinder containing a magnetic field. A padded sensor called an MRI coil is placed over the neck and earplugs are placed in the ears to muffle the loud noise of the machine during scanning. During the second half of the exam, gadolinium is injected through a catheter (thin, flexible tube) inserted into a vein. Gadolinium is a contrast agent that is used to brighten the scan images. Information from this study will increase knowledge about the effects of estrogen on vessel wall inflammation. As such, it may be used in the future to help guide decisions about chronic hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women.

This study will evaluate the effects of vitamin E supplementation in retarding the progression of common carotid artery intima-media thickening in African Americans.

This study will evaluate the efficacy and aafety of rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination therapy vs. rosuvastatin monotherapy in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

To evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK and immunogenicity of single and multiple ascending doses of MEDI6570 in subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The Distal Radial Access (DRA) to the coronaries has emerged recently. It's done via the distal radial artery in the radial fossa, which is known as the snuff-box. The rationale of conducting this research is to assess this new access advantages and disadvantages, in comparison with the standard conventional forearm radial access and examine if it's worthy to be a future alternative method for coronary angiography. It aims to randomly compare between the new distal radial access via the snuffbox and the conventional forearm radial access for percutaneous coronary angiography and angioplasty procedures. The objectives of comparing both procedures are to analyze the frequency of complications in terms of occlusion, arterial spasm, hematoma, and to weigh accesses effectiveness in terms of time and attempts to puncture, crossover rate, procedure duration, hemostasis time, and convenience of the patients and operators. Candidates for coronary angiography are being randomized into the interventional group to undergo the angiography through the distal radial artery as the access site, or the control group accessing through the radial artery in the forearm. Procedural and post procedural outcomes and complications are being reported while patients are in hospital. All patients undergo doppler ultrasonography within 24 hours after the procedure.

This is a Phase III, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study in participants with ASCVD and elevated LDL-C despite maximum tolerated dose of LDL-C lowering therapies to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of subcutaneous (SC) inclisiran injection(s). The study will be a multicenter study in the United States.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the Doctormate device, a specialized blood pressure cuff used to perform remote limb ischemic conditioning, on cerebral blood flow in subjects with intracranial atherosclerosis. Previous studies in patients with narrowing of the brain arteries have shown that this device is safe to use and suggested that if this device is inflated in both arms for 5 minutes, followed by deflation for 5 minutes and repeated 4 times in a row every day for 6-9 months, the risk of another stroke is lowered and the device may increase the blood flow to the brain.