Active clinical trials for "Calcinosis"

Background: Arterial Calcifications due to Deficiency in CD73 (ACDC) is a rare genetic disease. People with ACDC develop calcification in the arteries of the lower extremities as well as calcium deposit in the joints of the fingers, wrists, ankles and feet. The lower extremities calcification causes claudication because of severe ischemia requiring at time revascularization procedures. the calcium deposits in the joints causes severe debilitating pain in the hands and feet. Currently, there are no standard treatments for ACDC. Etidronate is a bisphosphonate that interferes with bone metabolism. It is approved to treat Paget's disease, a condition in which the bones are soft and weak and may be deformed, painful, or easily broken. It is also used to treat high blood calcium levels. Researchers want to see if it can be used to treat the calcifications of ACDC and improve pain and blood flow in the lower extremities and arthritic pain of the hands and feet. Objectives: - To see if etidronate is a safe and effective treatment for ACDC. Eligibility: - People between 18 and 80 years of age who have been diagnosed with ACDC. Design: Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. They will also have imaging studies, including CT scan of the lower extremities, x-rays and DEXA bone scans, before starting treatment. Blood and urine samples will be collected. An exercise tolerance test will also be given and ABI (ankle brachial index will be measured. Participants will take etidronate by mouth once a day for 14 days every 3 months. They will be assigned an individualized 6- month drug schedule to follow. Participants will have regular study visits throughout the treatment period. These visits will involve imaging studies, full dental exams, and blood and urine tests. Participants will also have exercise tolerance tests and ABIs measured. Participants may also provide tissue samples for further study. Treatment will continue for up to 3 years as long as the side effects are not severe and the condition does not become worse. Participants will have a final follow-up visit after stopping treatment.

Dermatomyositis is an inflammatory muscle disorder that is often associated with many skin findings. One of the skin findings seen in up to 50% of individuals with juvenile dermatomyositis, an early onset form of this condition, and up to 20-30% of adult dermatomyositis patients who have not responded to treatment, is calcinosis, or deposits of calcium within the skin and muscle tissue. In addition to being cosmetically unappealing, involvement of deeper tissues with calcinosis may lead to contractures, or shortening of muscles, which may have a significant impact on functioning and quality of life. Unfortunately, there is no known effective treatment of dermatomyositis associated calcinosis. However, recent reports have shown that a medication called sodium thiosulfate has been effective in treating individuals with calciphylaxis, a condition where calcium is deposited within blood vessels, and with tumoral calcinosis, a genetic form of calcification, when receiving this medication by vein. In addition, recent advances in laser technology have led to the development of methods that may allow topical medications to penetrate deeper layers of the skin. The investigators have designed a pilot study to evaluate the use of topical sodium thiosulfate solution in treating superficial calcinosis in individuals with juvenile and adult dermatomyositis. The investigators will use laser to assist in the delivery of this medication to areas of calcinosis.

Randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded interventional trial to investigate the effect of oral magnesium supplementation on vascular calcification in subjects with chronic kidney disease. We hypothesize that oral magnesium supplementation will reduce vascular calcification in subjects with chronic kidney disease while not decreasing bone mineral density.

Aortic stenosis is a condition whereby one of the heart valves (aortic valve) becomes narrowed, due to calcium deposition, over time. This can lead to chest pain, heart failure and sudden death. It is the commonest valve disease requiring surgery in the developed world and as the population becomes increasingly older, it is predicted that the prevalence of aortic stenosis will double in the next 20 years. Currently the only treatment is replacement of the aortic valve. Whilst this is excellent treatment, not everyone is suitable for it. The primary objective of our study is to determine whether 2 drugs used in the treatment of osteoporosis (a condition of bone thinning) can halt/retard the progression of aortic stenosis. This is on the basis that studies have suggested that altered regulation of calcium metabolism may be an important mechanism perpetuating the disease. Both drugs work by reducing calcium release into the bloodstream from bones and therefore calcification of the aortic valve. 150 patients will therefore be randomly allocated to either of the trial drugs which are denosumab,the bisphosphonate (alendronic acid), or a placebo. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning is a technique where biochemically active molecules are injected and are taken up at sites of ongoing calcification activity where they emit radiation and can be detected by the PET scanner. We have previously shown that this technique can demonstrate areas of newly developing calcification on an aortic valve. We therefore propose that patients receiving bisphosphonates or denosumab will have reduced evidence of active calcification and slower progression of their disease at two years as assessed by Echocardiography (ultrasound) and a change in their calcium score (quantity of calcium on the aortic valve measured using Computed Tomography [CT] ). The data from this study will then be used to design a larger trial.

The study aims to determine the effect size of magnesium and bicarbonate supplementation as a basis for future randomized controlled trials aiming at the T50-guided improvement of hard clinical endpoints in dialysis patients.

This is a prospective open-label trial that will enroll 12 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and at least one calcinotic lesion of the hands that is palpable on physical examination and also measureable on hand radiographs, at one single center. Each subject will receive treprostinil orally for 12 months, and follow-up evaluations will be performed every 3 months. Our main objective is to determine whether oral treprostinil is safe, and effective in reducing calcinosis in patients with SSc. We hypothesize that calcinosis is a result of microvascular injury and ischemic damage, and that therefore treprostinil may be beneficial in the treatment of calcinosis in patients with SSc.

Until 2013 the reported incidence of chronic kidney disease varied widely between countries, reporting the highest prevalence Taiwan, the region of Jalisco in Mexico and United States, with 458, 421 and 363 individuals per million inhabitants respectively. Mexico has around 52,000 patients in replacement therapies, of which 80% of patients are treated in the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). In each stage of renal disease the principal cause of mortality is cardiovascular disease. The risk of cardiovascular mortality is greater than the general population. Arterial calcification, a marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality predictor is common in chronic kidney disease. The presence of arterial calcification leads to an increase in arterial stiffness and to a decrease in coronary perfusion resulting in cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial ischemia. The presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and old age cannot fully explain the high prevalence of atherosclerosis and arterial calcification in chronic kidney disease. Another specific factors related to chronic kidney disease, like hyperphosphatemia, high calcium concentration in dialysis solutions, use of high doses of vitamin D for the management of hyperparathyroidism has been shown to positively influence development of arterial calcification. Invitro studies show that in presence of hyperphosphatemia smooth muscle cells are transformed into osteoblast-like cells that can express proteins that regulate mineralization. Two of this proteins, the matrix Gla protein (MGP) and osteocalcin (OC) are regulators of tissue mineralization in arterial walls and bones respectively. Vitamin K is required as cofactor in the gamma-carboxylation process of several extracellular matrix proteins, converting inactive carboxylated proteins to carboxylated active proteins. Prothrombin and coagulation factors 7,9 y 10 require vitamin K2 for its carboxylation process, while osteocalcin and the matrix Gal protein require vitamin K1. Matrix Gla protein is a calcification inhibitor that plays an important role in the prevention of arterial calcification. For carboxylation and correct function of the MGP is necessary an enzymatic cofactor, vitamin K; this is corroborated in the fact that the antagonism of vitamin K with warfarin antagonizes the carboxylation of MGP and produces rapid arterial calcification. There are currently no studies evaluating vitamin K in the prevention of vascular calcification in patients with chronic kidney disease, therefore, the role of vitamin K in the patient with kidney disease needs to be clarified with randomized controlled studies, in which the target will be this population of patients at high risk. The aim of this study is evaluate the effect of phytomenadione on coronary artery calcification of patients on hemodialysis compared to placebo, our research hypothesis is that phytomenadione slows the progression and favors the regression of coronary arterial calcification in patients on hemodialysis compared to placebo, evaluating the coronary calcium score by coronary tomography. As secondary objectives was determine changes in the baseline coronary calcium score and at 12 months of use of phytomenadione and presence of cardiovascular events like acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and death of cardiac cause. The intervention group received phytomenadione 10 mg (1 vial in the venous line of the extracorporeal hemodialysis circuit) post hemodialysis 3 times a week for 12 months and the control group 1 vial of placebo solution (solution for injection in the venous line of the extracorporeal hemodialysis circuit) post hemodialysis 3 times a week for 12 months. The follow-up of the patients was for 12 months, at the end of the follow-up, a coronary control tomography was performed by the Radiology Department to assess the final calcium score. Relative risk measurement (RR), absolute risk reduction (ARR) and number to be treated (NTT) were performed.

Vascular calcification (VC) represents one of the major complications associated with progressive renal impairment. Matrix Gla-protein (MGP) is a vitamin K-dependent protein that acts as a powerful inhibitor of vascular calcification. Despite this fact, it remains unknown whether supplementation with vitamin K can lead to reduction or reversal of vascular and heart valve calcification. Our study aims primarily to investigate the effect of intravenous vitamin K1 three times weekly for a total duration of 6 months on the serum levels of dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated MGP (dp-ucMGP) as well as aortic calcification score and severity of aortic and mitral valve lesions.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors improve glycemic control and contain pleiotropic actions on kidney injury, albuminuria and vascular inflammation especially in animal models. We plan to evaluate the efficacy of potent DPP4-inhibitors (gemigliptin) in response to these aspects in diabetic nephropathy patients.

The proposed study will investigate the effects of etelcalcetide on the bone and blood-vessel health in patients with CKD-MBD. The investigators will test if etelcalcetide makes bone and blood-vessels healthier. The study hypotheses are that are that etelcalcetide keeps bones strong and lowers the risk of calcium deposits in blood vessels. In Aim 1, the investigators will test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide improves bone strength in twenty ESKD patients with hyperparathyroidism (HPT) by bone biopsy. In Aim 2, the investigators will test if 9-months of treatment with etelcalcetide decreases serum propensity to calcify blood vessels. The potential significance of this study is to provide first-time data on the ability of etelcalcetide to protect bone and blood-vessel health in patients with ESKD.