Active clinical trials for "Atherosclerosis"

The use of handheld arterial 'stethoscopes' (continuous wave Doppler devices) are ubiquitous in clinical practice. However, most users have received no formal training in their use or the interpretation of the returned data. This leads to delays in diagnosis and errors in diagnosis. The investigators intend to create a novel machine-learning algorithm to assist clinicians in the use of this data. This study will allow the investigators to collect sound files from the use of the devices and compare the algorithms output to established, existing vascular testing. There will be no invasive procedures, and use of these stethoscopes is part of routine clinical care. If successful, this data and algorithm will be later deployed via smartphone app for point of case testing in a separate study

This study is a 12-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. The purpose of this study is to determine whether ginseng is effective in the prevention of atherosclerosis and subsequent ischemic stroke. High-risk patients with severe atherosclerosis in the major intracranial arteries and extracranial carotid artery were enrolled.

Two Intensive Life Style Intervention Programs in Related Caregivers of Preschool Children Substantial strides have been made in the treatment of acute cardiovascular conditions, such as myocardial infarction and stroke, however, the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to rise at an alarming rate. Furthermore, despite the abundant data demonstrating a greater burden of CVD in racial/ethnic minorities, and many specific interventions aimed at changing risk factor patterns or behaviors in racial/ethnic minorities, health disparities persist. In the present study, the investigators seek to evaluate the impact of a multifaceted and comprehensive lifestyle intervention coupled with atherosclerosis imaging on reducing cardiovascular risk among minority adults living in Harlem, New York. The investigators believe that holistic, multi-dimensional individual and peer-to-peer intensive lifestyle interventions involving parents/caregivers of preschool children will be effective in producing favorable change in their behaviors, which will be sustained over time. The primary hypothesis of the study is that aggressive lifestyle interventions will be more effective in improving healthy behaviors and biological correlates in at-risk adult parents and/or caregivers of preschool children in Harlem, NY. In aim 1, as an initial pilot study, the investigators will identify the contextual factors, facilitators and barriers that may impact the implementation of a lifestyle intervention program for adults in Harlem, using qualitative research methods. In aim 2, the investigators will determine the impact of two intensive lifestyle interventions on promoting and improving healthy behaviors and biological parameters to lower cardiovascular risk, the impact of the knowledge of presence of atherosclerosis on health behaviors and the impact of these lifestyle interventions on atherosclerosis among approximately 600 asymptomatic at-risk adults. Finally, in aim 3, the investigators will evaluate the sustainability of the impact of the two intensive lifestyle interventions on healthy behaviors and biological parameters approximately 12 months after the intervention program ends.

The purpose of this study is to assess whether rosuvastatin could reduce the subclinical markers of atherosclerosis and the incidence of major cardiovascular events in patients with primary necrotizing vasculitides.

Atherosclerosis may initiate early in life and takes years to progress. This contrasts to the abrupt coronary or cerebrovascular events occurring following the transition from a stable to an unstable atherosclerotic plaque. The causes of this discontinuity of the disease are complex and probably multiple. There is increasing evidence that, besides inflammation, neovascularisation of atherosclerotic plaques and intra-plaque hemorrhages play an important role in plaque instability ending-up frequently in acute thrombotic occlusion or distal embolisation of athero-thrombotic material associated with heart attack or stroke. Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound, is a bed-side non-invasive technique, which allows to enhance microvascular structures and to visualize the adventitia and intraplaque vascularization. Dynamic contrast-enhanced plaque MRI (DCE-MRI) which has also been evaluated for in vivo detection and quantification of plaque neovascularity. Together with the presence of a large lipid-rich core, thin fibrous cap, positive remodeling and active inflammatory infiltrate, plaque neovascularisation is considered a valid marker of high-risk (or vulnerable) plaque as demonstrated in histopathological studies using microvessel density. Aim of the study is to assess and validate the value of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), a bed-side technique, in detecting plaque neovascularisation and compare it with the quantitative assessment by DCE-MRI in carotis atherosclerosis. A group of 30 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis (> 50% stenosis on Doppler ultrasound) will undergo Carotid Duplex ultrasounds and CEUS. High-resolution plaque MRI and DCE-MRI will be performed in the same patients and will be analyzed by two separate operators blinded to the results of the CEUS in order to detect the efficacy of CEUS when compared with in vivo DCE-MRI, as the standard of reference.

The majority of the acute coronary events are caused by coronary artery segments with minimal luminal disease, but with potentially significant vascular wall inflammation and oxidative stress leading to plaque vulnerability. It has become apparent that an initial injury at the endothelial surface, is the primary site of the mechanisms involved and a role for vascular inflammation and the interaction with oxidative stress continues to emerge. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a novel biomarker for vascular wall inflammation that circulates in the blood bound to both low density (LDL) and high density (HDL) lipoprotein and promotes vascular inflammation. Circulating levels of Lp-PLA2 mass and activity are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Recent studies, demonstrating that Lp-PLA2 is also associated with coronary endothelial dysfunction. However, the relationship between Lp-PLA2 and early atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries, and the contribution of lipoprotein binding to the deleterious potential of Lp- PLA2 have not been elucidated. Our working hypothesis is that the endogenous local activation of the Lp-PLA2 pathway plays an integral role in early coronary atherosclerosis and contributes to the mechanism of coronary endothelial dysfunction and the structural and mechanical properties reflecting plaque vulnerability. Thus, the current application will characterize prospectively the correlation between the functional, mechanical, and structural vascular wall properties, and the systemic as well as the coronary activity of the Lp-PLA2 pathway.

Recent stent design improvements focus on decreasing stent fracture rates which can negatively impact patency rates by rearranging strut alignment. Although there have been several retrospective or registry studies for atherosclerotic femoropopliteal disease in the East, there have been few randomized control trial for comparison of stent fracture and primary patency between different nitinol stents. Smart stent has the peak-to-valley bridge and in-line interconnection. Medtronics company have claimed Complete's stent crowns have been configured to minimize crown to crown interaction, increasing the stent's flexibility without compromising radial strength. We made the hypothesis that the design of Complete-SE stent might be more fracture-resistant or effective for in-stent restenosis, compared with Smart stent. On the other hand, 2011 ESC guideline recommended that dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a thienopyridine for at least one month is recommended after infrainguinal bare-metal-stent implantation. Recent meta-analysis has shown that the efficacy of cilostazol in the atherosclerotic femoropopliteal lesion was proven. However, still specific data regarding a variety of antiplatelet regimen are limited. To date, there is no the study for comparison between clopidogrel and cilostazole in patient undergone stent implantation in femoropopliteal lesion. In conclusion, the purpose of our study is to examine and compare Primary patency and stent fracture between different two-nitinol stents (S.M.A.R.T. CONTROL versus Complete SE) and to compare binary restenosis rate between clopidogrel and cilostazol in femoropopliteal arterial lesion.

Major vascular surgery involves operations to repair swollen blood vessels, clear debris from blocked arteries or bypass blocked blood vessels. Patients with these problems are a high-risk surgical group as they have generalized blood vessel disease. These puts them at risk of major complications around the time of surgery such as heart attacks , strokes and death. The mortality following repair of a swollen main artery in the abdomen is about 1 in 20. This contrasts poorly with the 1 per 100 risk of death following a heart bypass. Simple and cost-effective methods are needed to reduce the risks of major vascular surgery. Remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) may be such a technique. To induce RIPC, the blood supply to muscle in the patient's arm is interrupted for about 5 minutes. It is then restored for a further five minutes. This cycle is repeated three more times. The blood supply is interrupted simply by inflating a blood pressure cuff to maximum pressure. This repeated brief interruption of the muscular blood supply sends signals to critical organs such as the brain and heart, which are rendered temporarily resistant to damage from reduced blood supply. Several small randomized clinical trials in patients undergoing different types of major vascular surgery have demonstrated a potential benefit. This large, multi-centre trial aims to determine whether RIPC can reduce complications in routine practice.

The purpose of this study is to validate novel assays for serum biomarkers of lipid metabolism (PCSK9 and LDL receptor) and to obtain information about how these biomarkers differ in subjects with normal or high cholesterol levels

The purpose of the study is to determine whether ezetimibe plus simvastatin will be more effective than simvastatin alone in preventing progression of atherosclerosis of the inner layer of the carotid artery.