Active clinical trials for "Atherosclerosis"

Early Identification of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Noninvasive Imaging Research (EISNER) is a multi-study research program being conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The principal objective of this randomized trial (referred to as "Study 1") is to assess whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) scanning provides clinical benefit thus improving patient outcomes in asymptomatic subjects with intermediate coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. Additionally, the study is designed to assess the value of combining the CAC scan with the Framingham risk score (FRS) and measurements of serum or plasma biomarkers to predict outcomes.

The build up of plaque in the wall of the artery supplying blood to the brain poses a risk of stroke when the plaques become unstable and fragile. It is important to determine which patients are most at risk so that surgery can be performed. There is evidence that the risk is greatest when these plaques become oxygen deficient (hypoxic). The investigators wish to use PET imaging to identify hypoxic plaque, to help decide whether and when to perform surgery. The investigators have developed radiotracers (imaging agents) for this purpose, and this study is to determine whether they will work in patients.

In individuals with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) it has been obtained an outstanding improvement in the management of hyperglycemia, but it has not been achieved a similar result in the reduction of the atherosclerotic syndrome. The comprehension of the mechanisms that link over nutrition to inflammation and innate immune response can be important to understand the relationship between insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus and endothelial dysfunction. It will be investigated: 1) the role of Toll Like Receptors (TLR)s in the pathophysiology of T2D and associated atherosclerosis; 2) the role of aspirin and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor/s in the production of TxA2 and F2-isoprostanes in T2D patients; 3)new biomarkers associated to Diabetes and atherosclerosis including markers of endothelial dysfunction and cytokines. It will be analyzed in isolated platelets from normal controls and/or diabetic patients the production of TxA2, isoprostanes and pro-inflammatory/thrombotic cytokines using aspirin and NADPHoxidase inhibitors.

The first goal of this study is to investigate whether CE-US is able to accurately identify and quantify neovascularisation in carotid artery plaques. Since this is one of the first studies systematically evaluating the ability of ultrasound in combination with air bubbles to evaluate neovascularisation in carotid artery plaques, the examination will be performed twice with an interval of 1/2 hour on the day before surgery, thus studying the reliability of the method. The second goal of this study is to investigate whether MRI at 3.0 T with a custom-designed 3T carotid coil, using a recently developed pulse sequence, is able to accurately identify and quantify neovascularisation. And the third goal of this study is to make an intermodality comparison of CE-US and MRI regarding their ability to identify and quantify plaque neovascularisation.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, atorvastatin attenuates inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques detected by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) PET.

The objective of this study is to compare remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy with suprageniculate bypass surgery in the treatment of long occlusions of the superficial femoral artery. The study hypothesis is that patency rates are comparable and therefore the minimal invasive remote superficial femoral artery endarterectomy can be considered in patients presenting with a long occlusion of the superficial femoral artery.

The study will check whether taking 100 mg of licorice root extract or 250 cc of pomegranate juice daily by men with diabetes mellitus who are non-smokers and already treated with statins decreases the risk of developing atherosclerosis. The hypothesis of the study is that natural anti-oxidants (such as licorice root extract and pomegranate juice), by scavenging free radicals, retard and may even reverse atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic and multifocal immunoinflammatory, fibroproliferative disease of medium-sized and large arteries driven by lipid. Atherosclerosis is rarely fatal unless thrombosis supervene, causing an acute coronary syndrome. Therefore, for event-free survival, the vital question is not why atherosclerosis develops but rather why atherosclerosis, after years after indolent growth, suddenly becomes complicated with luminal thrombosis. The great majority of coronary plaques will remain quiescent, at least from a clinical point of view. Acute coronary syndrome is primarily precipitated by a ruptured plaque. The precipitating factor or condition may be found outside rather than inside the plaque. The challenge is to find the plaque(s) destined for the next thrombus-mediated heart attack(s), treat, and thus avoid the heart attack(s). Identification of vulnerable plaques has become a key issue. The natural history of individual plaques (risk of thrombosis) is unknown and needs to be established. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can provide angiography and imaging of the vessel wall (detection, quantification and characterization of plaques). The intention of this project is to evaluate the accuracy of coronary MDCT in identifying and differentiating the morphology of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.

Randomized placebo-controlled study with vitamine K2 (Menaquinone-4) in calcified carotid stenosis. We evaluate the plaque remodelling after administration of vitamine, reducing the calcified component.

The hypothesis of this study is that Stress-MRI is a clinically significant method of myocardial perfusion assessment after coronary angioplasty with stenting of right coronary artery (RCA) chronic total occlusion (CTO) is performed.