Active clinical trials for "Hypertension"

The present study investigates the effects of recreational soccer in type 2 diabetic men in regard to muscular, cardiovascular adaptations and glycaemic control. 12 men participate in 6 month structured recreational soccer training and 10 men act as control with no change in lifestyle. Testing consisting of fasting blood samples, muscle biopsies, Dexa-scans, echocardiography, maximal oxygen consumption, Yo-Yo interval test, bloodpressure, Resting heart rate, and endothelial function (Itamar, Endopat)will be performed at baseline, after 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. The study examines the hypothesis that the high-intensity aerobic work profile combined with a high anaerobic turnover from the nature of soccer (accelerations, decelerations, turns, sudden stops) will improve glycaemic control, muscle and cardiac function and taken together will improve the overall health profile in type 2 diabetic men

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of hyperuricemia treatment compared with placebo on participants with high risk of hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is considered the primary cause of death in the developed world. Large scale epidemiological studies indicate that prevalence of hypertension along with adverse cardiovascular events peak during the winter months. Moreover, during the winter months outdoor activities and physical stressors such as exercise have been associated with higher cardiovascular mortality when compared to other periods of the year. Although low environmental temperatures have been implicated as the triggering factor for cardiovascular complications, the mechanisms on how cold exposure increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remain to be elucidated. However, new research suggests that cold exposure may induce increases in cardiac sympathetic activity, endothelial damage and increased arterial stiffness of central arteries. Cardiovascular drugs including antihypertensive pharmacological agents seem to be inefficient to provide appropriate therapeutic effects during cold exposure. Therefore, it is imperative to propose alternative non-pharmacological therapies intended to prevent the detrimental effects of low environmental temperatures on cardiovascular function. Recently, oral supplementation of the amino acid L-citrulline has been proposed as an effective therapeutic adjuvant for the treatment of hypertension. L-citrulline is known to enhance the bioavailability of L-arginine levels and increase endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production, one of the main modulators of vascular tone and blood pressure (BP). L-citrulline supplementation has been shown to increase endothelial function, reduce BP, and ameliorate endothelial oxidative damage without any adverse effects. Our group has demonstrated that L-citrulline supplementation attenuates the BP response to cold exposure (the cold pressor test, CPT). These studies suggest that L-citrulline supplementation may be a feasible therapeutic aid in order to prevent cardiovascular complications associated with cold exposure. However the potential cardioprotective effects of L-citrulline supplementation during cold exposure with exercise have yet to be evaluated. It is hypothesized that L-citrulline supplementation would reduce arterial stiffness and blood pressure (BP) responses to physiological stress (cold exposure). This study may lead to the development of an adjunct therapy for the prevention and management of cardiovascular adverse events that are particularly increased during the winter months.

A multi-center, observer-masked, randomized, parallel group efficacy and safety study of TRAVATAN® versus a new formulation of Travoprost Ophthalmic Solution, 0.004%

The portal hypertension (PHT) is the main complication in patients presenting with cirrhosis. It can be the direct cause of bleeding by rupture of the esophageal or gastric varices and can also contribute to the development of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and pleuropulmonary complications. In the paediatric population presenting with the PHT, one of every two children develops varices and thus has a significant risk of bleeding. Safe and easy to use, the video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is now routinely used in children for the exploration of the small bowel. But the role of the VCE for examination of the other parts of digestive tract still needs to be evaluated. For the esophagus, the VCE could allow the diagnosis without the need of general sedation. Recent studies have shown a good sensitivity and tolerance of this technique for the initial diagnosis of esophageal varices (EV) in adult patients presenting with portal hypertension, but it has not yet been validated for this indication. The investigators hypothesize that the VCE could be used in children with similar results in term of efficacy, as for adults. This prospective simple blind multicentre study (blind for the lecture of the capsule endoscopy record), will investigate the diagnostic value of the VCE compared to the conventional esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) under general sedation for the detection and the control of esophageal varices in children. If it is provided that the VCE is as efficient as it is for the adults, it could become a very interesting alternative to the conventional EGD because less expensive and less invasive. Moreover, this technique would be very useful as a means of early detection on the EV and/or their control.

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of carbon monoxide (CO) to decrease elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary artery. This symptom is seen in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare disease that causes fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath because the blood vessels that supply the lungs narrow, forcing the heart to work harder to push blood through. Previous studies in the laboratory have shown that carbon monoxide has promise in treating these symptoms. Subjects in this study are being asked to undergo a new type of treatment to improve pulmonary arterial hypertension by breathing CO gas. CO is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas usually found in car exhaust or cigarette smoke. It is administered with a continuous flow of air. Subjects will undergo a screening process during which it will be determined if they are eligible for the study. After the screening process, if subjects meet eligibility criteria for the study, they will begin carbon monoxide treatment through a cushioned mask that is placed over the nose and mouth. This treatment will last for sixteen weeks.

Epidemiological studies demonstrated an inverse associations between cardiovascular events and milk and dairy product consumption. Evidence from human intervention studies suggests that both whey and casein may be effective in blood pressure-lowering, however there is limited data on the impact of milk proteins on vascular function. This research aims to compare the potential acute and chronic impacts of the two main milk proteins (whey and casein) with maltodextrin on blood pressure and vascular function. Furthermore, the effects of these proteins on the markers of insulin resistance, lipid metabolism and inflammatory status will also be investigated in 'at-risk' individuals. This research includes both an acute and chronic intervention study which have been independently powered on the appropriate outcome measures. This has generated different sample size requirements for the two studies (Actual participants on the acute study: n=27, and on the chronic study: n=38).

Pulmonary hypertension or elevation of the pressure in the pulmonary vessels, results from various clinical conditions. It may be idiopathic (of unknown cause) or associated with numerous diseases including cardiovascular and lung disorders. Affected individuals suffer from progressive shortness of breath and, in its most sever forms; pulmonary hypertension carries a worse prognosis than many types of cancer. There is no test currently that can easily and non-invasively detect abnormalities of the pulmonary circulation. Presently there is no cure for pulmonary hypertension and substantial research efforts are dedicated to the development of new drugs that will stop progression or better yet, reverse the disease process. The investigators do not know if any of the drugs currently commercialized for pulmonary hypertension directly improve the status of the pulmonary vessels since no test currently provides this information. Direct earlier detection of lung vessel abnormalities associated with pulmonary hypertension using a sensitive and non-invasive test would allow not only earlier testing of these and of new drugs, but would provide a much better surrogate of disease severity allowing more efficient pre-clinical drug testing. The aim of this phase II study is to evaluate the safety of PulmoBind in participants with pulmonary hypertension and its potential to detect abnormal pulmonary circulation associated within pulmonary hypertension.

The objective of this study is to assess if prolonged storage time of a packed red blood cell unit may cause pulmonary vasoconstriction after transfusion, in a susceptible population such as cardiac surgery patients. The investigators will also evaluate the potential reversal effect of Inhaled Nitric Oxide on pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by stored blood transfusions.

Given the global health issues associated with poor cardiovascular function, interventions that help reduce the severity, with emphasis on prevention would not only have economic implications, but would also improve health, wellbeing and quality of life. Research provides evidence that consumption of a diet high in plant foods and rich is polyphenols is associated with a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (Hung et al 2004). Tart Montmorency cherries have been shown to be high in numerous phytochemicals (Wang et al 1999; Seeram et al 2001). Several of these compounds, are known to be vasoactive and improve blood vessel function by increasing bioavailability of vasodilators (Mudnic et al 2012), reducing vasoconstrictors (Broncel et al 2010), decreasing platelet aggregation (Hubbart et al 2006) and increasing blood vessel dilation (Schroeter et al 2006). Impaired function of the lining of blood vessels (endothelial dysfunction) has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the bioavailability of all the compounds in Tart Montmorency Cherry Juice and their efficacy with respect to vascular function has not been fully determined. This study will examine the influence of tart Montmorency cherry juice on cardiovascular function, specifically arterial stiffness by pulse wave velocity and blood flow in the microcirculation by laser Doppler imaging. This study will also examine digital volume pulse and pulse wave analysis. These data will provide information on the ability of TMCJ to affect blood flow and vascular function.