Active clinical trials for "Plaque, Atherosclerotic"

In this study, investigators plan to test whether Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) treatment leads to an accelerated progression of atherosclerosis in patients with lung cancer. Atherosclerosis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease and these same checkpoints being targeted for cancer are critical negative regulators of atherosclerosis in animal and cellular models. Aortic plaque progression will be compared between cases (on ICI) and controls from pre-ICI to post-ICI among patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Groups will be matched for age, cancer type and stage and cardiovascular risk factors. Traditional markers of cardiovascular (CVD) risk and cancer-specific factors (ICI mono- and combination therapy, number of cycles, occurrence of immune-related adverse events, chest radiation, steroid use) will be associated with the change in aortic plaque volume.

The aim of the present study is to examine the atherosclerotic plaque stability using in vivo and in vitro techniques and to investigate the influence of exercise, anti-diabetic, lipid-lowering and cannabinoids receptor antagonists on atherosclerotic plaque texture in patients with cardiovascular risk and animals prone to atherosclerosis.

The purpose of this study is to utilize high-resolution CMR carotid imaging for the characterization of carotid wall volumes and plaque content in patients with clinical significant carotid atherosclerosis. Patients who are scheduled to undergo an imaging procedure will be recruited from the cath lab. Upon enrollment, blood samples conventional and genetic profiling will be collected. For patients undergoing a carotid endarterectomy, tissue from the carotid vessel will be collected during their procedure. Comparison of the MR images with tissue and/or blood samples will be made. Length of time in the study will be approximately 1 day. There will be no study-related patient follow-up.

Hypothesis: Enlisted military members with 10 or more years of service and at least one cardiovascular risk factor will demonstrate a higher risk of future cardiac events as assessed by coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring than the risk calculated by the Framingham Risk Score.

The aim of this trial will be to test and validate the value of scintigraphy with injection of 99mTc-Annexin-V-128 for the detection of complicated carotid plaques

People with diabetes are at increased risk for atherosclerosis and have high CVD morbidity and mortality rates. Tools for detecting and quantifying atherosclerotic pro/regression in people with diabetes and other CVD risk factors lack sensitivity and specificity for molecular level events that occur during the early stages of atherogenesis. Inflammatory macrophage infiltration in the vessel endothelium is an early, molecular level proatherogenic event. Activated macrophages consume glucose at a high rate. Novel in vivo radiotracer PET/CT techniques have been developed to detect, image and quantify molecular level events like macrophage inflammation and glucose utilization (18FDG) in human vessels. We propose to develop and test this novel technique in the Center for Clinical Imaging Research (CCIR) at WUMS. We propose that HIV-infected people with significant CVD risk profiles are a suitable, unique human model for testing these novel imaging techniques. HIV-infected people taking anti-HIV medications develop insulin resistance, T2DM, dyslipidemia, central adiposity, and hypertension. HIV replicates in macrophages and represents a chronic proinflammatory condition. Recent data indicate that HIV+ CVD risk have greater risk for atherosclerosis and MI than HIV-negative people. To test feasibility, we hypothesize that: a.18FDG-PET/CT imaging will detect more macrophage glucose uptake and inflammation in the carotid and aorta arteries of HIV-infected people with CVD risk than in HIV-negative controls; b. radiotracer PET/CT measures of proatherogenic processes will correlate with carotid intima media thickness; a standard measure of carotid atherosclerotic burden. We propose to obtain pilot data that shows feasibility for a novel analytical approach that will expand capabilities for researchers interested in studying the links between diabetes, inflammation, and CVD in humans.

Comparison of Fractional Flow Reserve versus instant Wave-Free Ratio for assessment of coronary artery stenosis severity in routine practice To compare FFR to iFR in arbitrary consecutive patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). To investigate the influence of hyperemia on iFR. To test reproducibility of iFR and FFR.

This study will identify genes and proteins in the blood of patients with atherosclerosis and in that of normal volunteers. The findings will be compared to determine the influence of these substances on the development of atherosclerosis a narrowing and hardening of blood vessel walls by deposits of fatty substances. Blood vessel blockage caused by atherosclerosis can impede blood flow and cause stroke, heart attack and poor limb circulation. The information from this study may lead to better ways to detect, prevent and treat these diseases. Healthy volunteers and patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, are eligible for this study. Carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure in which the inner layer of the carotid artery (neck artery supplying blood to the brain) is scraped away to open the blocked vessel. Participants will undergo the following tests and procedures: Patients Blood sample: Collection of about 32 cc (8 tablespoons) of blood for genetic and protein analysis Tissue sample: Collection of a piece of diseased blood vessel discarded from the endarterectomy procedure Review of records: Review of medical records for information about past illnesses, medications, tests, and so forth, if needed Normal Volunteers Blood samples: Collection of about 32 cc (8 tablespoons) of blood for genetic and protein analysis Carotid artery ultrasound: Ultrasound imaging of the neck arteries for detection of any blockage Electrocardiogram: Recording of the electrical activity of the heart to detect any abnormalities in heart rhythm Echocardiogram: Ultrasound examination to detect possible abnormalities of the heart muscle Cardiac stress test: Treadmill stress test to detect possible heart vessel blockage (for subjects who have not had a cardiac stress test in the past year) Review of records: Review of medical records for information about past illnesses, medications, tests, and so forth, if needed

The purpose of this multiple-center study are: 1) To establish the ultrasound criteria for evaluating vulnerable plaques by comparing the plaque echo characteristics before CEA (carotid artery endarterectomy) and plaque specimen after CEA. 2) To establish the carotid artery recanalization strategies based on the evaluation results of carotid artery and intracranial artery by color doppler flow imaging and TCCS/TCD (transcranial color coded sonography/transcranial doppler). 3) To compare the success rate and the incidence of restenosis between CEA and carotid artery stenting.

First, to establish a comparison of the pathophysiology of carotid atherosclerosis and the genetic and environmental variables that cause those plaques to become symptomatic. Second, to differentiate between vulnerable plaque and other types of plaque using ultrasound elastography, MRI data, trans-cranial doppler along with RF (radio frequency) analysis of back-scattered ultrasonic echoes.