Active clinical trials for "Atherosclerosis"

Primary aim: examine a possible connection between cigarette smoking, disease activity and perceived pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Secondary aim: Evaluate cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The Latino population in the United States is increasing in size; is diverse in culture, backgrounds and countries of origin; is experiencing unique influences from social and behavioral acculturation to the U.S.; is reported nationally to have lower rates of heart disease; is reported to have increased prevalence of diabetes and asthma; and is generally poorer and less educated (NHLBI working Group, 2003). They represent an important target population for disparities research. In particular Latinos accessing care in Community Health Centers in the United States represent an ideal population for conducting disparities research because lack of access to care is minimized through various governmental health insurance support mechanisms. This study will build on existing relationships to conduct the proposed study, using expertise in epidemiologic, behavioral and genetic research in an effort to promote a coordinated, comprehensive, interdisciplinary and focused research effort to improve the care being delivered to indigent Latinos at-risk for and with CVD.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of ten intravenous infusions of 3 mg/kg CER 001 vs. placebo, given at weekly intervals for ten weeks, on atherosclerotic plaque volume as measured by coronary IVUS, when administered to subjects presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) with significant plaque volume.

The aim is to compare the results of using T-provisional and Mini-Crush stenting techniques in patients with bifurcation lesions in the CTO segment.

Obesity is one of the main causes of the metabolic syndrome, a condition which is becoming more common in Canada and worldwide. Metabolic syndrome is a name for a group of heart disease risk factors that occur together: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These patients have a high risk of developing narrowing and blockages of blood vessels which occur when fat and cholesterol build up in the walls of blood vessels and form plaque. This is called atherosclerosis. Plaque buildup leads to stroke, heart attacks, and death. We do not understand the underlying mechanisms of the metabolic syndrome and we do not have a treatment for it. L-carnitine, a dietary supplement, has been shown to treat some components of the metabolic syndrome, but its benefit to reduce plaque in the blood vessels has never been studied. Recently there has been some controversy because a new study showed that L-carnitine could make heart disease worse in some patients. Our goal is to study whether supplementation with L-carnitine does in fact prevent or reduce buildup of plaque in blood vessels of patients with the metabolic syndrome. This novel therapy has the potential to decrease the burden of heart disease in obese and diabetic patients with the metabolic syndrome.

To determine whether the Boston Scientific nitinol drug-eluting stent shows acceptable performance at 9 months when treating Superficial Femoral (SFA) and/or Proximal Popliteal Artery (PPA) lesions.

The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled (corn oil), parallel group design that will enroll approximately 13,000 patients with hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL and high risk for CVD to be randomized 1:1 to either corn oil + statin or Epanova + statin, once daily, for approximately 3-5 years as determined when the number of MACE outcomes is reached.

The purpose of BEHHS is first to assess the baseline sub-clinical disease in a population of Baptist Health Employees who have Metabolic Syndrome, a known contributor to cardiovascular disease. Second, the investigators wish to encourage a healthy lifestyle through personalized nutrition and fitness advice, delivered as part of a web based program, which will in turn lead to increases in heart healthy behaviors such as increased consumption of heart healthy foods, increased exercise initiation, and more positive attitudes about health. To assess this, the investigators plan to randomize 200 employees with Metabolic Syndrome to either the new web-based diet and lifestyle program, or to care-as-usual, which is the currently offered MyWellnessAdvantage and WebMD websites. The investigators hypothesize that the web-based group will show greater improvements in physical health (such as weight loss, cholesterol reduction, etc.) as well as increased consumption of heart healthy foods, exercise initiation, and quality of sleep as measured by surveys administered at the 4,8, and 12 month follow-up appointments.

Stroke due to intracranial arterial atherosclerosis is a significant medical problem, carrying one of the highest rates of recurrent stroke despite best medical therapy, with annual recurrence rates as elevated as 25% in high risk groups. The goal of this investigation is to advance a promising surgical treatment for symptomatic atherosclerotic intracranial stenosis - encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS). The investigation will test in a phase II futility trial the potential of EDAS for further development before proceeding with the design of a definitive clinical trial of EDAS Revascularization in patients with Symptomatic Intracranial Arterial Stenosis (ERSIAS). The investigation is a 4-year futility trial to test the hypothesis that EDAS revascularization combined with aggressive medical therapy warrants further evaluation in a subsequent pivotal trial as an alternative to aggressive medical management alone for preventing the primary endpoint of stroke or death in patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (Specific Aim 1). During the investigation the time course of collateralogenesis and perfusion improvement following EDAS will also be evaluated (Specific Aim 2.

The Tryton Side Branch Stent System has been designed to address the procedural difficulty surrounding treatment of bifurcation lesions and to ensure patency of the side branch with similar performance capabilities (e.g., tracking, radiopacity, coverage and radial strength) that are currently available with conventional coronary stents designed for straight (non bifurcation) lesions. The Tryton Side Branch Stent is intended to treat and maintain patency in the side branch/carina by providing better ostial side branch conformability and is intended for use in conjunction with currently approved balloon-expandable drug-eluding stents for treatment of the main branch.